Patrick Abrahams resigns from Rand Aid after 28 years of service

When Mr Patrick Abrahams was asked by a colleague to make himself available as a board member of non-profit organisation Rand Aid Association (RAA), he had little idea that he was about to embark on a 28 year journey.

Mr Abrahams, who was 44 then, knew little about Rand Aid. Soon, however, he was immersed in helping the organisation deliver on its mission of caring for vulnerable senior citizens.

“I have seen Rand Aid evolve from an organisation that was basically insolvent, into the enormous entity that it is today,” said Mr Abrahams. Founded in 1903, Rand Aid now manages four retirement villages, two frail care centres, a treatment centre for people with substance abuse problems and a home for the deaf.

Rand Aid has a strong welfare focus and provides subsidised accommodation, care or treatment to over 500 people on a daily basis at its Thembalami Care Centre, Tarentaal Village and Wedge Gardens Treatment Centre. Support services include Cookchill, the catering arm that prepares 35 500 meals a month, the stores, central workshops and the laundry.

“I am proud of the small part I played in this phenomenal journey. All the milestones the organisation has reached are thanks to its strong board and management team, as well as its partnerships with its residents,”he said.

After joining the Rand Aid board of management in 1988, Mr Abrahams was made honorary life president in 2011, at the NPO’s 106th annual general meeting. He was chairman of the board for 13 years, from December 1998 until July 2011, when he handed over the reins to Mr John Robinson.

On August 24, Mr Abrahams attended his last RAA board meeting and enjoyed a farewell with his peers afterwards.

On September 7, he and his wife will leave to start a new chapter of their life in England, which is now home to his daughter and her family.

“I have gained much gratification and satisfaction from being able to assist people who through no fault of their own are in a less fortunate position. It has been a wonderful experience. There has been lots of stress and many worrying times but also many happy times. I do not regret a minute of it. Unfortunately the culture of active citizenship is not as strong as it once was. People want to be rewarded for their time and effort,” he said.

The Bryanston resident has been involved in the financial arena all of his life, from commercial banking to discount houses, merchant banking, private equity and finally as director of Brait Merchant Bank. Born in Kimberley, Mr Abrahams was raised in Zimbabwe and settled in Johannesburg in 1979.

Semi-retired, he still has a number of business interests.

Since first joining the RAA Board, he has seen and participated in the numerous milestones in the development of Rand Aid, the most recent being the merger with Max Ordman Deaf Association; new lounge and refurbished wings at Thembalami; new security code house/booms at Thembalami and the rebuilding of the care centre’s lapa.