Long-serving hiking club members still going strong – and loving every minute

Being avid hikers, Barry ‘BJ’ John Love (85) and Ron Pratt (79) of Brentwood Park have seen breathtaking sceneries and places most people have only seen in the movies.

BJ and Ron have been friends for 45 years and hike for fun. They have been part of the Boksburg Hiking Club for nearly 20 years.

They are still going strong, even though Ron had both knees replaced, one in 2019 and the other in 2020.

The friends were born and bred in Boksburg and met at a church.

BJ is a retired mining engineer, having worked for Anglo-American, Lonro, and several other mining companies.

He has been married to Lesley for 60 years.

Meanwhile, for 25 years, Ron worked in the diesel engine business in marketing and management for Perkins Engines, Rolls Royce and Cummins. He started a manufacturing business and ran it with his wife, Lyn, for another 25 years.

BJ had been hiking casually with friends and family, whereas Ron had done Walk for Life.

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Around 2004, Ron had a medical scare, arrhythmia, which alerted him to the need for more stress-relieving exercise. While on holiday with the Loves, they would walk for miles along the beach, and Lyn suggested they join the Boksburg Hiking Club and to do it now.

“So when we returned from holiday, we joined the club the following week.

“We were thrown headfirst into a new way of life filled with day hikes, weekend and longer hikes, about five to eight days all over SA,” said Ron, a former chairperson of the club.

Barry and Ron went on just about every hike on offer at the hiking club. They have done most of the iconic walks in SA.

Apart from seeing the most beautiful places this country has to offer, they decided it would be a good idea to walk the Spanish Camino of 800km in September and October of 2015 at the ages of 76 and 71.

“Barry and I walked about 23 to 31km daily for 32 days. This walk set a trend, resulting in a series of long walks over the years,” Ron added.

Other hiking trips they have been on include the Tankwa Camino, Eden to Addo, the Portuguese Camino and the Pilgrimage of Hope from Stellenbosch to Agulhas.

When asked what is their favourite destination, they find it hard to pick one of the stunning places they have been to.

Why do they love hiking so much?

“The hiking club has allowed us to visit nature, exercise and meet new people. We got to see parts of our country that you miss travelling by bus or car,” Barry pointed out.

They encourage others to start hiking and ‘get away from all the troubles’.

Their advice to people who want to start hiking: “Give it time and try to become fitter. Walk a little bit every day.

You can also be prepared to get to know people and enjoy their company.”

For more information about the Boksburg Hiking Club, call Barbara on 073 140 8162.

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