PBHSOB ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION

Dear Old Boy

Matthew Amoni matriculated from Pretoria Boys High School in 2009 and always knew he wanted to make an impact on the community and help disadvantaged persons. He was also drawn to science and engineering and struggled to find his passion. He firmly believes that it is only through the mentorship of his teachers and friends at Pretoria Boys High School, that he was able to realise his dream and calling to be a medical doctor.

“Moreover, Boys High instilled in me a fire to be great, to work hard and not let the bounds of the way things are now to limit my aspirations. This was a key factor in me pioneering the programme of the clinician-scientist that led to my multiple-degree graduation.”

In 2016 Matthew graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), a Bachelor of Science in Medicine (Honours) (BSc Hons) and Master of Science in Medicine (MSc), all with distinction from the University of Cape Town. He did all this by the age of 25.

The University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Science offers a Clinical Scholars Programme which expedites MBChB students into clinical research, whilst simultaneously completing an honours degree during their studies before commencing with their PhD research degrees. However Matthew completed his Master’s Degree in cardiac physiology during his last two years of his Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).

Matthew came to Pretoria Boys High School in Form IV and was in Solomon House. “Solomon House imparted the values of honour, integrity, respect, hard work and excellence on me.”

Matthew was in the First Aid Society, Athletics A Team and played 1st Team Basketball. It was on the basketball courts where he made some of his closest friendships and “learnt the spirit of perseverance which played a big role in my successful tertiary career.”

There were a number of Masters who were inspirational to Matthew. He recollects:

Dr Johan Lombard was my Life Sciences teacher in Form IV. He was a medical doctor who took time off medical practice to teach and inspire young students. Between his regularly scheduled smoking breaks he really captivated me in our off topic discussions on various medical subjects including cardiac valvular murmurs, neuronal injury and regeneration, among many subjects.

Mr Lupos was my Physics teacher and a part-time PhD student in Physics at the University of Pretoria at the time. He inspired my love for science with his practical and applicable delivery and teaching style.

Mr Mark Smith, my housemaster and a well-rounded gentleman and father-figure who would every Sunday evening impart some words of wisdom that resonated with you all week.

Mr Hassenkamp inspired me to be consistent and work hard with dignified ethic. I remember he would drive past me in his four-wheeler bike, as I was slacking, dragging my feet and taking the scenic route from Koppie to Pollock campus and shout “My boy, I know you’re going places … it’s vitally-important you fix that attitude”. Each time I began to drag my feet and slack in my tertiary education I would hear him still saying “My boy .. fix that attitude”

The values of brotherhood, integrity and hard work imparted on the boys in an environment of honour and mutual respect creates a refined gentleman, dignified and hardworking – a rare gem in the degenerating world we live.

In a recent visit to the school, Matthew’s remarkable achievements were acknowledged at a Friday Assembly and Matthew proceeded to give his thanks to the school and encouragement to the pupils.

Pictured below are Mario Maartens (2009), James Orr (2009), Matthew Amoni (2009) and Craig Stephens (2010), all Solomon House Old Boys.

We wish Matthew all the best in the coming months when he goes to Belgium to begin his PhD studies in the laboratory of renowned cardiologist Professor Karin Sipido, editor-in-chief of the Cardiovascular Research Journal.

Click here to read a recent article on Matthew, published by the University of Cape Town

THE PRETORIAN TRUST

Dear Old Boy

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Mr Leon Kok has been appointed as the manager of the Pretorian Trust. Mr Kok is an Old Boy having matriculated in 1964 and has been a loyal and faithful supporter of the school. His background as a journalist, media specialist and author with specific emphasis on finance and business will stand him in good stead in this role.

We look forward to seeing his plans for the Pretorian Trust and its fundraising initiatives in the future and wish him well in this new challenge.

Yours sincerely

A D REELER
HEADMASTER

CHESA NYAMA

The Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys Association held its very first Chesa Nyama on the 4th of March 2017 in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria.

For those who are not aware, a Chesa Nyama is a social setting where you buy and braai meat usually supplied by a nearby butchery or a bar/restaurant. They are popular in the townships and are places where many friendships are made and maintained.

The idea started with the Chairman of the Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys’ Association, Thomas Rundle asking an important question: How can we make the Association more attractive to its increasingly young and diverse membership who tends to lose touch with the school after leaving. So, in consultation with a few Old Boys, the idea gained momentum to host something fun and different… and the Old Boys’ Chesa Nyama was born.

On a warm afternoon in Mamelodi about one hundred Old Boys strolled in to find drinks, their name tags and the Pretoria Boys High School Headmaster, Mr Tony Reeler welcoming them for a day of meat, music and televised sports with friends most had not seen since leaving the school.

After catching up over a few drinks and a steak, the Old Boys were called for an address by the Headmaster who updated the Old Boys on the school and the changes it has under gone in the years since he has taken up the role of Headmaster, including the introduction of soccer along with other initiatives designed to make the school feel more inclusive to all the boys who attend it.

Thomas also took to the stand to reaffirm the Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys’ Association’s commitment to the event and finally Goitse Konopi, a researcher in the Office of the Presidency for the National Planning Commission, also stood up to deliver a fiery speech on how the school can contribute to the future of the country.

In closing, the day was a great success and a vote of thanks has to go out to all of those who contributed to it, in particular:

• The Chairman, Headmaster and members of the PBHSOB Association Executive Committee for their support
• Peter (CJ), Rami Moatshe and all the staff at Jack Budha
• Tebatso Kiewit, Chris Kaniki, Lebo Likhethe and Timo for assisting with the marketing of the event and the arranging of the DJ’s
• The Old Boys who donated their time to DJ at the event free of charge
• Mandla Holomisa who provided Jameson as welcome drinks

We believe this is the first time a school like ours has had an event of this nature and as Thomas mentioned, apart from the reunions, the event is the second largest after the Summer Sports Day, and it is one we look forward to having and growing for many years to come.

Regards,
Aphile Molefe
CONVENOR

Images: Jason Webber | Jack Budha

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys’ Association Annual General Meeting will take place on 17th of May 2017 at the Pretoria High School Old Boys’ Club, Hofmeyr Park, Lynnwood at 18:00.

We would like to encourage all Old Boys and PBHSOB Association Members to attend the evening and use the AGM as a platform to have a say and voice opinions.

If you are unable to attend, please complete a proxy form allowing another PBHSOB Association Member to vote on your behalf – click here to download the proxy form.

Kindly return the completed form to info@pbhsob.com as soon as possible. The cut-off time for returned proxy forms and apologies are 13:00 on 16 May 2017.

Click here to read the 2016 Chairman’s report.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys Association will be held at the Pretoria High School Old Boys Club, Hofmeyr Park, Lynnwood, Pretoria on Wednesday the 17th of May 2017 at 18:00.

Agenda

1. Notice convening the meeting
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 18 May 2016
4. Matters Arising from the minutes
5. Annual Report
6. Financial Reports and Balance Sheet
7. Resolutions

a. All other acts and things performed by the Directors on behalf of the Association during the past year are hereby confirmed.
b. Such others of which notice may be given
Note: Resolutions must be submitted in writing and must reach the Hon. Secretary seven days before the meeting.

8. Election of the Directors and Office Bearers for the ensuing year
9. Appointment of the Auditors and fixing of their remuneration
10. General

Date: 17 May 2017 | Time: 18:00
Address: 378 Queen Crescent, Lynnwood, Pretoria.

NOTICE

Old Boys are requested to please refrain from using the sporting facilities at Pretoria Boys High School as these are intended for current pupils of Pretoria Boys High School only. We thank you kindly for your co-operation in this regard.

ANECDOTES

I have a particular, recurring memory of Mr Dorlas’ rapier wit.

At one summer PT class Mr Dorlas introduced us to the world of track and field. As Form 1s, most of us had no idea how to do things like throw a javelin, hurl a discus, or put a shot. Many of us had never even seen such athletic apparatus before. No least of these was School House boy Geoffrey Decker. When presented with a javelin, he grabbed it and began twirling it around above his head like a gymnast. Upon seeing him, Mr Dorlas uttered a phrase that still makes me laugh out loud every time I think of it.

He said, “Decker, you better watch out with that javelin boy, or you’ll end up in hospital looking like a flippen’ sosatie.”– Tyson Jopson (2003)

A LOOK BACK..

LETTERS

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Letter from Mike Greville (The Phobian Number 32 – January 1995)

A few reminiscences from my days at the School. My father, S Eden Greville (“Pop”) came from the UK to take up the post of Senior English Master and Vice Principal under WH (Bill) Hofmeyr in 1920 and remained at the School until his eventual retirement in 1942. Upon his retirement, he voluntarily accepted the post of Honorary Secretary of the Old Boy’s Association and wrote innumerable letters to Old Boys serving in the armed forces, especially those who were unfortunate enough to be taken as prisoners of war. He compiled the original Roll of Honour which he described as a “sad duty” and grieved when he was called upon to add a further name, for he had taught many of the boys and looked on them as members of a great family of Old Boys.

My brother Tony (1934 – 1938) and I (1941 – 1945) both attended the School and became acquainted with many of the anecdotes which reflected school life. My father firmly believed that nobody should take advantage of the fact that his sons were pupils at the School where he was a master and frequently acted as Headmaster. One of the staff, who shall be nameless, once found occasion to complain to my father of the standard of my work – “You had best complain to his parents,” advised my father, “it is no earthly use complaining to me!” On another occasion, he countered a complaint with “what Form did you say the boy is in? I don’t think I know him – I know the mother very well though!” Tony and I did not follow in father’s footsteps and become teachers.

Tony enlisted at the outbreak of World War II and was wounded while serving with the 6th South African Division in Italy. He returned to graduate from Natal University and then followed a very successful career in the field of geology. I spent 40 years in the service of the South African Reserve Bank, retiring as an Accountant from the Durban Branch in 1985.

Noel Pollock (Polly) Housemaster of Rissik, later Headmaster, and my father were very great friends and were in the habit of corresponding with one another in Latin on topics which they considered to be “confidential”, each trying to impress the other with their fluency. Polly thought he had scored the final shot when he presented my father with a Latin dictionary as a retirement gift – Father retaliated by giving Polly an English Dictionary with a Latin inscription!

I recall as a junior being sent with a note from a teacher to the room where Polly was teaching one of the matric classes. I knocked on the door very timidly and with great apprehension entered the room. Polly stopped mid-sentence and there was a dead silence in the room of 30-odd pupils. He glared down at me from the platform and noticing that I had a “fly” button undone roared “How dare you come in here unannounced and (gesturing at my “fly”) half naked – get out and enter again in the correct manner!” The roar of laughter from the class still rings in my ears.

I think that those of us who were taught Afrikaans by “Stokkie” Joubert will never forget him for his benevolent appearance belied his rather stern method of maintaining discipline with punishments raging from banishment from the classroom to an “extra cadet parade”. If my memory serves me correctly he told us of serving with the Boer Commandos during the Anglo-Boer War… the name of his horse was “Hattingh” – “Because that was the name of the man who sold it to me” he explained. He was C/O of the School Cadet Corps for many years until it was decided by the authorities that he should be replaced by a younger man. The Corps said goodbye at the annual Final Parade and Valediction Ceremony. To our amazement “Stokkie” arrived to take the salute on horseback and dressed in full uniform. We were all most impressed with his speech which ended with the words “as Napoleon said to his troops – Adieu”. The boys were very fond of “Stokkie” and applauded in a most unmilitary manner with clapping and cheers.

I think that it must be something about school that causes teachers to develop amiable eccentricities that place them in a category uniquely theirs.

Those of us who were taught by the late Walter Battiss will agree that as an eccentric he had no peers – his humour and his refreshing approach to school and teaching were unique. There are anecdotes surrounding him which have become almost legends – such as the time he once awarded the marks for the fortnightly “progress cards” by writing them on slips of paper, folding them and placing them in a hat from which the pupils would draw their marks. He explained that doing it this way nobody would fail for all the slips contained pass marks! One of the class who was acknowledged to be a little bit more talented than the rest happened to draw a very low mark. “Throw it back” said Battiss “and try again – better luck next time!” Nobody in the class objected for Battiss had made it sound so logical and so fair.

I remember the occasion when we were engaged on a still life which comprised a bowl of fruit Battiss had arranged. The bowl incidentally was a product of the art room potter’s wheel. We were urged to complete this still life before break which followed the lesson as it was one of the pupil’s lunch which he wished to consume at break.

The Headmaster DD Matheson (Baldy or Garibaldi) stormed up to the art room one day in order to query a 102% mark which Battiss had awarded for the progress card – how was this possible? Battiss explained that this was perfectly simple for the pupil had actually obtained 100% for his class work but he had promised him two marks if he would go to the tuckshop in order to buy him a buttered bun for his morning tea! It has never been recorded how the matter was finally resolved.

There were other notable characters in that kaleidoscope of school life – Mrs Tamlin who ran the tuckshop in the old slate and thatch pavilion – chocolate coated peanuts cost a penny a scoop – (a scoop being a small condensed milk tin) – boiled sweet suckers on a stick were two for a penny. Buns, sweets, scones, chocolates, in fact sweets of almost every kind were available. The most expensive and exotic item was styled a “trifle” and consisted of an oatmeal crunchie, two large dollops of ice cream, desiccated coconut, flaked chocolate and the whole creation was topped with a large glace cherry – price threepence or a tickey as we called it.

I maintain close contact with Basil Follett (1941-1945) who retired from teaching some few years back and now lives in Cape Town. Our association goes back to pre-primary school days – Mrs Philips nursery school in Pretoria some sixty years ago. I enjoy receiving the Phobian and have saved every copy sent to me since it was first launched and I frequently come across names that stir up memories of the happy years that I spent at the School – keep up the good work!

My kind regards to all who remember me still.
Taken from The Phobian Number 32 – January 1995

PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

Pretoria Boys High School boarding applications are now open for Grade 8 (Form I) in 2018. Please email admissions@boyshigh.com for application forms and more information. Day Boy applications will open in Term 2.

Congratulations to Dale Holloway (Form IV – Sunnyside House) on winning joint 1st prize at the Africa Energy Innovation Awards last night and walking away with R150 000. His topic was ‘Mitigating the Effect of Negative Voltage Coefficient in PV Cells’

The PBHS First Team Rugby squad started off winter with a pre-season friendly 25-20 win over Oos Moot at Loftus.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

KZN BRANCH GATHERING

The KZN Branch of the PBHSOB Association invites all Old Boys to attend an informal gathering on Saturday 15 April 2017 during the Kearsney College Easter Rugby Festival.

Old Boys are requested to meet after the game between Pretoria Boys High School and Selborne College scheduled for 10:45. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

LOWVELD BRANCH DINNER

The Lowveld Branch of the PBHSOB Association invites all Old Boys in the area to attend an informal dinner on Friday 12 May 2017.

The Headmaster Mr. Tony Reeler will travel from Pretoria to attend the dinner. We look forward to sharing the evening with you.

Venue: 64 Coolmore Road, White River
Date: 12 May 2017
Time: 18:00 for 18:30
Dress Code: Smart-Casual
RSVP: Kuen Pappas, 083 256 6591 | kuen@halls.co.za by April 21st.

EASTERN CAPE BRANCH ANNUAL DINNER

Old Boys in the area are invited to attend the 11th Annual Eastern Cape Branch Dinner.

Date: Friday 19 May 2017
Venue: Kelway Hotel, Humewood, Port Elizabeth
Dress Code: Jacket and Old Boys Tie
Cash Bar Available

The Headmaster Mr. Tony Reeler will travel from Pretoria to attend the dinner. We look forward to sharing the evening with you. For more information and bookings, please contact Mark Muttitt: 064 616 7681 | mark@spectrumgroup.co.za

CAPE TOWN BRANCH ANNUAL DINNER

The Cape Town Branch of the Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys’ Association will hold its Annual Function on Tuesday 30 May 2017 at Rondebosch Golf Club.

The Headmaster Mr. Tony Reeler will travel from Pretoria for the dinner. Jacket and tie would be appropriate. A stag dinner has been organised at a cost of the dinner will be R175.00, payable before by EFT.

Your assistance in contacting some of your old schoolmates and encouraging them to attend will ensure an enjoyable evening amongst your old school friends.

Cost: R175.00 per person
Drinks: For your own account
Dress Code: Jacket & Tie
Time: 19:00

Account Details:
Name: Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys Association CT
Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Constantia. Code: 250148
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 62216338641
Reference: Surname & Last Year at School

Please send RSVP and send a copy of bank EFT by e-mail to mark@gleeson.com

SURVIVING SATURDAYS

Many say that the school syllabus is becoming more demanding each year. Certainly the junior years of one’s school career can be pretty demanding. Logically, the most obvious of white lights at the end of the dark tunnel which we refer to as the school week would be the weekend, not so? Well, if you thought your weekend was the perfect time to catch up on some socializing with friends, that mountain of unfinished homework or even just some personal time, think again! Your weekend, or at least your Saturday belongs to the school. How naïve and foolish juniors are to even consider sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

As a not-so-sporty person I share the frustration of hundreds of juniors, or at least I used to. Being a junior you are persuaded to attend a certain number of sport fixtures every term, even though your team is not playing, or you are not in a team, or even if you have no interest in any form of sport whatsoever.

I realize how tedious this issue is for many boys, but it is believed that these fixtures actually promote school spirit so what can you do but make the best of it? Being able to identify with most of the above-mentioned situations, I thought it worthwhile to devise a plan as to how to survive being a reluctant spectator.

Point 1
It is essential that you know the words to all the war cries. Even if you have no idea what half the words are, mean or have no intention of singing along, you must learn to mouth the words accurately and throw in the occasional groan or “Go Boys High!”, to avoid attention of the cheerleaders.

Point 2
Make sure you arrive as early as necessary to find a spot on the stands. I realise that “bouncing” is a common problem, but the bottom seat of the stands usually seats a couple of drifting Form I’s, a late arrival will only result in harsh treatment, and plinking yourself on the ground. Also if possible, place yourself next to your friends or other non-sporty people so that when you are required to embrace total strangers as lifelong friends, it will actually be your friend or at least a person not utterly drenched in sweat.

Point 3
If possible, take frequent tuckshop or bathroom breaks. Finish your “footlong” as slowly as possible as you pretend to understand what is happening on the field in front of you. Beware however of pretending to be overjoyed at the wrong moment. You will be mighty unpopular if you accidently end up supporting the wrong team.

Point 4
Always keep your attendance form with you. You never know when you might strike a lucky break and stumble across a generous prefect who is enjoying the attention of signing everything pushed under his nose, or find a distracted sports coach who will simply sign anything to get you out of his way.

I hope these pointers will help you to make your Saturday more agreeable, but just remember that even through you cannot possibly imagine a reason for getting up early every Saturday to support your school, one day soon you will actually wish you had been there more often. And do prepare yourself to run onto the field like a crazed savage after each Boys High victory against Affies. Your physical well-being depends on it.

Lourens Terblanche
Boys Highlights Number 8 (May 2007)

IN MEMORIAM

BRIAN MATHESON STEWART (1955)

It is a privilege that I have been invited to write an obituary to my longstanding friend Brian Stewart, who passed away at the age of seventy nine after a short but severe illness borne with great fortitude. This was soon after his birthday on 24 February 2017. His passing was an extremely sad event for his family and his many friends and of course for me. I feel a deep sense of loss now that he is no longer with us.

I was fortunate to have known Brian since the age of four when we attended his grandmother’s kindergarten in Bourke Street, Sunnyside. This was during the war years. If my memory serves me, our time in kindergarten was from about 1942 to 1945. After this we were enrolled in Sunnyside Primary School which was zoned as a feeder school for Pretoria Boys High. Consequently, both Brian and I began our memorable high school years at Boys High in 1951. Little did we know how privileged we were to be a part of this remarkable educational institution.

At Boys High, Brian was quite simply, a very clever pupil. However, he never traded on this gift. He was in fact, “one of the boys”. Always game for adventure and fun with an aptitude for risk taking which I suspect may have cost him his prefect’s badge. He was also a frequenter of “smoker’s koppie” until he became a cadet corps NCO, tasked with the occasional responsibility of raiding the smoking emporiums on the hill to flush out the smokers. I’m sure this must have irked him somewhat.

I also vividly recall us sitting on our bikes at home-time at the now non-existent corner of Lynnwood Road and Roper Street, together with Francois Theron, Hendrik Davel and Gerrit Bon, checking out the Girls High and St Mary’s girls on their bikes and debating their many merits tucked away in drab gymslips. That’s about as far as we got though!

Brian loved sport and as I recall participated in cricket, rugby and athletics. He was a particularly fast 100 yard sprinter. He and his good friend Joe Leps, left me standing when we had our first athletics trials in Form One. I was considered to be an ace sprinter in primary school, but that all changed when the pond became bigger. This is a lesson that Boys High has taught many a self-confident “new- pot”.

After completing matric, Brian and I went our separate ways. He had chosen a career in accounting and after completing his articles in Johannesburg, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and moved to Pretoria. Brian started out with the attorney’s firm George Mackenzie and Co. and ended up with KPMG where he became a valued partner in the firm. He married his first and only true love, Thelma on the 1st of April 1961 and from this union there were four much-loved children, Roderick and Jonathan, Catherine and Elizabeth. No prizes for guessing what schools they went to! All of them have done well in their respective careers and were their parents’ pride and joy.

After matric I elected to go the Naval Gymnasium at Saldanha for a year and then chose a naval career as my vocation in life. Thirty years later, I was appointed to Naval Headquarters in Pretoria and it was only then that Brian and I were able to pick up the reins of our friendship once again. I had two daughters at Girls High at the time and Brian’s one daughter was teaching there.

What a remarkable friendship it has turned out to be. I could not have wished for a better friend than Brian. His sterling qualities became even more apparent as I grew to know him better in adult life.

Brian loved Boys High with a passion and was one of the most loyal and forthright Old Boys I have ever met. Honesty and integrity, as well as a great sense of humour, were qualities that shone through and must have endeared him to many who were to make his acquaintance throughout his life. He was one of the most principled people that I have known, with no grey areas in his persona. And yet, he remained humble and unassuming – unless goaded!

When the new headmaster, Bill Schroder and his wife Cherry, arrived at the School in about 1989, Brian as I recall, was serving as a school board member. He and Bill became great friends over time. When Bill embarked on his ambitious and meritorious fundraising effort to build a new school hall, together with expanded educational facilities, he called upon Brian to be the fundraiser for our matric year of 1955. Brian accepted the challenge without hesitation and then roped me in to help. Needless to say that under Brian’s competent leadership we were one of the first years to reach our target. A glutton for punishment, Brian also played a leading role in our forty, fifty and sixty years-on reunions. That was my friend Brian with his sleeves rolled up!

In closing I have to mention that Brian was a fund of information on the whereabouts of Old Boys and the School’s history. In this regard his memory was quite remarkable. I carry a mental picture with me of seeing Brian at the Johannesburg Old Boys monthly lunches at the “Thundergun” Steak House in Northcliffe, wedged between a brace of beefy Old Boys of some bygone era, just enjoying being “one of the boys” once again, wrapped in a cloak of School fellowship. He could not have been happier.

I will miss Brian immensely, as will all who knew him as I did.

“Vale Brian”

– Trevor Beddy (1955)

JACOBUS PIERRE ROUX (1950)

Pretoria – Pierre Roux, a retired judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court who tackled cases such as the right of gay people to marry, died last week at the age of 84.

Announcing his death on March 3, the Judge President of that division, Judge Dunstan Mlambo, said Roux had 17 years’ active service at the bench before his retirement in 2003.

According to media archives, Roux presided over the application that first set South Africa on the path to legalising gay marriage.

Marie Fourie and Cecilia Bonthuys had approached the court for their union to be legally recognised by the Department of Home Affairs, as a challenge to laws which stated that only men and women could marry.

In 2002, Roux dismissed the application on a technicality – they had not challenged the constitutionality of the Marriage Act.

The case went on appeal, and eventually the Constitutional Court in 2005 found that the definition of a married couple in the Marriage Act was unfair, discriminatory and unconstitutional and in 2006 the laws were changed to recognise their union.

He had also presided over an attempt at seizing the assets of apartheid era military doctor and cardiologist Wouter Basson.

Basson had headed a secret chemical warfare unit and his charges had included drug trafficking, fraud and embezzlement, murder and conspiracy to murder after he did not seek amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In 2002, Roux set aside an order authorising the then-National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka to seize assets valued at R44m from Basson while he awaited trial. Basson was eventually acquitted.

Mlambo said that Roux was born on January 13, 1933 in Pretoria and matriculated at Pretoria Boys High School.

He graduated from Stellenbosch University in 1955 with a BA LLB degree and was admitted as an advocate in 1956, and took Silk in 1977.

He was admitted as an advocate in Botswana in 1976.

During 1982 and 1983, he was an acting judge at the then-Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court and in 1986 he was permanently appointed as a judge of the same High Court, Pretoria.

Roux had also acted as a judge at the Bophuthatswana High Court, Mmabatho, during February 2002.

He retired in 2003 at the age of 70.

He leaves four children, Charles, Pierre, Andrew and Nan, and seven grandchildren.

Mlambo said that Roux’s eldest son, two of his daughters-in-law and his son-in-law all followed in his footsteps in the legal profession, as advocates.

Jenni Evans, News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/retired-pretoria-judge-pierre-roux-dies-20170311

MICHAEL BARRON LAMB (2002)

My younger brother Michael Barron Lamb died on 6th February 2017 in Bristol (United Kingdom) shortly after being diagnosed with malignant skin cancer. Michael was a day boy at Boys’ High for all of his five years of high school. After leaving school Michael went on to serve in the British Army. I have included the obituary which was written and read out at his funeral service by his best friend.

Yours sincerely,
Richard Lamb

Good afternoon,

Today we say goodbye to Michael Barron Lamb, the husband of Barbara the son of Moira and Peter, a brother, a soldier an airborne legend and a friend. My name is Justin and it has been one of my greatest honours to call Mike my friend.

Mike was born on the 17th December 1984, the sixth of seven children and sibling to Gregory, Richard, Victoria, Christopher, Peter and Joanne. I only had the pleasure of meeting Moira, Mikey’s mum, about a month ago but it was at this first meeting that she told me, rather mischievously, that she needed one more, she needed that one more to get Mikey. Baby faced, red cheeked and playfully naughty. Qualities that he seemed to retain into adult life. I did not have the pleasure of knowing him growing up but his childhood sounds idyllic and he would often tell me stories of his life growing up on the farm. I can only guess that it was the wide open African spaces and the sense of freedom nurtured by a loving family that installed in him a sense of wanderlust. Inevitably Mikey got the travel bug and travelled to the United Kingdom to join the Army.

To his family I can only offer this comfort, although separated by the physical distance between you, you were never far from his thoughts and he carried you in his heart. Throughout the years I have come to know each of you, Mike shared his hopes and concerns his memories and aspirations for each of you. Your pain and joy were his. He loved you all and no one could have asked for a better son or brother. I cannot fathom the depth of your loss and I offer you my sincerest condolences but know that a part of Mike’s legacy is that you are not alone, and should you need it, his military family are here for you.

Perhaps it was his dad and brothers back ground in medicine that led to him pursuing a career in medicine or perhaps it was his own innate sense of empathy. Whatever the reason he found himself in the Royal Army Medical Corp. He was entrusted with the lives of soldiers who were at their most vulnerable and needed the most. It was a duty that he upheld with due diligence and performed better than any man or woman I have met. On the battlefield he set about his task with a cool efficiency and calm that belied the chaos that surrounded him. He instilled in others that same sense of calm purpose and I can say without question that there are some here present today because of him. Not one to shy away from a challenge Mike saw fit to serve with only the best and his resume includes such units as 16 Medical Regiment, The Parachute Regiment and the Special Forces (22nd Special Air Service Regiment).

I, of course like many here today, knew him as Lamby and our paths first crossed nine years ago at 16 Medical Regiment where he was already establishing a name for himself as a highly competent and capable soldier having just returned from what would be one of three operational tours of Afghanistan. Prior to this deployment, Lamby showed his mettle on an airborne exercise by jumping from a plane with kit that nearly doubled his own weight and every time I hear or tell this story, the weight seems to increase. Lamby was the lightest and most junior soldier on that plane. He did not complain, he accepted his responsibility with the professionalism that we have come to know and rely on and when that light turned green he threw himself into the abyss without hesitation. It was widely accepted that Mikey made the hardest jump that day.

STEPHEN LOUIS (BLACKIE) WOLF (1972)