This tribute was written by a dear friend of Clive, Bryan Rapson and I would like to share this with all as I could not have written it better myself!
Tuesday 8th July 2008, Clive Hunter returned home from the office, Zelda his wife had been toying with the idea of fishing competitively with him for a season and between them they decided to go to the beach for an hour to wet a line. Alkantstrand, Richards bays busiest beach was a mere 10 minutes away and the word was out that fish were being landed regularly. Besides getting out into the fresh sea air to wash away the day's stresses would surely be the best remedy to end a hard day at the office.
Instead Clive was murdered by a gang of 4 men in front of his wife, shot for a meager tackle bag, at 5:30 in the afternoon, even with many families enjoying a visit to the same beach, another brutal senseless violent murder on the South African shores.
Please allow me to go back into the past to reveal the true impact of this tragic situation.
Clive Hunter had a textbook childhood and as he made his way through school he etched his own character and personality into the South African history books, acheiving academically and at the highest levels in the sporting world. Representing South Africa for lifesaving, his heart was always going to have a love for the sea and it's treasures. Acheiving at the highest level in sport requires commitment and dedication and this was exactly the driving force behind the man, a driving force that maintained the ultimate quality of compassion for his comrade and opponent alike. As Clive matured into a man he found his perfect partner Zleda who would support and stand by him through his future journeys in life, they married and worked their way up the business ladder finally settling in the heart of Richards Bay in 1998. A dream becoming reality as he was able to pursue his passion with the sea packaged with a fantastic job on one of the leading companies in the country.
This was where Clive, the man, began creating his own path to building and nurturing a life that would include everything he loved. His family first and formost was placed at the pinnacle of every decision that he took, whether in work or his quest to be the best in his chosen sport of competitive angling.
Once a very clever man suggested that the perfect person would be able to balance the 4 legs of a table wothout spilling a drop. Very few candidates can do this task. Even fewer can maintain it consistently, Clive wore this task as comfortably as he wore his shirt and he carried it in his every day life, so quietly, so confidently,defining the extent of the standard bearer he had become. In angling in the Zululand League Clive soon began to carry the burden of being a roll model to young and old alike, and he did it with grace and aplomb. His rise through the ranks at the highest level of angling cemented his position in the powerful Zululand Shore angling team and his achievements in South Africa's premier tournament had set tongue's wagging about his potential to wear the elusive Green and Gold of our fantastic country. This rise to greatness was also accompanied by huge promotions at the workplace. His and Zelda's acheivements in adding a son Brandon and a daughter Megan to their ranks just heightened the stature of a well balanced family aligned to be going places. The fouth leg, including the spiritual aspect into their family life just rounded off the balancing act and made it just so complete.
As the Zululand Angling community pours out their grief to this fallen hero, take a moment just to think where this life could have gone, how it could have made such a important impact on peoples way of lives in the future, how many lives he would have raised to his standards and put them on a path to a brighter future. This important legacy of our future has been taken prematurely from us and we will never have the privilege of being guided by his determined attitude in life.
As the angling fraternity grieves over their brother of the sea, and the country mourns of the loss of another great leader, may Clive Hunter rest in peace in the greatest palace of the all.
Goodbye my friend.
(Thank you Bryan. God bless you and your family for all that you have done for Clive and my family.)
Love
Zelda Hunter
Tuesday 8th July 2008, Clive Hunter returned home from the office, Zelda his wife had been toying with the idea of fishing competitively with him for a season and between them they decided to go to the beach for an hour to wet a line. Alkantstrand, Richards bays busiest beach was a mere 10 minutes away and the word was out that fish were being landed regularly. Besides getting out into the fresh sea air to wash away the day's stresses would surely be the best remedy to end a hard day at the office.
Instead Clive was murdered by a gang of 4 men in front of his wife, shot for a meager tackle bag, at 5:30 in the afternoon, even with many families enjoying a visit to the same beach, another brutal senseless violent murder on the South African shores.
Please allow me to go back into the past to reveal the true impact of this tragic situation.
Clive Hunter had a textbook childhood and as he made his way through school he etched his own character and personality into the South African history books, acheiving academically and at the highest levels in the sporting world. Representing South Africa for lifesaving, his heart was always going to have a love for the sea and it's treasures. Acheiving at the highest level in sport requires commitment and dedication and this was exactly the driving force behind the man, a driving force that maintained the ultimate quality of compassion for his comrade and opponent alike. As Clive matured into a man he found his perfect partner Zleda who would support and stand by him through his future journeys in life, they married and worked their way up the business ladder finally settling in the heart of Richards Bay in 1998. A dream becoming reality as he was able to pursue his passion with the sea packaged with a fantastic job on one of the leading companies in the country.
This was where Clive, the man, began creating his own path to building and nurturing a life that would include everything he loved. His family first and formost was placed at the pinnacle of every decision that he took, whether in work or his quest to be the best in his chosen sport of competitive angling.
Once a very clever man suggested that the perfect person would be able to balance the 4 legs of a table wothout spilling a drop. Very few candidates can do this task. Even fewer can maintain it consistently, Clive wore this task as comfortably as he wore his shirt and he carried it in his every day life, so quietly, so confidently,defining the extent of the standard bearer he had become. In angling in the Zululand League Clive soon began to carry the burden of being a roll model to young and old alike, and he did it with grace and aplomb. His rise through the ranks at the highest level of angling cemented his position in the powerful Zululand Shore angling team and his achievements in South Africa's premier tournament had set tongue's wagging about his potential to wear the elusive Green and Gold of our fantastic country. This rise to greatness was also accompanied by huge promotions at the workplace. His and Zelda's acheivements in adding a son Brandon and a daughter Megan to their ranks just heightened the stature of a well balanced family aligned to be going places. The fouth leg, including the spiritual aspect into their family life just rounded off the balancing act and made it just so complete.
As the Zululand Angling community pours out their grief to this fallen hero, take a moment just to think where this life could have gone, how it could have made such a important impact on peoples way of lives in the future, how many lives he would have raised to his standards and put them on a path to a brighter future. This important legacy of our future has been taken prematurely from us and we will never have the privilege of being guided by his determined attitude in life.
As the angling fraternity grieves over their brother of the sea, and the country mourns of the loss of another great leader, may Clive Hunter rest in peace in the greatest palace of the all.
Goodbye my friend.
(Thank you Bryan. God bless you and your family for all that you have done for Clive and my family.)
Love
Zelda Hunter