Tributes to friends who are no longer  with us

Dev Farquarson

27 May 1934 -  21 December 2016

As read at her memorial service  on 30 December 2016:

"The word that I hear most people use when they referred to our Mum, was inspirational and she truly was that, although first and foremost she was our Mum. She was a person who taught us about honesty, integrity, never to judge and mostly about never holding a grudge.

She decided from a very young age that she wanted to be a farmer and in fact won many prizes for the cattle she showed. There was an article write up about her in the local Nelspruit newspaper calling her "Little Miss Sunshine" when at the age of 19 she was leaving the Nelspruit region to go and farm in England. Her greatest joy in life, career wise, was having been a dairy farmer, although she also loved her time as a nurse. She did a lot of really good work with Red Cross and was extremely proud of the gold medals she won whilst volunteering for them. To add another interesting layer to her career she spent many years working as a private investigator and so I learnt from an early age never to give anything away when asked questions. She was a hard working woman, who really didn't have two pennies at the end of each month, but again, she taught us about the act of giving even when it meant going without for yourself. We used to host orphans over holidays or have some elderly people over to share our Christmas meal. Mum would always find a way to stretch her Rands just that little bit further to help someone in need.

She had an uncanny gift with animals and was inspired by nature. Ever since she retired 17 years ago, I felt that she has grasped at every opportunity that came her way to embrace meeting people and getting involved in her local communities. The last 4 years, (having moved to Marloth Park), were some of her best. . The move to Marloth Park revitalised her in so many ways as she had a great sense of achievement and pride being asked to be an honorary ranger, being a committee member of the Marlothi Conservancy, and of course the welcoming friends she found in Marloth Park. She was very involved in the eradication of alien plants in Marloth, right up to her passing away at the age of 82. Thank you to all of those that contributed to her happiness over the past 4 years.

We are going to miss this little 5.1" lady that stood 10 foot tall in our lives. The important thing  we have learnt from her is to stop at that little flower you see from your car window because when you stop, not only do you see that one flower, you see 10 other beautiful ones that would have been missed. Stop to listen to a river babbling. Walk amongst the fields. Be at one with nature. Take time to appreciate the beauty around you, no matter how small it may be.

We want to thank her and for her unconditional love for us and for the incredible memories."

John Martin

14/10/1938 to 23 /01/2015

John and Jan Martin lived in Fourways in Johannesburg prior to moving to Marloth Park. John was involved in the Fourways nature reserve for three years and enjoyed many pleasurable hours assisting with the management of the Dassie population and the establishment of ostriches within the reserve. 

John and Jan moved to Marloth Park in April 2005, as they were tired of the chaos and ever growing walls  of concrete popping up around them.  John was in his element with the large selection of wild life on his doorstep.  He enjoyed sitting on the patio where he spent many hours documenting this menagerie of animals. John first attended the Marlothii Conservancy meetings as a resident of Marloth Park. His passion for conserving wild life would however not allow him to be a passive member and he made himself available to serve on the committee. He was soon elected to chairmanship and promptly introduced new direction.  This included specialist speakers on various wild life topics. He was also very enthusiastic about the lectures presented by Keith Knorr and was always supportive of new ideas that could contribute to conserving the environment. John was a keen bird watcher and soon started weekly bird walks at Henk van Rooyen Park which proved extremely popular and this eventually resulted in Marloth Park being listed on the Animal Demography Unit of the University of Cape Town. One of his greatest concerns was the dwindling rhino population  which he monitored very carefully and reported on regularly to the Conservancy and other organisations. John’s chairmanship steered the Conservancy into its proper role of educator in the conservation of Marloth Park. 

John will be fondly remembered by many for his generosity, passion for life and regaling of wild life tales.

Our prayers and thoughts are with Jan and the family at this difficult and changing time. John may you remain in the memories of all who knew you, it is a sad when we have to bid good bye to a friend and servant of the Marlothii Conservancy, rest in peace – farewell, tot siens, Hamba Kahle old friend.  

Barbara Long

Barbara was a valued plant expert and excelled in identification of trees, shrubs and even tiny forbs, both indigenous and exotic.

She was an enthusiastic and valued member of the Marloth Park Honorary Rangers and the Marlothii Conservancy as well as a Kruger National Park Honorary Ranger.

Barbara led our Bush Rehabilitation project on Seekoei Road as well as the development of Gruispan with the planting of trees, controlling of alien plants and plans for nurturing of the grass cover. Her tree identification and labeling function for the Property Owners was appreciated by all. She was the key person in the preparation of the ‘Plant Waterwise’ brochure. She also held training sessions on alien invasive plants for the Municipal teams.

We shall remember Barbara’s willingness to help, her kind, smiling face, her infectious laugh and her great sense of humour.

Barbara was a friend to many of us. We will miss her very much.

Our condolences to her husband, Stuart, her children and all her family.

Tony Newey

Tony and Jeanette Newey bought in 1995 and came to live in Marloth Park in 2002.  They were both keen conservationists with Tony being an avid birder and Jeanette having a wide knowledge and love of plants.

Tony was a valued birding expert and excelled in the identification of birds by their calls, habits and visuals.  He had recorded 851 different sightings in Southern Africa.  Tony lead the bird walks on Saturday mornings at Henk van Rooyen Park for a long time, much to the delight of the many birders in Marloth Park.

He was an enthusiastic and valued member of the Marloth Park Honorary Rangers and the Marlothii Conservancy and served on their committees for many years.  He was always willing to go on to Gate Duty and help with all aspects of Conservation work.   He was Deputy Chief Honorary Ranger serving tirelessly on the Honorary Rangers Committee.  When he could no longer work as an Honorary Ranger due to failing health, he was made an Honorary, Marloth Park Honorary Ranger in appreciation of all the work he had done over the years.

Tony also served on the Committee of the Permanent Residents Association and was appointed Chairman and then joined the committee of the Marloth Park Property Owners Association and was appointed Chairman of this organization, in which position he served ably.  Tony had the ability to see situations clearly and had a wide knowledge on many subjects.  He was fondly known by the Municipal Manager at the time as “The Professor”.

We shall remember Tony for his willingness to help in many areas of conservation, his friendliness, his kind, smiling face and his quiet, sensible advice.

Tony was a friend to many of us and we will miss him very much.

Our condolences to his wife, Jeanette and all his family.