THE members of the Rotary Club of Pinetown were sad to say farewell to one of its most philanthropic Rotarians, Richard Shave who passed away on Wednesday, 19 August.
Richard was in his 80s and continued to head the family firm, Shaves Paints. His family also owned one of South Africa’s original, and then largest, paint companies – GC Shave & Co Ltd. The family sold to AECI/Dulux in the 1970s and Richard worked for Dulux (joint MD for Dulux Natal) for years before he left to start Shaves Paints, now a large paint distributor.
The Rotary Club of Westville was the first to enjoy the commitment of Richard Shave about 30 years ago but, when he established Shaves Paints in Pinetown, he transferred to the Pinetown club about 12 years ago.
He always worked in community service but preferred to make the mBalenhle Crèche in KwaNdengezi a project for both his firm and himself.
With his help, an old, derelict and unused community hall was renovated. Extra toilets were installed, a rain water collection system was provided, the play area was expanded and the building was also extended. In addition to this, he found numerous other ways to make his mark and support the crèche.
The Pinetown Rotarians agreed that he turned it into the best crèche in the area and the children flocked to attend. The crèche now has more than 100 children and the demand is so great that Gladys Buthelezi, the owner, has recently built another room.
The Rotary Club of Pinetown’s chairman, Laurence Rae, said, “Richard Shave was, for many years, a member of the Rotary Club of Pinetown. He was true and honest man and has been described by many as a gentleman. He was a generous, down to earth, quietly charming and was always willing to assist in the various community outreach programmes of the Rotary Club. His contributions to our club are legendary and numerous. He was an experienced Rotarian and has personally contributed a great deal to uplifting those less fortunate in the community and, in many cases, his legacy will live on. On his retirement to the Cape just a couple of years ago, the Rotary Club of Pinetown conferred on him the title of honorary life member in honour of his many years of loyal and dedicated membership. Our condolences go to Pat and the family. He exemplified and was true to the Rotary motto of ‘Service above Self’ and, as is said in Rotary circles, ‘he has now left us for higher service’.”
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
