Karoo stalwart leaves a legacy with bells on it
Months after his death, tributes to a Graaff-Reinet stalwart are still pouring in and the true effect he had on the community are only now dawning on Dave Stern’s family.
Most recently, Union High School unveiled the David Stern Memorial Bell to honour the role he played at his alma mater and the Old Unionite Association.
The bell also embodies the love he had for his old school and the game of cricket.
Similar to the large silver bell at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in England, where distinguished visitors are asked to ring the bell five minutes before the start of a Test match, the David Stern Memorial Bell was rung before the start of Union’s 2023 Founders’ Day cricket match between the First XV and the Old Boys.
The first to ring the bell were Stern’s daughters, Kari and Micela — a moment that Stern’s father, Doug, described as a special and emotional experience.
“Seeing and hearing my granddaughters ring that bell was a moving and emotional experience.
“We cried, but they were good tears. Words cannot describe the honour and pride we feel as a family at this gesture by the school,” Doug said.
In July, the 42-year-old was taking workers from his livestock farm, Quaggasvlei, to town when he complained of a headache.
Minutes later, he phoned his father and was found on the side of the road, unconscious behind the steering wheel.
He was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and airlifted to the Netcare UCT Academic Hospital in Cape Town where he died three days later.
While the family is still coming to terms with Stern’s death, his father said they only started to realise after his death how far-reaching his effect was on others.
And six months after his death, they are still learning about the different roles Stern filled in and around the NieuBethesda region.
“The last couple of months have shown us just how much he did behind the scenes that we never even knew about.
“He moved in circles we were completely oblivious to, and we learn something new about him every day. I am bursting with pride at everything my son accomplished.”
In 2019, Stern was instrumental in securing much needed drought relief for farmers in the Graaff-Reinet district and helped co-ordinate donations from humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers.
Besides ensuring that tonnes of fodder and drinking water reached the right people, Stern also offered his own vehicles to deliver to those who could not collect.
In addition to the tribute the organisation shared on its social media platforms, Doug received a personal call from Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman to share condolences with the family.
“And now seeing this bell being unveiled at the school also speaks to his love for the school, sport and tradition.
“He served on the Union Preparatory School governing body and was instrumental in reviving the Old Unionites Association, which in turn has since played a large role in the school,” Doug said.
He also played an active role in various agricultural organisations in the region.
Doug said while Stern’s wife, Maryke, and their two daughters still lived on the farm, the land was being leased to another farmer.