BRYAN GOLDING  - STILL HELPING OTHERS

Bryan Samuel Golding, 74, grew up in Cape Town and lived in Rondebosch with his parents and two sisters. Nurtured by his parents he developed a strong sense of giving to the community and helping others in his early teenage years.

At high school (Rondebosch Boys’ High) he was awarded “school colours” for his participation in extra-mural school society activities as well as his contribution to the school and his fellow learners. Every Christmas time he and a school friend would visit hospitals in Cape Town to sing carols and bring smiles and cheer to young and old patients alike. Bryan hated apartheid and he supported the Progressive Party when it was formed by Jannie Steytler.

In 1965 Bryan helped found a social club for single people in Cape Town aged between 18 and 35, known as “The Ideal Companions Club”. The club received favourable publicity in an article that was written by newspaper columnist, Fiona Chisholm, and published in the Cape Times. A year later it was renamed “Club 66” with regular social events being hosted by members.

After matriculating and graduating at UCT he began a career in insurance culminating as a General Manager at Liberty Life’s Head Office in Johannesburg. For the last 6 years of his working career he was the South East Asia Regional Director for Cologne Reinsurance, based in Singapore.

On his retirement in 1996 Bryan invested most of his savings in starting up a very successful restaurant, the “Green Jungle”, in Kaohsiung (Taiwan) with a local partner.  Bryan soon developed a dab culinary hand as a self-made ‘chef’. But very sadly his local partner turned out to be dishonest and Bryan lost his share of the business and virtually his entire life’s savings!   Undaunted, he returned to Cape Town where he now lives a frugal life in Plumstead in  the southern suburbs.

Bryan has a sharp wit and a good sense of humour and enjoys cross-word puzzles and despite life’s harsh treatment and having lost his retirement savings and currently suffering from several chronic illnesses still focuses on helping others, young and old alike.