An incredible sporting journey
As the longest serving reporter up to 2015 at Alberton’s own newspaper, he is sharing his incredible journey with his very last sport history article for the paper.
TODAY, with our last paper of the year, we also come to the end of the amazing journey for our sport reporter, Peet van Niekerk.
“Over 31 years I have experienced many emotions and nostalgia on the sport fields as the eyes and ears of sport in Alberton, in my privileged position as sport reporter of the Alberton RECORD for 31 years and eight months,” Peet van Niekerk said.
As the longest serving reporter up to 2015 at Alberton’s own newspaper, he is sharing his incredible journey with his very last sport history article for the paper.
“What a journey it was and today, it is, for me, a blessed honour to look back at some of that special moments and historic mileposts in the history of sport in the town we all love, that came into being 111 years ago. How strange, 111 is the score in cricket that every batsman hates to be on, they call it the Nelson and Alberton cricket greats that were personally known by me, like Paddy Moroney, Stefan Duvenhage, Tertius Olivier and Stephan Kruis, are the first to tell that,” he said.
It all started for him as a young, inexperienced sport reporter in the autumn of 1984 when his first live assignment was to cover the Eastern Transvaal amateur boxing championships in the Barry Vorster hall in May of that year.
It was, since his schoolboy days, a dream to report on sport, but that night he became hooked and the heading was “Skoolseun verras byna” when seventeen year old Dirkie Kriel almost surprised all to beat experienced Springbok Gideon Strydom. It did not happen and Strydom went on to later win his 14th SA title by defeating Alberton’s first sportsman of the year, Barney Buys, with points at the SA champs in Johannesburg.
That was the beginning of a dream journey at ringside of so many amateur tournaments as well as SA and world championship events at Carnival City and Emperors Palace between 1984 and 2015. An honorary life membership blazer from Alberton Boxing Club in 2012 and the same from Bracken Boxing Club in the nineties are still today some of his prized possessions.
It is unavoidable that the firsts in Alberton sport would be some of his greatest memories and feel like yesterday when they happened.
On the cricket field: “My interview – one of the very first with Andrew Hall, on the same afternoon that it was announced that he was the first Alberton player to achieve Protea colours. The entire front page story of the RECORD of January 21, 1999, is still my biggest hit on the cricket pitch,” he said. On par with this was the unforgettable experience to be part of Patrick Moroney’s committee to organise the World Cup warm-up game at Alberton Oval on Saturday, February 2, 2003, the biggest one day cricket event ever in Alberton. “World cup warm-up fever hit Alberton” was the heading and it was the same feeling experienced with the IPL cricket played in Alberton during April 2009.
“One day I will be able to tell my grandchildren that I was also there when the first official ring tennis test took place in Alberton, during the autumn of 1992, when the then Springbok team played against Germany,” he commented.
That was the year of the country’s re-admittance to the Olympic Games and international sport with Alberton stars Abrie Pienaar and Sandra Kruger in that first team.
Another two firsts for him was when Martin Dewee from Brackenhurst was crowned SA’s natural body building champion and sportsman of the year 1997, and when Gary Basel, one of SA’s best triathletes, was crowned the last Alberton Sportsman of the year prior to the advent of the new millennium in 2000.
“I was the first to get that news, it is memories like this that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
In 2008, Sifiso Nhlapo became Alberton’s first BMX-rider at the Beijing Olympics. “ I remember those days when I watched Sifiso since his first BMX days as a young schoolboy week after week at the Alrode track working hard towards his ultimate dream,” said Peet.
In 2010, after 35 years in existence, Alberton Gymnastics Club from Cecile Prinsloo celebrated its achievements of delivering top gymnasts at national and international level.
“And yes, I was privileged to be there with the editor, Carina van der Walt, that night. And yes, both of us reported through the years on each one of those gymnastic accolades.”
Since Peet is also a Comrades double silver medallist, athletics reporting was sheer pleasure for him and he was there on the night in July 2014 when Andries Venter was honoured for his 30th Comrades and he also covered all the big cross-country and road races in the town.
Karate was one of his favourite sports to report on and the ultimate highlight for him was when the SA Shin-gi-tai Karate Academy held their SA championships on October 17, 2015, in honour of this humble reporter, with editor Carina van der Walt special guest of honour who handed over the trophies.
“In this allocated space it is impossible to even try to lift out some more memories, but I have now reached the finishing line and it is time to go. To one and all, Caxton, Alberton RECORD editorial, management and colleagues, all the beautiful sport people and sport clubs of Alberton, goodbye and thanks for the wonderful memories.”
