John Hunneyball

20/03/1935 - 6/11/2015

John was born in Cape Town and went to school at Bishops. The school had a life-long influence on him having started there as a 5 year old and going on to matriculate in 1953. His father was the Vice-Principal and House Master and his mother was the school secretary.

When his sons James and Anthony became Scouts he started volunteering as a Scout leader on an almost a full time basis. When they moved from Durban to Johannesburg he got involved with the development role in the then Transvaal and served on the Transvaal Scout Council. He wanted to provide ways where Scouting could encourage the young South Africans help themselves and he wanted to include girls.

In the mid-eighties he left the finance world and became CEO of the South African Scout Association until 2001 when he suffered his first stroke. During his time he represented the SASA at various World Scout Conferences and was involved in the hosting of the 1999 World Scout Conference in Durban. He also initiated the annual Area Secretary's Conference where, for a number of years, they met annually in various provinces. He was also a driving force behind Phakamani, a project aimed at enabling any boy or girl anywhere in the country to become a Scout.

In 1999, John was awarded the Order of the Silver Protea in recognition of "Exceptional service to Scouting as Scouter, District and Area Commissioner, for development in townships, but particularly for enthusiasm and tenacity in his role as Chief Executive, his fund-raising skills as Trustee of the Scout Foundation and efforts at international level to promote Scouting in SA."

John lived his life according to morals interpreted from the bible together with that of the Scout codes. He enjoyed the outdoors and had a passion for singing having been in the school choir and he was a tenor in the Cape Town Philharmonic.

John's ashes were scattered by his family at Hawequas, the Scout camping grounds and a tree was planted in his memory.

Go in peace John.

2015 Western Cape Scout Heritage Centre

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  Tree planted at Hawequas in memory of John Hunneyball

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  Plaque in memory of John Hunneyball