Born in Somerset West in Sept 1956 to an Italian father and Afrikaans mother, this set the tone for an English family. My family moved to Green Point in the early 1960s.
Schooled in Green Point (Christian Brothers College) before we moved back to Somerset West, I was given the choice of Paarl Boys High, Hottentots-Holland High and Paul Roos Gym, thankfully I chose the best of the three and joined Paul Roos in the English class in 1970, decided during that year that the boarding school was the place to be and was accepted into Prima. During my school life I realized that I was not the brightest button in the box and while I achieved at sports in the small English school it became very clear to me that sport at Paul Roos was on another level, however I did manage to consistently play in the ‘seconds’, was very proud of that maroon jersey with two dots on the left chest….was such a wonderful time there at Prima, and the boys of ‘73 at Prima had a major positive influence on me. I would say that going to Paul Roos and joining Prima Koshuis were two of my best decisions in life.
I was determined to get tertiary education I gave university a good go, but sadly or gladly, Frank Terink was an influence on me (other than my own doing) so we went partying for two years and I never qualified at University. I also started my Motor Sport Career in these ‘easy’ years, and this also played a role in underachievement at University.
Knowing that education was important, and funds were needed I joined the SA Navy permanent force which allowed me to successfully study Electronics at no costs, this was the stepping stone to my career in the IT industry in SA. At last I achieved in academics!
I joined IBM in Jan 1980 and spent many successful years there (27), eventually after 34 years working for American companies, I decided to start my own IT consulting business which I ran successfully for more than 10 years and then Corona put an end to that and allowed me to retire from formal business.
At a personal level, I married in SA and have a son Gennaro Bonafede as well as a stepson Brandon, sadly got divorced but reconnected with an old friend of mine from the 80s from Belgium. I move to Belgium in 2017 and live with Natascha who also has a son Bruno.
In sport I never really managed to crack the classic sports but was successful in Motorsport. Participated from 1975 to 2000 and then again on returning from the UK, where I spent 3 years with IBM, from 2003 to 2005. During this time we managed to win 10 South African Championships. I was awarded Springbok Colours for Motor Sport in 1990 and then Protea Colours in 1995……achievement sports!!
A special promise made to myself in 1972 and a memory from school…..one day I was sent to the Rector (De Villiers) to get 6 of the best, not sure why but was sitting outside his office and I looked at the boards on the wall where all the Paul Roos rugby players who had Springbok colours were named, I promised myself that my name was going onto that board, it is there now, not for Rugby but Motor Sport.
There is no doubt in my mind that Paul Roos played a very important role in my life both, personally, academically and sports wise. Paul Roos, Prima Koshuis, class of ‘73 and my ‘73 mates from boarding school will always be remembered and I thank each of them for helping me be who I am.
Semper Splendidior
Vito