1973 - Enrolled at Rhodes University for a Pharmacy degree.
RUGBY Career
1973 - 1975 Represented Rhodes University U20A of which I captained in 1975. Also represented BORDER U20 side in 1974 and 1975.
1975 - 1978 Half way through 1975 chosen to play for the R.U. 1st XV and played for them until 1978
1976 - Chosen to play for BORDER Senior Team which won the Sport Pienaar Trophy.
1979 - While doing my Pharmacy Internship in East London - played for Old Selbornians 1st XV
1980 - Went to Pretoria to do my 2 year National Service. This is were I had GOOD news and BAD news.
I was told that if you play for the league rugby sides you will never leave PRETORIA, so I was determined that I will not play in the trials as I wanted to get back to the Eastern Cape where my girlfriend (now my wife) was still at R.U. I ignored the first trial and subsequently received an army order to attend the final trials. I was a bit apprehensive at the start of the trial but after a while I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a great trial. I was selected for the First Reserve Team (actually 2nd team).
Everyone of us in the 1st and 1st Reserve team had represented our provinces !!!!! The First XV was made up of many Springboks. The team was Johan Heunis(E.P), Edward Krantz(OFS), Dirk Hoffman(WP) Christo Wagenaar(Natal), C. Rautenbach, Guys Ferguson(Natal), Harry Viljioen(N Tvl) Dorlf Minnaar (NTvl), hooker forgotten, Boerem Venter (E.P) Theuns Stoffberg(W.P & NTvl) George Rautenbach (EP) Andre Skinner (NTvl) Flank - Permanent Force Captain, Abe Malan (W.P) Well you can see with a team like this I was more than happy to play 1st Reserves. Then came the disaster - The 1st team flyhalf - Guys Ferguson was chosen to play for the N.Tvl U25 team and I was promoted into the first team with Harry Viljoen as my scrumhalf, I could not wait for Saturday. I sneaked off early on the Thursday afternoon from Surgeon General Head Quarters where I was posted in Pretoria. I wanted to get to the Voortrekker Hoogte rugby field as soos as possible. On crossing a pedestrian crossing a car with a paraplegic driver knocked me into the air and I landed head first into the tarmac. I was concussed for two days and woke up in 1 Military Hospital . I suffered a severe head injury with 90% hearing lose and 100% loss of balance in my right ear. This meant it was the end of my rugby career and any contact sport because if I get a bump on my left ear I would be in a wheel chair for the rest of my life, I have not played since !!!!!
1977 - Met my wife at Rhodes University - she is also a Pharmacist
1978 - Graduated with a B.Pharm. degree
1979 - Internship in East London
1980 - 1981 - 2 year National Service in Pretoria at Surgeon General Head Quarters
1982 - Married in East London and moved to Cape Town
1982 - 2003 Started work in a retail pharmacy of which I bought in 1984. Stayed there for 19 years
2003 - To date Working at Pharmacroos Pharmacy in Medicross - part of NETCARE
Family: My self and wife are very proud parents of two sons and one daughter.
My oldest son is now 26 - he has completed a B. Accounting with HONOURS as is awaiting his 2nd Board
exam results (24th Feb.) to become a C.A. He made all the A teams in his school days in both rugby
and cricket.
My younger son (24) excelled in his school sport at Wynberg Boys High School. He played for the all the A
sides in rugby and cricket. Played 1st team rugby from Grade 11 as scrumhalf - George, he had a bullet pass
both left and right, being left handed he is ambidextrous. Had to give up cricket in the U16 has his knee used to
swell up every time he bowled. He decide to take up umpiring seriously and did all the exams up to provincial
level. He started refereeing three years ago and has progressed extremely fast and is now a Div 2 ref. - can ref
1st team schools, U20A and second team club games. He qualified this year as an Electrician with a wiring
License and has started up his own company
My daughter - Well she excelled at everything she did. She is now 19 and in her second year at UCT doing a
Business Science degree towards being a C.A. Academically she did brilliantly in Matric getting 6 A's and 1 B
for an optional subject namely Applied Maths. Sporting wise - HOCKEY - she was outstanding, representing
W.P from the age of 12 and has been chosen every year to represent W.P. at the yearly inter-provincial
tournaments.
My wife is a Supervising pharmacist at Red Cross Childrens Hospital
We live very happily in Tokai in Cape Town and have been in the same house since 1989 and never want to move.
I am bitterly sorry that I will not be able to make the re-union but I will be on a diabetic course in Johannesburg with three of my doctor colleagues from Monday 5th to Sunday 11th March. It would have been nice to see some of the 1972 group and Croc Coetzer. What has happened to some of those brilliant rugby players of 1972 eg Wade Buckley, Johan Vermeulen, Dallas Dewey, "Slap" Coetzer, "Black" Bodill etc
Regards
Leslie Green
P.S. I will try and send you some pictures
No comments:
Post a Comment