Roderick Goes to Limerick

My friend Roderick is going to Ireland in March to work. So this is a good moment to expand on the subject of Roderick as a tribute and a thank you to such an awesome friend. Roderick is a great warrior and one of my longest-standing friends (the rest prefer sitting). We met at RAU in amaJoziJozi way back when RAU was RAU and lang-arm was lang-arm (it was time to pull up our sokies – actually I never went to one, which is a pity – I might’ve got married to a blonde poppie and have “ryperd” as my cell-phone ring). He was studying (un)civil engineering and I was studying Geografie & Omgewings Bestuur. We did have some fun! It wasn’t cool to go to varsity barefoot then (not like Rhodes today) so that’s what we did. It was cool back then (and it still is) to get injuries: the more severe the injury, the more points you get, and at the end of every year there is a winner. Ironically, my sister wins most years.

Rod is pretty wild. He takes the concept of cave man to a whole new level. Rod and I pioneered the concept of ‘abo’, which originally meant going camping in the Magaliesberg with no tent, bedding or anything useful. (It has since evolved into something slightly more than this at Rhodes, but I divest). I think the best time we’ve ever had was a 10-day camping trip in the Chimanimani’s (on the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border) last December/January with my cousin Bob from Gweru. We lived in a cave for a week, and bathed in the river/showered under waterfalls (actually I don’t know if the other two did bath or shower). The cave had straw on the floor and was just wide enough for the 3 of us to fit. It was also the driest cave around and a huge answer to prayer, especially since we had a torrential storm the one night and the river rose 5 feet. After the cave trip we went back to Gweru and had a booze-up on countless 1-litre bottles of Schweppes Lemon (the type you only get – had? - in Zim). Another cool holiday was when we worked on a Christian adventure farm (Bekezela) in the KZN Midlands near Greytown: our job was to improve a 4x4 track with spades on a 45-degree slope of red mud. By the time we had finished you needed an 8x4. We ate porridge and fresh milk every day, and there was no cell reception or any other form of reception. Naturally we thrived.

Rod is a physical machine. If you need a TLB to do the work Rod will volunteer to do it with his teeth. He is a cycling machine – we once cycled to this one farm 30 km from my home in Jozi, and he got home about an hour before I did…(does anyone know Doreen Road in Roodepoort? Well, I have NEVER got up there without pushing – the last time I tried my bike chain snapped – but Rod klaps it stukkent, sommer for an afternoon’s fun).

Rod has some fantastic character traits. He is one of the most loyal and faithful people I know. When I moved to Margate in 2001, he stayed in touch and came to visit often (I appreciate very much people coming to chill – that's my friendship language - and Rod’s great at that). Rod’s friendship has been a great blessing in my life during two moves and a difficult season in Margate (being with my Grandparents was cool though), and I’m grateful to the Lord for that – (over-share time: it’s not easy moving and having to start over, and to have a friend that stays in touch regardless of the province you are in is a priceless balm to the soul). Rod is a man of his word: if he says he will be somewhere he is only not there if he fell asleep and didn’t hear his alarm: in our 9-year friendship Rod has motivated me by example to be more honourable in keeping my word (letting yes be yes and no be no). Rod is also a genius. He picks up languages like people pick up shells on the beach: he reads his German or French Bible for quiet times, and greets the people at the toll gates anywhere in S.A. in their local lingo! At the moment he’s learning Italian. When we were in Zim last year he was learning Shona. I have come to appreciate Roderick very much, particularly this year past.

The best is that Rod has a great heart for the Lord. He is very tender towards the Kingdom of God, and this is irreplaceable. This is the best, the ultimate and what all friendships should be based on: Christ and His Kingdom. We used to get together and pray once a week, and that has been the basis of our friendship – we know we can still talk and pray about stuff when the need is there. (Praying together regularly is by far the best glue in relationships).

Rod – in short – is a legend. And - as he is going to Limerick - in Ireland:

I have a mate called Roderick -
Who is going to work in Limerick!
He’s a hell of an ou -
I hope he gets a really GREAT vrou!
And that our friendship stays fantastic!

Ralph

(I dont have a digital photo of Rod so i put one in of the cave in Chimanimani...)