Sadly, yesterday I was informed of the passing of previous vice-chairman Arthur Southgate. This was an unreal moment as Arthur, who was hospitalised earlier in the week, had been discharged to recuperate at home. Arthur, a very private person, was ill for a while, and we respected his wishes to not divulge his health status.

To say Arthur’s passing is a loss for our Society is an understatement. Arthur contributed to so many facets of our organisation. He joined the Society in June 2000. I was honoured to have been in the same region as Arthur since he joined. Under the mentorship of Oom Willem Brits he soon became a very competent referee with a special understanding of the Laws and soon would be challenging senior referees in the regional law discussions.

We spent many a Monday evening at Wynberg Boys’ Junior and later the Army Base in Wynberg. Doing strenuous physical activity followed by two hours of law discussions, sharpening our skills to become better match officials. Arthur, at the time was already a seasoned athlete and had a vigorous training regime and need not have to wait for any colleagues to arrive to start his routines. He understood that as referees we needed to be fitter than the players we officiated. He always wanted to be the best version of himself on the rugby field. When UCT provided the Society with an opportunity to referee their internal league, it was Oom Willem Brits and his squad that took responsibility with Arthur being one of the main officials contributing on the field. We spent many a cold and wet evening there supporting each other and peer coaching our colleagues.

As the principal of one of the high schools in the Atlantic Seaboard, his strengths included his strategic leadership, self-discipline and never-give-up attitude. This came through in his refereeing and it wasn’t long before he decided to make a difference at another level, and that was to serve on the executive committee of the WP Referees’ Society. This he did with aplomb from 2008 until 2016. He served on the executive in a portfolio that would stabilise the organisation. His financial management experience has placed our Society in a healthy financial position. Arthur served three chairmen during his eight-year tenure: Dennis Immelman, Dan de Villiers and me. We are all in agreement that the executives that we led were stronger because of Arthur’s presence.

Arthur’s love for the game and for refereeing may have slowed him down once he was elected as an executive member, but it didn’t stop him from influencing and supporting other match officials. The birth of the Table View region was his brainchild. He was extremely proud of the region and its referees and backed all of them in any difficult conversation. Visiting Table View on his request one night, I noticed how orderly the sessions were conducted and how everybody was acutely aware of what his expectations were of them.

One of the attributes we’ll miss of Arthur, is his principled behaviour and actions. He was ruthless when it came to principles as well as right vs wrong. He came to a debate armed with facts and you needed to be well prepared to step into a boxing ring with him.

His love for education and the development of the future of our country as well as the future referees was well known. Moving from the school to an education district was the natural progression and we knew it had to happen. He worked so hard in the development of people. It was in my first year as chairman that I took many a conversation with him in one-on-ones on the management of the organisation. He was always happy to support and assist when and where needed. The Society will miss his contributions to the Education and Training department where he made a massive impact.

Our condolences go to Bonita and the children as they process this loss of a father and husband. We can only pray for them and wish them strength during this time.

The executive also wishes to express its condolences to the SA Referees’ (where Arthur served as Performance Reviewer) and WP Referees’ Societies for the loss of this huge figure in the world of rugby refereeing in SA.

May his soul rest in heavenly peace.