Alan Victor Roland Dicks

GEDCOM Note

After starting off life being schooled at home, he went to Ixopo School with his sisters and brothers. During the middle years of his high school he went to Durban Boys High School, boarding with his uncle, Jack Bawden. (The headmaster at the time was the famed Langley who was a personal friend of Jack's. Jack Bawden was the owner/developer of the Coedmore Quarry on the outskirts of Durban, a quarry which still functions more than half a century later.) He returned to Ixopo for his final two years of school. One of the friendships from those years was Alf Alcock.

On leaving school Alan started work at the Standard Bank, Church St, Pietermaritzburg, a bank which is now a national monument and where he kept an account till he passed on.

After WW2 broke out he enlisted with the Natal Carbineers and received his basic training in Potchefstroom, Transvaal, forming friendships with the likes of Ron Carbarns before returning to Hay Paddock, en route to the northern frontier of Kenya. The campaign moved up through Somaliland, Eritrea, Sudan and into Egypt and it was in the western desert that he lost his brother Maurice, struck by enemy fire during an attack. Friends from this era were Toppie Fanner, Mike (?) Otto and of course Ron Carbarns.

After the campaign moved to Italy he went north again with the Carbineers and was evacuated, wounded near Monte Cassino. (Many years later in Swaziland he was to meet the German ambassador to South Africa, and during an overnight stop on their tour around Swaziland, they recounted their wartime experiences. From the decription of Alan's injury, the terrain where it happened and the German's memory of the area, it became apparent that he may have ordered the firing of the mortar which actually struck Alan!) When he was evacuated from the battlefield he was taken to a New Zealand First Aid Station and therafter out of the area via te port at Bari.

On evacuation, Alan was taken back to South Africa to the military hospital at Voortrekkerhoogte, Pretoria, where he underwent a series of operations and a long period of recuperation. During this time he was befriended and hosted by the Veale family who cared for him as one of their own.

After the end of hostilities and discharge from the armed forces, Alan and his friends set about returning to civilian life. One of the first things the friends did was to spend some time at the Champagne Castle Hotel. Here they set about getting back their fitness by embarking on ever-increasing walks in the mountains, culminating in a one-day dash from the hotel to the top of the mountain and down again, some 30 miles of steep and rugged terrain.

The bank was not able to offer him any position better than a doorman owing to the loss of use he had suffered in his right hand, his writing hand, so he took advantage of loans which were being made available for ex-servicemen to study at university. After a 12 year break from studying he started his first year at university, boarding at Oribi Village, the former military hospital in Pietermaritzburg. His first year was all Science subjects and then he enrolled in the Agriculture course when it commenced the next year. Prof Scott was one of the lecturers and remained a friend thereafter.

Once he had completed the degree (in the minimum 4 years) and got married to Sybil, he got a job as lecturer and housemaster at Cedara Agricultural College, near Howick, a job which lasted for a year.

Alan then succesfully applied for a job as an Agricultural Officer with the British Government in the Protectorate of Swaziland and they moved to Bremersdorp (now Manzini.) While there all 5 children were born, all at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, which was staffed by American missionary doctors and nurses. Some of the names of these doctors were Stark, Hind. People who the family got to know during this period were - Purcell, Chater, Visagie, Johns, van Heerden, Harding, Tommy Thomas, Mapham, Haskins, Wood, Francis. He was a Rotary member and became President in 1958(?)

After about 10 years in Bremersdorp, Alan was promoted to a position in Mbabane, the country's capital. Here the children all enrolled at the St Mark's School and they lived nearby in Link Road, not far from Kent Rock and Drew's Dam. Alan spent much of his time travelling the length and breadth of the country, advising farmers on modern techniques and training the local Swazi in good practices. With Mike Johnson as manager they established and ran the Sihoya Sugar Cane Ranch, which was owned by the Swazi nation and served as an example of new co-operative farming methods. The man who took over from Mike when he left to run his own farm was "Fred" Dhlamini, who later rose to become the country's Prime Minister, unfortunately dying very young. During this time Alan also received one of his highest accolades - he was asked by the king, Sobhusa ll, to sit on his advisory council as an agricultural advisor, the first white men ever to be so invited. Consequently, when Alan advised that he would be leaving Swaziland after the country gained its independence in September 1968, the king sent a personal deputation to try and change his mind. As a palliative Alan gifted the king two dozen Royal Palms which he imported from the Botanic Gardens in Pietermaritzburg, to be planted near one of the palaces.

Many acquaintances and friendships were formed in this era - the familes of Hunter-Smith, Morris, Horn, Hooper, Culverwell, Murdoch, King, Thompson, Bowler, Temple,

On their return to South Africa the family moved back to the area they knew best, Pietermaritzburg, where Alan secured a position with the KwaZulu Governement, again in an Agricultural Advisory position. (Actually the family moved at the end of 1967 and Alan and a few friends, all in a similar position, would travel down once a month for a weekend with their families, before returning to their flats or boarding establishments in Mbabane.) The children were enrolled in local schools - Alexandra Boys High, Pmburg Girls High (which Sybil had attended in her day) and the younger two at Pelham Primary - and the family lived at 17 Kinnoull Road.

In late 1975, the KwaZulu Government moved its headquarters to Ulundi in northern Zululand and Alan and Sybil were forced to move to Melmoth, a town which had been rapidly expanded and developed to cater for the massive influx of workers/officials. After about two years in Melmoth, Alan was promoted to a position of Regional Director of the region near Pietermaritzburg, so they shifted once again, buying the house at 20 Bissett Road, wher they lived for a number of years. During the period with the KwaZulu Government, Alan was seen as the "father of the Swazis" as he was joined by a number of former residents of that country - Tommy Thomas, Peter Peak, Peter Francis (who was tragically killed one night by a burglar) - and he was accorded the name "Mbeleko" by his Zulu colleagues.

Alan retired in 1983 and was given an audience with Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelesi, the leader of the KwaZulu Government of the time, who interrupted a cabinet meeting for a personal and private farewell ceremony.

Despite many requests from organisations for him to advise and/or teach, Alan declined and spent his remaining years away from the work arena. He took up playing bowls, a game he had not played for many years (even though he had been the Swaziland champion at one time) and played for the Pensioners Club. The camaraderie and lack of competitiveness were a big draw for him, as were the beers which he and his "gang" shared after the game.

Throughout his life Alan was a stalwart in the Methodist Church, helping to build the hall and establish the gardens in Bremersdorp, building rockeries and gardens in Mbabane, counting the takings and greeting people at the door in Pietermaritzburg, serving on various councils and committees, and so on.

GEDCOM Note

After starting off life being schooled at home, he went to Ixopo School with his sisters and brothers. During the middle years of his high school he went to Durban Boys High School, boarding with his uncle, Jack Bawden. (The headmaster at the time was the famed Langley who was a personal friend of Jack's. Jack Bawden was the owner/developer of the Coedmore Quarry on the outskirts of Durban, a quarry which still functions more than half a century later.) He returned to Ixopo for his final two years of school. One of the friendships from those years was Alf Alcock.

On leaving school Alan started work at the Standard Bank, Church St, Pietermaritzburg, a bank which is now a national monument and where he kept an account till he passed on.

After WW2 broke out he enlisted with the Natal Carbineers and received his basic training in Potchefstroom, Transvaal, forming friendships with the likes of Ron Carbarns before returning to Hay Paddock, en route to the northern frontier of Kenya. The campaign moved up through Somaliland, Eritrea, Sudan and into Egypt and it was in the western desert that he lost his brother Maurice, struck by enemy fire during an attack. Friends from this era were Toppie Fanner, Mike (?) Otto and of course Ron Carbarns.

After the campaign moved to Italy he went north again with the Carbineers and was evacuated, wounded near Monte Cassino. (Many years later in Swaziland he was to meet the German ambassador to South Africa, and during an overnight stop on their tour around Swaziland, they recounted their wartime experiences. From the decription of Alan's injury, the terrain where it happened and the German's memory of the area, it became apparent that he may have ordered the firing of the mortar which actually struck Alan!) When he was evacuated from the battlefield he was taken to a New Zealand First Aid Station and therafter out of the area via te port at Bari.

On evacuation, Alan was taken back to South Africa to the military hospital at Voortrekkerhoogte, Pretoria, where he underwent a series of operations and a long period of recuperation. During this time he was befriended and hosted by the Veale family who cared for him as one of their own.

After the end of hostilities and discharge from the armed forces, Alan and his friends set about returning to civilian life. One of the first things the friends did was to spend some time at the Champagne Castle Hotel. Here they set about getting back their fitness by embarking on ever-increasing walks in the mountains, culminating in a one-day dash from the hotel to the top of the mountain and down again, some 30 miles of steep and rugged terrain.

The bank was not able to offer him any position better than a doorman owing to the loss of use he had suffered in his right hand, his writing hand, so he took advantage of loans which were being made available for ex-servicemen to study at university. After a 12 year break from studying he started his first year at university, boarding at Oribi Village, the former military hospital in Pietermaritzburg. His first year was all Science subjects and then he enrolled in the Agriculture course when it commenced the next year. Prof Scott was one of the lecturers and remained a friend thereafter.

Once he had completed the degree (in the minimum 4 years) and got married to Sybil, he got a job as lecturer and housemaster at Cedara Agricultural College, near Howick, a job which lasted for a year.

Alan then succesfully applied for a job as an Agricultural Officer with the British Government in the Protectorate of Swaziland and they moved to Bremersdorp (now Manzini.) While there all 5 children were born, all at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, which was staffed by American missionary doctors and nurses. Some of the names of these doctors were Stark, Hind. People who the family got to know during this period were - Purcell, Chater, Visagie, Johns, van Heerden, Harding, Tommy Thomas, Mapham, Haskins, Wood, Francis. He was a Rotary member and became President in 1958(?)

After about 10 years in Bremersdorp, Alan was promoted to a position in Mbabane, the country's capital. Here the children all enrolled at the St Mark's School and they lived nearby in Link Road, not far from Kent Rock and Drew's Dam. Alan spent much of his time travelling the length and breadth of the country, advising farmers on modern techniques and training the local Swazi in good practices. With Mike Johnson as manager they established and ran the Sihoya Sugar Cane Ranch, which was owned by the Swazi nation and served as an example of new co-operative farming methods. The man who took over from Mike when he left to run his own farm was "Fred" Dhlamini, who later rose to become the country's Prime Minister, unfortunately dying very young. During this time Alan also received one of his highest accolades - he was asked by the king, Sobhusa ll, to sit on his advisory council as an agricultural advisor, the first white men ever to be so invited. Consequently, when Alan advised that he would be leaving Swaziland after the country gained its independence in September 1968, the king sent a personal deputation to try and change his mind. As a palliative Alan gifted the king two dozen Royal Palms which he imported from the Botanic Gardens in Pietermaritzburg, to be planted near one of the palaces.

Many acquaintances and friendships were formed in this era - the familes of Hunter-Smith, Morris, Horn, Hooper, Culverwell, Murdoch, King, Thompson, Bowler, Temple,

On their return to South Africa the family moved back to the area they knew best, Pietermaritzburg, where Alan secured a position with the KwaZulu Governement, again in an Agricultural Advisory position. (Actually the family moved at the end of 1967 and Alan and a few friends, all in a similar position, would travel down once a month for a weekend with their families, before returning to their flats or boarding establishments in Mbabane.) The children were enrolled in local schools - Alexandra Boys High, Pmburg Girls High (which Sybil had attended in her day) and the younger two at Pelham Primary - and the family lived at 17 Kinnoull Road.

In late 1975, the KwaZulu Government moved its headquarters to Ulundi in northern Zululand and Alan and Sybil were forced to move to Melmoth, a town which had been rapidly expanded and developed to cater for the massive influx of workers/officials. After about two years in Melmoth, Alan was promoted to a position of Regional Director of the region near Pietermaritzburg, so they shifted once again, buying the house at 20 Bissett Road, wher they lived for a number of years. During the period with the KwaZulu Government, Alan was seen as the "father of the Swazis" as he was joined by a number of former residents of that country - Tommy Thomas, Peter Peak, Peter Francis (who was tragically killed one night by a burglar) - and he was accorded the name "Mbeleko" by his Zulu colleagues.

Alan retired in 1983 and was given an audience with Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelesi, the leader of the KwaZulu Government of the time, who interrupted a cabinet meeting for a personal and private farewell ceremony.

Despite many requests from organisations for him to advise and/or teach, Alan declined and spent his remaining years away from the work arena. He took up playing bowls, a game he had not played for many years (even though he had been the Swaziland champion at one time) and played for the Pensioners Club. The camaraderie and lack of competitiveness were a big draw for him, as were the beers which he and his "gang" shared after the game.

Throughout his life Alan was a stalwart in the Methodist Church, helping to build the hall and establish the gardens in Bremersdorp, building rockeries and gardens in Mbabane, counting the takings and greeting people at the door in Pietermaritzburg, serving on various councils and committees, and so on.