Farewell to Mockford family’s rock

POLOKWANE – Strong, vibrant with an indomitable spirit and a wonderful sense of humour, the rock on which the Mockford family and business was build. This is how family and friends remember Katherine Mary Mockford, the owner of Mockford Farms who died on July 18.

Mockford, better known as Tinkie, was 96 years old and died four days before her 97th birthday. Her family said their final goodbyes at a memorial service on the family farm last Saturday.

“I was fortunate to know the Mockfords all my life and benefitted from their generosity. I say this because many people have benefitted from Tinkie and her husband, Frank’s largesse. You always knew where you stood with her, she called a spade a spade. It is to their credit that, as they prospered, they never forgot their friends or became too grand,” her grandson, Shaun, said.

He added that even though his grandmother only completed gr. 8, she never complained. “She set about using the resources at her disposal and developed her natural intelligence. She had great thirst for knowledge and this is probably what made her so successful with pigs.”

He said Tinkie passed her love for nature on to all her children. She was one of the first people to embark on the Imfolozi Wilderness Trail with the legendary Dr Ian Player as leader.

Tinkie’s family said she loved trees and was a member of the Dendrological Society. She was an accomplished horseman and started the first riding school in Polokwane. She was also involved in the planning and participation of a gymkhana held in 1947 to welcome the king and queen of England when they visited the city.

According to Shaun, his grandmother gave full meaning to the expression multi-tasking, because she managed to fulfil the role of wife, mother and farmer.

“She and Frank were married for 53 years. Tinkie loved travelling and after Frank’s death in 1993, despite her failing eyesight, she set off on expeditions all over South Africa and surrounding countries. On her trip to Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, aged 78, she completed a canoe trip down the Zambezi. Tinkie knew how to enjoy life.”

Tinkie’s children remember her with tanned skin, hands rough from picking and handling tomatoes, a delicate aroma from packing garlic and, in the evenings, a gracious and hospitable hostess.

“She never sought the limelight and perhaps never received the recognition she should for her contribution to developing one of the top pig herds in South Africa. As we look around us, I am sure Tinkie is content. We say farewell with love and respect to an exceptional woman.”

Tinkie leaves behind her brother, Douglas Wallis, four children, Bryan and Peter Mockford, Lorna Haas and Margaret Alneida, 12 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.