On Monday, 20 October, we welcomed Bryan Botha to speak to the club. Bryan gave an excellent presentation about growing up in South Africa. Bryan was born in Johannesburg during the Apartheid Era and lived on the West Rand, 30 minutes west of Johannesburg, and 10 minutes' drive away from Soweto.
He attended an English school, and his school days were fraught with constant hidings and fights with Afrikaans-speaking children. During his childhood, he was taught to march and stand at attention, as all males were required to serve in the military. When he left school, he joined the South African Police and trained to be part of a SWAT team and Riot Unit.
Bryan has fought in many riots and even looked after Nelson Mandela for a day. When he was young, he only heard propaganda on the radio and television. He told us that when Nelson Mandela was released from prison in February 1990, he had to ask his mother who Nelson Mandela was. When the Springboks toured New Zealand to play rugby in 1981 and the protests occurred, he didn’t know what the protests were about.
Bryan moved to New Zealand in 2011 and lives in Avalon with his wife and two children. He has taught at Naenae Intermediate for the past 14 years.
Bryan is a qualified referee and has refereed the Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium. He is fully involved in all sports and is a keen runner.
The members certainly enjoyed his presentation and would love to have him back to speak again in the future.