DAVID Wilson Scott, who died in Johannesburg on 2 April, will be remembered by many in Toti as he and his wife Julia lived here for close on 40 years.
Many will remember the unique, colourful character he was.
Dave was born in 1941 in Belfast, Ireland, an established ship-building area. He qualified as a mechanical engineer building ships. At age 21, the hard-working and adventurous man headed for Africa where he joined De Beers as a diamond prospector in Namibia, which he loved.
During this time he had two near death experiences. He was bitten by a cobra and he was involved in a head-on collision, which put him in hospital in Cape Town for some time and changed his life forever.
He met and married Julia in Cape Town. After son Kevin was born Dave got into the auto industry and moved first to Pretoria, and then after daughter Aileen was born, to Amanzimtoti.
Dave worked for Toyota for 30 years. He soon became a director and was highly respected by all who knew him.
His little known talents included playing the violin, clarinet, and the Irish bagpipes. He was, in fact, a band leader. Dave loved animals. The Scotts always had a veritable menagerie of dogs, cats and birds. Benji, the African grey with a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush, was one of Dave’s favourites.
Dave was a great family man and an efficient handyman. Both children attribute the success in their careers to the sometimes tough love and his insistence that hard work is the only thing that always pays off. His encouragement and support of Julia’s artistic endeavours led to great enjoyment and achievement for her.
Dave’s amazing general knowledge, wry sense of humour and generous hospitality will always be remembered by his friends and family. He is survived by his wife Julia, children Kevin and Aileen and five grandchildren, as well as three brothers, two in Ireland and one in the UK.
