Klerksdorp Rekord, Klerksdorp - Benadé Baird, ‘n boorling van Klerksdorp, is op 9 Desember 2023 in Klerksdorp oorlede. Hy is op 10 April 1961 in Klerksdorp gebore.
Benadè het gehou van mooi vroue en vinnige karre en verskeie braaiplekke in ‘n welige tuin. Hy was lief vir sy familie en Ferrari, nie altyd tegelykertyd of eweveel nie, alhoewel Ferrari hom soms teleurgestel het. Wanneer hy homself platgetrek het, het hy homself weer opgebou. As ‘n lewenslange mynbouman het hy ondergrond begin en hard gewerk om uit te styg, tot heel aan die einde van sy lewe. Sy hande was besig en sy kop was vinnig. Hy was ‘n kreatiewe kok, ‘n handige nutsman en ‘n vernuftige tuinier. Sy Skotse Terrier, Sir Stuart Baird oftewel Stewie, was sy lojale en konstante metgesel.
Nadat hy in Klerksdorp se hospitaal sy opwagting gemaak het as ‘n stewige baba, het hy in sy kleintyd tussen sy ouers en grootouers geswerf en ‘n vrolike reputasie as die familie-grapmaker opgebou. Daar is kersfeesfoto’s van Benade op die familieplaas Goedgevonden, met ‘n waatlemoenhelm op sy kop, ‘n grinnik vol haasbek en ‘n stokswaard in sy hand. As ‘n tienjarige seuntjie in Oos-Londen het hy sy pa verloor en moes hy saam met sy ouer broer ‘n man word. Dit het nie sy humorsin bederf nie. Toe sy ma een aand aankondig dat die gesinsvakansie gekanseleer word omdat hy nie die grasperk gesny het soos beloof nie, het hy in die nag in die reën, met ‘n mynlamp op sy kop sy plig gedoen sodat die vakansie kon voortgaan. Niks kon sy sin vir pret of sy lus om mense te vermaak, bederf nie. Nie eers toe hy teen ‘n steil afdraande op sy Chopper-fiets se saal gestaan het, sy hande in die lug gegooi en kop eerste die teerpad ontmoet het nie.
'n Graad-een juffrou het dalk sy lus vir skool permanent geblus, maar nie sy intelligensie nie. Tot sy ma se afgryse het hy in die matriekeindeksamen by ontbyt gevra of iemand dalk sy wiskundehandboek gesien het, want hy moet dit inhandig by die vraestel daardie dag of ‘n boete betaal. Nogtans het hy matriek met universiteitstoelating geslaag. Veel later het hy akademies presteer en toekennings van Henley-Universiteit verwerf vir bestuursstudies. Omdat hy geen akademiese agtergrond gehad het nie, het hy elke handboek van hoek tot kant bestudeer en as hy vrae gehad het, vir die outeurs eerder as sy professors geskryf, “want die professors het ook maar net die boek gelees, soos ek.” Hy het klaswerk vol verduidelings direk van die outeurs ingehandig.
Pret en kaskenades was sy konstante metgeselle, soms tot sy eie paniek. Nadat hy tydens sy diensplig as ‘n lugmagluitenant een nag in Klerksdorp so laat gekuier het dat daar geen redelike kans was om betyds terug te wees by sy basis in Dunnotar nie, het hy nogtans sy Fiat sportmotor soveel vet gegee dat hy teen 180km/h in ‘n 80km/h lokval geklok was. Nadat hy lekker gelag het oor die verkeerspolisie te stadig was, is hy in ‘n padblokkade aangekeer. Die Potchefstroomse magistraat het geen humorsin gehad nie en hom tot twee jaar of die fortuin van R2,000 gevonnis. Tot sy groeiende paniek het sy ma tot ‘n uur voor hy sy vonnis moes begin, gewag om die boete te betaal en op pad uit die selle hardop gevra hoekom die magistraat niks gesê het oor hy geen bestuurslisensie het nie. Benade het eers baie later in sy lewe gedink dit was snaaks. Hy was baie lief vir sy ma en sy vir hom.
As ‘n klein seuntjie moes hy sy ouboet uit die moelikheid kry met behulp van ‘n krieketkolf wat hy met goeie gevolg teen ‘n boelie se kop laat klap het. Later het hy dieselfde sonder ‘n kolf gedoen teen ‘n karateman op Universiteit wat sy boetie gedreig het. Sy vuiste het vir niemand teruggestaan nie en op ses-voet-vier en oor die honderd kilogram op sy beste, was hy ‘n intimiderende maar ywerige teenstander. Kort voor sy eerste huwelik moes sy ouboet hom byvoorbeeld weer uithelp met ‘n regsverdediger in Kroonstad na ‘n aanskoulike straatgeveg. Sy vriende het graag vertel van epiese kuiers en woelige onderonsies. Hy was jonk van gees, al was sy gemoed nie altyd lig nie.
Benadè kon nie stilsit nie. Vandag sou hy dalk gediagnoseer word met ADHD, maar sy kuur was om heeltyd dinge te doen. Hy het sy eie strandvoertuig ontwerp en gebou, het ‘n pragtige huis in Honeydew eiehandig gebou en in Bethulie ‘n verwaarloosde huis tot ‘n vakansielushof omskep. As ‘n jong man het hy die Argus fietstoer ‘n paar keer gery, onder andere saam met elkeen van sy twee kinders. Hy was ‘n ywerige duiker en het groot plesier uit sy seun se diepsee-duikloopbaan geput. Hy het sy dogter as die beste ma in die wêreld beskou. Sy kinders en kleinkinders was vir hom ‘n konstante bron van vreugde. Ten spyte van baie lewensontwrigtings, het hy ‘n noue verhouding met beide sy seun en dogter gehandhaaf en aan die einde van sy lewe, het hy sy Ferrari-memorabilia aan sy kleindogters uitgedeel.
Sy loopbaan was vir hom belangrik: “Anglovaal het vir my ‘n werk gegee, die Kamer van Mynwese het my moontlikhede laat verstaan, Gold Fields het my verantwoordelikheid gegee, Anglo American het my ‘n opvoeding gegee en Harmony het my die doel gegee om kennis en ervaring aan die volgende geslag oor te dra”. Hy was beide ‘n geliefde en soms ‘n gevreesde bestuurder, maar het oral respek ingeboesem. Toe sy siekte bekend word het die goeie wense en boodskappe van mense uit al sy vorige werkplekke ingestroom. Dit was opvallend hoeveel vroue en voorheen-benadeelde mense hom bedank het vir sy bydrae tot hulle sukses. Heel aan die einde het sy baas hom besoek om hulle dank en groete persoonlik aan hom oor te dra. Dit het vir hom baie beteken.
Benadè het in 1983 met Elsa getrou en twee kinders, John-David en Elmarette is uit die huwelik gebore. Die huwelik is na sestien jaar ontbind. Hy was tien jaar met Larissa getroud voor hulle ook geskei het. In 2019 is hy met Petro getroud. Sy was vir hom nie net die lig van sy liefde nie, maar het hom heroïes deur sy siekte en heengaan bygestaan. Hy het aan die gevolge van longkanker gesterf nadat hy al op die ouderdom van vyf begin rook het.
Hy laat sy vrou Petro, sy twee kinders, John-David en Elmarette asook hulle eggenote, onderskeidelik Carike en Marius, vyf kleindogters, Zara en Ava, Terien, Mijané en Lilah, asook sy ma Anna, sy broer Francois en skoonsuster Greta, na.
Ons sien mekaar weer, my boetie.
Die huldeblyk is geskryf deur Francois Baird.
Benadè Baird, a Klerksdorp native, died in Klerskdorp on 9th December 2023. He was born on April 10th, 1961. Benadè enjoyed beautiful women, fast cars and an assortment of braai spots in a lush garden. He also loved his family and Ferrari, not always equally or at the same time, although Ferrari sometimes let him down. When he sank himself, he raised himself again. A lifelong mining man, he started underground, and worked hard to rise, right to the end. His hands were always busy and his head fast. He was a creative chef, a skillful handyman and an accomplished gardener. His Scottish Terrier, Sir Stuart Baird, also known as Stewie, was his loyal and constant companion.
Having made his arrival in Klerksdorp Hospital as a sturdy baby, he spent much of his early childhood roaming between his parents and grandparents, while acquiring a merry reputation as the family joker. Christmas pictures of Benadè on the family farm, Goedgevonden, portray him wearing a toothless grin, a stick sword and a melon helmet. He lost his father as a ten-year-old boy in East London and learned with his older brother how to be a man. This did not ruin his sense of humour. When his mother canceled the family holiday because he had not mowed the lawn as promised, he complied with duty at night in the rain, wearing a raincoat and a mining lamp to ensure the holiday commenced. Nothing could spoil his sense of fun or his appetite to entertain. Not even when he hit the gravel headfirst, having stood on the saddle of his chopper bicycle and throwing wide his hands.
A first-grade teacher might have permanently extinguished his appetite for school, but not his intelligence. To his mother’s chagrin he nonchalantly enquired after the whereabouts of his math handbook at breakfast during his matric exam, explaining that he would have to pay a fine if he did not hand it in that day. Still, he passed with university exemption. Much later he achieved academic honours from Henley University for management studies. Having no academic background, he would study every handbook from cover to cover and instead of questioning his professor, he wrote to the authors, “since the professor had also just read the book like me.” He handed in class work with quotes directly from the authors.
Fun and escapades followed him everywhere, sometimes to his panic. When he had lingered so long over a few beers in Klerksdorp one night while on leave as a first Lieutenant in the Air Force, and realizing that there was no realistic chance of him returning on time to his base in Dunnotar, he clocked 180km/h in an 80 km/h zone. After laughing heartily at the ease with which he left the traffic police behind, he was apprehended in a roadblock. The Potchefstroom magistrate did not share his mirth and sentenced him to two years in prison or R2,000. To his growing panic, his mother waited till an hour before he had to start serving his sentence, before paying his fine and then loudly enquired on the way out of court why the magistrate said nothing about his lack of a driver’s licence. Benade appreciated the humour in this event only much later. He loved his mother and she him.
As a little boy he once rescued his older brother from a bully with help of a handy cricked bat. Later he did the same without the bat against a karateka threatening his brother at university. His fists never stood down for anyone and at six foot four and over a hundred kilogram at his best, he was an intimidating and enthusiastic opponent. Shortly before his first marriage, his brother had to help him out with a lawyer in Kroonstad following a spectacular street fight. His friends love telling stories about epic socials and energetic set to’s. He was young of spirit even if his mood wasn’t always light.
Benadè was never static, Today, he might be diagnosed with ADHD, but his own cure was to be constantly busy. He designed and built his own beach buggy, singlehandedly built a beautiful home in Honeydew and transformed a dilapidated Bethulie home to a holiday eden. As a young man he cycled the Argus Cycle Tour several times, including with each of his two children. As a diving enthusiast, his son’s career as a saturation diver was a source of great pleasure. He regarded his daughter as the best mother in the world. He reveled in his children and grandchildren. Despite many life disruptions he managed to maintain a close relationship with both his children. At the end of his life he gave away his Ferrari memorabilia to his granddaughters.
His career was important to him: “Anglovaal gave me a job, the Chamber of Mines helped me understand possibilities, Gold Fields gave me responsibilities, Anglo American gave me an education and Harmony gave me purpose, to transfer my experience and knowledge to the next generation.” He was both loved and feared as a manager but respected everywhere. When news of his illness first surfaced good wishes and messages from current and former colleagues streamed in. Notably, many women and formerly disadvantaged people thanked him for their growth and success. Right near the end his boss took his personal farewell, thanking him for his many contributions. This meant much to Benadè.
Benadè married Elsa in 1983 and their marriage of sixteen years produced two children, John-David and Elmarette. He was married to Larissa for ten years before they divorced too. In 2019 he married Petro. Not only was she the delight of his love, but she supported him heroically through his illness to his passing. He died from the effects of lung cancer, having started to smoke at the age of five.
He leaves his wife Petro, his two children, John-David and Elmarette, their respective spouses, Carike and Marius, five granddaughters, Zara and Ava, Terien, Mijané and Lilah, as well as his mother Anna, brother Francois and sister-in-law Greta.
We’ll see each other again, little brother.
