Paying tribute to an Estcourt icon
Estcourt mourns and pays tribute to an unassuming icon of Estcourt
Editor
Estcourt mourns and pays tribute to an unassuming icon of Estcourt.
Late Eddie Brokensha passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on June 6, 2014.
At a packed Methodist Church, a moving memorial was held.
The history of the Brokensha family spanned over a century with Estcourt.
Brokensha senior, arrived in Estcourt in 1906, and started the family business.
Born in 1923, Eddie and his late brother George attended Estcourt High School.
With the outbreak of World War Two, both brothers were drafted into the South African contingent to the Commonwealth response.
Both fought in Germany and both were captured as prisoners of war.
Eddie was a fighter pilot, and his love and prowess of aircraft began.
As a combatant and POW, they were in good company of many Estcourt volunteers.
After the war, both brothers joined the family business.
In 1950, Brokensha senior passed away, and both Eddie and George took over the business.
The business grew from a grocery store to various other businesses around Estcourt.
This included clothing, haberdashery, fashion, motor sales, panel beating, tyre retreading and citrus farming.
Together with their lifelong friend and partner Barry Watling, the Brokensha name cut a niche in the welfare of Estcourt and the economy of Estcourt.
Eddie married his school sweetheart Amy and this union lasted for 66 years, his wife passed away in December 2013.
The four children, Barry, Pam, Peter and John, all qualified in their respective fields, live in other parts of South Africa.
A keen devoted family man, Eddie excelled at whatever he touched.
Be it gardening, fishing, sports, conservation or flying, his contribution has been legendary.
Despite all the success, Eddie remained a simple, friendly and courteous individual.
A very principled person, his word was his honour. His contribution to Estcourt was immense, and failure never existed in his library.
Even in his twilight years, he was forever keen in all the things he did in life.
Estcourt is so much poorer with his passing.
Tim Jeebodh
