55 IN Memoriam Owen “Wally” Clarkson Gillingham 1947 Owen Clarkson died suddenly of a hear t attack on the Kearsney campus on Friday 18 February. Owen was one of the school’s most passionate and loyal Old Boys and his death will be deeply mourned by all his colleagues many of who were associated with him starting from time to time that they were at DPHS and through their years together at Kearsney. He will be remembered as a man of great integrity, courage, cour tesy, a true spor tsman in every sense of the word with a wonderful sense of humour. He was highly respected by all of those who had the privilege of being his colleague and friend. His father “Wally” Clarkson together with his Springbok and Natal colleagues Alf Walker and Bill Zeller were some of the original members of the “Old Crocks” formed in 1932 to play against Kearsney College. Through this association they sent their sons Owen, Newton and Ron to Kearsney, all of whom, after distinguished careers at Kearsney were later to represent Natal, the only occasion when three Kearsney Old Boys were to play together in the same Natal provincial rugby side. Owen was awarded colours for rugby playing fullback for the 1st XV in 1947 and was a member of 1st XI cricket for three years. He was a passionate Gillingham boy. Owen’s older brother was a brilliant scholar at Kearsney who together with BrianWoods were the last two boys to read both Latin and Greek under Jack Reece. After a career with Standard Charter Bank, in Rhodesia, Owen, Sheila, their son Paul and daughter Jennifer returned to Natal where Owen retired to Botha’s Hill. Being close to the school, he was regular spectator at rugby and cricket matches. During the last 10 years Owen has spent much of his time working in the Kearsney Archives recovering and filing documents and photographs and putting them together which will enable them to be used as valuable research material. One of his major projects has been the collection of all the school’s 1st XV rugby photographs and identifying all the players. These are now displayed in the Old Boys Greyhound Pavilion. He has also been responsible for the restoration of the 1st XI cricket photographs in the Old Boys Memorial Cricket Pavilion. We bid farewell to a dear friend and trusted colleague and extend to Sheila, Paul and Jennifer our sincere condolences. Graeme Shuker (1948) Neil More Finningley 1953 They say that inside every old man there sits a young man “wondering what the heck happened”. Well it is true. I first met Neil at Highbury in 1946. We were in the same house – Escombe. Neil was very competitive. It was useless trying to compete with him at athletics as he was simply the best and was Victor Ludorum. However, I beat him at rugby. Apar t from the odd game of golf that’s the last time I beat him at anything. At Kearsney Neil reigned supreme at Athletics. He simply glided over the turf and won every event he entered except, I think, high jump. Neil was awarded athletic honours and played first team rugby. The best I could do was making the second rugby team. When I star ted work in 1952 and Neil in 1954 we were both employed at Atlantic Refining Co. Then, like a lot of Kearsney boys, at Hind Bros. Neil and his wife Carole then relocated to Rhodesia. That’s when the fun really star ted. Neil became a highly successful business man. Among many other things he bought a boat on Lake Kariba called Stagger Lee. I cannot remember when he first took me to Lake Kariba. I used to be an avid motorcyclist (thanks toTheo Shepstone) and for roughly 16 years I would arrive at the More’s home in Salisbury. Carole and Neil were fantastic. They welcomed us with open arms. The entrance fee was a bottle of J&BWhisky. I know some very wealthy people who have visited just about every holiday exotic place in the world and they have all said their trip to Lake Kariba with Neil was the best. My wife Jo and I live in a retirement home in Mount Edgecombe and when the More’s left Zimbabwe they moved into a retirement home in Somerset Valley, Umhlanga. We visited each other every two weeks. Two well-known Durban businessmen Hugh Mathie and Mike Broude phoned me when Neil passed away and said the identical thing: “Neil was the one guy they knew that nobody could point a finger at”. I phoned Neil on NewYear’s Day to wish him all the best and he told me he was going into hospital the next day for a minor overnight procedure. After 65 years that’s the last time we spoke to each other. Neil leaves behind his wife Carole, son Dean and his daughter Toni-Lee. Barrie Francois (1951)
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