Simon Burrow (1968F) sent in the following obituary:

RON WOULIDGE (1961O)
1943-2019
 
 
The Bishops family lost one of its most revered members with the sudden passing of Ron Woulidge on Monday.
 
Ron was a true legend of the South African Printing and Publishing industry, owning and managing many household company names for the past 50 years. Many, if not most, text books which landed on school or student desks had passed through his hands and printing factories. His drive and creativity saw many new innovations introduced such as his pioneering work with the saving of water in the printing process, and the emergence of the Print on Demand method.
 
For many years, the Bishops magazine and, latterly, the Old Diocesan magazine, were printed by one of Ron’s companies.
 
Ron loved Bishops. Although a day boy, he never wanted to leave the school campus so he arranged a study in Founders for his Standard 9 and Matric years, only going home when housemaster ‘Wilkie’ chased him out.
 
Recently he glowed with pride when his youngest grandchild, Seb followed in his footsteps by going to Forres for pre-school.
 
However successful he became, he never lost his humility and each morning, before leaving for work, he would write down all the things in his life for which he was so grateful. He never took anything for granted.
 
An intensely private man, Ron was very generous, donating large and small amounts to a variety of charities, trusts and fund-raising organisations. In particular, he would educate many of the children of his staff, giving them an education and opportunity in life that would have been beyond their reach. In all of this, he never took the credit, staying in the background.
 
His involvement in organisations such as Round Table, Rotary, Young Presidents’ Organisation and Nomads golf was lifelong and tackled with passion and enthusiasm. In their eulogy to Ron, the Nomads organisation has this to say -
 
“He never sought recognition for his support of Nomads, preferring to remain in the background, but his service to Nomads was regarded so highly that in 2013, he received the John Pickering Award for his contribution to WP Nomads.”
 
Ron will be mourned and missed by many hundreds of staff members and industry colleagues who either worked with or for him. His compassion and impeccable industrial relations policies were a showcase for the printing industry. His infectious laugh would reverberate around many boardrooms as he would find a way out of a particular challenge.
 
Many a time in the wee hours, a machine minder would pick up the telephone and “Mr Woulidge” was on the line asking about the minder’s family and how the job was going.
 
His friends will mourn him too. From his golfing mates (he still played off a respectable 14); safari family; and to everyone whose life he touched have been left poorer by his passing, but richer for the experience of having known and loved him.
 
From a personal perspective, my wife Lovonne and I have known and loved Ron and his family for over 40 years. Ron was our guiding light and mentor. He taught us the value of loyalty, compassion and love of life. He has left a void which will be impossible to fill, but we will remember him always.
 
Ron Woulidge is survived by his daughter Sam, son Anton, son-in-law Jacques Badenhorst and grandchildren Sebastiaan, Sam and Mia. Marie, his wife of 45 years, passed away 5 years ago.
 
There is a Memorial Service to celebrate Ron’s life in the Chapel on Thursday 11th April at 12h00. The service will be followed by a gathering in the Heatlie Pavilion.
 
 
Simon Burrow (1968F)