Frank van der Velde

Mayor of Cape Town 1988–1989 — and forever convinced he could have fixed the traffic lights at Hospital Bend personally if they’d only given him one more week.

Our Probus President in 2023 – the man whose Outings spreadsheet is so extensive that SANParks are still unsure whether he was the Chairman… or a competing parallel tourism authority.

He climbed mountains with calm confidence — “three points on the rock, always three points”… and the rest of us clung to India-Venster chains like terrified laundry.

He herded club members through exhibitions, backstage tunnels, museums, military submarines, fire stations, and at least one museum of perfume… with the same mayoral assurance:   “I’ve got you — you will not fall.”

We will still find him — as Peter wrote —
“in the quiet places, the good places”
and also — inevitably — standing next to the bus driver, clipboard in hand, checking the headcount twice.

He is not gone.   He has simply — and very efficiently — booked the Next Outing in advance.