We have learned that our classmate Harvey van der Merwe passed away almost a year ago, on 8 July 2024.

Harvey was also a member of the Class of 1961.  Below, with thanks to Class of 1961,  is the obituary published on their website:

Harvey van der Merwe was a very cordial and popular pupil -- classmates recall him as having "a big smile" and being "lots of fun".  He started out with the Class of 1961 but matriculated with the Class of 1963.  "I enjoyed school so much I decided to stay on for two extra years", he declared.  In his final year he played rugby for the Second XV.

Harvey was a boarder, and in those days Blackmores House was a dismal scene of cold showers, dreadful food, and excessive discipline, presided over by a senior master, Charlie Crewe, who was reliably drunk every night.  Harvey's relative maturity in his final two years meant that he often took on responsibilities that others had abdicated, and in 1963 he was appointed Blackmores Deputy Head Prefect.  On one occasion Harvey stood up to abuse from Charlie Crewe, who promptly demoted him to the ranks.  But a week later Harvey was reappointed, presumably because Crewe realized, in a sober moment, that he needed Harvey to keep the place running.  Here is Harvey sporting his restored Blackmores prefect badge:

Harvey left school with no particular career in mind,  However in 1964 he and his classmate Neville van der Walt decided, almost on impulse, to join the South African Police.  Harvey remained with the police for the next four years.

Harvey married Anne Wilken in 1966.  They had three children, Renee in 1968,  Sanet in 1970, and Morne in 1972.

In 1968 Harvey started a new career in mining, initially in the Harmony Gold Mine in Virginia in the old Orange Free State.  In 1992 he joined the Department of Mineral Resources as an Inspector of Mines.  He retired from that position in 2008 and then went to work for Group Five Construction in the aggregate stone industry.

Harvey finally retired in 2011.  He and Anne settled in the Oranjehof Retirement Village, near Kempton Park.

In that year Harvey attended our 50 Year Grand Reunion in Durban, where he was delighted to reconnect with many old friends.  Here's a photo of Harvey chatting with Karol Steiner:

Harvey also attended a regional 55-Year Reunion Lunch in Johannesburg in 2016.  He is at front left of the group:

Rather late in life, Harvey took up competitive cycling as a hobby.  He rode his first Cape Argus Cycle Tour (now called the Cape Town Cycle Tour) at the age of 57 in 1999.  This annual race is 109 km (58 miles) long, and Harvey completed it a total of ten times over the years.  He also rode the Momentum 94.7 km Cycle Challenge (now called the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg) twelve times.

Unfortunately Harvey's health began to deteriorate rather rapidly from around 2022, primarily from onset of dementia and worsening scoliosis, resulting in increasing spinal pain. Harvey passed away in Kempton Park on 8 July 2024 from advanced dementia and multiple organ failure.

Harvey van der Merwe is survived by Anne, his wife of 58 years; his daughter Renee, her husband Marius, and their children Tiaan and Deidre; his daughter Sanet, her husband Jacques, and their children Bianca and Annika; and his son Morne, his wife Rene, and their children Juan and Erin.  His family feel blessed that they were able to spend Harvey's 80th birthday with him before he passed away.  Unfortunately he did not meet his first two great-grandchildren, Novalie and Karmi, both born shortly after his death.