Faculty of Health Sciences

UCT Medical Alumni Magazine OCTOBER 2 005
Why “The
Cathartic”?
W
hy on earth is this alumni magazine called The Cathartic? Well,
this is the story, the telling of which owes
much to Jannie Louw’s book “In the
Shadow of Table Mountain”.
We go back to a September evening
in 1921, when students of College and
University Houses returned to their
rooms after one of the sumptuous meals
for which the university residences have
always been, and continue to be, justly
famed. On their beds lay the new magazine The Cathartic, Spasm 1.
The Editorial explained that the University of Cape Town Quarterly was “little apt to accept articles which are scarcely
in keeping with the dignity of a University publication.” They further explained
that they wished to publish material of a
facetious and flippant nature. It is here
that we first find the reference to “Ikey”,
which was used by Stellenbosch students when referring to UCT ones. The
diminutive of the Jewish name Isaac, it
corresponded to “Maatie’, derived from
the sister university student habit of calling each other “ou maat”.
Sleuths attempted to track down the
anonymous editors of The Cathartic by
following up an invitation for contributions to be submitted to Room 11, Supreme Court Chambers, Keerom Street.
The address transpired to be a public
toilet. The Editorial of the November
edition advised its readers not to jump
to conclusions about its editorship, but
their cover was soon broken: they were
the medical students RE Stevenson, FA
Donnolly, RF Lawrence and D Vollett.
They were summoned to the Principal
Sir John [“Jock”] Carruthers Beattie, and
Stevenson related “Jock sent for one of
us; said that he had read The Cathartic
with pleasure and amusement; …..but
that as it had descended to telling a joke
which he had heard as a small boy of 11
years in preparatory school….there were
to be no more Cathartics”.
W
e now proceed to June 1930,
when the magazine reappeared
in a new guise Cathartic, Vol 1, No. 1. It
was described as the official organ of the
Students Medical Society, and its Editors
were Dr Louis Bosman and Mr T Levitt.
Its Editorial aims were lofty and pure,
and the authors included many distinguished members of staff: Professors
Lancelot Hogben, WA Jolly, MR Drennan, Doctors Barnard Fuller, George
Sacks and M Cole Rous. Number 2 followed in December 1930, and No. 3 in
May 1931.
Alas, the May issue turned out to be
a veritable bombshell. The article “Sex
and Society” and some of the other content was regarded as unforgivable. The
matter was raised in a biting editorial in
the lay press. Cathartic was successively
condemned by the University Principal,
the University Council, and the matter
was raised in the House of Assembly.
The magazine was regarded as scandalously indecent and offensive, and the
editorial board were forced to resign.
A new journal appeared called
I’nyanga, with serious content and and
contributions from both staff and students. One of the student editors was
Marinus van den Ende, later to become
Professor of microbiology. This was to survive for nearly 50 years, and was replaced
by Pulse. On the 15th May, 1952, once
again a light veined journal appeared:
Cathartic, Vol.1, Spasm 1. The lifetime
of this resurrection was also short, and it,
too, was once again banned for being offensive to the extremely delicate sensibilities of the Faculty authorities.
JP van Niekerk, the Dean, breathed
life into it for the fourth time in September 1994. Its purpose was now to be
a magazine for alumni. JP stated in an
Editorial [from which I have borrowed
the title Why Cathartic?] “Medical graduates, especially at class reunions, have
frequently expressed the feeling of lack
of communication with their Faculty
after leaving. We have therefore revived
The Cathartic to remedy this deficiency.” The first Editorial Committee was:
Ralph Kirsch [Chair], George Dall, Kaai
de Kock, Maurice Kibel, Tim Noakes,
Terry Murray, JP van Niekerk, Elizabeth
van Rijssen and Brian Williams.
This fourth resurrection of Cathartic has lasted eleven years. We promise
that we will remain pure and inoffensive. Well, we will try. And as JP wrote
“A cathartic from time to time may be
good for us.”
David Dent
Deputy Dean
IIDMM OPENING CEREMONY
By Clare Jeffrey
U
CT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine
(IIDMM) was officially opened in
March this year
Centrally positioned as a dominant architectural feature on the
Health Sciences Campus, the IIDMM
comprises a new central, cylindricalshaped building which connects and
incorporates the newly refurbished
Wernher Beit North and South buildings. The new Institute is home to
more than 60 researchers who belong
to various focussed research groups
which are hard at work looking at
solutions for some of Africa’s most
urgent health problems, including
HIV/AIDS and TB.
The IIDMM has attracted worldclass researchers from all over the
world and is already providing a supportive and nurturing environment
for the next generation of African
medical scientists. Its official opening
was marked by a series of functions
to honour the support of donors
and all those who contributed to the
project’s success.
The celebrations began with a Donor Acknowledgment Function held
in the IIDMM’s state-of-the-art main
lecture theatre. UCT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Njabulo S. Ndebele,
thanked those who had contributed to, and worked for, the Capital Campaign that raised funds for
the 7000m2 building. To mark their
support, donors received elegantly
framed photographs of the newly refurbished 80-year old buildings with
insets of images of the dramatic glass
construction of the Wolfson Pavilion.
Professor Ndebele made special mention of the outstanding contribution
of the UCT-UK Trust and Dr Stuart
Saunders, and said their efforts to-
The new IIDMM building
“The Pavilion
where we are
gathered is meant
to be a concourse
of people and
ideas”
ward the IIDMM campaign were extraordinary.
Professor Ndebele said the gifts
that made the IIDMM possible came
in different sizes related to resources
and circumstances, but they were all
very welcome and equally appreciated.
“They provide solid evidence of
trust in UCT and in our scholars and
students – they make a different kind
of future for South Africa possible.
The research and capacity development that will be done at the IIDMM
will fully justify your confidence and
support,” Professor Ndebele added.
The focus then moved to the Wolfson Pavilion where a large gathering
was addressed by the Dean of Health
Sciences, Associate Prof Gonda Perez,
the Director of the Wellcome Trust,
Dr Mark Walport, and Prof Ndebele.
The Wellcome Trust has provided
major programme funding for several
prominent scientists in the IIDMM
– eight of the 11 Wellcome Trust Fellowships awarded in South Africa
have been to IIDMM Members.
Professor Ndebele said the Institute was designed to be a place where
the research work of mature scientists
flourished and young scientists grew.
“The Pavilion where we are gathered
is meant to be a concourse of people
and ideas. The spectrum of skills and
knowledge is sufficiently wide that
few problems will long remain short
of advice or an answer based on experience and insight.” He added that
the advantages of a university setting
will be added to that of a research institute and that research results will
be presented and exposed to constructive comment by peers and mentors.
Dr Hasmukh Gajjar, Chairman
of the Campaign Committee gave a
speech on behalf of the donors and
called the Institute “an aggregation
of many different and narrow specialisms, one that creates a link amongst
these many branches of activities and
personalities”.
Dr Gajjar reminded the gathering
of the word “consilience” – the jumping together of ideas and knowledge
and called the IIDMM a “Consilience
of an institute of research, UCT, and
the post-democratic South Africa and
the African continent. “The outcome
and output of investment by government, academics, donor partners and
many other aggregated stakeholders
have a singular vision – to relieve the
population of the previously mentioned diseases and to improve the
lives of all the peoples of the continent and South Africa,” he said.
IIDMM Interim Director, Prof
Wieland Gevers, introduced a varied
programme of musical entertainment,
including an HIV-AIDS theatrical
performance by the Masiphumelele
Community-against-HIV/AIDS initiative, and a very moving performance of the death scene from Verdi’s
“La Traviata” by Nokrismesi Skota,
Nhlanhla Mweni, Amos Nomnabo,
Graham Bourne and Nonceba Shozi.
Dramatic photographic works of
art by Prof Geoffrey Grundling were
unveiled by the Vice-Chancellor and
guests then had the opportunity to
tour the new facility and meet the
IIDMM Members and their scientific
teams.
(Top to bottom) Works-of-Art by Geoffrey Grundlingh in the IIDMM entrance
foyer; performance of the death scene from Verdi’s “La Traviata”; ViceChancellor Ndebele, Wieland Gevers and Gonda Perez at the opening; and the
Desmond Tutu HIV Centre Drama Group entertains the audience
A decade of WelLcome Trust
Research Fellowships at UCT
– a little known but significant story
By Wieland Gevers
T
he Wellcome Trust is one of the
world’s largest medical charities
and a dominant player in the UK in
terms of the funding of health-related
research. It has become particularly
well-known internationally through its
principled pursuit of open access in the
dramatic race to sequence the entire
human genome at the turn of the last
century, just under 50 years after the
Watson-Crick double-helical model of
DNA unlocked the hitherto blocked
conceptual doors to genetics and most
of modern biology. Its policies and
practices are bywords for thorough peer
review and scientific excellence.
The Trust’s international programme accounts for just over 10% of
the annual expenditure of somewhere
over 400 million pounds, or R5 billion,
and consists mainly of:
i.) major long-term Centres in a number
of developing countries (e.g. the Africa Centre for Reproductive Health in
KZN);
ii.) North-South collaborative project
grants;
iii.) International Senior Research Fellowships (ISRFs) originally awarded in
Australia and New Zealand, extended
to South Africa in 1994, to India in
1999 and to selected countries in Eastern Europe in 2002 (when the involvement of the original Australasian countries fell away).
iv.) a major equipment scheme (discontinued in 2001); and
v.) a number of other capacity-building
fellowships at pre – and post-doctoral
level.
This article describes how one of
the largest research-stimulation pro-
Prof Wieland Gevers, former interim
director of the IIDMM and writer of
this article
“Each Fellow must
be sponsored by
a scientifically
reputable “host”
in the department
or institute
concerned”
grammes in South Africa took place
quietly over the decade since 1994-5,
mainly, but not only, through the award
of ISRFs, of which two thirds (8 out of
12) were competitively won by UCTbased scientists in a common annual
selection process involving candidates
from ALL the participating countries.
In each case the award was for a highly
productive researcher either coming to
work at UCT or already working here.
The Fellowship award provides funds to
cover 5 years of personal salary, salaries
for 2-3 post-doctoral fellows or research
assistants, essential new equipment and
consumables. The programme of investigation in each case must be focused
and ambitious, carried out in a selected
field. Fellows are eligible to apply for
project or equipment grants from the
Wellcome Trust during or after their
Fellowship periods.
Each Fellow must be sponsored by a
scientifically reputable “host” in the department or institute concerned. The
requirement for institutional sponsorship is that “the host institution should
be able to provide a future career position for the Fellow, subject to its usual
selection procedure”.
The policy states that “it is hoped
that on completion of his or her award
the Fellow would be given the opportunity to become a more permanent
member of staff”.
The initial South African participation took place under the auspices of
the Colleges of Medicine SA (CMSA),
and involved the function of a panel of
South African “pre-selectors” (coordinated by the South African MRC) who
examined the applications and solicited
referees’ reports before recommending
their top candidates for interview by
the international panel set up by the
Wellcome Trust and chaired by one of
its governors within the International
Programme. A few years later, Wieland
Gevers succeeded John Terblanche as
the South African coordinator, and
the COMSA role was changed in that
one of the panel members (Ralph Kirsch) was nominated by that body. From
1998, the Trust ran the entire application and pre-selection process from London, using the South African panel as a
locally informed group for the rating of
both preliminary and full applications.
I served on the International selection
panel until 2002, recusing myself fully
whenever a UCT candidate was being
interviewed and considered for selection. I also handled all correspondence
that had to do with ISRF arrangements
with Trust officials throughout this period.
I
t is noteworthy that the Wellcome
Trust found it convenient to locate
the selection meetings in Cape Town
for both the 2002 and 2003 cycles (for
reasons of economy, convenience and
quality of the experience).
The Trust organized a general reunion of all the current ISRFs in 2002,
when several of the South African Fellows were invited to present their work.
More recently, a joint meeting of current South African and Indian Fellows
was organized in order to promote networking between these two groups of
scientists.
The ISRF selection history for South
Africa is as follows (UCT Fellows with
asterisks, all working within the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, IIDMM since the launching of this entity in 2003):
• 1994 Candidate pre-selected by real
panel, but not approved by the international panel.
• 1995 Dr Albert Beyers, returning
from Oxford University to the University of Stellenbosch’s MRC Centre for
Molecular and Cellular Biology (died
soon after completion of Fellowship)
• 1996 Overseas-based candidates preselected by local panel, awarded ISRF at
Wits University by international panel,
but declined in order to emigrate to the
USA
“The total
value of the 8
Wellcome Trust
ISRFs and the 3
Tropical Medicine
Fellowships held
since 1995 is
about R65 million
(2005) rands”
• 1997 *Israeli scientist working at
UCT-based MRC Research Unit, Dr
Arieh Katz , awarded first of 8 UCT ISRF’s (IIDMM Member).
• 1998 *UCT-based South African
Dr Peter Meissner of the UCT/MRC
Liver Research Centre awarded ISRF
(IIDMM Member).
• 1999 *An ISRF awarded to Dr
Frank Brombacher (German national,
already UCT-based, IIDMM Member),
and another to *Dr Hugh Patterton,
South African returnee from the USA
initially based at the University of the
Free state, but appointed in the Dept of
Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of
Science before taking up his Fellowship
(IIDMM Member).
• 2000 One ISRF awarded to South
African Scientist, Dr Lynn Morris of
the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
• 2001 *Newly appointed UCT Professor of Medical Virology, Indian-born
and US–trained Dr Girish Kotwal
awarded an ISRF (IIDMM Member)
• 2002 *One ISRF awarded to Dr
Heinrich Hoppe, recently returned
from the USA, based in the Division of
Pharmacology at UCT (IIDMM Member) and a second to Dr Gregory Blatch
of Rhodes University’s Departmental
of Biochemistry and Microbiology.
• 2003 *Two ISRFs awarded to South
Africans Dr Ed Sturrock (IIDMM Member) and *Dr. Gordon Brown, working
at Oxford University and returning to
UCT’s IIDMM in May, 2004 to take
up his Fellowship.
I
t is worth noting that a 5-year Wellcome Trust Advanced Career Award
in Tropical Medicine (about R10 million) was made to Dr Robert Wilkinson of Imperial College, London, to be
taken up at the IIDMM as an Institute
Member in August, 2004; an intermediate-level award Tropical Medicine
award was made to Dr Stephen Lawn
of the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine to enable him to
work at UCT in the IIDMM for 4 years
from 2004 onwards, and a “junior”
award in this scheme to Dr Mark Nicol,
already at the IIDMM at UCT. These
are the only awards in the scheme made
to South African-based researchers up
to the present time.
An arrangement was made between
UCT (Professor Wieland Gevers while
Senior DVC on the university executive in consultation with the Deans
of Health Sciences and Science) and
Wellcome Trust representatives that
the University’s required commitment to longer-term employment of
ISRFs after completion of their 5year Fellowship periods, could best
be expressed by placing the candidacy of those UCT-based ISRF’s who
did not already have posts to which
they would return post-completion of
their Fellowship, before a full selection committee for consideration of
specific proposals for their continued
employment at UCT. Two UCT-based
Fellows have come though this process, A/Prof Arieh Katz (re-appointed
as a full-time academic in the IIDMM
and the Division of Medical Biochemistry, Dept. Clinical Laboratory
Sciences), and A/ Prof Peter Meissner
(re-appointed as a full-time academic
jointly based in the IIDMM and the
Department of Medicine).
T
he total value of the 8 Wellcome
Trust ISRFs and the 3 Tropical
Medicine Fellowships held since 1995
is about R65 million (2005) rands.
Additional grants made to Fellows, a
number of major equipment grants,
and a R8 million donation for the new
Research Animal Facility of UCT and
the MRC, bring the total benefit to
somewhere in the region of R80 million. (There have also been significant
Wellcome Trust awards made to UCT
academics under the North-South collaborative scheme, estimated to be in
the region of 15 million.)
The latest position concerning
the ISRFs is that the impact and
relative value of the scheme has
been reviewed by Trust officials in a
framework where the separate International programme of the Wellcome
Trust has been discontinued and its
components absorbed into the main
thematic grants programme operated
in the Trust’s UK system. The scheme
is continuing with participating coun-
The director of the Wellcome Trust, Mark Walport & Frank Gannon at the opening ceremony of the IIDMM
tries being South Africa, India, and a
number of selected Eastern European
countries, and remains highly competitive.
The active involvement of the
Wellcome Trust in South African
health-related science, the scale of
financial support, and the incentive
to expatriates or foreign scientists to
consider re-establishing themselves
in South Africa, have all been hugely
beneficial in creating a new “window
of opportunity” and “vision of what
is possible” for talented scientists at
the peak of their powers. The creation of the IIDMM at UCT around 8
of the 12 South African International
Senior Research Fellows and ex-Fellows, plus the three Tropical Medicine Fellows, has been instrumental
in re-opening the issue of whether
the national higher education system
in its current organizational model
is compatible with an adequate level
of “brain gain and re-gain”, with concentration and critical mass, and high
standards of both research work and
training of graduate students and
post-doctoral fellows. Locating the
Research Institute within a univer-
sity setting enables the advantages of
both systems to be tapped while carefully guarding against their respective
disadvantages.
T
he Director of the Wellcome
Trust, Dr Mark Walport, attended
and spoke at the Opening Ceremony
of the IIDMM on 23 March 2005, and
was a plenary speaker at the associated
Opening Conference devoted to the
topic “Understanding the major infectious diseases of Africa”. Two Nobel
Prize-winners, Dr David Baltimore
and Dr Sydney Brenner were also plenary speakers in one of the most successful conferences ever held at UCT.
Dr Walport praised UCT for its strong
showing in the Fellowship schemes of
the Trust, and for the vision it had displayed in establishing the IIDMM on
its campus.
It is clear that the story of the Wellcome Trust’s support for research in
the health sciences at UCT, quiet but
substantial, values-based and effective
as it has been, is one of the most encouraging signposts for the future of
high-level research and training at the
university.
2004 REUNIONS
CLASS OF 1 95 4
5
0 years on, it was indeed a pleasure and a privilege to meet with
one’s classmates again. Whilst the
main emphasis of the reunion was to
have contact with those of one’s own
class, this year many of the scheduled
events occurred in parallel with that
of the members of the 40-year reunion, allowing for an even further extension of contact with erstwhile colleagues.
The opening programme on Thursday, 9th December 2004, was the registration and Dean’s welcoming cocktail party at the Institute of Infectious
Diseases and Molecular Medicine
building at Medical School (IIDMM).
We were entertained by members of
the UCT College of Music’s opera
singers. Prof Ralph Kirsch, Head of
the Department of Medicine, in the
absence of the Dean, addressed both
classes. A special reference, by the way
of an apology, was made acknowledging the fact that regrettably little was
achieved in eradicating the policy of
discrimination that the students of
colour were subjected to at that time.
A special feature was the gift of a
bag, which contained various articles
donated by pharmaceutical firms,
given to each graduate as well as a
peak cap with “50 year UCT Medical Class Reunion (1954-2004)” embossed on it.
On Friday, 10th December, we assembled for coffee in the upstairs
area of the Barnard Fuller Building
at Medical School. Ample time was
available for circulating amongst our
colleagues and renewing old acquaintances. The tour of the new Student
Learning Centre was a real eye-opener. The use of individual computers
with the utilisation of teaching disks
requiring students to give feedback in
addition to the utilisation of interactive group discussions with their tu-
Front Row
Petrus Botha, Hackey Edelstein, Nic Nel
Second row Lampy Maresky, Eric Rosen, Victor Dubowitz, Sue Greyling,
Winifred van der Ross, Malcolm Bowie, Ian Huskisson, Maxwell
Moss
Third RowPeter Horrigan, Mossie Silbert, David Stein, Yehuda Kaplan,
George Pillay, George Decker, Len Anstey
Fourth RowIan Bouchier, Joc Forsyth, George Boyes, John Williamson,
Peter Edington, Simmy Bank
Fifth RowGeoff Howes, Harold Robertson, Peter Le Riche, Leslie Peters,
Gerry Rosendorff, Philip Lanzkowsky
Back Row:Sid Hart-Davis, FW Brönn, Chris Blignaut, Ephraim Benjamin,
Garron Caine, Hans Loock
Absent:Eddie Berman, Danny Danilewitz, Mike Rorke, Francois van
Greunen
tors, has totally revolutionised the
teaching methods in the early years
of the medical curriculum. The new
process of learning was explained to
us by Dr Laurie Kellaway.
For many of our colleagues the visit
to the Christiaan Barnard Transplant
Museum at Groote Schuur Hospital
(GSH) was a totally new experience.
Walking through the long corridor
named “Hospital Street” in the new
GSH was also an experience which
was so different from the memories
associated with the old hospital in
which we received our clinical training. A delicious finger lunch was
served in the Tafelberg Room of the
GSH.
What was certainly a highlight of
the whole reunion, was the introduc-
tion of the Regraduation ceremony,
which was instituted for the first time
this year. Dressing in the MBChB
gowns in the Ben Beinert Room of
the Students’ Union Building prior
to entering the majestic and imposing Jameson Hall, was truly an exhilarating experience. With family and
friends sitting in the wings, the entry
of the Academic Procession, accompanied by the singing of Gaudeamus,
brought back memories of the graduation process 50 years before. Regrettably, due to the passage of time, the
faces in the Academic Procession were
all new and virtually unknown to the
“out of town” colleagues. However,
we were nevertheless able to imagine
the presence of our old and revered
Professors – Frankie Forman, John
Brock, Jannie Louw, James Louw,
Papie Erasmus and even Maxie Drennan. What a debt of gratitude we owe
to them and other teachers now long
departed.
We were addressed by the ViceChancellor, Professor Njabulo Ndebele, the Dean, Professor Nicky Padayachee, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor,
Professor Cheryl De La Rey and
Emeritus Professor JP van Niekerk. A
special medal from UCT celebrating
its 175-year anniversary, was given to
each Regraduate. The very full second
day terminated with a braai in the
evening where we met at the IIDMM
building at Medical School. Once
again, we were given the opportunity
to mix with our colleagues and renew
long lost links.
The 3rd day of our reunion, Saturday 11 December, was devoted to
our academic programme. Five presentations, all of a high standard,
were given. An extremely interesting
presentation of “Forty Years in the
Bush Hospital in Malawi” was given
by Chris Blignaut. Photos of most
bizarre pathologies were shown, with
remarkable treatment given by him
with only very basic facilities available. The presentation by Simmy Bank
on “The scope of things to come” was
an interesting and encouraging look
into the future of Gastro-Enterological Investigations. “Ramblings of a
Country Boy” by Victor Dubowitz
took one through the years, beginning in Beaufort West, through all his
tours to various cities and countries
during his years of academic progress
and research into Neuromuscular Disorders, a subject in which he has become a world authority. His return to
his roots in Beaufort West was the culmination of his talk. A truly academic
presentation of “Laboratory Surveillance as a tool in Public Health” was
presented by Joc Forsyth. Tracing the
source of an infection with the potential for becoming a serious public
health hazard, was described in a most
professional manner. The love which
Mossie Silbert has for Latin, was used
as a background for the talk entitled
“Audi Alteran Partem” (a brief review
of patient-centredness). Referring to
his role model, his late uncle Frank
Forman, Mossie emphasised the importance of listening to one’s patients,
an art which is rapidly dwindling into
obscurity in this present day and age.
In the second half of the morning,
each colleague was offered a few minutes to give input on his career. As
could be expected, such a short time
made the overview extending over
half a century, extremely difficult.
The presentations were most interesting and it was quite enlightening to
hear what some of our classmates had
achieved during their years in practice.
That night, the Gala Dinner, held
at the Alphen Hotel, Constantia, was
a resounding success. The ladies were
presented with a corsage donated by
Hackey. The class photograph taken
on the steps of the Alphen Hotel
gardens, was a graceful, relaxed and
friendly representation of the good
vibes that existed between the members of the group. The meal was tasty
and the alcoholic and other spirit was
excellent, with Hackey having proposed a toast to the Class of 1954 and
Ian Huskisson responding on behalf
of the class. During his address, Hackey apologised for and made reference
to the meagre efforts the MSC of the
day was able to make to overcome
some of the unacceptable apartheid
practices of that time. How embarrassing it was for all of us when the
students of colour were asked to leave
the E-floor Lecture Theatre as a white
patient was being used for clinical
demonstration. It needs to be put on
record that, as a result of MSC’s representations to the Dean of the day, no
white patients were subsequently used
for clinical demonstrations, making it
unnecessary for the loathsome practice of expecting students of colour to
leave the lecture theatre.
The final event of the reunion was
the visit to Robben Island on Sunday
morning. This event is always destined
to be an emotional experience, coupled with admiration for those who
survived the many years of physical
insult and hardship. Particularly stirring was the respect one felt for our
Madiba and admiration for the marvellous spirit of reconciliation showed
after his release and in his subsequent
term as President. Parting from one
another on our return to the Mainland, was very sombre and sad. The
prospect of meeting again in 5 years
time is something which we look forward to.
For our classmates, some statistics: Of the 126 students in our year
(1954) there were only 12 female students of which 5 are deceased and 2
attended the reunion. 40 classmates
attended the reunion. 35 are known
to be deceased, 25 never replied to
our circulars, 16 replied but they were
unable or unwilling to attend and 10
classmates were “lost” - meaning that
we had no contact with them and
they did not feature on our database.
9 classmates came from overseas of
which 5 are Professors. 2 classmates
were local Professors.
Finally, the success of these reunions is due to the sterling efforts and
organisational expertise of our Alumni Officer in the UCT Faculty of
Health Sciences, Joan Tuff. She was
ever available, obliging and reliable.
Thanks Joan. May you continue with
your good performances for many
years to come. We salute you!
Hackey Edelstein
CLASS OF 1964
O
ur reunion had a momentous
start with registration and cocktails in the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine building, Medical School. It was 40 years
since graduation and many were somewhat apprehensive about the planned
celebrations. Would we find meaning;
would we be able to communicate;
could there still be bonds or significant feelings among people after so
many years? The answer, in a nutshell,
was overheard in a passing comment,
“I have never before seen a group of
men emoting so much like women”.
From the start the pleasure and
excitement were tangible. There was
no doubt that the six formative years
spent together had laid solid foundations to these special friendships. Friday morning produced a fascinating
tour of new and developed buildings
at Medical School. Banks of high-tech
computers, an extended and modernised library, revamped lecture theatres
and small group discussion rooms
were some of the advances that today’s
students enjoy.
The Chris Barnard Museum
brought back many memories of the
old GSH and the excitement of the
first heart transplant which took place
4 years after our graduation.
After a delicious finger lunch we
headed for the Jameson Hall where
we joined up with the 1954 graduates
for a re-graduation ceremony. This
could have been such a flop! “Who’s
idea was this anyway?” The ceremony
went smoothly and efficiently and the
speeches were succinct. As each one
walked up to be recapped, a short citation of achievements was read to the
audience and waves of pride and brotherhood/sisterhood swept through all.
How amazing it was!
The braai at Medical School on
Friday evening was another roaring
success of shared stories and excellent
fare.
The Academic Meeting on Saturday morning held in the old E Floor
Front RowGordon Marsa, Ed Coetzee, Fay Thornley, Lionel Wolff, Basil
Ho Yuen, David Wheatley, Judith Landau, Jonathan Scher, Sid
Bloch
Second row Warwick Morris, Gerda Veldman, Dawood Khan, Derrick Billett,
Ron Schneeweiss, Ian Bernadt
Third RowRalph Kirsch, Phil Garratt, Pete Turner, Herschel Flax, Paul
Du Plessis, Alan Rose, Peter Steven, Ian Osborn, Meyer
Rabinowitz
Fourth Row:Denis Nathan, Peter Levin, Rob Young-Thompson, Martin Kift,
Tim Mears, Ian Crooke, John Colley, Peter Kirsten, Susan
Wells, Dudley Werner, Kelly Seymour
Fifth Row:Milton Meyers, Wilf Millin, Mike Mair, Gerry Riemer, Teddy
Pillay, Ivan Berkowitz, Jan van den Ende, Jim Crosier, Paul
Wilson
Back Row:John Anderson, Max Klein, John McConnell, David Walker,
Barry Munnik, John Milne, Roy Cooke
Absent:
Annette Goosen, Roger Melvill
Lecture Theatre, demonstrated superb
standards of medicine and individual
achievements. The presentations were
outstanding and no matter which
fields or super specialities that were
discussed all were readily understandable and absorbingly interesting. The
additional cultural presentations were
bonus-plus value.
A wonderful reunion dinner was
held at the Arabella Sheraton Grand
Hotel, Foreshore, on the Saturday
evening. Paul du Plessis, our class rep
of medical school days, gave an inspiring, deeply moving, thought provoking
and nostalgic speech which illustrated
his qualities as a mensch and why we
had elected him as class rep in the
first place
Following the speech various classmates told stories and anecdotes
which added further to the memories,
bonding, hilarity and enjoyment of
the evening.
Sue and John Colley generously
hosted the Sunday meeting at their
home, Lievland Wine Estate, a superb
culmination of four days of reunion
celebrations which were magnificent,
significant and tender beyond our expectations.
Finally, special thanks to all those
who joined in this momentous reunion for coming and adding to the moment and to Joan Tuff for her detailed
organisation and outstanding work.
Fay Thornley
REFLECTIONS ON THE
CLASS OF 1964
By Paul du Plessis
Class Rep and Speaker at the Gala
Dinner
T
hese have been three stimulating,
meaningful, memorable and even
historic days. And we the 54 or more
of the class of 1964 who have gathered
are deeply indebted to the organising
five – Ralph Kirsch, Ed Coetzee, Irwin
Combrink, Fay Thornley and Joan
Tuff.
These have been days to rekindle memories,
These have been days to gather fresh inspiration,
These have been days to renew friendships
and even forge new ones,
These have been days of new learning,
These have been days of joy and laughter,
of celebration and fun,
They have been days that have served to
remind us what fortunate people we are.
We have been remembering so
many to whom we owe a great debt in
these days. I’ve been thinking of the
patients who allowed us to form a relationship of learning with them. How
grateful I feel to them. How can we say
thank you to them now?
I recall the first patient I was assigned to clerk in D1. She allowed me
to feel the taut sclerodermatous skin
over her knuckles; she told me of her
increasing breathlessness; she mentioned difficulty with swallowing.
I recall a patient with a lung abscess
in the same ward. Yes, I’d examined
her clubbed fingers and listened to the
bronchial breathing over the cavity, but
it was the social history that took my
attention. She shared with me details
of her family life. Can I ever remember
the shock when I walked into the ward
and found her bed empty – she’d died
of a massive haemoptysis.
And do you remember me presenting to you a patient in the A-floor lecture theatre? She told me: ‘Ag dokter,
10
ek het sommer geweet dit was die suikersiekte. Ek het gesien hoe die miere
agter my pee gekom het!’
And so I could continue. Our gratitude to those who shared themselves
with us in this way is great.
We were fortunate to have studied
in one of the most beautiful locations
in the world, on the slopes of Devil’s
Peak, looking out on a Cape Town
that in 1960 was being carved up by
Solly Morris’s road systems and Hendrik Verwoerd’s apartheid. It was a
Cape Town that has faced a succession
of plagues – smallpox that was about
to be eradicated, tuberculosis that was
far from being under control. HIV
had not yet arrived. These and many
other threats to life and existence were
the agenda for our learning.
We were fortunate to have had such
a marvellous faculty of teachers. We’ve
recalled some of them again. Each of
them left their mark. Can I ever forget
Jannie Louw when I think of gastroduodenal surgery and the importance
of not eating oranges? Or that even a
person like Prof Brock could develop
late-onset asthma? They shared themselves with us as people.
Legends have grown up around
them, and they are mostly true. Take
the day when a newly arrived fourth
year medical student entered the lift
and seeing the slightly built man in a
white coat near the door, said ‘E Floor
please.’ Imagine his embarrassment
when he discovered that the ‘liftman’
was none other than Frank Forman. It
was he who calmed me as I rushed to
a patient having a massive haematemesis. ‘Take your time,’ he’d said. And
then there was the day when Prof Eales
took us to bedside and asked what was
wrong with the patient. I could feel no
pulse, there was no BP. My classmates
roared as Eales barked at me: ‘He’s
dead!’
It was the same Eales to whom I’d
gone when I’d seen blisters emerge on
my hands. I was quite sure it was porphyria, and had already started to trace
my ancestry to see which Dutch family
was responsible for my disease. ‘Where
have you been this weekend,’ was his
question. I paused and told him about
a walk along the contour path. ‘O, it’s
the blister bush,’ he remarked.
Uys had his birds; WPU Jackson
had his flowers; Doc Ramsay was a
commentator – was it baseball or football? And there was D J Coetzee, the
anatomy curator. He was also a writer.
What was it he wrote? ‘Living with the
Dead’? I suspect he’d need another title for the class of 2004 – maybe ‘Living with Computers’.
We had our visiting professors.
There was Brink from Karl Bremmer
who was probably glad to get back
home after our children’s Afrikaans
for a day. But we were glad to have our
man, Brock back. And there was the
pathologist, Anderson from the US.
He was author of a large text-book; we
thought he’d be good, but once again
we were glad to have our bushy-eyed
Thompson back. The cartilage knife
we gave him as a retirement gift was
no indication of the respect we felt for
him.
There was more to our teachers than
medicine; they concentrated on more
than disease; there was more than one
string to their bow; here were colourful personalities who helped shape our
approach to illness and disease.
In the midst of it all we were fortunate to have so much fun together,
which is probably why we’ve wanted to
get together for this reunion. Our paper darts suspended a physics lecture;
we enjoyed the thrills of the PMH Flying Squad through the back streets of
Woodstock for another of the 20 catches that had to be recorded, weight and
all, just like a fisherman. Do you remember the amusement of arriving to
see the new Obstetrics block named:
St James’s Palace? And a rubber glove
blown up as a balloon at a PMH party?
I see these days they go in for metal
ones in the Health Sciences Faculty
building!
We listened to Hymie Gordon
put the case against the new Medical
School badge – ‘It’s Mercury’s winged
rod and not the serpent-entwined staff
of Aesclepius,’ he argued. He lost the
debate, and as a result UCT medical
graduates have proved themselves as
good in communication skills as in the
art of healing.
There was Sax Appeal and Rag and
Golda Selzer’s Shawco. We learned
so much through participation in the
clinics. We filled paper packets with
Aspirins in third year, diagnosed the
common cold in fourth year and mitral valve disease in fifth. And we were
trusted with managing clinic affairs.
It was fun – good fun. We learned so
much from it all.
The early 1960s were sad days for
South Africa as Dr Verwoerd withdrew
us from the Commonwealth and relentlessly implemented pass laws and
separate this and that and anything
else he could think of. Apartheid laws
were applied to our own class that most
knew nothing about until years later.
We were fortunate that the 9% of the
class who were people of colour accepted their place quietly and with a dignity
we can and should recognise now.
But foment was rising. Who of us
will ever forget watching the silent
march of tens of thousands of mainly
black South Africans past the medical school? The name Mandela meant
little to us. We had our noses to the
grindstone. We were learning to be
doctors. We didn’t know what to
make of Adrian Leftwich or the quietly-spoken and gentle physiotherapist
whom some of us knew, who joined in
attempts to register protest which led
to their detention. Nor did we know
what to think of Ray Hoffenberg who
not only made the eyes of goldfish pop
out in the laboratory, but drew the attention of the press and focused the
eyes of the security police. We were
fortunate. These people were stirring
our consciences. It’s a stirring that remains alive for many of us as we have
committed to making South Africa
and the world a better place.
It was a sad day when we witnessed
the lamp of academic freedom being
extinguished at UCT. It took another
30 years for all of that to change. But
we are fortunate to have been able to
return to South Africa just celebrating ten years of democracy; to a Cape
Town which has a new sense of freedom; to a university still changing
minds and changing history; and to
a medical school which not only has
a new name, but a charter documenting commitments we can all endorse.
How proud we are that two of the class
of 1964 are among the signatories.
Thank you Dudley, thank you, Ralph.
We’ve been together for these few
days and will soon scatter to continue
what we’ve been doing. We’ve come together as the Koisan gather around the
fire each morning in the cold Kalahari.
They share their dreams of the night
before. We’ve been sharing stories of
the past 40 years! Their stories hold the
Koisan together – our stories will hold
us together.
Like most of you I studied hard to
grasp, understand and remember the
many concepts we were taught. Generally I succeeded. I confess there is one
subject I never found easy. I struggled
with organic chemistry. I wasn’t alone,
for should our class not have received
the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for inventing a new steroid nucleus with the
number 41 attached! Three dimensional models did little to help when
he spoke of rings rotating. How were
these rings and particles held together?
Then I heard about the double bond.
Well that completely mystified me.
In those days I was too shy to ask. But
in these few days together I’ve caught a
glimpse of understanding of the double
bond – and I’ve seen it strengthened.
No it was not in the regraduation, solemn
and interesting though it was,
Nor was it in renewed friendships, important though these are,
It was in the double bond of the past and the
future held together in one single moment,
It was in the double bond between the university and society which we embody,
It was in the double bond we share with colleagues on the one hand and patients on the
other,
It was in the double bond between the creator and all of creation.
CLASS OF 1974
O
ur adventure started on Friday
morning, the 26th of November.
We left 30 years ago, in an era that
could be termed: In the Shadow of Jannie Louw. Apartheid has long gone and
we are now 10 years into the Rainbow
Nation. That’s a big change. How will it
be after all these years and changes?
The reunion started with coffee in
the upstairs spiral staircase area. As I
reached the top of the stairs, my palpitations stopped as I received a warm
welcome from many who had already
arrived. Nobody had changed much
and if anything, the 30 years have improved our relationships. David Shlugman (the black hair a respectable silver) was embracing people left, right
and centre. Murray Solomon has even
less hair than before, but his welcoming smile is unchanged. Ted Lowther
lost ALL his hair in Australia, but has
kept his warm heart. Ivan Shewitz has
NOT changed at all, I promise you:
slim, fit, enthusiastic and friendly. It
was nice to meet Joan Tuff, who did
us all a personal favour by working so
hard at preparations.
Tour of the Student Learning Centre and the Institute of Infectious
Diseases and Molecular Medicine
building - The banks of computers
and the small group discussion rooms
impressed us and proved that UCT is
Ralph, Ed, Irwin, Fay – your vision
for this reunion – this opportunity to
renew the double bond has become
something beautiful for us, the class
of 1964. And on their behalf I thank
you.
11
Back RowPeter Schwartz, Philip Melmed, Peter Reid, Beau Dees,
Andreas Oberholzer, Paul Roux, Dave Franklin, Brian Warren,
Les Emdin, Darryl Kalil
Second row Howard Shuman, John Woods, Peter Cooper, Revere Thomson,
Murray Solomon, Ted Lowther, Ivan Schewitz, Jeffrey Perlman,
Charles Palmer, Matt Haus, David Shlugman, Brynne AscottEvans
Seated Ian Gilbertson, Barry Penn, Tim Noakes, Jeanne Nel, Faika
Jappie, Gillian Knox, Beverley Adriaans, Pat Hawke, Helen
Wainwright, Linda Wainwright, Rhodia Gool, Peter Bonafede
Front RowHugh Morris, Vincent Miller, Peter Beresford, Haggis Black,
Peter Chapman, Arthur Huber, Vijay Magan, Manfred Teichler,
Dirk Mouton, Stuart Meintjies, Tony Currie, Jacques de Haan
AbsentRaymond Jonas, Charles Larsen, Stephen Louw, Olaf Opitz
moving with the times.
It was interesting listening to Prof
Gevers telling us of the research with
international teams taking place here
on the Big Five or more diseases of Africa: HIV, TB, Malaria, Rotavirus and
others.
Tour of Groote Schuur Hospital,
Chris Barnard Cardiac Unit and the
Transplant Museum - What impressed
me was the low-tech equipment and
the space available in the transplant
theatre, compared with today’s standard equipment. The post cards that are
sold are from photos taken 30 years
ago by our own Revere Thomson!
I didn’t like the big hospital. It must
have been planned by somebody with
a cement psychosis! However, walking
through the long and famous corridors of the hospital, many memories
from long ago came to me….
Cocktail Party - New Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine Building (IIDMM) – Medical
School - At the cocktail party on Fri-
12
day evening, we were welcomed by the
Deputy Dean of the UCT Faculty of
Health Sciences, Professor Gonda Perez, who reminded us of our past and
what had changed in the past 30 years.
In particular she mentioned that we
needed to remember that not all our
classmates had enjoyed equal access to
patients and teaching materials (such
as cadavers) and that an important
part of her work and that of UCT was
to redress the historical injustices that
had occurred.
The Academic Meeting was a very
entertaining and impressive event. I
particularly enjoyed the many photos
that were shown: of events 30 years ago
and of families. Pete Cooper told us
how he and Geoff Budlender took the
government to court about their ridiculous HIV policies. Both were known
for the liberal views in the apartheid
days, and they have not changed, despite their advanced age and at cost to
them in terms of professional career,
etc. If I was the king here, I would give
them both special medals. Paul Roux
impressed with his talk on his HIV
Clinic - realising the biggest problem
most children and their families faced
was poverty. They initiated income
generating self-help projects with a
turnover of R1 million in 2004.
Trip to Robben Island - I was glad
that I had the opportunity to do this
pilgrimage to this important place.
How often had I stood on Table Mountain and wondered what was happening over there. It was another highlight
of a very intense 3 days.
Gala Dinner –Radisson Hotel,
Granger Bay - At the Dinner, at the insistence of Pete Schwartz and with the
help of Manfred Teichler, Tim Noakes
opened his address by saying in words,
overcome by the emotion of the moment, that he was absolutely astonished at what each member of the class
had achieved and how much good we
had done for so many people throughout the world. This he could never
possibly have imagined in December
1974. Nor could any of us appreciate how remarkably talented all of our
classmates were. He wondered where
the 30 years had gone since it seemed
that only yesterday we had graduated
together. Since we had now completed
75% of our careers and nothing much
was likely to change in the final 25%,
he suggested that it was time to take
stock and to prepare our class report
card. His impression was that the
group was in remarkably good physical
and emotional health and that there
was a confidence, assuredness and
certainty that could not have been expected from the uncertain group that
had graduated 30 years ago. Despite
our common training, we had gone
in many different directions, reflecting the creative diversity of the group.
He was impressed by the fact that not
once had anyone discussed how important he or she was because of what
he or she had achieved and which was
clearly much to be envied. In fact the
reticence of anyone to refer to themselves was remarkable for any group
and has to reflect on the mature selfacceptance of all the members of the
group. Nor had anyone asked why we
had chosen to continue our careers
either in South Africa or overseas.
We appeared to respect each others’
choices without any second guessing. His opinion was that leaving the
country was always the more difficult
choice. But what was really noticeable
was that everyone now seemed comfortable with their choices. Perhaps
5 years ago, those who had chosen to
stay might not have been so certain
but with the remarkable advances in
the country since 1994, the choice
seemed to be working. Speaking for
those who had stayed, he said that we
are very proud of what the nation has
achieved and we have a new-found
confidence in the future that would
not have been possible in the difficult period of the 1970’s and 1980’s
through which many of us had lived in
South Africa. He used the example of
Paul Roux’s initiatives in first acquiring retroviral therapy for his patients
and then for establishing a successful
business model to help the mothers
of children with HIV, as an inspiring
example of a creative solution to what
appears to be a hopeless situation.
He concluded by suggesting that we
had been a fortunate group to have
lived in such interesting times and
to have come out of those challenges
stronger and with evident purpose to
our lives. He wondered if there was
not some way to capture our joint experience in a book of individual experiences that would tell our country
and the world what it had been like
to be amongst the first group of South
African medical students to have been
born under apartheid and to have
reached maturity at the time that democracy finally arrived. Properly told
he thought it would be a glorious
story of historical significance and a
remarkable tribute to what we had all
achieved as a collective unit. For none
could have foreseen the importance of
what we have achieved.
Guided tour of Kirstenbosch Gardens followed by a buffet lunch at
Kirstenbosch Restaurant - This was a
nice way to end a wonderful event.
Manfred Teichler
CLASS OF 1979
E
arly in 2004 a committee consisting of Martin Bailey, Omar Brey,
Andrew Du Toit, Chris Hugo-Hamman and Derek Solomon got together
and decided that 25 years was a good
time to re-acquaint ourselves with old
classmates. It was our mission to reach
as many as we could and, in conjunction with the tenacious Joan Tuff of
the alumni office, we plundered the
available e-mail addresses. Persistence
paid off and finally a record of 80
alumni had the joy of attending what
turned out to be a memorable weekend. The weather was gorgeous, the
Cape Doctor was put to bed and Cape
Town was at its best.
Sunrise on Friday 3 December
saw a group of golfers tee off at Royal
Cape. Alan Szeftel was obviously too
busy studying and dating rag queens
at varsity to exhibit his golfing talents
then. Today he is a +1 handicap living
in Los Angeles and doing Respiratory
Medicine as a hobby in his spare time.
Due to the heat of the day a degree of
thirst quenching was necessary which
precluded most of the golfers from attending the afternoon’s events.
The excitement and anticipation
Front RowAnton Miller, Tineke Vermaat, Wayne Mackintosh, Mark Cotton,
Dilshaad Brink, Janet Stanford, Robert Honeth
Second rowSteven Velkes, Lucy Linley, Jean Bassett, Martyn Payne, Allie
Jardine, Athol Stanford
Third RowKevin Crombie, Don Hudson, Zea Borok, Michael Gold, Bertie
Saunderson, Nicky Padayachee
Fourth RowKeith Cronwright, Sinclair Wynshank, Joan Lewis, Krisela
Steyn, Dennis Goodman, Gary Chaimowitz, Achmat Nackerdien
Fifth RowAlan Szeftel, Paul Gebers, Paul Whittaker, Charlie Keen, Mark
Whistler, Elizabeth Robinson, Omar Brey
Sixth RowCharlie Miller, Gareth Jones, Sid Davis, Martin Bailey, Michelle
Youngleson, Steve Blanckenberg, Abdul Cariem, Rory Mulligan
Seventh RowSharon Kling, Marion Absolom, David Nye, Richard Scheffer,
Judith Norman, Andrew Du Toit, Patricia Knox, Derek Solomon,
Neil Solomons, Neil Braude
Eighth RowAnton Kruger, Xa Heywood, Liz Gwyther, Bruce Matthew,
Rodger Meyer, Rob Stein, Greg Whittaker
Ninth RowMartin Richardson, Tony Westwood, Richard Keys, Paul HayseGregson, Greg Musson, Chris Hugo-Hamman, Peter Koll
Back RowPhilip Levine, Dirk Hoffman, Gordon Bonellie, Noel Ziady, Chris
Narramore, David Espen
AbsentJohn Anthony, Anthony Human, Larry Jee, Bruce Starke,
Dave Whitelaw
13
at registration was palpable, people
were generally happy to see one other
and there was a sense of warmth and
kinship that prevailed throughout the
weekend.
The rest of Friday afternoon was
spent doing the customary tour of
the medical school, including the new
Student Learning Centre, library and
the transplant museum. Those of us
who were a little distrusting of the new
medical curriculum were pleasantly
surprised by the enthusiastic Laurie Kellaway who reassured us that a
computer assisted, group discussion
approach to medical problem solving
was in line with international trends
in medical tuition. We were however
all grateful that we had had the opportunity to learn our craft under the
watchful eye and personal guidance of
some very experienced wise old owls.
After a few drinks at the Mac Club
we crossed over to the cocktail party
in the new Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine building
where the golfers resurfaced and many
more locals arrived. The din of excited
chatter and smiles on people’s faces said
it all. We were fortunate that the Dean
of Medicine, Nicky Padayachee, a 1979
classmate, addressed us that evening, expanding on the changes in curriculum,
transformation in admissions policies
and developments at medical school in
general. How times have changed! In
our day, transformation was what happened to Jean Basset’s figure between
second and third year.
On Saturday morning we had a nostalgic return to lectures in the old but
revamped Anatomy building. Andy
(Billy Crystal) du Toit and Martin
(Johnny Carsen) Bailey chaired a wide
range of funny and fascinating presentations from the likes of Gary Chaimowitz, Bruce Matthew, Krisela Steyn, Sinclair Wynchank, Liz Gwyther, David
Nye, Sharon Kling, Dave Whitelaw,
Dennis Goodman and Sydney Davis.
Roger Meyer’s talk on “The Impaired
Practioner” was a brilliant and honest
reflection of his own personal journey
and experiences with substance abuse
and we all felt humbled and privileged
that he shared it with us. Time was
14
limited, Dirk Hoffman was unable to
give his talk on family planning in the
female residences of UCT and Dennis Goodman had to be dragged off
the podium. True to 1979 form, Noel
Ziady arrived late and Bones Bonellie
fell asleep after tea.
Dinner on Saturday evening took
place at the Arabella Sheraton on the
Foreshore. The evening was enhanced
by the background music of a local oilcan guitarist who usually busks at the
Waterfront. Gareth Jones thrived during the class photo which was basically
a scrum on the staircase. The speech
by Chris Hugo-Hamman was brilliant
and it is included in this issue. After
dinner several adjourned to the patio
for a late night-cap and a few puffs of
traditional Chris Narramore cigars.
Sunday, another perfect Cape Town
morning, was spent at Kirstenbosch.
After an interesting guided tour of the
gardens, exchanging stories and taking photographs, we had a lovely light
lunch in the restaurant. It was then
time to say goodbye, to reflect on what
had indeed been an awesome weekend, to make plans to keep in touch
and to look forward to our next opportunity to all get together again.
It is not easy to sum up the meaning
of a reunion and I feel this is best done
by sharing some of the responses and
letters I received.
“The Class of 1979 Reunion
brought all of us the warmth of cama-
raderie and pleasure of shared memories relived. This reunion attracted a
record number of participants indicating that there was something special
about our class and the individuals in
it. I would like to thank everyone for
the friendship I experienced and the
time we spent together over the last
three days. I hope it will not be another 25 years before we gather again.”
– Kevin Crombie
“It was great reminiscing with those
old friends who used to go to all the
lectures while we happily played golf
– and then had the cheek to get their
notes. Noel Ziady will remember his
hole-in-one at Mowbray being witnessed by the Professor of orthopaedics at 11h00 on a Monday morning!”
– Bones Bonellie
“I do believe our class was exceptional in many ways. The past weekend’s
reunion proved that” - Allie Jardine
“I was personally going through
a difficult time … going to medical
school and my four little boys kept
me sane, hopeful and believing in the
future. This weekend made me understand why” - Krisela Steyn
“This was one of the most meaningful and memorable weekends of my
life” - Zea Borok
“The weekend proved to be an amazing blast from the past – exceeding all
my expectations. The tangible warmth
was very special and the striking thing
to me was that so many, if not all, of
us have a story of some kind of blow
dealt to us in the course of life; some
overwhelming. Yet there was a huge
sense of enriched survival overall. A
massive, more complex ‘big chill’ …
and to those who missed it, from one
who thought at first ‘Do I really want
to go?’, for heaven’s sake, come next
time; it will be wonderful to see you. I
now know!” – Lucy Linley
To any other alumni who may read
this report; if you have the opportunity
to attend a class reunion all I can say is,
don’t miss it for the world!
Finally, a huge thanks must go to Joan
Tuff for her dedicated and enthusiastic
role in organizing this special weekend.
Derek Solomon
REFLECTIONS ON THE
CLASS OF 1979
By Chris Hugo-Hamman
Class Rep and Speaker at the Gala
Dinner
10 years of democracy
25 years since graduation
175 years of the university
M
y friends and colleagues
In your distinguished company
I am greatly honoured that Derek
Solomon’s asked me to address you
all tonight. I am not going to lead
you in song but will try to pull things
together and contextualise our reunion. You will all have an opportunity
to speak later on so I urge you not to
speak while I am busy! Sinclair Wynchank declared boldly this morning
that he was not the oldest in our class.
I would just like to remind the highly
perceptive and still gorgeous Jean Bassett, from the River Club nog al, that
I am neither of the two older persons
to whom he referred! God bless the
candour and honesty of classmates.
Furthermore, when David Nye politely noted how well we looked because
he was expecting us all to be bald and
fat, he was not looking at Steve Velkes
or I!
So here we are at 25 years and
what an extraordinary last 25 hours
it has been. On behalf of the organizing committee, Martin Bailey, Omar
Brey, Andrew du Toit and Derek Solomons, a very generous welcome to all
of you back to UCT, back to Cape
Town and back to South Africa. We
celebrate this significant milestone in
our lives and I am happy to do that. I
am dwarfed by the reality that in this
year we remember also that our university is 175 years old. A university
which has educated generations of
South Africans. For me a phenomenon beginning with my grandfather
in 1898 and extending through my
uncle and father, three siblings, three
nieces and next year, probably 2 of my
three daughters. That is a rich herit-
age, which I know many of you share.
Barnard Fuller, a familiar name to
any student of UCT Medical History,
was my wife’s great, great uncle. In
his presidential address to the Medical Association in 1907, EB, as he was
known, once again made an impassioned plea for the establishment of
a medical school in Cape Town and
ended his speech with these words;
“Looking on into the future, however, I see before me as in a vision a
great teaching University arising under the shadow of old Table Mountain and a part of that University is
composed of a well equipped medical
faculty. I say I see these things as in
a vision, for you, and I may never behold it with my own eyes”. As Time
magazine recognised in 1974, the year
we began together, that vision became a reality. We took much of this
for granted when we were at UCT but
with the benefit of time, travel and
experience, this community of high
achievers has grown to recognise and
appreciate the extraordinary privilege
we enjoyed here, the high standard of
our training and the excellence of our
institution.
But simultaneously, none of this
means much when we recognise that
there is an event this year of even
greater significance. We are able today to celebrate together 10 years of
peace and democracy in our country.
A non-racial South Africa as I wanted to know it, the country which is
mine and the nation which makes me
proud – 10 years old. Nkosi Sikelela
I’Afrika.
As Sid Davis noted this morning,
the differences between 2004 and
1979 are stark. We studied medicine
in an era free of the scourge of HIV
and AIDS. We were educated in an
age without the PC indeed how many
of us could type? How many would
have thought they might some day
wish to keyboard? The fax machine
arrived 6 years after we had finished
at this university. Without the internet or e mail and without the mobile
phone. Text messages are referred to
in South Africa as an SMS. For us
SMS was something Dirk Hoffman
did at night in med res! We only received real television in 1976 and our
highlights were Dallas, Wimbledon,
intervarsity and the test channel!
Let me remind you a little more
about 1979 because whilst 170 graduated MBChB at UCT, from Absalom
through Ziady, there were some other
notable events.
It was a time of change in some
countries. On January 16 the Shah
fled Iran, and on February 1 Ayatollah Khomeini made a victorious return from 14 years in exile. The occupation of the US Embassy was to
follow in November and last a year. In
Britain the Labour Government fell,
in May the Conservative Party won
the election and Margaret Thatcher
became the first women Prime Minister of Great Britain. Anthony Blunt,
the fourth man, was recognised with
his fellow traitors Burgess, Mclean
and Philby, and was stripped of his
peerage.
There were events of great horror.
The invading Vietnamese discovered
the mass graves of the Pol Pot regime
and on August 19 Pot was sentenced to
death. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, deposed
Premier of Pakistan, was hanged on
April 4. Thankfully Idi Amin fled
Uganda. Airey Neave was killed in
London in the House of Commons.
On August 27 Earl Mountbatten of
Burma was killed, also by the IRA,
in Mullaghmore, Ireland. India, of
which he was the last Viceroy, declared a week of national mourning.
It was also a time for peace. Jimmy
Carter was President of the USA and
busy signing treaties. On March 26
between Israel and Egypt, and on June
18 the SALT 2 treaty with the Soviet
Union. Two treaties which still hold
today. Mother Theresa was awarded
the Nobel peace prize. Rhodesian
whites voted for black rule. After a
transition period under the very Abel
Muzorewa, on December 21, after 14
years of illegal independence, Robert
Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo and Bishop
Muzorewa signed the Lancaster House
Agreement, there was a ceasefire, new
elections were called, sanctions lifted
and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe.
15
It was also a time for war and soon
after we became doctors, on December 27, the Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan and the US started its
support of the Taliban and other resistance movements.
What of health? On March 31 an
explosion of hydrogen gas crippled
the reactor at Three Mile Island.
Shortly thereafter Derek Yach and
Michael Kantey started the Anti Koeberg Campaign here in Cape Town.
Godfrey Hounsfield and Allan Cormack shared the Nobel Prize for their
invention of the EMI CAT scanner.
Cormack of course was born in Johannesburg and graduated MSc from
UCT in 1945. In the same year, two
years after the last known case of
naturally transmitted smallpox was
reported, the WHO declared its campaign a success and to date, smallpox is the only disease that has been
completely eradicated through public
health efforts.
In South Africa, most languished
misery and Nationalist oppression
was only gaining a serious momentum. There were lighter moments
provided for us by those in high office.
“Muldergate” rocked and shocked
our country. After initial allegations
of misdirection of funds to finance
clandestine activities, PW Botha
had already succeeded BJ Vorster as
Prime Minister, in December 1978.
The first casualties of ’79 were Cornelius “Connie” P. Mulder, Minister of Information, and Eschel M.
Rhoodie, his Department Secretary.
Mulder was expelled by the National
Party (I did not think that possible!)
and charged with contempt of court.
Then on June 4, on the day that the
Erasmus commission accused him of
giving false testimony, Balthazar Johannes Vorster resigned as president
of South Africa. The name of his
successor, Marais Viljoen, will remain
a handsome challenge for all participants in the local production of the
board game “trivial pursuit”.
Finally on 1979, who remembers
the number 1 single in the UK that
year, Art Garfunkle’s Bright eyes? I
hear him now.
16
Tonight, whilst we celebrate the
presence of 80 of our class mates and
about 50 of their partners, we lament
the absence of another 80 who were
sadly unwilling or unable to join us.
I have personally received messages
and bring you greetings from Maxwell Michael, Deon Venter, Bruce
Adnams, Angelo Grazziolli, Andrew
Smith, Gordon Haddow and my best
friend Derek Yach - who last year
capped an astonishingly successful career in Public Health by with his wife
Yasmin, having his first child, a son Julian. More particularly, we remember
quietly those few who could never be
with us. Steve Harle, Creswell Smith,
Chris Dare, Mike le Grange and my
old school friend Stanley Newman.
But I feel them here tonight, Chris
Dare walking her dog, (the only animal to graduate MBChB UCT) and
a slightly dishevelled Mike le Grange,
just having a fag!
So who are you and what’s happened to you? Let me save you some
math. 82 (47%) of us live in South
Africa, only 49 of whom trained for
the greater Cape Town. Of those
82 in South Africa, 60 are specialists, 22 preferring general practice.
My reading tells me that there are 9
Paediatricians, 5 Orthopods and 4
Anaesthetists. Three more Paediatricians overseas places us in an unassailable position! There was truly a
diaspora. UK 18, USA 17, Canada
14 and Australia 11, NZ 8. The rest
of Africa was not well served. Only
1 of us lives in Namibia and only 1
of us returned to Zimbabwe. It is
a pity that half of us are not in the
country but it is nothing new. My
father graduated in 1954 and his
class was similarly diasporate within
a decade. Sadly, still we read that
despite the glory of our democracy,
the demographic changes in the student body and punitive measures designed to keep our young graduates
here, the figures remain the same
and it is only the reasons for leaving
that seem to change.
No event of this nature is held
without great effort and two persons
deserve special thanks. Joan Tuff is
the UCT Alumni officer responsible
for all the medical reunions. She has
refined the programme to perfection
and this well oiled machine is apparently faultless. However, that does
not diminish the fact that she has
worked tirelessly for over a year so that
we could all be here tonight, debts
paid! Derek Solomon’s has applied
the same efficiency and effectiveness
to this reunion as he has in his professional life. He too has laboured hard
on our behalf and deserves our warmest thanks and appreciation.
Finally, what of me? I am still just
an aspiring rock star! I am happy to
be able to live with my family, in this
beautiful city. I had a wonderful 6
years at UCT and many of you here
tonight helped make that a happy
and fulfilling time for me. I have
only had two car accidents in my driving life. Both of them whilst at UCT
– both of them on university premises! The first, a head on collision into
Catherine King outside the Physiology building was after miraculously
passing second year. The second,
into the back of Richard Keys, whilst
leaving our last lecture the morning
of our farewell dinner at the Holiday
Inn. His fault! I have only two regrets. Firstly, that I was not the most
diligent student but then the university offered so many tantalizing extra
curricular activities and I drank heavily at many of those fountains. And
yes that includes the Pig and Whistle.
Secondly, that I did not get to know
more of my class mates a whole lot
better. I was inspired this morning by
the diversity of your experience and
the passion with which you continue
to apply your skills in your careers.
I was playing golf with Allan Seftel
on Friday morning. I should correct
that, he was playing the golf and I was
occasionally making contact with a
white ball. We had a fabulous outing with 6 others. We had many moments of reflection on these special 6
years which he succinctly paraphrased
thus. “Those were the best years of
my life”.
I agree. A toast to you all and a
toast to UCT.
CLASS OF 1 994
F
or the 10 year reunion class, 1994
was a year of celebration with the
birth of South Africa’s new democracy,
as well as a year of trepidation at the
possibility of new impending legislation
relating to community service and vocational training. We were young birds
about to take our first flight from the
nest of medical school into the world
of practicing medicine. Many classmates
literally “flew”, traveling abroad, gaining
experience, paying off student loans etc.
Some have settled overseas permanently,
but what is so encouraging is the trend
of classmates to return to South Africa.
Ten years on, classmates are generally at the stage of life of being midst
or post specializing, or established in
general practice from a career point
of view; and married, with or without
young children from a social point of
view. This meant that much of reunion had to be played by ear with last
minute attendances and cancellations
due to family commitments
The 1994 Class reunion commenced
with coffee and registration, followed
by a tour of the new sections of Medical School, the UCT Private Academic
Hospital and the Transplant Museum,
finishing off with a finger lunch – all
this with 2 newborns in tow! The Cocktail party on Friday evening kick–started
the reminiscing with the opening address by Deputy Dean Gonda Perez,
who outlined the progress within the
Health Sciences Faculty in past 10 years
(one of the significant changes being the
name-change from “Medical Faculty” to
“Health Sciences Faculty”).
The reunion committee had decided
to forgo the traditional academic section of the programme, since most of
the class were either currently involved
in fulltime registrar programmes, and
those that weren’t had young families
to accommodate in addition to their
demanding careers.
The highlight of the Reunion events
was most definitely the gala dinner at
Arabella Sheraton – once again with a
few (more) newborns in tow. It was a
Front RowPeter Polley, Belinda Prestage, None Ramonate, Kerrin Begg
(née De Haas), Jo-Ann Soldin (née McLoughlin), Greg van
Osch
Second Row Chris Outram, Larissa Panieri (née Peter)
Third Row:Simone Meer (née Forlee), Roze Phillips, Gary Kroukamp,
Gillian Robertson, Michelle Carrihill, Shirley MacPherson,
Andrew Morrish, Fraser Ward
Fourth Row:Ziad Meer, Indhrin Chetty, Naseema Barday-Karbanee, Lisa
Todd, Nici Scheepers, Simone Honikman, Tracy May (née
Janse van Rensburg), Mark Cvitanich
Fifth Row:Ian Forsyth, Yolande van der Heyde, Briget Borwick, Ola
Basson (née Rzepecka), Ruth Cornick, Thomas Crede, Wayne
May
Back Row:Andrew Boulle, Ryan Soldin, Mike Levin, Chris Kenyon, Geoff
Fatti
Absent:Irene Brokensha, David Carter, Graeme Copley, Tanya Kinvig
wonderful opportunity to catch up with
classmates and their spouses / partners.
Classmates found it hilarious to look
through copies of the 1994 Class yearbook and compare the sections “where
will I be in 10 years time?” with where
classmates actually are today. On a more
somber note, tribute was paid to classmates who had passed away tragically
since graduation. The “Backsberg Red”
Class of ’94 wine had aged particularly
well and was thoroughly enjoyed by the
connoisseurs and plebs alike.
The picnic lunch at Kirstenbosch
Gardens was a fantastic event albeit a
bit windy, with races across the lawns
between dads and multitudes of young
kids, and toddlers sampling all of the
lunches on offer! A very relaxed laid
back affair.
All in all the 1994 Class Reunion
was a very special time with renewing
of acquaintances and friendships, and
was absolutely well worth it!
Kerrin Begg
17
LOOKING BACK
By Rubendren Naidoo, 6th year class
representative, 2004
S
ometimes I look back at the last six
years in total disbelief that I actually went through the whole thing…
and mostly have a sense of amazement
that it all went by far too fast. That’s
how I feel when I look back upon my
time at medical school.
It was rather different for me. I was
the first in my family to venture into this
world of health care, this need to help
people, this life sacrifice to commit myself
to something bigger than me. Well, when
I eventually got there, I thought I was in
the right place, for everybody expressed
the same need, the same want, the same
goal… ‘And why did you come to medical school?’... And the shy first years answered in chorus, ‘I want to help people’.
I was soon to find out that these superficial wants might not be enough, and that
the only true way to loving the experience
is to understand what you want and why.
The world I thought I was about to
enter seemed far too different from the
reality ‘ER’ and other soapies had prepared me for… there was physics, chemistry, health and society … how were these
ever going to help me be a good doctor? I
was afraid! Did I make the right decision?
Was I really meant to be here? Family had
already started nagging me with their ailments and problems. So many questions,
and yet there were so few answers. Amidst
all of this, I struggled with being away
from home for the first time, living in
this mega huge city with so many people,
none of whom I had known. How was I
supposed to make any friends?
The universal icon of medical school
has to undoubtedly be the dissection
of human bodies. I remember being so
afraid to make the first incision. All the
anatomy repeaters formed a dissection
group on their own, and I remember
watching them that very first day, and being amazed at how swift they were with
their scalpel. It was to be one of the very
many important lessons I was to learn in
18
Rubendren Naidoo
“That friendly
enthusiastic
nature of the
second year
lecturers was
soon ‘sunamied’
out by the
aggressive
welcome into
third year”
medical school. ‘Never panic about what
you don’t know, because soon you will get
there.’ And has good teaching and dedicated work would have it … the scalpel in
my hand was like the stamen in a petal,
waiting eagerly for the bee to arrive.
That friendly enthusiastic nature of
the second year lecturers was soon ‘sunamied’ out by the aggressive welcome
into third year. One of my questions I
had been asked in an entrance interview
into medical school at Natal was what
I understood by the word ‘pathology’,
and until third year, I hadn’t the faintest clue… Not knowing that made me
somewhat insecure. I was never curious
to find out what the forthcoming years
in medical school had to offer. I found
myself in the flow of the programme
and felt comfortable and safe and left
worrying about the yet to come, when it
came. Suddenly, at the end of third year,
the puzzle started to fit into place and
the image was becoming clearer! Like
Dr Warton had said in our early days at
medical school, “find within everyday a
‘wow’ factor”, something we would look
back at in amazement, and he was right
… because not a day has gone by when I
have not been amazed by something.
Until third year, I had never been
onto Hospital Street in Groote Schuur!
What an amazing experience to start seeing the world in motion, isolated in this
beautiful building in an amazing city.
The comfort in familiarity I had found
within those medical school walls in
those 6 years added to a sense of belonging. It is something we all search for in
life, though usually afraid to admit it. In
finding this belonging, I was reassured
that perhaps I am in the right place, that
I am meant to be a doctor.
And of course who can ever forget
the annual formal and variety show…
A chance for us all to prove to each
other that we do have some sort of social life outside medical school! Though
I have to admit, by the time the spirits
of life processed us, nothing could tear
that mutual bond we all shared, that
Reminiscences of the Classes
of 1954 and 1964 Re-graduation
common denominator that made us
‘uniquely’ the same.
I really can’t recall what happened in
fourth and fifth year. Maybe because it
all appears to have merged into one big
experience! What I do remember are the
individual people I have come across, be
it patients, doctors and friends. These
years were about what you wanted to
know. There was a syllabus, but unless
you made the effort, it did not matter.
Some colleagues might argue this fact,
for to some, what did matter most was,
how many copies of past exam papers
one could acquire …
Fundamental things I have learned
while at medical school:
1. There definitely is a greater plan
for all of us… we just have to make the
right choices along the way and things
will unfold as they are meant to unfold…
2. There can only be one in each
class who could see themselves 90% fat
free in 10 years
3. If life were a box of chocolates,
then the most promising speciality to get
into would be vascular surgery, but we
all know how early they start their ward
rounds
4. The only reason we study what
the best option of management would be
for our patients, is so that we know how
to tell them that the state can’t afford to
provide that for them
5. If it was not for surgeons, then
the family medicine people would be out
of business
6. And finally, considering that
only two people in my class decided that
they love medical school so much, they
need more time, it definitely is possible
to study medicine by correspondence
Are our decisions pre-destined in life?
That I must confess to not knowing, but
what I do know is that the last 6 years
have made me more optimistic and hopeful for the next 6 decades.
To all my colleagues, be strong,
stand tall and don’t be a prick with
your needle.
Regraduates from the
class of 1964 (top) and the
class of 1954 (right)
By: Ed Coetzee – Class of 1964
Hackey Edelstein – Class of 1954
T
here was all the pomp and ceremony
of a university graduation but what
is a re-graduation? Why waste a valuable
afternoon with such a boring activity? If
people are going to sing their own praises
I want nothing to do with it!
These are some of the responses we got
from our classes when we first suggested
that our class should have a re-graduation
ceremony. Despite the opposition we
pressed ahead. Like all the classes from
those years, we had been separated by the
Apartheid laws and at our original graduation ceremony none of our colleagues
from previously disadvantaged backgrounds had attended.* We wanted our
re-graduation to be a symbol of the new
South Africa. We wanted to be truly united for the first time. We wanted everyone
in our class to be re-committed and proud
of their university, which, like South Africa had also changed extensively.
Our steadfast belief in the re-graduation ceremony paid off. At the ceremony
held in Jameson Hall on Friday, 10 December last year, virtually everyone that
came to the Class reunions participated
(about 100 in all) and re-enacted their
graduation ceremony. This ceremony was
a replica of the university’s normal graduation ceremonies.
When the Academic Procession en-
tered Jameson Hall they were greeted
by the singing of Gaudeamus Igitur and
there was hardly a dry eye in the hall. The
alumni were capped by the vice-chancellor, Professor Njabulo Ndebele. Professor
Cheryl de la Rey, deputy vice-chancellor,
said that we were an important part of
UCT’s community. This was an opportunity for us to take a moment to reflect on
and savour all of our achievements.
We were glad to celebrate the uniqueness of our classes and the privilege of
serving the community in different places
in the world for 50 and 40 years respectively, thanks to the excellent training that
we had received at the University of Cape
Town, Faculty of Health Sciences. We
were sad that some of our colleagues were
no longer with us and that some had not
attended the reunion as they missed a
very special occasion. We celebrated that
Apartheid was behind us and our country and university was transformed.
We all agreed that it had been a truly
special day which was filled with a sense
of fun and enjoyment, a feeling of pride
and togetherness that was so much more
than everyone expected.
Our thanks go to the many people
who made this great event possible.
* This fortunately did not apply to those of
us who graduated in 1954 as all our colleagues
from previously disadvantaged backgrounds attended our graduation ceremony
19
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
1930’s
Joseph Baron [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1934] did a diploma in Obstetrics at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in England
and is a retired doctor from Kenilworth
in the Cape. He is a Member of the
British Empire (MBE – Military) and received the Military Cross (MC). Joseph
is married to Gwendoline, and has two
children, both of whom studied at UCT
– Diane HPTD and Peter (MBChB,
FCP). Joseph writes that in 1984, he
and Mr Owen Kinahan organised the
50th anniversary dinner for the Class
of 1934. Hobbies include fishing, golf
and walking (until his knee “grounded”
him)!
Henri Marais [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1938] did postgraduate private
study for an ChM degree with the late
Professors Jannie and James Louw during the war years at UCT. He passed
the exam but was never able to write
his thesis hence was unable to obtain
his degree. He was in general practice
in Queenstown and Kingwilliamstown
from 1946-1979 before he retired to Plettenberg Bay with his wife Louise (née
Vlok), also a UCT alumnus (BA, Sec T
Cert), where he did part-time clinics until 2002. He was President of the Border
Branch of MASA from 1954-55 and has
been a life member since 1981. Whilst
studying at UCT he obtained colours
for rowing and won first prize for Botany in 1933. They have three sons, all of
whom studied at UCT – Ian graduating
MBChB in 1967. Henri went on active
military service from 1940-1945 and was
stationed in East Africa and the Middle
East. Hobbies include bowls, Probus
club, nature conservation and snooker.
Mannie Rathus [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1939, FAFOM (RACP), FACOM] was former Director of Industrial (Occupational) Medicine in Queensland, Australia. He lives in Durack,
Queensland, with his wife, Elise (née
Scott). Among his special achievements
he was “Miembro De Honor” of the
20
Latin-American Association and has
written a number of research papers.
They have three children, all of whom
studied at the University of Queensland
where two have graduated with PhD’s.
Mannie served in World War 2 in the
South African Air Force and was stationed in North Africa and Italy. Hobbies include squash, tennis, rose growing and languages.
1940’s
Hercules du Plessis [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1944] lives in Pretoria
with his wife, Rita. He is retired and
they have five children. Hercules enjoys
watching sport and the news on television.
Patrick Foster [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1949, DA RCS, DA RCSI,
FRCA, FFARCSI] is a retired Physician from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife of
50 years, Pamela. Amongst his many
achievements, Patrick was Professor and
Chairman, Department of Anaesthesia
at Stellenbosch University, Chairman
of the SA Society of Anaesthesiologists
and the SA Association of University
Anaesthetists. He was for many years
Secretary of the Faculty of Anaesthetists
of the SA College of Medicine with a
special interest in developing audio-visual education. After a period as assistant editor of the World Federation of
Societies of Anaesthesiologists quarterly
journal, he became editor of the WFSA
Newsletter and a vice-president of the
organisation. He held the rank of Lt.
Commander in the South African Navy
and participated in the development of
the underwater diving training course
for medical officers and was associated
with the Wynberg Military Hospital.
During a SA Navy exercise off the Comoros Islands he was one of the team
involved in the Navy’s first successful
surgical operation at sea, an appendectomy. Hobbies include electronics,
woodwork and photography.
John Hansen [MBChB 1943, MD,
DSc Hon (Cape Town) DSc (Witwatersrand)] was on the UCT staff from
1953-1971. He is a retired Paediatrician
from Plettenberg Bay, and is married to
Joy (née Wheeldon). They have three
sons - Sven and Rob graduated MBChB
from UCT in 1985 and 1989 respectively and Tony obtained a BCom (Hons).
John writes that he is fortunate to be
able to enjoy retirement in a beautiful
place. Hobbies include reading, walking
and nutrition.
Jan Hofmeyr [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1946] is from Mount Edgecombe
in Kwa-Zulu Natal where he lives with
his wife, Lucia (née Havenga). They
have two children. Jan is still employed
by the Kwa-Zulu Natal Health Department as a Service Provider to Geriatrics.
He enjoys playing bowls.
Desmond Le Roux [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1949] was in General Practice in Knysna from 1953-1982 and was
Chairman of the Hospital Board from
1977 until 1982. He moved to Swaziland in 1982 and was Chief Medical
Officer on a sugar estate in Big Bend.
Desmond and his wife, Delene, have
four children. Their daughter, Cindy,
studied MBChB at UCT. Hobbies include bowls and golf.
Peter Perrott [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1949, MRCOG (London) FRCOG] retired from practice as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in March
1996. He had a quadruple coronary artery bypass in 1994 and lives in Berea,
Durban with his wife, Merle. They have
three children. Peter has many hobbies
and writes that he is a Jack of all trades.
Leonard Tibbit [MBChB 1945, D
(Community Medicine) (Cape Town)]
is the Director of the Association of Retired Persons and Pensioners – a medical portfolio - and lives in a retirement
village in Sun Valley, Fish Hoek, Cape
with his wife, Margaret. He was a General Practitioner in Pietermaritzburg from
1949-1977 and was Minister of Health,
Divisional Council and Cape Regional
Services Council from 1978-1988. He
was awarded the Hamilton Maynard
Medal by the South African Medical
Journal for the best article by a single
author in 1992 for his article “Health
Services for the Elderly”. He was also
Chairman of the SA Geriatric Society
from 2000-2001 and Chairman of the
Probus Club of Constantia in 1998. Leonard enjoys golf and sport in general.
Daniel Villet [BChB (Cape Town)
1949, FRCS (England)], a retired surgeon, is married to Joan and has four
children. Whilst at university, he won
the Gynaecology class medal and was
in the UCT rowing team. Daniel spent
four years doing surgery in England
and eighteen months each at both
Groote Schuur Hospital and King Edward Hospital in Durban, before going
into private practice in Port Elizabeth
in 1959. He also did vascular surgery
for the State hospitals after retirement.
In his ramblings of the past, he writes
that when he started his private practice
in Port Elizabeth, no one did vascular
surgery and hardly anyone was aware
of it. He decided to brush up by spending two months at the Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston. When he
returned he told the Provincial Hospital operating theatre matron that they
would require some special instruments
to do these procedures. She said that she
could not order them as he would have
to attend a hospital committee meeting
to get permission for them. When he
explained his requirements to the meeting he was asked if he would ever use
them! Hobbies include yachts and sailing and water-colour painting.
1950’s
Ronald Benson [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1951, DCH RCP (London) RCS
(Eng), MRCP (Edin) FRCP (Edin)] is a
Paediatrician who was in private practice in Port Elizabeth for forty years
before his retirement. He is still active
in SA Medical Association affairs and
is on the Eastern Cape Branch Council where he has served as President,
Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
He is married to Christine (née Rogers)
and lives in Port Elizabeth. They have
five children, three of whom studied
at UCT where all three were in Smuts
Hall – Anthony (BSc Chem Eng) and
Bruce and Peter (MBChB). Ronald
is interested in the musical scene and
worked on the steering committee for
the Feather Market Organ Society. The
organ, which was inaugurated in 1999,
has over 5,500 stops and is one of the
biggest in South Africa. He attended the
Class of 1951 reunions that were held
at UCT in 1991 and 2001. Hobbies include photography and gardening. He
also enjoys history and did courses at
UNISA.
Wulfred Berman [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1958, DTM&H (Liverpool)] is Medical Director of the Rosewood State Hospital in Baltimore, USA.
Married to Trudy (née van Rhyn), they
have three sons and six grandchildren.
Wulfred completed Speciality Certification in Paediatrics and Neurology in
Israel and Paediatrics and Developmental Disabilities in the USA. Hobbies include tennis, hiking, travel and cycling.
Johannes (Blommie) Blomerus [MBChB (Cape Town) 1956, BSc,
MMed (Stell), DMRD (London)] is a
retired radiologist from Durbanville.
He is married to Ansie (née Vermeulen) with three children. Blommie was
awarded an MMed in Diagnostic Radiogy Cum Laude. He runs a small farm
in the Tankwa Karoo and his hobbies
include painting and writing.
Malcolm Bowie [MBChB 1954,
MD (Cape Town), BSc (Natal), MRCP,
FRCP (Edinburgh), DCH (RSP London, RCS England] has retired to Knysna with his wife Elaine (née Allan), who
graduated with a Social Science degree
from UCT in 1958. Malcolm served on
the UCT staff from 1964-1994 and part
time from 1994 until 1999. Among his
achievements, Malcolm was President
of the UCT Golf Club from 1980-88,
Chairman of the Red Cross Children’s
Hospital Board, President of the SA
Nutrition Society and Chairman and
President of the SA Paediatric Society.
He received the Dowie Dunn Prize for
Paediatrics in 1954. He was the first resident doctor appointed to the Red Cross
Children’s Hospital when it opened in
1956 and retired as clinical Head of Paediatrics at the hospital in 1994. Two of
their children studied at UCT – David
(BSc Hons and PhD) and Lynn, (BSc
HDE MSc). Hobbies include golf, gardening and painting.
Isaac Brajtman [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1955] is now a part-time General
Practitioner from Rose Bay, New South
Wales, Australia. Married to Myriam
(neé Zweig), his hobbies include gardening and bike riding. He also enjoys his
grandchildren.
Richard Cahi [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1953, DA (England), FRCA] is
an Anaesthesiologist from Harare in
Zimbabwe. Married to Joan (née Bannard), a UCT alumnus, they have three
children, two of whom studied at UCT.
Richard’s grandson, Duncan Wild, is
currently studying at UCT. Richard
writes that he was sorry to miss his 50th
medical class reunion that took place in
2003.
Herbert Clifford [BSc, MBChB
(Cape Town) 1954, FRCS (England)
FRACS (Aus)] is a retired surgeon from
Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia. He is married to Doreen (née
Staples) with two children and enjoys
cabinet making, astronomy and history.
He graduated in Medicine with distinction and received Distinguished Service
Awards from the Private Hospitals Association as well as the Council on Hospital Standards in Australia.
Ralph Gillmer [MBChB UCT
1951, DPM (Wits), FF Psych (SA), FRC
Psych (London)] from Durban North,
has done fifty years of clinical work as
a Psychiatrist. Ralph has been married
for 59 years to Joan (née Kinsman), who
has a PhD from Rhodes University.
They have three children, all of whom
are now in their 50’s. His son, Dr DJ
Gillmer, who graduated in Medicine in
1972 from the University of the Witwatersrand, practises in Durban as a
Cardiologist. Ralph’s hobbies are swimming and psycho-analysis.
Mick Leary [MBChB 1958, MD
(Cape Town)] served on the UCT staff
from 1968 until January 2000 where
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: CONTINUED
he was Associate Professor and Head
of the Paediatric Neurology Service at
Red Cross Hospital. Married to Edith,
he is now Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at Bristol Children’s Hospital.
They have four children, three of whom
studied at UCT – Tim (BA Hons PhD),
James (MBChB) and Frances (BA, Dip
HRM). In Cape Town Mick was heavily
involved in mountain rescue but now
enjoys hill walking, gentle cycling and
carpentry. Mick writes that since his
retirement from UCT and Red Cross
Hospital, he has had five very happy
years in Bristol, United Kingdom.
Leon Laubscher [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1952] is a retired General Practitioner from Panorama in the Cape. He
was Mayor of Walvis Bay in Namibia
from 1970-1973 and again in 1975 and
featured in the SA Who’s Who (South
West Africa section) in 1974 and 1976.
He also featured in the World Who’s
Who from 1978-1979 and received the
Leipoldt Medal for a medical article
in 1957. Leon also belonged to Lions
International for many years and was
Club President for Walvis Bay for several terms. He is married to Lourina
and they have three children. Hobbies
include surgery – assisting with operations, gardening and reading.
Maurice Luntz [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1952, MD (Witwatersrand),
FRCS (Edinburgh), FRCOPath (Eng),
FCS SA (Hon)] is an Ophthalmologist from New York. Among his many
achievements, Maurice was Chairman
of the New York Academy of Medicine
(Ophthalmology Section), Chairman:
Medical Advisory Board of the New
York Eye Bank for Sight Restoration,
President: Intra-ocular Lens Society of
New York, and President of the New
York Laser and Imaging Society. He
received the Royal Society of Medicine
Prize, London for the most original research in Ophthalmology, published in
the UK as well as the Conrad Behrens
Prize for the best ophthalmology teaching film. Married to Angela (née Myerson), Maurice writes that he enjoyed
his 50th Medical Class reunion held in
2002.
22
Lourens
(LAPA)
Munnik
[MBChB (Cape Town) 1950] is a retired
Medical Practitioner from Dordrecht
in the Cape. He was former Minister
of Health & Welfare from 1979-1983,
Minister of Telecommunication &
Posts and Public Works and Land Affairs from 1983-1987. He is married, has
five children and enjoys farming and
sport - especially rugby, cricket and golf.
John Osmond [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1952, FRCS (Ireland)] is an Orthopaedic (spinal) Surgeon from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he
lives with his wife Gillian (née Preston).
He is semi-retired, still consulting in
spinal disorders. Hobbies include golf
and bridge. John writes that he was saddened to hear of the death of Dr Louis
Babrow who coached the U19A rugby
team for which John played flanker.
He captained the team from 1948/49
before he was put out of rugby with a
knee dislocation. John and his wife attended the 50th Medical Class reunion
in 2002. He writes that it was an amazing and unforgettable experience and
that Cape Town, his birthplace, is still
the most beautiful city he has ever experienced.
George Parsons [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1954, DTM&H (Liverpool), DO
(RCP, RCS), FRSH, FRANZCO] is a
retired Ophthalmologist from the Gold
Coast in Australia. He was Honorary
Surgeon to the Governor General in
1969 and Surgeon Commander in the
Royal Australian Navy. George is married to Euthene (née Wallace) and has
four children.
George Pillay [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1954, DMRD, FRCR (London)]
is a retired radiologist, who still does
part-time work and lives in Bellville in
the Cape with his wife Maria. They have
four children, the youngest of whom,
George, studied at UCT – BA, BSc
and a postgraduate Diploma in African
Studies.
Jean Talbot [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1955, DPM (Witwatersrand)] is
a Fellow of the Royal Australian and
New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
Married to Jean (John) Williamson
(MBChB UCT 1954) they live in Lane
Cove, New South Wales, Australia and
have four children. Three of their children – Ruth Parker (BSc Hons), Janet
Williamson (BA) and Ian Williamson
(BA) studied at UCT. Jean writes that
they spent 16 years living in Tasmania,
the “most wonderful place to live”, before their family brought them to Sydney a year ago.
De Wet Vorster [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1953, FRCPsych, DPM (Eng),
Dip in Psychiatry (McGill, Canada)] is
from Devon, UK. He is married to Iona
and has five children. Since his semiretirement from the National Health
Service, he has presented many papers
on the Psychoses concerning problems
of isolation Psychotherapy and employment at international conferences.
These include the World Mental Health
Association in Finland and Santiago,
Chile, where papers were also presented
on Religion and Mental Health. He is a
member of the Spiritual subsection of
the Royal College of Psychiatry as well
as a member of the Southwest Committee of Rethink (a charity that used
to be called the National Schizophrenia Fellowship). A special occasion was
the presentation in Moscow at the first
Russian Conference on Infant Mental
Health. A group were invited by Mrs
Yeltsin in order to help orphans to reenter families. At the conference he
presented their research in Plymouth
of the value of contact between mother
and baby immediately post-birth. He
showed a video of Zulu mothers he had
taken on a South African visit where
holding of babies was pursued by all in
the village and less crying and distress
appeared to occur. This presentation
was also given at the Sun City Psychiatric Congress. De Wet enjoys travelling.
1960’s
CEDRIC ALSTON [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1961] is a General Practitioner
from Vryheid in Kwa-Zulu Natal where
he lives with his wife, Rose. They have
three children and his hobbies include
farming and golf.
Brian Anziska [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1968] is a Neurologist and University Professor from New York, USA.
He is married to Rochelle and his oldest son did an elective at Groote Schuur
Hospital in 2000.
Barry Bass [MBChB (Cape Town)
1961, FACA, Dip A&A, Dip A&PM] is
Associate Professor of Anaesthesiology
and Pain Management at the University
of Texas in Houston, USA. He is President of the Coastal Bend Anaesthesia
Associates and was Pain Teacher of the
Year in 2004. He is married to Susan
with three children and enjoys sailing,
computers and dog training.
Robert
(Doc)
Caldwell
[MBChB (Cape Town) 1969, FCP (SA),
MRCP (UK), FRCP (London)] is a specialist physician from Hilton in KwaZulu Natal. He is married to Patricia (née
Preston), a UCT Alumnus (BSc 1971)
who also has a PhD from the University
of Natal. They have three children, all
of whom studied at UCT - Robert, BA
HDE, Gillian BA, BA (Hons) and Ian,
BSc (Civil Engineering). Doc’s father,
Robert Alfred, also studied MBChB at
UCT graduating in 1958. Hobbies include writing and stage performance.
Johannes Cloete [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1960, BA MA (US) M
Fam Med (UOFS), MFGP (SA)] is married to Paula (née De Villiers) and lives
in a retirement village in Bloemfontein.
He worked in Maclear from 1967 until
2004. Amongst his achievements is that
he did bloodless medicine and surgery
(now known as blood conservation).
He has six children and is a Minister of
Religion.
Sydney Cullis [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1967, FCS(SA), FRCS (Edin)] is
a General and Gastrointestinal Surgeon
from Rondebosch in the Cape. He is
in partnership with five other UCT
graduates - Peter Jeffery (1968), Keith
Brice (1969), Bob Baigrie (1983), James
Tunnicliffe (1985) and Philip Matley
(1980). He is married to Catherine
(née Hathorn) and has two children,
both of whom studied at UCT – James
(BSc (Civil Eng) and Robyn (MBChB)
in 2001, fifty years to the day after her
grandfather Robin. Sydney is the co-
ordinator of the CPD programme at
Kingsbury Hospital
Christine Dawkins [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1966, Dip Anaesthetics
(Dublin)] is a Medical Practitioner from
Alexandra Headland, Queensland,
Australia where she lives with her husband, James Dick. After thirty years as
an anaesthetist, Christine re-trained as a
Menopause Consultant and now runs
a Menopause Clinic on Queensland’s
Sunshine Coast. They have three sons
and her hobbies are camping, bush
walking, bird watching, travel, reading
and watching sport.
Leonard Kahn [MMed (Path)
(Cape Town) 1965, MBChB (Rand),
MRC Path (London), FRCPath (London)] is Chairman of the Department
of Pathology at both Long Island Jewish & North Shore University Hospitals
as well as Professor of Pathology at the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Married to Louise (née Tuch), BA, STD
(Secondary Teachers Diploma) UCT,
with three children, they live in Great
Neck, New York. Leonard received the
Medal of Honour from the International Skeletal Society in 2003. He has published over 150 articles in peer reviewed
Pathology journals and is also on the
editorial board of some journals. Hobbies include tennis, skiing, swimming,
arts and entertainment.
Leon Kleinman [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1963, Master of Applied Ethics
(MAE) (University of Newcastle), FRCSC, FACS, FRACS, FA Orth A] is an orthopaedic surgeon from New Lambton
Heights, New South Wales, Australia.
Leon is an Examiner with the Australian Medical Council and an External
Examiner for the University of Papua
New Guinea. He is married to Melissa
(née De Vos) with a daughter and a son.
Hobbies include reading, art and travel
– especially outback Australia. Leon
writes that he would be delighted to
hear from old classmates or colleagues.
Richard Kohn [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1967, FFA] has been a consultant Anaesthetist in Leicester, UK for
25 years. He is married to Gerda (née
Kleinschmidt) and has two children - a
son, who is an architect and a daughter,
who is a political journalist. They are
at Cambridge and Oxford respectively.
Hobbies include opera, classical music
and tennis. Richard retired from cricket
at the age of 55.
Peter Matthews [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1966, MCFP, M Fam Med (Medunsa) is Line Function Head of the
Department of Family Medicine, University of Pretoria where he established
and has run the Mpumalanga branch
of the MMed (Fam Med) degree since
1998. Married to Ann with three children by a previous marriage, Peter enjoys gardening (especially roses), cooking and wine-tasting.
Adrian Morison [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1967, DCM, FCP (SA)] is a Paediatrician from Bergvliet in the Cape.
He is married to Stella and has four
children, all of whom studied at UCT
– John (BCom GDA), Tracy (BSc),
Ryan (BMus) and David (BSc), who is
in his second year. He is presently Head
of Paediatrics at Victoria Hospital. Hobbies include sport, running and caravanning.
Ockie Oosthuizen [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1969, MMed, MD (Stell)
is a Specialist Physician from Windhoek, Namibia. In 1976 he received the
ICI Clinical Scholarship Award and
was Chairman of the Education Committee, Medical Board of Namibia from
1995-2004. He was also Chairman of
the Medicines Control Council of Namibia from 1992-1995 and is Consultant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Namibia. He is
married to Erica (née van Niekerk) and
has three children.
Neville Pokroy [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1965, FCP(SA) and (USA), MD
Int Medicine/Nephrology (USA)] is
a Nephrologist from Las Vegas, USA
where he lives with his wife Esther (née
Siboni). He was Man of the Year in Las
Vegas in 1993 and has been at the University of Nevada Medical School for
25 years. Neville is also Medical Director of the Dialysis Services of Southern
Nevada. They have four children. Hobbies include squash, which he still plays
23
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: CONTINUED
three times a week, rose and vegetable
gardening, travel and deep sea fishing.
Neville writes that Las Vegas has been
a wonderfully stimulating environment
to grow in all aspects of life’s offerings.
His oldest son teaches Emergency Medicine in Gainsville, Florida whilst his two
daughters are studying for Master’s degrees. His wife was recently awarded a
BSc in Hotel Administration.
Rob Rush [MBChB (Cape Town)
1963, MRCOG, FRCOG] is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist from Adelaide,
Eastern Cape. He is married to Jennifer (née Painter) and has three children.
His one son, Gavin, studied BSc (Hons)
and Phd (Med Micro) at UCT. Hobbies
include golf, hiking and wildlife photography.
Annemarie Sainsbury (née Pretorius) [Dip Physiotherapy (Cape Town)
1965] changed careers to become Race
Administrator of the Two Oceans Marathan for 21 years but has since retired.
She is married to Michael “Chet” Sainsbury with three sons (Neil, Paul and
Mark) and lives in Rondebosch, Cape.
Neil did track, cross country and road
running for UCT and also did a Master’s
in Urban Design at Oxford. He works
as an Urban Designer in Milton Keynes
in the United Kingdom. Paul runs an
Event Management company and Mark
is a Trader with the Commonwealth
Bank of Australia in Sydney.
Robert van der Linden
[MBChB (Cape Town) 1960] is an Orthopaedic Surgeon still working parttime at Livingstone Hospital in Port
Elizabeth. He is married to Isabelle
and has eight children – four sons and
four daughters. His one son, Geoffrey,
studied MBChB at UCT and is now a
consultant Psychiatrist living in Bristol,
United Kingdom. He enjoys playing jazz
with his sons who are musicians, two of
them professional. Robert plays double
bass in the Eastern Cape Philharmonic
orchestra and also plays chamber music
with his wife, who is a cellist.
Johan van der Spuy [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1961, FCS(SA)] is a Medico-legal Consultant on Injuries. He received the UCT Distinguished Surgeon
24
Award for Surgery of Trauma in 2003.
He is married to Gerda with one child
and lives in Brackenfell in the Cape.
Johan was Head of the Groote Schuur
Hospital Trauma Unit from 1977-1987
and Head of the Medical Research
Council National Trauma Research
Programme from 1987 until 2000. His
hobby is farming with Damara sheep.
Naas Viljoen [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1961, MSc (Anatomy) (Pret),
MMed (Urol)] (Stell), FCS (SA)] is the
retired Professor of Urology of the University of the Free State. He lives in Hermanus with his wife, Lazelle. They have
four children.
John Werner [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1967, MS (Ophthalmology)
USA] is the Melvin Jones Fellow of Lions International. After 24 happy years
in private Ophthalmology practice in
Bethlehem, he moved to a mission hospital in Lesotho. He is married to Celia and has two children. His daughter,
Heidi did a BSc Nursing at UCT. John
enjoys music and hiking.
1970’s
Marion Absalom [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1979, FRCPC (C)] is an anaesthetist from Gallo Manor, Gauteng.
She is married to Neil McDonald.
Desmond Bell [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1970, LMCC (University of Vancouver), FRCS (C)] is an Ear, Nose, and
Throat Surgeon from West Vancouver,
Canada. His wife, Barbara (née Taylor),
studied physiotherapy at UCT. They
have three children and his hobbies
include golf, watercolour painting and
skiing.
André Birkenstock [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1975] is a Medical Practitioner from Katima Mulilo, Namibia.
He is engaged full-time in primary
health care activities amongst the staff
of various safari lodges in Northern Namibia and Botswana, particularly with
regards to HIV/Aids. He is married to
Anne Marie (née Melgaard) and they
have a son and a daughter.
Arnold Di Bella [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1974, Orthopaedic Residency
(University of Connecticut), Hand Fel-
lowship (Hartford Hospital)] has been
practising Hand Surgery at Baylor
Hospital in Dallas since 1983. His wife
Hana (née Kubik) is a UCT alumnus
having graduated with a BSc degree in
1974. They have two daughters, Nicole
and Danielle.
Rishda Crombie (née Hendricks)
[BSc Physiotherapy (Cape Town) 1978]
is married to Ebrahim with two daughters and lives in Zeekoevlei, Cape. Their
one daughter, Zayaan, also graduated
from UCT as a physiotherapist and
their other daughter, Ilhaam, is currently studying Business Science. Hobbies
include karate and scrapbooking.
Paul Gebers [MBChB 1979, MMed
(Paed) (Cape Town), FC Paed (SA), is a
Paediatrician from Port Elizabeth. He is
married to Theresa (née Rabbets) who
completed two years of a BSocSci degree at UCT. They have three children,
the eldest in second year at UCT studying B Film and Media Studies.
Hobbies include bird watching, Dendrology and Cystic Fibrosis.
David Helfet [BSc, MBChB (Cape
Town) 1975] is an Orthopaedic Surgeon from New York where he lives
with his wife, Mary (née Crittenden).
They have two children and he enjoys
playing golf.
Linda Hering (née Perkins)
MBChB (Cape Town) 1979, Dip Community Medicine (Stell) 1988] is Director of the Associated Psychiatric Hospitals in the Western Cape - Alexandra,
Lentegeur, Stikland and Valkenberg.
She is married to Prof E Hering, a PhD
Medical Physics graduate from UCT,
and has two children, one currently in
third year at UCT studying Business
Administration: Finance and Accounting. They live in Pinelands in the Cape.
Roelof Lourens [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1975, DA (SA), DCH (SA), FCP
(SA), FRACP] is a Paediatrician in Tauranga, New Zealand where he lives with
his wife, Kathryn. Hobbies include
sport and gardening.
John Melmed [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1970, MBA (University of Maryland), Diplomate (American College
of Radiology, University of Rochester)
1979] is a Radiologist in Private Practice
in Maryland, USA. He has won numerous awards for public speaking. John is
married to Rianne Green and they have
three children, two of whom married
recently. Hobbies include Toastmasters,
motivational speaking and hiking. John
writes that he would like to try his hand
at stand-up comedy unless being a radiologist brings financial security soon!
Rüdiger Moisel [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1977] is a General Practitioner
from Swakopmund, Namibia. Married
to Gisela (née Müller) with three children, hobbies include mountaineering,
part-time farming, nature conservation
and singing.
Preston Moorcroft [MBChB
1975, MMed (Cape Town), FCS
(Orth)(SA), BSc (Rhodes), FRACS (Royal Australasian College of Surgeons)] is
an Orthopaedic Surgeon from Rotorua,
New Zealand. He is divorced with two
children and writes that he is “just an
ordinary bloke getting on with the business of living”. Hobbies include kayaking, motorcycle touring, snow skiing,
photography, oil painting and fishing.
Ivan Schewitz [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1974, FCS (SA)] is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon from Bryanston, Gauteng. He is married to Jacqueline and
has four children.
Norman Smuts [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1975, FF Rad(D)SA] is a Radiologist from Rondebosch in the Cape.
He is married to Heidi, also a UCT
Alumnus (PhD Virology) 1986. They
have two children, one of whom, Troy,
has just started studying at UCT for a
degree in Environmental Science. Hobbies include classical music, opera, theatre, literature, collecting art, gardening,
travel and fine food.
Neil Solomons [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1979, FRCS(Eng), FRCS(Ed)]
is an ENT and Facial Plastic Surgeon
from Guildford, Surrey in the United
Kingdom. He is married to Jennifer
and has two daughters – Lucy and Kate,
aged 21 and 19 respectively.
Ben van Rensburg [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1977, BA (UOFS)] is a
General Practitioner from Gaborone,
Botwana where he lives with his wife,
Margo. They have four children and his
hobbies include indigenous trees and
the renovation of historical monuments
and buildings.
Christopher
Winearls
[MBChB (Cape Town) 1973, D Phil
(Oxford), FRCP (London)] is a Nephrologist from Oxford, United Kingdom.
He is Clinical Director of the Oxford
Kidney Unit, Honorary Senior Lecturer
in Nephrology at Oxford University,
Vice President of the Renal Association
and Fellow of the Jesus College. He is
married to Beryl (née Butler) and they
have four sons. Christopher enjoys dinghy sailing.
1980’s
Martin Brossy [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1981, DA (SA), Dip Mid COG
(SA), FFA (SA) FRCA (England)] is an
anaesthetist in private practice in Cape
Town. He is married to Rosemary with
two children – Christopher (10) and
Emma (7). Martin enjoys squash, where
he is involved in the administration, as
well as playing in the top Western Province leagues. He also enjoys golf, windsurfing, jogging and hiking.
Mark Davoren [BSc (Physiology) 1985, MBChB 1991 (Cape Town)]
has just completed his paediatric postgraduate training (FRACP-Paeds) in
Brisbane, Australia and is now working as a consultant Paediatrician in the
Redcliffe and Caboolture Hospitals on
the outskirts of Brisbane. Mark writes
that he would love to hear from any
old classmates and if they ever need a
place to stay when visiting Brisbane, he
would be most willing to offer them accommodation – at the cost of a drink
and friendly reminiscent chat about
the good old days spent as students at
“Ikeys”.
Cathy Fraser [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1981, Master’s in General Practice Psychiatry (Monash)] is a General
Practitioner with a special interest in
Psychotherapy from Turramurra, New
South Wales, Australia. She is President
of the Australian Doctors Orchestra
and Founder and Manager of the New
South Sales Doctors Orchestra. Cathy
plays the flute annually for medically
related charities.
Detlen Havemann [BSc Med
Hons (Exercise Science) (Cape Town)
1989, BA (Phys Ed) Hons, MA(Phys
Ed), HED (University of Pretoria)] is a
retired Bio-Kineticist from Val De Grace
in Pretoria. He is married to Jeanette
and has two children.
Frans Korb [MBChB (Cape Town)
1985, BSc and BSc Hons (UOFS), MA
Clinical Psychology, MMed (Psychiatry)
(Witwatersrand) is a Senior Clinical
Research Physician from Sandton, Gauteng. Hobbies include arts, theatre, film
and literature.
Shlomo Leibowich [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1982] is a Radiologist
from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida,
USA. He is married to Vivienne and
has two children.
Richard Leigh [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1987, MSc (Health Research
Methodology), PhD (McMaster University)] is a Medical Specialist / Physician Scientist from Calgary, Canada.
He received the CIHR Clinical Scientist Award and is married with no children.
Michael Pepper [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1982, PhD, MD (University
of Geneva)] is Director of the Netcare
Molecular Medicine Institute and lives
in Waterkloof Heights, Pretoria. He is
married to Professor Tess van der Merwe and has four children.
Shawn Powell [BSc (Physiology),
MBChB (Cape Town) 1986, DCH
(SA), MCFP(SA), MF (Hon) (London)]
is married to Ruth, BSc, BSc (Med)
(Hons), MSc (Med), BSocSc (Hons),
HDE (Cape Town). They have two children and live in Knysna. Shaun wrote
the best postgraduate publication for
the SA Journal of Surgery in 2002. Hobbies include complementary medicine,
indigenous plants and iridology.
Hilary Raizon (née Fig) [BSC Occupational Therapy (Cape Town) 1981]
is an Occupational Therapist from
Potomac, USA. Married to Arnold who
graduated from UCT with an MBChB
in 1980, they have four children aged
25
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: CONTINUED
16, 13, and twins of 9.
Caroline (Cally) Robson (née
Levitt) [MBChB (Cape Town) 1984,
FFRAD.D (SA), Board certified in Radiology, Certificate in Neuroradiology
(American Board of Radiology)] is a
Paediatric Neuroradiologist from Weston, Massachusetts. Cally is Director
of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Director of Head and Neck Imaging at the
Children’s Hospital in Boston as well
as Assistant Professor in Radiology at
Harvard Medical School. She is also a
Member of the Advanced Foetal Care
Centre at the Children’s Hospital in
Boston. Married to her husband, Simon, for 18 years, they have two daughters – Victoria and Eliza aged 13 and 11
years respectively. Hobbies include photography, walking, skiing, swimming,
reading and movies.
Louis Trichard [MMed (Psych)
(Cape Town) 1983, FF Psych (SA), BSc,
MBChB (Witwatersrand)] is a retired
psychiatrist living in Edmonton, Canada with his partner of 20 years. Hobbies include food and cooking, craft,
language and swimming.
1990’s
Fiona Cole [BSc Physiotherapy
(Cape Town) 1992, Dip in Orthopaedic
Manipulative Therapy (Johannesburg)]
is a physiotherapist living in Isleworth,
Middlesex, UK. Fiona married Philip
Goodwin in May this year. Hobbies include mountain climbing and cycling.
Antony Darné [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1999, BSc (Witwatersrand)] is a
Pathologist-in-training from Durham in
the United Kingdom. He is married to
Sharmela (née Naidoo) and they have
one child. Antony enjoys running as a
hobby.
Martin Elvey [BSc (Physio) (Cape
Town) 1994 is currently studying for his
MSc in Physiotherapy at the University
of the Witwatersrand. He is married
to Merril, lives in Fairmount, Johannesburg and has four children. Martin
studies the Talmud as a hobby.
Sally Fraser-Mackenzie (née
Mackenzie) [BSc (Occ Therapy) (Cape
Town) 1995, BSc (Psychology) (Unisa)]
26
is an Occupational Therapist from Knysna where she lives with her husband,
Martin. She wrote a series of books on
learning difficulties – see www.sallymackenzie.com. Sally enjoys adventure
sports.
Diane Hawarden (née Lategan)
[BSc, MBChB (Cape Town) 1992] is a
consultant in the Allergy Unit at the
UCT Lung Institute. She is married to
André, has two daughters (Caitlin and
Kelly), and lives in Milnerton, Cape.
Diane was the Allergy Society of SA’s
(ALLSA) research award recipient in
2003. Hobbies include swimming and
travel.
Leisel Herselman [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1998] is a General Practitioner from Newlands in the Cape. She
is married to Dr Grant Pienaar and they
have one child. Leisel enjoys reading.
Ian Kallmeyer [MBChB (Cape
Town) 1991 is an Anaesthesiologist
from Needham, Massachusetts. He is
married to Vanessa (née Stipinovich),
a Radiologist, and has two girls, Olivia
and Sophia, aged 3 and 2 respectively.
Hobbies include travel, bicycling, art
and music.
Susan Levett [MBChB 1991, MBA
(Cape Town), FCPsych] is a Psychiatrist
from Paarl in the Cape. She is married
to Geoff Cargill and has two children.
Hobbies include outdoors, reading and
travel.
Jonathan Louw [MBChB 1993,
MBA (Cape Town)] is the Managing
Director of Adcock Ingram Pharmaceuticals and lives in Sunninghill, Gauteng.
Hobbies include scuba diving, wine and
motor racing.
Desmond Stevens [MBChB
(Cape Town) 1990] is a General Practitioner from Emerald Hill in Port Elizabeth. His wife, Navaneedhi Reddy, is
also a doctor and they have two sons of 6
and 8 years of age. Hobbies include golf,
fishing, surfing the web, outdoor life, nature and psychoneuroimmunology.
2000’s
Claire Deacon [BSc Med (Hons)
(Cape Town) 2000, MCur (UPE)] is a
Consultant in health and safety, ergo-
nomics and occupational health to industry and specialises in construction.
She is currently registered for a PhD in
Construction Management at the University of Port Elizabeth and has two
boys aged 10 and 12 years. Hobbies are
ergonomics and geriatrics.
Tanya Doherty [B Nursing, MSc
Nursing (Cape Town) 2000] is from
Claremont in the Cape and is a Researcher at Health Systems Trust. She
won a Fulbright scholarship and studied
for a Master’s degree in Public Health at
Harvard University.
Shoaib Kazee [BSC (Physiotherapy)
(Cape Town) 2002] is employed by the
Durban District Office as a Physiotherapist. He was on the medical team for
the International Karate Tournament
that was hosted by the Durban International Convention Centre in 2004.
Shoaib writes that he is most grateful to
UCT for his undergraduate instruction
and especially Ms Adri Winckler for her
support and sincere kindness.
Liza Lucani [BSc Physiotherapy
(Cape Town) 2000] is a Physiotherapist
from Constantia in the Cape. She is
presently engaged to be married.
Tshepiso Madihlaba [MBChB
(Cape Town) 2002] is a Senior Medical Officer from Nelspruit. Hobbies
include travelling and reading.
Richard Mausling [MBChB
(Cape Town) 2003] is an unmarried
medical doctor from Edgemead in the
Cape.
Lameze Parker (née Ismail)
[MBChB (Cape Town) 2001] is a General Practitioner from Wynberg in the
Cape. She is married to Kader and
has four children. Their daughter, Farah, who recently married an MBChB
student from the University of Stellenbosch, studied BSocSci at UCT and
has now completed BPsych Hons at the
University of the Western Cape. Their
other daughter, Mariam, has just commenced her studies in Physiotherapy.
They also have two sons, Mahmood
and Yaseen, who studied the Qur’an for
a year before starting high school. Hobbies include handcraft, floral arrangement, gardening, music and theatre.
From the
Alumni Office
Use this section to tell us more about yourself and what you’ve
been doing since you left UCT for inclusion in a future publication.
elcome to our 2005 edition of
Cathartic. Thank you for your
contributions of news that is featured
in this publication. Please continue to
return the questionnaires so that you
may be included in future editions of
Cathartic.
The medical class reunions held in
2004 were a great success. Read all about
them in this edition. Preparations for
this year’s reunions are at an advanced
stage – the programmes for which are
featured in the magazine.
Four reunions are planned for 2006:
Class of 1956
Class of 1966
Class of 1976
Class of 1981
____________________________________________________________
W
PLEASE USE BLOCK LETTERS
Title, initials, first name: _________________________________________
Surname: ____________________________________________________
Maiden Name: ________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
Post code: ________
Telephone: Home (….) ________________ Fax: (….) ________________
Telephone: Work (….) _______________ Fax: (….) __________________
What years were you at UCT? (e.g. 1968-1973) ______________________
Degree(s) obtained: ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Degree(s) obtained at other institutions (Please specify):
_____________________________________________________________
Occupation: ___________________________________________________
I
f you are a member of any one of these
classes, please contact the Alumni Office to update your address and contact
details so that you can be sure to hear
from us. Reunions usually take place at
medical school from the latter part of
November until the middle of December, with activities over a 3-day weekend.
We are also planning to bring on
board reunions for the School of Health
and Rehabilitation Sciences in the near
future. Please therefore keep us updated
on your contact details so that we can
make contact with you when this new
event gets underway.
On our website we have introduced
a new feature entitled “news from our
alumni”. If you have recently been given
an award or have anything of interest to
report, we would love to hear from you.
Make sure that you visit our website frequently so that you can be kept up-todate on what is happening at the Faculty
on the following address: www.health.
uct.ac.za/alumni.
We hope that you will enjoy this edition of Cathartic.
With best wishes
Joan Tuff
Alumni Officer
Special achievements/honours: ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Are you married? If so, to whom? __________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Is he/she a UCT Alumnus? _______________________________________
If yes, what degree? ________________________________ Year: _______
Do you have children? If so, how many? ____________________________
Did they study at UCT? If so, name/s and degree/s
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Year degree/s was/were obtained: _________________________________
Hobbies/special interests: ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Any other news:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Please return the completed questionnaire to:
The Cathartic, UCT Faculty of Health Sciences, Alumni Office, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925
South Africa or fax: 27 21 406-6584
You can also complete the form on our website at the following address:
www.health.uct.ac.za/alumni - click on ‘Cathartic’
27
REUNIONS FOR 2005
Class of 1975 – 2-4 December
Class of 1980 – 9-11 December
Class of 1955 – 15-17 December
Class of 1965 – 15-17 December
Friday, 2 Dec
10h00:Registration and coffee at Medical
School
10h45Tours of the Medical School and
Groote Schuur Hospital
13h00:Finger lunch – Tafelberg Room,
Groote Schuur Hospital
18h00:Cocktail party at the home of Joan
Louwrens, 44 Muir Road, Rondebosch
Sunday, 11 Dec
10h30:Guided tour of Kirstenbosch Gardens
12h30:Cold buffet lunch at Kirstenbosch
Restuarant
Organising committee members: Ellen Bolding,
Jonathan Maskin, Eddy Lee Pan, Charles Slater
and Judy Whittaker
17h30 for18h00:Registration and Dean’s
welcoming cocktail party at
Medical School
Fri, 16 Dec
9h00-12h30: Academic Meeting at
Medical School
19h45:Class photograph, and
20h00:Reunion dinner – The Capetonian Hotel, Foreshore
Sat, 17 Dec
12h30:Lunch at Kirstenbosch Tea
Room
Saturday, 3 Dec
9h00-12h00:Academic meeting at
Medical School
19h30:
Class photograph and
20h00:Reunion Dinner – Alphen
Hotel, Constantia
Class of 1955
Organising Committee members: Dave Beatty,
Solly Benatar, Paddy Hartley and Fahmi Williams
Programmes:
Class of 1975
Sunday, 4 Dec
9h30:Walk and picnic lunch on
Table Mountain
Organising committee members: Jean Borgstrom, Geoff Friedlander, Julie Jaffer, Joan
Louwrens and Maureen Stein
Class of 1980
Friday, 9 Dec
10h00:Registration and coffee – Medical
School
10h45:Tours of the Medical School and
Groote Schuur Hospital
13h00:Finger lunch, Groote Schuur Hospital
18h00:Cocktail party at Medical School
19h45:Class photograph and
20h00:Reunion Dinner – Radisson Hotel,
Granger Bay
Thurs, 15 Dec
10h00:Registration and coffee at Medical School
10h30:Tours of the Medical School and
Groote Schuur Hospital
12h30:Finger lunch – Tafelberg Room,
Groote Schuur Hospital
18h00:Dean’s welcoming cocktail party at
Medical School
Friday, 16 Dec
9h00-12h00: Academic Meeting at
Medical School
19h00:
Class photograph and
19h30:Reunion Dinner – Alphen
Hotel, Constantia
Sat, 17 Dec
12h30:Lunch at Kirstenbosch
Restaurant
Organising Committee members: Aubrey
Michalowsky, Lionel Opie and François Retief
Class of 1965
Saturday, 10 Dec
9h00-12h00:Academic meeting at
Medical School
13h30 for 14h00:Optional Trip to Robben
Island
Thurs, 15 Dec
8h30-11h30:Breakfast – Cape Town
Hotel School, Granger Bay
12h30:
Tour of Groote Schuur Hospital
Should you wish to attend one of these reunions, please contact Joan Tuff as follows:
UCT Faculty of Health Sciences
Alumni Office
Anzio Road
Observatory, 7925
South Africa
28
Telephone: +27 21 406-6686
Fax: +27 21 406-6584
Email: jtuff@curie.uct.ac.za
Or visit our website on:
www.health.uct.ac.za/alumni
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Ralph Kirsch
Gonda Perez
David Dent
Joan Tuff
Layout:
Department of
Communication &
Development
University of Cape Town
www.dcd.uct.ac.za
Web Sites
to visit:
www.health.uct.ac.za/alumni
www.uct.ac.za
www.health.uct.ac.za
UCT FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES,
Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925