A century of inspiration
MONTGOMERY PARK – The privilege of enjoying 100 years and a true inspiration to the community and his family.
Resident Stanley Hack celebrated an amazing milestone with family and friends on 10 April – his 100th birthday.
He shared some of the events in his life that took place in the last century. Hack was born in the Transkei (Eastern Cape) in 1919 in a town known as Maclear and around the age of seven, his family moved to a farm in the Heidelberg District. “I am the third youngest, born out of seven children and lived at a place called Grootvlei – it was a coal mine area. I went to primary school there but when I was 16 years old, I moved to Joburg to look for work,” he said.
“I stopped school in Standard 6 (now Grade 8) and came to live with my older and brother and sister and got a job at a firm estate agent where I worked for 26 years.”
Hack was also an auctioneer at one of the biggest car auctioneers in South Africa, where, in the year 1980, about 3 500 cars with hail damage were sold.
The proud father of eight children, 15 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren with another on the way and four great-great-grandchildren said, “I love my family. In my younger days, I was involved with the church and those are two gifts God has gifted me with, loving people and leadership.”
Hack added that he has enjoyed travelling, around the world and in his own country, having visited New Zealand for his 90th birthday, “I have visited every province in South Africa as well as Botswana, Namibia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, Canada, UK and Europe. I love nature, seeing wild animals, watching cricket as well.”
Hack shared that he was most grateful for the life experiences he has learnt, interactions with different people and achieving great milestones like this thanks to the grace of God. He was awarded the Gavel Appreciation award from the auction firm he worked at between 1941 and 1998 and is proud that he was first president of Gideons International. Last year he received an award for invigilating twice a year for over 30 years at the Baptist Theological College and said he looks forward to doing it again this year.
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