George Dracatos: Alberton attorney and cricket club founder leaves lasting legacy

Long-standing Alberton attorney and community figure George Dracatos has passed away at the age of 85, leaving behind a legacy built on honesty, justice, friendship, family and decades of service to the community.

George passed away on September 1 after experiencing health difficulties in the final weeks of his life, according to his family.

Even at 85, he had remained active in his legal practice, with staff bringing files to him and collecting work he dictated.

His family described his mind as exceptionally sharp until the end.

“He still had it. A very sharp brain,” his family said, recalling how he continued running his own practice, G.N. Dracatos Attorneys, with staff working alongside him.

For those who knew him, however, George was much more than an attorney.

He was a husband, father, friend, sportsman, community volunteer and a man whose straightforward approach left a lasting impression on many people in Alberton.

Early life in the Eastern Cape

George was born in Cala in the Eastern Cape and attended Dale College in King William’s Town.
After finishing school, he worked for a time at the magistrate’s court in Cala.

His father later wanted him to help at the family café, and George worked in the shop while continuing his studies.

The family café was in Alberton, at the corner where Slabbert’s Bottle Store is now.

It was during those years that the young George worked towards his legal qualification. His family recalled how he would walk up and down the road outside the café, reading his notes while studying.
He eventually obtained his LLB.

George arrived in Alberton when he was 20 years old and spent more than six decades connected to the town.

After qualifying, he worked for SJ Naude for a period before starting his own practice.

His family said he had been an attorney in Alberton for more than 50 years.

A lawyer who believed in doing what was right

For George, being an attorney was not simply about having a profession.

His family said he was driven by a strong belief in seeing right being done and was prepared to fight for justice.

“He wanted to see right being done. And he was quite against the wrong stuff. And he would fight for the right. He would really fight for justice,” his family recalled.

That sense of right and wrong was also evident in the way he dealt with clients.

His wife Wandah Dracatos described him as a man with no grey areas when it comes to honesty.

“He was always very honest and there was no grey or anything in his life. It had to be right,” she said.

If a client appeared dishonest or “a bit dodgy”, she said, George would simply refuse to take on the work.
“He would say, ‘I’m not doing your work.’”

His daughter Melanie Rothman said she had heard similar stories from people who had dealt with her father professionally.

She said difficult cases were often eventually brought to him when other people could not find a solution.
“He was like the final stop,” she said.

According to Rothman, people would approach her father after others had given up because he was able to take on complicated matters.

“He always got the difficult cases because he could do them. And he had a very good record of winning,” she said.

His family also remembered him for helping people who could not afford legal services.

George often chose not to charge people who came to him without money and was generous with his time and knowledge.

“He helped a lot of people as well,” his family said.

“He didn’t charge.”

They said he also did a lot of charity work throughout his life.

Founding member of Alberton Cricket Club

Sport was one of the strongest threads running through George’s life, and cricket in particular was closely tied to his history in Alberton.

He was a founding member of the Alberton Cricket Club and played an important role in its development.
Peter Mathews, one of George’s closest friends, recalled that the club had initially played at the rugby field before moving to its current grounds in about 1969.

George was instrumental in helping organise the move.

“He was very, very instrumental in organising that,” Mathews said.

For George, the cricket club was not simply somewhere to play sport. It became an important part of his social life, friendships and family memories.

Rothman grew up around the cricket club and remembered spending weekends there as a child.
She recalled running around the cricket field and playing among the willow trees while cricket was being played.

The club and Round Table were also a major part of her childhood memories.

She remembered members dressing up and putting on shows as part of charity activities.

A friendship spanning five decades

Mathews first met George on September 4, 1970, the day Mathews’ second daughter was born.

Mathews had moved to Alberton in 1969 and had previously travelled to Johannesburg to play cricket over weekends.

He eventually decided he no longer wanted to make the journey and started making enquiries about cricket in Alberton.

That led him to the Alberton Cricket Club and to George.

The two men became close friends.

Mathews’ first impression of George was that he was “stroppy”, a description that George’s wife immediately agreed with while laughing.

Mathews had come from another cricket club and had plenty of questions because he wanted to learn more about Alberton.

The two eventually “sorted that out” and became great mates.

Over the years, their friendship grew into something much deeper.

“He was my best friend. He was like a brother,” Mathews said.

Mathews described George as a good, generous and helpful person who was always willing to assist others.

One of the memories that remained particularly meaningful to Mathews was being with George and his wife, Wandah, when they got married in the Eastern Cape.

Mathews became emotional while recalling the occasion.

A man deeply involved in his community

Cricket was only one part of George’s community involvement.

He served as secretary of the Hellenic Community for many years, only stopping a few years ago.

He was also involved in Round Table and later remained connected to the group through the 41ers club.
Round Table members eventually left when they reached the age of 40, leading to the formation of the 41ers.

As the members grew older, the group jokingly became more like the “81ers”.

For years, the friends remained close.

George and the group would meet every month at the golf course for lunch, while once a year they would go to a game reserve together.

There were about 12 of them.

His community involvement also included serving on a school board.

He was a stipendiary steward in horse racing, where he would oversee matters involving trainers and sit in to establish what had happened when issues arose.

“He was very busy in the earlier years,” his family recalled.

As he grew older, however, he gradually stepped back from many of his activities.

His wife said he eventually reached a point where he would simply say, “I’ve had enough.”

Even then, he remained involved with the 41ers and continued enjoying the friendships he had built over the years.

Passion for local sport

George loved sport. Cricket, rugby, horse racing and golf were all part of his life.

He was a member of Reading Country Club, where he and Mathews used to play golf every week.

Wandah said George enjoyed the game until an ulcer under his foot eventually made walking difficult and he stopped playing.

At home, sport remained an important part of his routine.

He watched rugby every Saturday and was happy as long as there was something to watch.

His wife said he also enjoyed cricket, horse racing and television.

As his eyesight became poorer, he could no longer read the race information as he once did, and his interest in following the horses gradually tapered off.

But rugby and cricket remained especially important to him.

His daughter shared his love for sports, giving his daughters another connection.

They would discuss upcoming matches and decide what they wanted to watch.

Sport also became a way for George to bond with his family and friends.

A husband and father remembered with love

Away from his legal practice and community commitments, George was remembered by his family as a loving husband and father.

He and Wandah were married in the Eastern Cape after knowing each other for several years.
Wandah described him as a wonderful husband.

She recalled that every morning when he left for work, he would kiss her goodbye, something he continued doing for more than 50 years.

“He was a wonderful husband and a wonderful father,” she said.

At home, he was known for his jokes and sense of humour.

His wife described him as kind, generous and helpful, while also remembering his “razor-sharp tongue”.
“He didn’t suffer fools gladly,” she said.

George and Wandah had three children, two daughters and a son.

Rothman remembered her father as fair, kind, supportive and always present for his children.

“He was great. He was always fair, kind, great and supportive of myself and my sister. And my brother, of course,” she said.

Some of her favourite childhood memories were connected to the cricket club and the simple traditions her father created at home.

Before the family had a television, Fridays were “sweetie day”.

She remembered how her father would buy them sweets every Friday and would sometimes buy a record once a month.

Among the records was Black Beauty.

For Rothman, however, the most important memory was simply that her father was always there.
“Too many,” she said when asked to choose a favourite memory.

“He was always there for you,” her mother added.

Even later in life, George maintained his own way of keeping in touch with his family.

Rothman laughed as she recalled that he insisted on doing things by email and would even email letters to her.

A home filled with humour and sport

The man who was known professionally for his no-nonsense approach was also remembered at home as someone who enjoyed a laugh.

His wife said he was “full of jokes” and had a good sense of humour.

He spent time watching television, particularly sport.

As he grew older and became less involved in some of his community activities, home became an increasingly important part of his life.

One of his quieter routines was sitting in the sun in the study, watching the little birds in the birdbath before eventually dozing off.

For a man who had spent so much of his life working, serving others and being involved in the community, these moments reflected a quieter side of his later years.

Legal work continued into his 80s

Despite his age, Dracatos continued practising law until very close to the end of his life.

He turned 85 in May.

His family said that while his physical health had declined during his final weeks, his mind remained remarkably sharp.

He continued running G.N. Dracatos Attorneys with staff assisting him.

Files were brought to him, he dictated his work on Dictaphones, and staff would collect the dictated material.

His family said he was still working even as he became increasingly tired.

In the final week or two, his health deteriorated.

His family said his heart was troubling him and that he had become increasingly tired and experienced breathing difficulties.

He passed away on September 1, aged 85.

Remembered for honesty, kindness and humour

For those closest to him, George’s greatest legacy is not simply the number of years he spent practising law or the organisations he served.

It is the way he treated people and the principles by which he lived.

His wife, daughter and Mathews all returned to the same qualities when asked what they believed people in Alberton would remember most.

Honesty, being upright, kindness, generosity, a sense of humour and a no-nonsense approach to life.

Mathews said George was respected because he was “as straight as the day was long”.

His wife described him as a lovely man who was deeply involved in his community.

Rothman said people had told the family how much they admired the way he worked and the honesty with which he approached his profession.

For Mathews, however, the loss was deeply personal.

The man he had met through cricket more than five decades ago had become his best friend and, in his words, like a brother.

“He was just a lovely person, lovely man,” Mathews said.

A lasting connection to Alberton Cricket Club

Although George had stepped back from many of his community activities in his later years, his connection to the Alberton Cricket Club will remain.

Mathews said a tribute from the cricket club was read at George’s memorial.

As a founding member, his contribution is part of the club’s history.

“He’ll always be part of the cricket club as a founding member,” Mathews said.

For a man whose life in Alberton began when he arrived in the town at just 20, the club represents one of the many places where he built lasting relationships.

From the cricket field to his legal practice, from community organisations to his family home, George left behind people who remember him not only for what he achieved, but for who he was.

Notice for clients holding wills at practice

George prepared wills for people for around 60 years, and his family has issued an urgent request to anyone who believes their will may be held at his practice.

As the practice will be closing, people who believe they have a will at G.N. Dracatos Attorneys are asked to contact the office as soon as possible to arrange collection.

They can email dracatos@dracatos.co.za