.

I hadn't heard about it. The Doc was an absolute gentleman and as Alf says, his death will be a great loss to the shooting world.

RIP.

May his soul rest in peace.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
He both praised and mocked us, our culture , our ways and customs in many of his "tongue and cheek" writings . He taught us how to laugh at ourselves as hunters.

Tho we - not only as hunters but as a culture - desperately need people of that profile, there are less and less of them around these days.

While I can only speculate the size of a Busbuck under the counter, the one hangin above is magnificient.

He sounds like a real Larrikin.

I spent a rainy afternoon browsing the Powder Keg and the guys there couldn't have been more helpful.

Didn't know him but sounds like I would have liked him.

Very sad to hear this.

Our condolences to all his family and friends.

I met him while at The Powder Keg shopping after a hunt. Louis from the Afton House took us shopping before our flight home. Both fine gentleman. Both will be missed.

Regret learning of Lucas Potgieter's death.

Had the pleasure to meet him at the old shop in Melville in 1983 and found him knowledgeable, generous with his knowledge to a novice shooter and hunter, and wry.

Deepest sympathy to his family and friends,

Tim

I too am sorry to hear he passed away. I spent a few hours over the years speaking with him, and enjoyed getting to know his wife Wendy as well.

He spoke often of the need to sell off his book collection and his extensive firearm collection. He did have some great stuff.

I hope the Powder Keg carries on, and my best to his family.

That is sad news indeed. I enjoyed his writing over the years.

The Doc was a friend both to myself and my dad since the early 1970's, and he and my old man shared many a campfire on the banks of the Umzingwane River on River Ranch, not far from Todd's Hotel, in Rhodesia in the old days.

Even though he kidded me endlessly about my love of English shotguns and rifles and until the end tried his level best to convince me that "Blaser was Best", he was very knowledgable about all kinds of firearms and didn't suffer fools of any kind for too long. I liked that about him!

I will miss him - his passing has left a gaping hole in our local gun industry that will be impossible to fill.

I finally met Oom Lucas a few years ago after moving to JHB.

As a kid I removed his weekly column and articles from Die Landbouweekblad and filed them in large lever arch files. This is where I first began to learn by reading about firearms. This was probably almost 35 years ago! He was very influential in the early stages of my gun nuttiness and our family made several purchasing decisions on the recommendations in the writings of Oom Lucas. I am saddened by the passing of this "giant", but think of him and his writings with happiness. I am sure that he influenced thousands of us South African hunters and shooters.

Oom Lucas seemed embarrassed when I told him that as a 7 or 8 year old I looked forward to his weekly writings and that I had saved them for many many years. A very opinionated and knowledable man, but humble all the same.

Oom Lucas wrote several books, both hunting stories and a tome, Die Boer en sy Roer tot Vandag (the Boer and his rifle) which he authored with Oom Felix Lategan. This book is considered Africana by many South Africans.

Tot siens Oom Lucas!

Alf, thanks for the update. Sad to hear about Doc's death. My condolences to Wendy and the rest of his family.

I really enjoyed his little books like "Kooltjies uit my Kampvuur", they should be translated to English so that more people can enjoy them.

Thanks for the information. I was introduced to Dr. Potgieter on a few of my South African hunts and he was a true gentleman. Sorry to hear of his passing.
Cal

Sounds like a man that spoke what was on his mind and did not care who he upset. May he rest in peace.

Thank you Alf for posting,

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Karl:

Sadly you cannot translate that stuff, it's not the content of the stories that make it funny but the fact that it is in Afrikaans that makes it what it is. As you say this is Africana !

It is the use of the language specifically and a view from an almost " redneck afrikaner " perspective that gives his writings their literary value.

It's like Herman Charles Bosman, if you are not South African and have not lived among those who hail from the platteland you will not get it.

That, as has been pointed out, is what makes it so enjoyable, the cultural context and colloqialisms.

Very sad to hear about it, as a kid he was the holy grail of shooting and hunting, my dad had old bundels of the "Landbou Weekblad" I used to go through them reading and collect the artikels. As kid in my eyes he had no equal.
Sad day indeed

I am indeed sorry to learn that Lucas is no longer with us.

My condolences to Wendy and the family.

A fine man who will certainly be missed.

Another reason to learn to speak and read Afrikaans!
For the record, this American was chided in Namibia for NOT having brought camo!