Fishing lover Leon turns 92!
Meet 92-year-old Leon Petrou. He has five children, 13 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and one great sense of humour.
Leon Petrou turned 92 on January 13, and an explanation for his feelings? A small shrug of his shoulders and a wilful smile on his lips as he proudly says, ‘whatever’, making the entire room laugh.
Leon’s daughter, Mira Petrou, recalls what he told her days before. “He was telling me, ‘I am waiting for God to come and take me and he’s not coming yet’,” she said with laughter.
As he has aged, so has his hearing, however, Leon’s daughter Mira sat down with News to translate and relay the questions when he couldn’t hear as clearly. With five children, 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, it’s safe to say the 92-year-old is surrounded by those who love him most.
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Besides his love for his family, Leon has always had a knack and special place in his heart for fishing.
“We were brought up with a fishing rod in our hands, when we were kids we always went fishing,” Mira says, “Elbie [his long-time friend] is his fishing partner, and together they have been fishing together for about 15 years,” she explains.
Fishing for approximately 70 years altogether, it comes as no surprise that he is a complete expert on the sport. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is where his love for fishing began which continued with friend Elbie de Meyer in Hartbeespoort Dam.
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Elbie recalled the day Leon caught his largest fish which was actually a 12,7kg crab.
“Whenever he would catch fish, he would always give it to other people so that they could have something to eat,” added Mira when speaking about the fishing memories she has with her dad.
When it comes to celebrating his birthday, only one word comes to mind: family. With his son and wife passing away a year apart, family remains his greatest joy, second only to God, with fishing coming in third… and then soccer, because Leon is a huge Liverpool fan.
“It’s clear as you walk into the house that if you do not know the sport, you’d be in a pickle. He is always praying and tells us to pray,” Mira continued.
Elbie further described him as, “The second best man on earth, the best man is not born yet. A strong, kind-hearted, nurturing, hardworking man is how he is described by many.”
Here’s to many more, Leon!
