- Why must somebody actually have to die before you really appreciate them?
- We met Charl, Rina and the 3 daughters very soon after they arrived in the US. I had started a business selling Biltong on the internet from my house, LekkerBiltong, and Charl needed some biltong, found me and offered to take me up on the free sample that I offered.
- They had started their US adventure in Merced, and he decided to pick up his free sample in Clovis as it was only about sixty miles away.
- Rina was checking out a job at the NICU at Valley Children’s so they killed three birds with one stone, the job, the Biltong and made new friends.
- I think this was the beginning of 2001.
- Rina got the job at Valley, and the family moved into the Springs Apartments, and Charl got into the familiar role we Saffer men know so well, Mr. Mom.
- He loved Orchard Supply Hardware and Home Depot, would walk around it for hours, just admiring the tools and the variety of stuff available.
- I was in the meantime gainfully employed, thank you Parrish Hansen, and had trained a fellow Mr. Mom, Jorge, to be a half-decent draftsman, and I am using the word half-decent very royally, Jorge was leaving to go to “help” Lindsay with her new practice, again I embellish, so Parrish Hansen needed a new Draftsman, so the third ex-Mr. Mom became a draftsman at Parrish Hansen, that must be some type of record.
- Charl started at PH less than a month before 911 and we can all remember how shocked we were, when the buildings collapsed.
- So between then and 2005, I must have spent more time with Charl than even Rina, he however would never get to work before nine, he always waited for Rina to get off of her night shift and have a cup of coffee with her before he came to work, no way minimum wage could compensate for that precious time.
- Charl introduced me to bird photography, birding in general, I did my one and only twitch with Charl, driving one and a half hours, there and back to go see, see not even take a picture of, a Vermillion Flycatcher. We travelled a lot after birds, Merced Wildlife Preserve, Mercey Hot Springs, Mono Lake, Lost Lake, on a birding trip to the Fallarons, to see Tufted Puffins and getting sea sick in the process circling around a dead, stinking-to-high heaven, whale. We went to look for Bald Eagles on Millerton Lake in February, freezing our asses off. We went twice as Charl would say, “First and last time”
- We spent a week in Mexico, paying a guide to take us, again a two-hour drive and a thirty-minute trek to the Tufted Jay.
- In fact, we took many pictures of the same bird, his were just better.
- Charl took amazing pictures of Hummingbirds in his yard and always kept birds in his yard. He even had me keeping an aviary with Zebra Finches.
- Charl loved birds
- Charl hated cats.
- Charl loved photography. He was always willing to share his knowledge, staying up to photograph the Moon and Lunar Eclipse, always lugging his big 500mm and tripod with him.
- Charl introduced me to Bluntstones, and I bought a pair, delivered to PH from Australia, best boots I ever had.
- Oom Charl was uncle to my kids here in America, took pictures of Marna and Irma’s weddings, and never charged me a dime for the best pictures.
- Charl got me to love Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Mark Knopfler, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac.
- Charl loved music. We drove through the night, stayed in hotels to avoid driving through the night, to go to concerts, this was before we had the luxury of Savemart Arena here in Fresno, many of you here were with us today were also in on these excursions, I will try to recall but will miss some, forgive me, Eagles (3x), Don Henley, (the two of drove to Paso Robles to see him), Fleetwood Mac (2x), Mark Knopfler (2x), Leonard Cohen (best show ever), Bob Dylan (worst show ever, lucky here in Savemart), Rodrigues (at the Greek Theatre), Neil Diamond, Paul McCartney. Kris Kristofferson, whose show we walked to. He and Rina went to many more that we did not, Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Bob Seager.
- Charl loved music.
- Charl loved to braai. In all honesty, if I say that we did not get together at least once a month for the 18 years that I knew Charl, I would be a liar, more like every week or at least every second week, so we had at least 500 braais. We made our own wors because sausage at Costco just is not wors
- Charl loved wine. And beer. He introduced me to Boddingtons, and Guinness.
- Charl loved stories. To tell stories. We all heard the story of him chauffeuring the Police Commissioner in a new Mercedes and the General never wanted to fill the tank and they ran out of gas, with him having to push the Mercedes uphill so that could free-wheel into the next town. The stories of him in Pafuri, that must be his favorite place on earth, sitting in the pool over Christmas drinking KWV Port sifted through socks.
- Charl loved cricket. In 2008 we started to get to see cricket here in America, and we watched the five-day Tests between SA and Aus. Starting in the evening and going into the night, and sometimes early morning
- Charl loved rugby, normally an early Saturday morning event due to the time difference. We were at my house, and the two Hennies (Kruger and Venter) were there too. The game had started and the two Hennies were nattering away like two old ladies, Charl turns to them and says “Sal julle twee nou ophou kakpraat of buite gaan gesels”. We watched many a Bulls game in the SuperRugby, and shared our pain when Bryce Lawrence stole the game in the semis of the 2011 World Cup. I believe this is going to be the year. Go Bokke. You get to watch it for free. Enjoy.
- Charl loved tennis. Always watched the Grand Slams, went to Indian Wells to watch the Fifth Slam in person. Charl and I even tried to play, again “Twice”. We just did not have the bodies for that game.
- Charl, Chris Robson and I were in a Lunchclub, meeting Fridays for lunch, taking turns to pay, he devised a neat system with three credit cards so that we could remember whose turn it was. He, the retired one was normally late, go figure. We discussed rugby and cricket. We now have an opening. Any takers? Wessel?
- Charl loved books, and collecting, medals, model cars, cameras, and anything that was not nailed down.
- Charl loved cars. Especially red cars, We and others went to Pebble Beach to the Concourse Elegance, to get pictures of Ferraris and Lamborghinis and Alfa Romeos
- Charl loved his sister, Loretta, Ingrid and I got to meet her in her fantastic house in Pretoria. I will never forget the call I got in New Zealand in the middle of the night, never a good call that, and the heart-broken voice of my friend telling me his sister was killed a car accident. Well you get to see her again and the four or five “Knoffies” as a bonus.
- About three weeks ago I called him to congratulate him on his birthday and he asked if I knew what was the first song that he played on that day, and of course I knew, because I know a lot of shit, off the Beatles Album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band , the track – When I’m Sixty Four.
- Well done Charl, you made it to Sixty-Four.
- Well done Charl, you did make a difference.
- Well done Charl, you improved the lives of others around you.
- Well done Charl, you loved life.
- Let me end with words of a preacher, Charl’s favorite preacher
- May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever 64 - Dankie, my Maat