On Wednesday morning, March 19, the Ecumenical Bible Study Group gathered at Trinity Presbyterian Church to bid farewell to Alixe Fraser in a heartfelt get-together.
Friends and well-wishers gathered in the church hall to enjoy refreshments and share in celebrating her remarkable contributions to education and ministry.

Fraser and her late husband moved to the Endumeni District in 1968, where she began her illustrious career in education. For 42 years, she taught at various schools in the district, leaving a lasting impact on countless learners.
Her dedication to shaping young minds was matched by her commitment to ministry, starting at a young age and serving as a minister for 21 years at St James Anglican Church.

The gathering was filled with speeches from friends and colleagues, who reflected on her lifelong commitment to both education and ministry. They shared their gratitude and admiration for her tireless service, and wished her the very best as she enters this new chapter of her life.

Her legacy of service in both the classroom and the church will be remembered by all who had the privilege of working alongside her. Speaking to the Courier, she recounted her fond memories of the district, which date back to the 1950s.
“My connections with Dundee go back to the 1950s when my father, Ronnie Pyke, was transferred from Richmond to the Dundee post office, in those days an impressive new double-storey building. My brother Angus and I attended Dundee Junior and then Dundee High School, which started in Standard 5.

“There was an active Students’ Christian Association that held a camp at Wasbank, where I gave my heart to the Lord. I was just being prepared for confirmation at St James when my father was transferred to Margate. My brother and I began boarding school in Maritzburg at College and Girls’ High, respectively. I studied at Natal University and then in Stellenbosch before being posted in 1968 to teach English at Glencoe High School, later to become Sarel Cilliers, then an Afrikaans medium school.

“It was later combined with Willie Marais, a technical school. For five years I taught at Dundee High, but then returned to Sarel Cilliers in Jasper Slabbert’s time. I retired in 2011. I married Mervyn in 1970 at St James, with his good friend Dougie McMaster playing the bagpipes. In 2001, I became a community priest (self-supporting), licensed to St James after many years of study through TEE.

“Looking back, I can see how the Lord protected and guided me through the years, providing me with good friends along the way, both in my church and the greater Christian community. It was a privilege to serve the community as a priest.
“After Mervyn died and I sold the house he had built, I decided to retire to Widenham, Umkomaas, on the South Coast, where my brother lives; not an easy decision. I carry with me so many fond memories of the happy times, among others, with Biggarsberg Athletics Club and the days I could still run!”
She concluded by thanking all those she knows for their kind words and messages of support.

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