Newsletter
December 2006
W.J.W. (Walter) Middelmann
7 Feb. 1910 to 6 Dec. 2006Our founder, Walter Middelmann, died peacefully in his sleep on 6th December aged 96 years and 10 months. Until quite recently he still enjoyed visits from friends and family, but slowly it became harder to get through to him, although he did react to matters that had always stimulated him - for instance old books and travel. In the end he just quietly drifted away painlessly.
We are proud to continue his life's work in an industry where he and his late wife, Ruth played such a formative role, having initiated the protea plant, protea seed and dried flowers businesses. Walter was intensely interested in life and maintained his inquisitiveness almost to the end. Amongst a long list of activities he particularly enjoyed the theatre, politics, finance, architecture and until late in life was a regular at the University of Cape Town's summer school - he stopped only because of the many stairs that he could no longer climb.
He joined the Cape Natural History Club in 1940. He served on numerous committees, most notably those of the Botanical Society, the International Protea Association, and Hon. Life President of the S.A. Protea Producers and Exporters Association which he helped form and where he served as the first Chairman.
We salute a man who led by example, was knowledgeable and dedicated to his work, quiet and unassuming in his every day life, and a source of information to many. Fortunately he was also an avid collector and his life's history and work is well documented. We salute him in the first place as father, grandfather and great-grandfather, but also as our founder, whose name will remain immortalized and coupled to that of his beloved wife Ruth in the name of our Nature Reserve, Ruwami, Ru(th)Wa(lter)Mi(iddelmann).
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