PETER Marshall ‘Puck’ Addison passed away on Sunday after a short illness.
Some time ago he wrote of his early life:
‘I was born on the family farm just outside Empangeni on 12 June 1931, the third child of Lewis and Kitty Addison.
‘I was told I came with the depression and the locusts!
‘When I was four years old, our mother died of malaria on 1 April 1936, the day before her 36th birthday.
‘This left a hole in our family, but our father was a marvellous man and he looked after us with great care.
Our time at home was limited as we all went to boarding school at an early age. I was there from age 7 to 17.
‘We travelled to school by train and were lucky to see our father once a term.’
‘My memories of the farm: dad, David and I slept on the veranda with Pam in the inside bedroom.
When Pam and Dave went off to boarding school, dad would lie next to me and we said ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ and then he would hold my hand until I went to sleep.
‘Horses and riding were very much a part of our lives. Every morning the whole family would go for a ride with the dogs for about two hours.
‘We rode bicycles and David and I played many games of cricket in the backyard and on the tennis court, which wasn’t used for tennis much.
‘One of the highlights of the week was going to a film (to Bio) on Saturday night at the old Town Hall. I had a problem staying awake.
‘I was encouraged to have a sleep before we left and I often didn’t wake up until the next morning.
‘Pam is 6 years and Dave 4 years older than I and so I was always the youngest around and used to tag along as a bit of nuisance.’
Sport the first love
Puck went to Highbury and then onto Hilton College where he was a school prefect.
But his love was sport.
He was captain of 1st team cricket and vice-captain of 1st rugby team. His reports all urged him to spend more time with his studies.
After school he went to UCT and studied a B.Com before becoming a Chartered Accountant.
He did his articles in Cape Town with JD Low and Co from 1952 to 1955.
While at UCT he played both rugby and cricket for UCT 1st team.
In 1951 he met Muriel Berry on a student boat trip to the UK.
They were married in Cape Town on 20 September 1955 and were married for over 60 happy years.
Together they had three sons, Mark, Russ and Nic, nine grandchildren, and to-date four great grandchildren.
In 1955 Puck returned to Empangeni and worked for Nolly Leisegang before starting his own accountancy practice in 1956.
He had two main partners, being Dave Seymour and Mike Fitzsimons.
He sold his practice to Deloitte in 1975 and looked after his various business interests thereafter.
Over the years he served on the boards of many sugar farming companies: The Umhlatuzi Valley Sugar Co, Kildare Sugar farm, Ukulu Properties, Scotts Properties, Guzulu and CB Addison Ltd.
Puck was involved in developing many properties in Empangeni and Richards Bay.
He was Chairman of SA Perm Building Society, ZFP Canning Factory and a director of Emeric Air.
Puck played a lot of sport in Empangeni, playing for Zululand in both cricket and rugby and served on numerous committees.
He loved his Thursday golf with a few of his old friends and played regularly for over 40 years.
In later years he played bowls and enjoyed that as well.
He passed on his passion for sport to his sons, and together with Mu loved watching them play.
Puck gave back to the community and served in many capacities.
Apart from the sport committees, of which there were many, he was on the Empangeni Town Council for 13 years with one as mayor.
He served for many years in the Empangeni Rotary Club (given the Paul Harris award), on the Empangeni Senior Citizens association and was a member of the University of Zululand Foundation.
He had an avid interest in Zululand – its history, people and culture.
Puck and Muriel were also adventurous travellers to all corners of the globe, making friends wherever they went.
Spiritual life
His Christianity was an important part of his life. He was a humble man and he walked quietly with his Lord.
He served on the Parish Council at Holy Cross Church for decades and was on the Diocesan Trust Board for 20 years.
He was a truly honourable man who lived what he believed, and was prayerful and courageous in his decisions.
His wisdom was apparent in all areas of his life, and his counsel was sought by so many. He was a devoted husband, and a great role model.
He taught his children and grandchildren about faith, integrity, generosity and service. He never doubted where he was going.
He will be greatly missed by his beloved wife Muriel, his sons and their families: Macco and Glen, Sally and Ty, Luke and Abby, Tessa and Philippa, Russ and Bev, Debs, Mike and Sailor, Matt and Seamus, Nic and Melissa, Amanda and Nick, Emily, Mike and Bella, James and Katie.
