Clarke and van Willingh. We were good friends on the Bothie and decided that we would like to go to sea together. We were both from Cape Town and after leaving we sought out the man responsible for arranging our apprenticeships (I believe he was the Secretary of the Bothie's Board of Control). I think we found him in his garden pruning his roses and he was not charmed by the interruption; He immediately made it clear to us that we would go where he found it appropriate. Shortly thereafter I was apprenticed to SAR Ships and Van to Clan Line.
Van stayed with Clan, got his Master's, joined the Harbour Service and retired as an APC in Durban. We remained good friends as did our wives. He died recently. The Bothie gave us many things but to me the most valued was the lifetime friendships it created. Van was one of them.
