GALLERY: Old bonds stay strong

Time has not diminished the strength of friendship between the members of the Alliance of Old Wrestlers. The group of wrestlers from the ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s held their 27th annual reunion at NG Kerk Lindenpark, in Linden Ext on 31 October. While the group started with around 80 members, only 16 remain, all now in their 70s or 80s.

The retired wrestlers passionately shared stories from their past lives, while enjoying a meal and Bible devotion together with their families. “I wrestled in 913 fights and only lost three in my whole career,” said an animated Gert Snyman, who wrestled as ‘Apollo’ in South Africa and the ‘Rhodesian Tornado’ in Zimbabwe. Snyman explained that because wrestling was an amateur sport at the time, he was forced to wear a mask while wrestling, so that he could play rugby for the Free State at the same time.

“I have had two knee replacements and a back operation, but otherwise everything is okay,” he said. Jan Wilkens, three-times super-heavy-weight world champion, explained that he still keeps fit and trains six days per week. “The wife and I have a mobile home and we travel around the country now,” the legend said. Retired wrestler Jackie Brown, said that now that he is older, he thinks that he was “mad” when he was a wrestler.

“I drove to Durban [to wrestle], and right after the bout I would drive all the way back to Joburg to work the next day,” he said, adding that he had injured his knee in all his adventures. Hannes Joubert, who organised the event with his wife Suzette, said that the alliance had become something of a family to the retired wrestlers.