For more than four decades, Collen Padayachee has stood near the gates of Westpark Cemetery with flowers at his side and generations of Johannesburg families passing before him.

His stall has become more than a place to buy flowers. It has been a familiar stopping point for people arriving to mourn loved ones, remember those who have passed and, sometimes years later, return to a place they have not forgotten.

Padayachee’s relationship with flowers began before Westpark. In the 1980s, he was already selling them from a stall in Rosebank, where his family connection to the business gave him a path forward. “Flowers were my life,” he said.

He credits his cousin, whom he also describes as a brother, with helping him find that path. “He made a difference in my life,” Padayachee recalled. “I was also naughty, so he took me away from all my troubles.” Eventually, flowers brought him to Westpark, where he became a familiar face to generations of mourners and visitors.

Much has changed since those early days

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Padayachee has watched the surrounding communities change, seen people move into the area from different parts of the country and world, and witnessed the cemetery become part of the lives of countless families.

Business, however, is no longer what it once was. “It has changed a lot,” he said. “Business has been very quiet. It’s not the same. Covid-19 also had an effect.” Yet while the business may have changed, the relationships have endured.

Over the years, customers have returned to Westpark from as far afield as America and China, and some still recognise Padayachee when they see him. “Lots of people remember me,” he said. “All my customers have been with me, even those abroad. They still come here, and they know me.”

Those reunions have brought him gifts and, more importantly, the knowledge that he has remained part of people’s memories. “I feel so happy,” he said. Standing at a cemetery gate for so many years has also given Padayachee a particular perspective on life.

He has seen people arrive in grief, families gather, and emotions run high. He has watched people say goodbye and return years later to remember those they lost. “Life is so short,” he said. “Live for today. Tomorrow will see for itself, and just do what is right.”

For Padayachee, the cemetery has reinforced the importance of treating people with kindness while there is still time. “You can’t be selfish,” he said. “God gave it to us, and He knows when it’s the right time.” He worries, however, about the animosity he sees between some families, particularly around funerals. “There’s too much animosity among families in the world,” he said. Despite the sadness he has witnessed, Padayachee speaks with affection about the people who have passed through his life.

Children he knew years ago have grown up, while families have continued to return to the cemetery across generations. “A lot of children remember me,” he said proudly. “I’m famous.” It is a reputation built not through fame in the traditional sense, but through familiarity – decades of being there, recognising faces, offering flowers and treating people with respect.

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Politicians know him. Members of the community know him. And, perhaps most importantly, generations of ordinary Johannesburg families know him. After so many years beside a place associated with endings, Padayachee has also thought about how he would like to be remembered when his own time comes. “My life will always be remembered by everybody who loves me and cares for me,” he said.

And then he shared a personal dream: “One day, I would like to go to Heroes’ Acre. That’s my dream.” For now, though, Padayachee remains where generations of Johannesburg residents have come to know him – beside his flowers, near the cemetery gates, ready to greet the next familiar face.

His request to those who have passed his stall over the years is simple: “Just remember me the way I am, for all the years, and all my respect, and you must still come to see me,” he said. “Because one day I don’t know where I’m going to be.”

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