Tributes flow like the rain falls

Some might look at the rain as a hinderance to activities and others might see rain as blessings, all while another takes time to measure how much of it actually fell.

Stephen Laverack has been measuring the rainfall on his street in Fairland for about four years. This, however, is not something he does professionally. As a practising psychologist, he is more inclined to wonder what makes one’s mind tick over the intensity of the day’s precipitation. So it begs the question, why does he do this? Well, I am prone to believe that is to carry on a legacy.

It was only five years ago that the Northcliff Melville Times community was introduced to Gregory Labuschange, who had been measuring rainfall in the various communities he lived in throughout the years until he settled in Fairland. His hobby of measuring rainfall, the finding of which he would post on the I Love Fairland Facebook page, only aided to the keen interest he had in learning and knowing about things.
Gregory was Stephen’s adoring partner, and like many couples, Stephen picked up on his partner’s hobby. In 2017 however, Gregory suddenly passed away. Stephen recalled how his posting of Gregory’s death brought with it an outpouring of condolences and gratitude towards him. “Made me feel like I should carry it on as a way of keeping his memory alive.”

He effortlessly took on the baton, or this case, a level gauge. For him carrying on with this task was a fitting tribute to his love. “I also see it as a way of offering a service to the local community as people find the rain fall measuring interesting and appreciate my posts, which is very rewarding and makes me want to carry on.”
He explained Gregory was passionate about the environment and ecology and, with his mathematical and logical brain, he loved measuring things. “Taking rain measurements really interested him and he had been doing it for many years.”

Stephen posts the findings of his rainfall measurements on the I love Fairland and Fairland Community Facebook pages. He thinks people are very appreciative of these posts based on the positive comments he receives. “I think there is a genuine interest in the weather and especially rain because we live in such a water sensitive environment.”
He continued and said people in the community tend to follow the levels of the dams very carefully too and will often comment on his posts about how full the Vaal Dam is. “I just think it’s a great way to stay in contact with the community during times like these when we have Covid-19.”

For him, it is important to keep it fresh in people’s minds that we live in a water-scarce country and we need to be mindful about where our water comes from. In a way, he is also teaching people not to wastewater, “Even when we have good rains because our patterns show us that we can have a drought very easily.”
From his efforts, he hopes people take seriously the importance to conserve water.