Roderick Stephen Bewick (known as Rod) was born on March 24 1926 in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.
Two years later his parents moved to Germiston where his brother, Kenneth, was born.
Rod grew up under the watchful eye of his strict Baptist mother, and was educated at Germiston South Primary and Germiston Central schools.
While not being a great sportsman, Rod did enjoy swimming in the, then Victoria, (now Germiston) Lake and also in a stream which existed where the current Germiston Stadium is.
In 1941, at the age of 15, Rod started his plumbing apprenticeship with the firm John Watt and Sons.
During this time he studied his trade theory at the Johannesburg Technical College doing night classes.
After qualifying as a licensed first class plumber in 1946, he stayed working there as a journeyman plumber and sheet metal worker.
In 1947, after a short time at Thomas Knowles and Son (also a firm of plumbers and sheet metalworkers), he joined the Germiston Town Council as a waterworks plumber.
During this time Rod was responsible for the laying of water supply mains and reticulation for many of the newly developed housing areas, including virtually all supply pipe work for the Katlehong area, before it was built.
In his spare time Rod took flying lessons and obtained a private pilot’s “A” licence.
Although he stopped flying in 1950, aviation, and its development, remained a major interest for the rest of his life.
In 1949, Rod was introduced to Beth Truter, a nurse who was training at the Germiston Hospital.
Rod and Beth courted until their marriage in her home town of Barberton in January 1952.
On return from their honeymoon, Rod and Beth moved into their newly-built house in Gerdview. They lived in this house for 62 years.
In their long marriage of 64 years and seven months, they had three children.
Owen, the oldest, died tragically at the age of 23 as a result of a motorbike accident. Owen worked as an aircraft mechanic at SA Airways.
Roland studied geology at Wits University and then worked on various uranium, tin and gold prospects and mines.
In 1986 he left to travel in Asia and Europe and ended up meeting and marrying his now wife Gill.
They live in England and have two children, Daniel and Claire.
Roland has a small plastics fabrication business.
Althea was a secretary in Johannesburg for Sage Life Insurance and then Paper Agents in Rosebank before marrying and having children (Roxanne and Gareth) and moving to the Eastern Free State – Ladybrand, to start farming.
Rod worked his way up in the water section of the municipality, becoming waterworks foreman in 1963.
As such he was responsible for carrying out all construction and maintenance works affecting the council’s water supply, pumping and reservoir installations.
When his sons joined the Boy Scout movement, Rod became an active, non-uniform supporter, serving on the First Sunnyridge group committee and then becoming chairman.
When Beth was in hospital at one time he baked and iced a cake in response to an appeal for a cake sale.
The icing, with the Scout logo was so good that it was raffled rather than sold normally.
Always good with his hands, and a skilled artist and draughtsman, he was always designing, welding and constructing items around their home, including garden furniture and landscaping, grapevines, and other fitments.
Home cinematography, then still in its early days, was another big interest of Rod’s, with family gatherings, holidays and air shows all recorded and carefully edited.
Home viewings of these were always eagerly anticipated and provided hilarious entertainment.
In 1979 he became water superintendent of the Germiston City Council.
He was responsible for the relocation to new premises in 1984.
Rod retired in 1987 after 40 years of long, dedicated service.
Between Rod and his father, Redvers (Bob) Bewick, they worked a total of 73 years for the Germiston Town Council.
After retirement, and when their children had moved away Rod and Beth dedicated themselves to service to the Primrose Methodist Church, baking and making jams for sales, helping with administration, delivering newsletters and providing lifts and fellowship for elderly community members.
As Beth’s mobility decreased, Rod gradually became her full-time carer, shopping, cooking, cleaning and running the household and finances at his advanced age.
In 2014 Rod and Beth decided to sell up and moved to Althea’s farm outside Ladybrand.
Here he continued to care for Beth.
Rod was very well and relatively mobile for his age before he became ill at the end of July, this year.
On July 31, he had to undergo an emergency operation as he had a perforated duodenum.
The operation itself was a success but Rod battled for eight long weeks trying to recover.
Unfortunately his age was against him – 90 years and six months.
Rod passed away on September 29.
Words used to describe him have been, loving, conscientious, capable, reliable, quiet, kind, worthy, sound, diligent, efficient.
He is sorely missed by all who loved and knew him.
Rod is survived by his wife, Beth (87), his son, Roland, wife Gill and their children, Daniel and Claire, and his daughter Althea, her husband Stefan and their children, Roxanne and Gareth.
Rod was very well-known in Germiston, a legend.
He was very well-liked, was a true gentleman, a small man with a big heart and a great sense of humour.
