The 2023 Chronicle

the sports fields and in the many connections and friends he made for life.

Johannesburg. In another letter of the same year, he mentions how much he enjoyed a Sunday walk to Nottingham Road. He goes into detail about a beautiful stream en route with its insects and waterside plants, an early indicator of his lifelong love of the natural world. John had a more mischievous side, though. Later in life he shared stories of outwitting overbearing prefects and the many hilarious nicknames the boys concocted for teachers. He once accidentally (or not?!) dropped a newly polished pair of prefect’s shoes into the fishpond and had to talk his way out of the situation. After Michaelhouse, John returned to the Witwatersrand to undertake his articles, qualifying as a chartered accountant and then spending a year in London and hitchhiking across Europe in the early 60s. He lived a long, sporty and adventurous life, based in Johannesburg, but visiting the bush whenever he could, adding to his long bird list. He worked for a range of firms in Johannesburg, enjoying opportunities to travel and especially enjoying a work contract in Malawi after independence. In 1967, he married Joan Margaret Dreyer, an accomplished radiographer, affectionately known by her nickname Archie. John played provincial hockey and squash, undertaking various international sports tours and winning national squash tournaments. He was a member of the Wanderers Club for 72

He also played for the Springboks from 1958 till 1964. He was a life member of Johannesburg Country Club and The Wanderers Club. He moved to Cape Town in 2000 to be closer to family. He joined Bergvliet Tennis Club to play tennis and hung up his racket only a few months ago aged 91! He passed very briefly and is survived by his beloved wife Wendy (married 61 years!), sons Nicholas, Alistair and David, grandsons Keith and Jared, and granddaughters Jaide and Kirsten.

Small and light on his feet, he sped across the sports pitches and had an eye for the ball. He came to play in the first team for every sport (except swimming, much to his daughters’ amusement when he later recounted his distinct lack of ability in this area!). He thrived playing cricket (especially as a bowler), rugby (No 13 centre), hockey (notable goalscorer), boxing (with his quick impulses), and athletics (always speedy). Weekly letters to his parents relay the scores from his various matches and also commentary on national and international sporting events. A letter from 1950 opens with the ecstatic news of beating Maritzburg College 12-6, which he says was “the sensation of the season”. In the same letter, he recounts: “Hang, I’m really looking forward to the rugger tour and I hope I can go.” In John’s first year at Michaelhouse, he records in a letter home from March 1947: “Tomorrow’s the day to see the King and Queen and Princesses. While we were practising marching we were told what to say to them if they talked to us.” Referring to the royal tour of Natal, he says: “It will be funny calling the Queen Ma’am. I bet I’ll blush!” In other weekly news, he speaks of the scarcity of eggs and cheese, and asks his mother to send fruit from

THORNYCROFT, JONATHAN IRVING Born 1933, Died 2023 Michaelhouse, 1947-1950

John Irving almost reached his 90th birthday in 2023, having been born on the goldmines of the East Rand in 1933. For many decades, his father, a mining engineer, worked for the Rand Mines Group and the family lived on a number of mines, including Rose Deep, where they were based while John was at Michaelhouse and his sister Gill at St Anne’s. After starting his schooling at Auckland Park Preparatory and The Ridge in Johannesburg, John boarded at Michaelhouse in the postwar years, an active member of Pascoe House 1947-1950. One can’t underestimate the impact that Michaelhouse made on John, especially on

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