Walter Kemna Dose

His interests were his garden and music. particularly the Cape Town Orchestra.

As a young man he joined the YMCA and was asked to start a Gym class for boys. He was very interested in Swedish Drill. He was later asked to start a similar class for girls. My grandmother, Christine , was in that class and that is where they met.

He was a founder subscriber to the Cape Town Orchestra at it's inception in 1914.There was a financial crisis in the 1920's and he went round the businesses raising funding. At the first concert after his death, they observed a minutes silence in his honour. Enrique Jorda, the then conductoe of the orchestra, said he was his best friend in South Africa

He served for many years on the Management Committe of St john's Hostel in Higgovale - an orphanage founded after the 1918 flu epidemic, to house the boys who had been orphaned.

Served on the Council of his old school, St Georges Grammar School for many years.

On the Board of Management of Gardens Presbyterian Church, and helped them build up a fund for maintenance of the property and the organ

He loved Cape Town and supported anything he felt would be good for the city.

He and Grandma became founder, life members of Kelvin Grove. He never used his membership, but thought the club was good for the city.

As a young man he did a bitof mountain climbing with friends, among them , Albert Centlivres who became Chief justice of the Union of SA and also Chancellor of UCT. His wife had also been in his Gym Class

He was an active member of the Cape Horticultural Society and onec hosted a Garden Party at Vrede ( their home).

He had 1200 rose tress in the garden at Vrede. He pruned and sprayed all of them himself until he couldn't manage it, and then 2 men came from Starke Ayres & spent a weekend doing the job.

( all information supplied to me by Auntie Ruth)

He was very excitable and impatient and of the 4 children Ruth is most like him in temperment.

He was generous an "open handed" except with his children whom he thought should not be spoilt by having a lot of money.

He was also Chairman of the Board of Executors.

He was a terrible tease and full of fun in spite of suffering almost continuously form terrible headaches.

Hi neighbour at Vrede, was Sir John Kotze, who was then Chief Justice of the Union of South Africa. he and Grandpa used to chat together and the 1920's he said to Grandpa: " By the year 2000 this will be a Black Country". QUite prophetic, only 6 years out.

When he went on Circuit, he used to ask Grandpa to keep an eye on Lady Kotze. One day she rang up to say she was having trouble with her staff and Grandpa had to go round and pacify them and tell them to behave themselves till Sir john got home!