Talk 15 September 2022

TALK OF THE TOWN 15 September 2022 Advertising & Newsdesk: (046) 624-4356 Find us on Facebook 5
FACE 2 FACE with /
Rob Crothall
Q
: Please tell us about your
wo r k .
A
: I work in the Information
Technology (IT) space
doing application d e ve l o p m e n t
(programming, websites, and so
on), project management, and
general management
consulting.
I work as a contractor for a
variety of clients. I also help a
few NPOs, when needed.
Q: How and where did it all
start?
A: I started in the magistrate’s
office in small towns in the
Transkei, studying law part-time.
When I could, I started
studying for a science degree at
Wits University but dropped out
when everything I owned was
stolen.
I went to work as a computer
operator, then developer,
manager, and eventually started
my own contracting business.
Q: Best moment?
A: The 17 years I spent in
Kimberley working for De Beers
Consolidated Diamond Mines
IT bureau. I met and married
Gwynn, had challenging work,
and the support of management.
Q: Low point (and how you
re c ove re d ) ?
A: I scraped up enough money
to study for a BSc at Wits.
During my first year I came back
to my lodgings one day and
found everything had been
stolen except my army uniform.
I couldn’t afford to carry on
studying, so I wrote to 34
companies asking for a job.
I was employed by NCR as a
computer operator and studied
programming and systems
analysis part-time. I then moved
on to programming at Anglo
American and eventually
became a divisional manager at
De Beers and Anglo.
Q: Down time: how do you
unwind?
A: I watch TV with Gwynn, walk
the dog, and do pro bono work
for NPOs.
Q: A song, mantra or phrase
that sums up the way you see
the world …?
A: “Carpe diem, quam
minimum credulapostero [Seize
the day, and trust least to
t o m o r r ow ] ”. If we need to do
something, we should do it as
soon as possible – we may not
be able to do it tomorrow.
Q: Something South African to
c e l e b ra t e ?
A: The friendliness of the South
African people – we all get
along with each other on a
personal level. South Africans
are positive and can do anything
they set their minds to.
Q: One thing SA needs to fix?
A: Basic education! For the first
three years of school, we learn
to read. For the rest of our lives,
we read to learn.
We have matriculants who
are functionally illiterate. They
are unemployable, except in
low-level labour.
Failing to give a student a
good grounding in reading and
understanding what they have
read is to condemn that student
to a life of poverty and lost
opportunities.
And it would help if some of
the 6,000 schools that still use
pit toilets could be given decent
i n f ra s t r u c t u r e .
Q: Top of your
recommendations for visitors to
Ndlambe and the Sunshine
Coast?
A: Visit the Tourism Office and
website and see all the things
that may interest you.
In addition to what you find
there, visit the beaches,
Bathurst, and our restaurants.
Q: Top of your own bucket list?
A: Visit the Observatory in
Sutherland in winter to get clear
skies!
Q: Favourite book?
A: Frank Herbert’s Dune to see
how he weaves an intricate plot
involving politics, an unusual
religion, and a harsh and
unforgiving environment.
Stephen Hawking’s The
Universe in a Nutshell – it is a
beautifully illustrated book
which explains many of the
theories of physics.
And Oram & Wilson’s
Beautiful Code which explains
some of the elegant, classical
algorithms of computer science.
Q: Who is your hero, and why?
A: My grandfather, Robert Fyfe
King, who was wise, honest,
clever, and good with people.
He understood his world and
tried to make it a better place.