Community man fondly remembered
Patrick died of metastatic lung cancer that began with treatment for oesophageal cancer in February this year
THE Zululand community gathered together in large numbers to bid a sad farewell to Patrick Fabricius, fondly known as ‘Lemumba,’ and in his younger days, ‘Froggy’.
Patrick died of metastatic lung cancer that began with treatment for oesophageal cancer in February this year.
He was in ICU for seven weeks, where despite a brave fight, he passed away.
Patrick was the eldest son of ‘Breakfast’ – a legend in Zululand for entertaining the troops with his ukulele) and Norah Fabricius.
They lived on Thornhill farm where his aunt and cousin still live to this day.
Patrick attended Empangeni Junior School from 1954 to 1957, where he met and made life-long friends Daryl Clark, Graham Boynes and Wallie Brook.
He then went on to boarding school at Murchiston Prep and matriculated at Alexandra High in 1966.
He served at the Naval Gymnasium before working briefly at the Standard Bank Empangeni before joining his father’s business as a clerk/bookkeeper running various agencies, including a TAB agency, until his father died in 1972 and soon thereafter, he became his mother’s business partner.
During 1976 he was approached by Audrey Davis to run a new company Kwagijima Express. They jointly ran this transport business, until she died and Patrick’s brother Doomps joined him in 1990.
They enjoyed a wonderful business relationship and close bond as brothers, until Doomps’ sudden, untimely death in 2006.
Despite a few setbacks, Patrick continued to run his business and proudly celebrated Kwagijima’s 40th anniversary last year.
Community man
Patrick loved sport from a young age. He played rugby for the Empangeni Rugby Club, and participated in league squash. He was on several squash committees, one of which was an annual Durban invitation tournament. Patrick was hugely instrumental in the coordinating and running of this tournament with in excess of 40 top Zululand and Durban players.
He enjoyed regular visits to the Mfolozi game reserve and recreational fishing in Richards Bay, St Lucia and Cape Vidal, where he camped with his family for many years, until the ban on beach driving.
As past chairman and an active member of Round Table (1979-1989) he contributed much to the community. His fine example led to considerable sums of money being injected into various needy charities.
Patrick was well-known for hammering-out any tune on the piano, often until the early hours of the morning
Patrick was a wonderful family man, who was married to Sheila for almost 23 years. He will be sorely missed by Sheila and their children: Shelley and Tom, David and Kate, Jenna and Carl, Hayley and Clive, Amy and their grandchildren: Kade, Joel, Zoe, Meghan and Kelly.
