Moved on

Geocachers who retired and cached in their finds (passed away)

This article is to remember those cachers who have passed away doing this great hobby / game / sport we play.

Team name:	hosta
Name:	Stan
Life:	? to 2011
Geocaching:	2001 to 2011

Hosta was one of the very first South African geocachers, and hailed from Piet Retief in Mpumalanga.

He was an avid nature lover and cyclist.

Please assist in filling in details

hosta

Team name:	veer-ini-hoed
Name:	Barbara Oberholzer
Life:	? to 2011
Geocaching:	2009 to 2011

Barbara was a lady full of life.

Extracted from the geocache listing below:
Veer-ini-hoed (Barbara Oberholzer) suffered from Lymphoma Cancer for many years and passed away in 2011. Barbara did not allow life to get the better of her. Phenomenal lady with the spirit of an angel. Barbara was introduced to geocaching by Fanie and Annette Heymans, she then decided to place a geocache on every circle in Welkom before her life ends, and what an amazing job she has done! May the mark that Barbara left en”circle” us for years to come.

Some more info is available on cache GC26Q53
An article about Barbara (Second last paragraph she talks about geocaching)

Team name:	MadSons
Name:	Neil Madsen-Leibold
Life:	1964 to 2012
Geocaching:	2010 to 2012

Neil had a great passion for life and everything he did ... both in work to play. Neil was the first chairperson of GoSA, and he was instrumental in the planning and realisation of the GPS Power series in Gauteng. He was also involved in the first-ever South African MEGA Event planning held in Pretoria in 2012. Neil also placed a few very clever caches. He was a famous FTF hunter in the Gauteng area.

Some more info is available on cache GC3HZTN

Team name:	BAKGAT
Name:
Life:	? to 2013
Geocaching:	2009 to 2013

Please assist in filling in details

Team name:	Colinbo
Name:	Colin Bonham
Life:	1946 to 2014
Geocaching:	2003 to 2014

Colin had an avid interest in orienteering, and it was through that sport that he was introduced to geocaching.

Geocaching.com profile for Colinbo

Please assist in filling in some details

Team name:	TechnoNut
Name:	Peter Tiedt
Life:	1946 to 2017
Geocaching:	2014 to 2018

Peter hailed from the Natal coastal area where he was a well known FTF hunter and cache hider.

Geocaching.com profile for TechnoNut

Please assist in filling in details

Team name:	scubie999
Name:	Carlo Henrico
Life:	1963 to 2018
Geocaching:	2014 to 2018

Carlo hailed from the Pretoria area.

Geocaching.com profile for scubie999

Please assist in filling in details

scubie999

Team name:	ChrisDen
Name:	Chris Booysen
Life:	? to 2021
Geocaching:	2012 to 2021

Chris Booysen was like the Godfather of Geocaching in Port Elizabeth. Not the type who would put a hit out on you if you muggled his cache or logged a DNF, but one who you could always turn to for advice or encouragement. Chris (and Denise) attended most events, placed just about all kinds of caches, did some really innovative placements, and always led the way. I was a newbie and met up with a fellow cacher one afternoon after work to do a cache in a park here in PE. As we came walking up the path we spotted a couple standing looking at their phones and as we got closer heard the word "cache". Turned out to be fellow newbies Chris and Denise. That is where I met Chris for the first time. Chris bought me my first Premium Membership as I couldn't afford it and he felt I had a lot to offer the community, he contributed prizes to the NMB Geocaching awards and was always a phone call away for a hint or just a question. Chris is going to be sorely missed by not just the local community but the wider South African Geocaching community. We have truly lost a very special cacher. Firefly Africa

Team name:	Wilduvo
Name:	Willem Jacobs
Life:	? to 2021
Geocaching:	2008 to 2021

Dis met groot hartseer dat ons totsiens sê aan Willem Jacobs, in geocaching-kringe bekend as "Wilduvo". 'n Groot boom het geval en sy plekkie staan leeg.

Willem het op Woensdag, 28 Julie 2021, die stryd teen Covid verloor en rus nou by ons Hemelse Vader. Ons gaan sy spitsvondigheid en unieke karakter vreeslik mis. Hy het deel geword van ons Vaalgeocacher-familie en was onmisbaar tydens ons Vaalgeocacher-affêres (events). Hy en Erlank het tydens ons Affêres (events) altyd die laaang pad deur die Worsgordyn al die pad van Pretoria af aangedurf om te kom saam kuier. En die staaltjies wat dan sou volg! As Willem eers so teruggesit het in sy stoel, het jy geweet: HIER KOM 'N DING....dan was dit ingekleurde stories van hierdie of daardie cache en hoe hoog of laag hulle moes soek! Kuier tot lank na die event was altyd aan die orde van die dag!

Ons gaan jou mis, Willem. Vir oulaas lees ons.... "Groete vanaf die Vuurherd" – Hildie (Bothalawaai)

Team name:	Mooiman
Name:	Mike Condy
Life:	? to 2021
Geocaching:	2005 to 2021

Mike always brought an incredible warmth and richness to any space he was present in, with his eyes always sparkling with such youthful energy and excitement. He was the epitome of how one can stay youthful, no matter your physical age. We truly have lost such a wonderful and special soul. My condolences to dear Dini, his children, and grandchildren.
Wishing you all strength and peace at this especially difficult time.

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sunshine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Gareth (GForceZA)

Team name:	Terunkie
Name:	Mignon Groenewald
Life:	? to 2021
Geocaching:	2010 to 2021

The 25^th of August 2021 we will never forget. Marius and I are devastated by losing our friend, Mignon.

We regularly travelled together whether it was caching trips, going on long road trips to The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia & Namibia. Mignon was the most enthusiastic cacher we have ever met. No mountain was too high, no river too wide, no road too long, no town too far & no puzzle cache too difficult for her.

FTF‘s was the one thing she absolutely loved, and she was adamant of finding them too. Getting up at 3am driving 100km’s from town to town. When Wynn was at work, she would rush off for that FTF or him forgetting his GPS on Table Mountain after doing a cache up there and then going back up to look for that GPS (was actually in Wynn’s backpack).

We would get together Boxing day and go on a road trip & stay in various interesting accommodations enjoying cheesecake, cappuccinos, milkshakes, coffee, peppermint chocolates & head back home after New Year’s.

We have so many great memories with fishing on the Kariba Lake, going to the Victoria Falls, sitting in the middle of the Orange River while the men swam to Namibia, her reaction when she saw her 1^st baby rhino at the Rhino Sanctuary, snow adventure up Matroosberg, camping in the winter in Sutherland. It is those trips that is going to be missed and as Wynn always says “memories”.
My favourite memory of Mignon will always be us drinking Pitte shots before heading to Joe’s Beer Garden for supper. We shared lots of laughter that night & the memory of that night will forever make me think of her.

Marius & I think of Wynn, Jason, Amanda everyday but know they have so many amazing “wow” memories of their wife & mom. She is absolutely missed. - Cathy & Marius (The Huskies)

Team name:	AdieA
Name:	André van Platen
Life:	? to 14 April 2022
Geocaching:	2013 to 2022

We were fortunate to meet him and his lovely wife, Tannie Elise back in 2015. We were geocaching newbies and the very first event we attended was a Yakkiti Yak hosted by the AdieA's. They immediately made us feel part of the group. It was agreed that they will be our geocaching dad and mom from there on.

Oom Andre was loved by so many people, and he would always be smiling. Geocaching was his passion. He contributed hugely to some of the adventures we shared, including the Cape Town mega. Our geocaching experience has been great, because of him.

What a privilege it was to be friends with Oom André. The gap that he leaves in the geocaching community is huge. We miss him dearly. He will never be forgotten. Until the very end you fought bravely, Oom André. You were a warrior. Now you can rest. While we are mourning, we can take comfort in the fact that your mission on earth has been fulfilled. You have left a void in our hearts. Until we meet again. – Panters (Annelie & Edward)

Team name:	Zebra Patrol
Name:	Michael Gill
Life:	? to 2023
Geocaching:	2015 to 2023

Zebra Patrol crossed over from the path of Life to the afterlife on Tuesday 7^th February 2023. Whilst death is an inevitable of life, his passing prompted me to consider what he had left in my world. And the more I mused on his presence, the more I became indebted to his remembrance.

I don't know quite when I had met him, as he was always present. Perhaps his outdoorsy attitude drew him into Geocaching long before me; in any event his khaki clothing is embroidered upon the fabric of my early Geocaching memories. An unknown constant signaling a beacon of consistency. As persistence grew and participants few, I was drawn to his company at an event or two, or a collective conquest of a nature reserve or jaunt into a suburb anew.

And now I understand among the few how his subtle influence rewarded my life without turning it askew. His unquestioning reversal after a faulty left-hand turn, his continued search for a placement that was long gone; the joy he showed whist munching homemade burgers aside some district road, his endless tales of Land Rover trips gone bad.

Indeed, there is not one among us who cannot refute seeing his beaming smile in the shadow of his bos kappie, popping up everywhere yet never being in focus. A stalwart of the game and support for all of us as we strive to be the same.

He may be gone, but what he was will be with us again and again. Bryan (WÅLDO)

If you know of a cacher not listed here and would like to assist in completing the list, please send an email to with the details and a photo, and we will gladly add him / her to our page of remembrance.

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