Emotional service for heroic pilot ‘Bees’ Marais
Fly-past, slow march and tears as man who died fighting Cape’s fires fondly remembered
FIVE aircraft, including two helicopters, a spotter plane and two fixed-wing water bombers flew over a crowd of mourners at the N1 City His People’s Church yesterday in tribute to helicopter pilot “Bees” Marais who was killed fighting a fire at Cape Point nine days ago.
During the aircraft’s second fly-past, one of the helicopters peeled off, representing the “Missing Man” formation to symbolise the death of Huey pilot Hendrik Willem Marais.
Marais, 71, died during a forced landing while fighting a fire at Olifantsbos.
Working on Fire national spokesman Linton Reinsburg said the “Missing Man” formation dated back to the World War I.
“Pilots who did not have radio communications would fly back to base leaving gaps in their formation representing missing colleagues.”
Among the mourners yesterday were Working on Fire firefighters who did a slow march of respect outside the church, the same team who were working with Marais the day that he died.
“I often spoke to Bees on the phone when I called to ask him how the fires were, and no matter how bad the situation each time I called he would give me the same response: ‘easy as pie’.”
Reinsburg said he met Marais two weeks before he died. He was always smiling, “a hard worker who was always accommodating”.
Watching the Missing Man tribute, Marais’s wife Jackie sobbed, comforted by relatives.
Marais’s mother, Babsie Marais, attended the service in a wheelchair.
In a message to her son, printed in the service pamphlet, she wrote: “How can I bid you farewell, my child? Thank you for the unconditional love you gave me abundantly for 71 years.
“However busy you were, you made time for me. I always saw the peace of the Lord in you. I will love you to the end.”
Marais’s niece Ronelle Engelbrecht said her uncle lived his life to the fullest.
“No matter how sad he was he always had a joke. “His timing was always right.” Engelbrecht flew to Cape Town from Rustenburg to attend yesterday’s service.
She joked about how Marais always jerked his knees when standing, as if he was stretching for a race.
“He would do this thing with his knees, stretching out to face every challenge, grabbing every opportunity every minute.”
Helmut Henskok, a friend of 32 years said Marais was a man who gave good advice.
“He always had time for everyone, always shared interest in how the children were doing and how life was.
“He was a multitasker.”