Father, grandfather, husband, business magnate, Samaritan, mayor.
Since news of his death first began to circulate, many Newcastillians have paid tribute to the remarkable life and legacy of Wessel Lubbe.
He passed away at the age 76, on December 26, 2018. Family members provided a brief glimpse into the extraordinary life of Wessel, who was born in Alberton and grew up at Warmbaths (now Bela-Bela).
Although his only formal education was a matric certificate, he is said to have always pushed his children to study.
However he did not believe education was the only path to success.
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A builder by trade, Wessel eventually relocated to Kempton Park where he served as town mayor from 1984 to 1985.
His final move was to Newcastle in 1987. Over the course of 21 years, he established a reputation as a master of the building trade, overseeing the construction of 18 townhouse complexes, and was one of the first to build a complex
on Victoria Road.
Wessel would expand his resume to also include membership of the Newcastle Sakekamer, the Newcastle Club and Rapportryers Beweging.
He also served on the Newcastle Show Committee (now the Winter Festival) and on the Newcastle Local Council.
As a member of the old school, family members said Wessel still wrote his own cheques and cared little for paperwork, and believed there was only a right and a wrong day in any matter.
“There were no grey areas with him.”
As a devoted Christian, Wessel also believed strongly in charity and generosity, which benefited numerous local non-profit organisations and others in desperate need of assistance.
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This is one of the many lessons which stands out to his daughters Erna and Mitha.
“The most important thing he taught us was to be kind to people and to always be humble. Don’t think you are better than any other person.”
A devoted family man, Wessel adored his grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and his interests included choral music, theatre performances, squash, classic music and gardening.
He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
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