Harry Heyns hands over the reins

“If there is one person whose consistent dedication to this town is deserving of the ‘Freedom of the City’ when he retires, it’s Harry Heyns,” wrote former Vryheid Herald Editor, John Carnegie, in his popular column, En Passant, once.

“There probably is not a man or woman, councillor or municipal employee, who has the overall knowledge about our town that Harry does,” wrote Carnegie. “It will be a huge store of knowledge built up over nearly 30 years of service that will be lost when or if Harry retires.”

That day has come and, Harry Heyns, a well-known ward councillor and former Mayor of Vryheid, after many years of service and dedication to the town, has retired.

A well-respected man, Heyns is recognised by many as a man of action with vast knowledge, experience and patience.

He was the first manager at Checkers back in 1964, until he started up Stilwater Motel in the 70’s and then stumbled into real estate in the 80’s when he went into Glenbar to have a copy of his CV made and ended up being hired instead.

“It has been a fantastic experience,” says Harry, as he fondly recalls his time in council. “I have learnt a lot about people. I’ve respected those from the lowest positions to the highest.”

“I’ve always had a passion to keep the town clean and for the maintenance of Vryheid’s infrastructure,” says the former DA ward councillor. “I’ve worked with some great staff members,” he says, as he recalls them by name.

“There was no politics in council back in those days,” says Heyns of his time as Mayor from 1995 to 1996. “People worked for the love of the job back then.”

Harry is driven by his love for history, sport, Vryheid and Vryheid’s people, “I like helping people,” he adds. “It’s in my nature… If you’ve got it, share it.” But of all of his favourite things, former councillor, Harry Heyns, is probably most renowned for his love of cars.

Harry believes that his patient demeanour has stemmed from his unwavering passion for the restoration of vintage cars, one of his favourite pastimes and, now that he has retired, he looks forward to spending time with his family and his cars. He may even dabble in some carpentry.

“After some 27 years on the council,” writes Harry. “I have decided that it is time for me to retire, and I would like to thank the public of Vryheid for their support over the years. Now that the election is over, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those DA supporters who worked so hard for us to receive our good results.”

“My years on council have been a wonderful experience, which has taught me a lot about life and people.
“There were some very good times when things were going well, but over the years things have changed and it has become quite a challenge to be a good councillor.

“There has been a large growth in our municipality and this places many more demands on council. My best wishes go to the new councillors in their endeavours to improve service delivery. A big thank you must go to John Carnegie who, in the past helped me to inform the public about what was going on in town and on the council. Good luck to Alta and Magda who will be carrying the DA flag for our town over the next five years.”

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