Tuesday was a special day for Bonnie Doon resident Godfrey van Ryneveld, since it marked his 90th birthday.
Van Ryneveld was born in Cape Town on October 27 1930. After studying medicine in UCT and graduating in 1953, he moved to East London on April 8 1958.
He then would go on to become a general practitioner, a job he would hold for the next 50 years.
When asked what inspired him to pursue that career, Van Ryneveld’s answer was direct: “To try and help other people”.
One of his favourite aspects of his work was interacting with people and getting to know them.
“The practice used to do lots of house visits. You became part of the family, I suppose.
“You knew their cousins and their brothers and sisters, you knew the whole family,” van Ryneveld said.
