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Some of those who took part in the Nostalgic walk during the second Legends weekend found themselves in front of the home of Rashaad Alexander. Seen are (from left): Phaldie Cader, Les Summers , Eugene Jacobs, David Robinson, Mike Leon, Lloyd Louw , Rodger Williams , Zane Panker, Azies Alexander, and Janodien Adams Picture: Supplied
KIMBERLEY’S rich sporting heritage was celebrated in the company of many of the people who helped shape it when 120 legends were honoured at a historic Kimberley Sporting Legends gala dinner at Elizabeth Conradie School on Saturday, November 7.
About 240 guests attended the evening, which brought together former players, administrators, families and supporters to recognise contributions made across rugby, ladies’ bowls, men’s hockey, and ladies’ hockey.
For many of the older recipients, now in their 70s and 80s, the occasion was a long-awaited acknowledgement of years spent playing, coaching, organising and keeping clubs going, often without financial reward or public recognition.
There were standing ovations as honourees made their way forward to receive their certificates. Some held them close, while others struggled to find the words.
One guest summed up the feeling in the room: “We did it for love. Tonight, we felt loved back.”
Among those recognised were rugby greats Grantham Jansen, Fazel Adams, Bernard Bennett and Grant Bassoples, as well as Griqualand West stalwarts Richard Jacobs, Phaldie Cader, Des Summers and David Robertsen.
The hockey contingent included South African Council on Sport (SACOS) legends Peter Salo, Gasan Williams and Kingsley Erlank. Former South African bowls player Jean Moodaley was among the ladies’ bowls representatives.
Nine special awards were presented to people whose contributions to sport extended beyond their playing careers. The recipients were Eileen Jansen, Charles Gough, Mike Leon, Doria van Niekerk, Gordon Africa, Emily Werely, Zane Panker, Joseph Bezuidenhout and Prof David Jacobs.
The evening’s speakers included Grantham Jansen, Azies Alexander and Doria van Niekerk.
Bernard Bennett paid tribute to members of the 1973 Griqua rugby team, who contested the South African Rugby Union (SARU) SA Cup, where they eventually lost to Western Province in the final.
Three of the team’s living members – Edmund Geduld, Kenneth Gordon and Rashaad Adams – were present for the occasion. Ernest Pretorius and John Lewis, also among the surviving players, were unable to attend.
The three attendees’ presence offered a reminder of the generations of players whose achievements form part of the region’s sporting history.
Two posthumous awards brought a further moment of reflection.
Sensei Thaania Pillay was recognised for her contribution to martial arts and the influence she had as a mentor and teacher to young fighters.
Hockey great Allistar Fredericks, a Kimberley-born player who represented South Africa at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, was also honoured. Fredericks became a significant figure in South African hockey, both as a player and through his later work in coaching and development.
The gala dinner was the culmination of a weekend that began on Friday with a nostalgic walk down Aster Road, from AR Abass Stadium to the Kemo Hotel.
Along the route, participants revisited homes associated with some of Kimberley’s sporting families and personalities. This was just one street in one neighbourhood, but the stories attached to this one neighbourhood illustrated how much sporting talent and history had emerged from the city’s different communities.
The walk included the home of Boeta Rashaad Alexander, where Griqua rugby teams gathered for team talks and lunch before Saturday matches.
The Cader household was remembered as the home of a family whose members were prominent in sport, while the Salo family’s sporting involvement extended across generations, from parents to children.
The Leon household was another gathering point, where Universal RFC team met for sundowners and team talks. Participants also recalled Bucks McAnda, an artisan who helped build St Barnabas, and the Fredericks family, whose sporting connections included rugby, cricket, and other sports.
The walk offered an opportunity to connect familiar places with the people and memories behind Kimberley’s sporting achievements.
One attendee summed up the proceedings perfectly.
“By the end of the night, one thing was clear: Kimberley has a sporting history to be proud of and a debt to repay,” he said.
“Saturday was not just a dinner. It was a homecoming. It was justice. It was Kimberley standing up and saying: We see you. We remember you. We honour you.
“The legends have finally been honoured. Now, their stories must never be forgotten,” he added.
For Kimberley Sporting Legends, the work does not end with an awards evening. Preserving photographs, records and personal recollections remains important if future generations are to understand the people behind the city’s sporting heritage.
Saturday’s gathering gave many of those people the chance to hear their contribution acknowledged while they were there to receive it.
The stories shared over the weekend will now need to be kept alive beyond the celebrations.
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