Day: March 29, 2016

After graduating and toying with the idea of becoming a prosecutor in Rhodesia (there was lots of good and cheap big game hunting and fishing there) sanity prevailed and I joined Dyason Douglas Muller and Meyer (now Dyasons) in Pretoria to do my articles at the princely salary of R120 per month. I joined up with some contemporaries from Maties including Poen Hoffman, Ghoempie Albertyn and Mitt Bredell. We lived together in a house in Muckleneuck (rather a posh suburb) and euphemistically named the place “Maidens Hope.“ The house became known for its very good parties and the good looking guys living there!!,or so we thought.

After a fortunate run on the Stock Exchange whilst still a clerk I had enough money to travel overseas as soon as I had completed my articles. A friend of mine and I bought a camper van in London and off we went to explore. I had enough money not to have to work for a year and to have work interfere with my intensive studies of strip shows, belly dancing and beer festivals.

On my return I joined George Pretorius at Cliffe Dekker and Todd in Johannesburg. I had just got to like Johannesburg when I was offered a job by a firm in Durban. I was originally from KZN  and had some farming interests there so the offer was attractive.

Shortly after I arrived in Durban I married Anita Cronje, whom I had met on a blind date in Pretoria during my Maidens Hope days. We have lived in Durban since then and have been fortunate to have 2 girls and a boy. I am proud to say that all three of them are Graduates of Stellenbosch University. Only my eldest daughter followed in my footsteps and did law.

I was a partner in De Villiers and Strauss until Johan Strauss and I broke away in 1984  to start our own firm known as Strauss Daly. This firm has grown tremendously and now has offices throughout the country.

In 2001 I resigned as the chairman of Strauss Daly and the set up a legal call centre primarily to collect debt on behalf of the Big 4 Banks and the retailers. When I sold my interest 3 years ago and retired we were 2 Attorneys and nearly 500 call centre agents.

I have been very involved in game farming, hunting and fishing having hunted big game and fished in South Africa and in the neighbouring states as also in Britain and USA. I have also been the president of both the amateur and professional hunting bodies.

I currently live on a golf estate near Ballito. My time is spent on serving as a non-executive director of a listed Company and a Bank and travelling extensively in Africa and Europe and USA and spending some time at our beach cottage at St Francis Bay. My four granddaughters  also demand and get a lot of my attention.

It is hard to believe that we left University 50 years ago. I am so looking forward to seeing all my class mates again

Bill Daly

Bill & Anita

In Februarie 1967 begin ek as staatsaanklaer te Kimberley. Gedurende April/Mei woon ek ‘n aanklaerskursus by saam met 8 klasmaats, Andre, Attie, Poen, Hokkie, Chris, Danie, Gielie en Hester. In dieselfde jaar meld ek aan vir 9maande “army” en daarna by die PG in Pretoria as staatsadvokaat. Teen einde 1971 trou ek met n oud-Tukkie, Sybel , groet die Staatsdiens en sluit by ‘n prokureursfirma in Krugersdorp aan. Ek word toegelaat in 1973 en werk as professionele assistent saam met wyle Servaas Greeff. In 1978 aanvaar ek ‘n pos as regsadviseur by die Stadsraad van Krugersdorp en in 1982 word ek Hoofregsadviseur by Roodepoort Stadsraad.

In 1994 dring die begeerte na die platteland (en boerdery) my om die pos as stadsklerk (deesdae mun. bestuurder) te Beaufort-Wes te aanvaar. Daar kou ek vir drie jaar harde bene met ‘n klompie agressiewe  politici in die nuwe SA. In 1997 klim ek uit, koop grond en begeef my terug in die praktyk (alleen) te Beaufort-Wes. Ek doen hoofsaaklik hofwerk en arbeidsreg en boer tussenin. Ek dien ook as munisipale raadslid in opposisiegeledere in ‘n vrugtelose poging om orde en geregtigheid te bevorder. Teen einde 2004 tree ek uit en ons verhuis na Outeniquastrand, tussen George en Mosselbaai. Ek doen hier nog opdragte vir munisipaliteite op aanvraag (dissiplinere verhore ens.) en boer voort 30 km noord van Meiringspoort in die Groot- Karoo met skaap en wild.

Ons het ‘n dogter en twee seuns wat aldrie na skool oorsee geswerf het. Hulle is relatief laat getroud en daar is nog net een kleinseun – ons hou duim vas vir nog. Hulle is terug in die land, ‘n sielkundige en twee ingenieurs.; ook oud-Maties. Ek en my vrou speel gereeld tennis en het sedert 1995 tot onlangs vir SWD Seniors gespeel. Tussen 1990 en 1994 het ek ook padwedlope gedoen, insluitend die Twee Oseane en Comrades (elk een keer). Die drang het gou oorgewaai. Ons het vroeer voetslaanroetes saam met die kinders gestap en het as Ereveldwagters vrywillige diens gedoen in Sanparke (Karoo, Tsitsikamma en Wildernis). Tans toer ons graag en kamp  waar nodig. Ons is gemiddeld een week per maand op die plaas.

Ek is nog spyt dat ek 1991 se reunie misgeloop het en sien baie uit na die naweek van 8 April. Ek sluit ‘n paar fotos in sodat daar vooraf geskrik of gelag kan word. Een is van Dirk, Riza en Pieter en die ander van my en Sybel. Ek stuur die storie op voorwaarde dat ek nie by die reunie ‘n mondeling doen nie – die manne wat nie stuur nie sal moet praat! Sien julle daar.

Dirk, Riza en Pieter

Sybel en Dawie