BCT: Why did you join Benoni Northerns?
TJ: Graham Bolton asked me to join Northerns; I was 31 and already had over 200* Premier League games under the belt.
The day I walked into Northerns the members made it a home away from home for me.
I have been a member of Northerns for 41 years and in that time I have been involved in the club in various capacities.
Forty years ago I was elected chairman of Benoni Northerns Sports Club.
BCT: Tell us about your time as president of the club.
TJ: In 1980 the club created the position of honorary president and I became the first president of Northerns.
In 1983 I became a life member, and was awarded the membership number of ‘1’ which, according to the rules at the time, is granted as your membership for life.
I resigned from the position in 1993 for business reasons which saw me out of the country a great deal.
Keith Smith from the baseball section succeeded me.
When he emigrated I was honoured and thrilled to be voted back as president in 2001 until this year.
BCT: Tell us about yourself?
TJ: I grew up in the tough suburb of Mayfair, matriculated at Parktown Boys High in 1962 and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1966 with a BA degree with majors in English and Afrikaans.
I was elected onto the executive of the South African Men’s Hockey Association in 1980, as well as being president of Northerns.
I played provincial schools’ hockey for Southern Transvaal and, the year before joining Northerns, captained the Transvaal Country Districts Cricket Team in the SA Country Districts Tournament in Queenstown.
BCT: What keeps you busy?
TJ: I am semi-retired, but still a business consultant for Vital Engineering (Pty) Ltd.
I am married to Marilyn Jarvis and we have two children, Greg Jarvis and Jacqueline de Lange.
We also have four grandchildren: Megan and Andrew (17) de Lange, and Morgan (7) and Harrison (3) Jarvis.
BCT: What are your plans?
TJ: I would like to have the health to continue being active in business, community, club and sport administration.
My final wish is for Marilyn and I to be blessed with good health to continue our active lives.
*The figure was previously erroneously given as 20, but changed to 200 later.
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