My Friend Gaetan - Obituary

For over two decades our paths criss-crossed and traversed. We related on many levels and we disagreed on so many planes, however our friendship was based on something solid and unbreakable, it was based on mutual respect and we held on to that until the very end.

My friend Gaetan enjoyed a charmed life, growing up in a big French Mauritian family, he had many brothers and sisters and cousins and aunties and there was this extended family that always featured in his fond memories of growing up on the North Coast.

School was boring for Gaetan, mainly because he wanted to get on with life. He got a job soon after completing his matric at Stanger High but his true passion was farmingGaetan was not scared of farm labour, he thrived on innovation and exploration and he wanted to make a difference in everything he did.

He never boasted about his bachelor years but from his tales I could gather that Gaetan was something of a ladies man and a great catch. As a landlord of some of the most prized land in the fastest growing district in the country, Gaetan was positioned to do great things and he has changed legislation regarding farm security. He was also a founding member of SA On Line, an IP communications company and Internet service provider, which was founded in 1994 in Durban.

Marriage and instant fatherhood gave Gaetan some real purpose in life. This is when he became a community activist and a driving force behind CabACT and the farm crime watchdog, this is when I walked into the picture and found Gaetan on the top of his game, in the prime of his life, the true community leader with a strong moral fibreGaetan was a genuine visionary.

There was a time of darkness in Gaetan's life, which he never shared with mewe reconnected when his son Taega came into the world and life had forever changed for Gaetan. Fatherhood was the single most important thing, and he was determined to create a perfect world for his son.

Gaetan dropped most of his obligations and committed his life to his son, Taega. Gaetan was an incredible dad and everyone who knew him could vouch for that.

During the dark years in Gaetan's life, he never shared those sad memories of bitter, faceless rumours and senseless allegations, which caused major heartache for everyone concerned. Through years of conflict and his eventual exile to Umdloti, Gaetan left the farm he so loved and moved to "the Island", a term he used for his modest home and his simplified life underneath a massive Ficus tree in front of the Ocean.

This is where we spent many days days watching Taega growing up to become a fine young lad, discussing the intergalactic metaphysics of the universal oneness and arguing about everythinghe was a challenging friend who didn't take crap from anyone and made me accountable for my every action.

Gaetan is and always will be my special friend, who was always a true gentleman. All he wanted was to create a community of like-minded individuals who would share and live the Universal Oneness of the abundance we all shared for the sake of his son Taega and the future generations.

Rest in Peace Monsieur Gaetan, until we meet again in the intergalactic oneness of our shared universe