With a great-grandfather who founded the Cape Times in 1876, journalism was always my life choice. Born in Grahamstown and with 1820 Settler blood in my veins, I was infused with history. A degree at Rhodes under the tutelage of Professors Guy Butler (English) and Winnie Maxwell (History), mapped the future. More as a bystander than a participant, I have witnessed 80 years of history unfolding, from the bucolic Eastern Cape to the colonial world in Northern Rhodesia, from the politically doomed Central African Federation to the bustle of Johannesburg, from the steamy Lowveld to the serene seaside of the Western Cape.
I have failed in farming, lost a loving wife after 56 years of marriage, grieved over the premature deaths of a son and grandson, and made some really terrible choices in my career. But another wedding late in life has redeemed my happiness. Throughout my life, the written word has been my motif. In my latter years I have turned to researching, writing and publishing non-fiction historical books, slim volumes of interest to a niche readership. I have launched books at bookshops, given presentations at book fairs, addressed meetings of historical societies, participated in Zoom events and, gratefully, begun receiving author’s submissions from far and wide. This work has sustained me and my last modest contribution to my family, friends and readers is this memoir.