Alfred, who has a doctorate in education, started donating blood in the 1960s when he was in his twenties. His love of travel caused him to end up in Israel years ago as a volunteer worker, where his commitment as a blood donor was not left by the wayside. "The strangest place I had to donate blood was while I was in southern Israel in Ashkelon.
The facility of the transfusion service there was manned by two Russian Jewish women who could not understand English. But fortunately I had donated previously in Tel Aviv and so had an idea what to fill in and where on the form, which was in Hebrew," he recalls. Alfred went back to Israel several times to volunteer for a few months at a time, working at different places. He recalls working at a factory where concrete boulders were manufactured. The physical labour -which was very different from his academic background - did not deter him one bit. He learnt some Hebrew while attending an Ulpan (a language school) for three months.
Alfred's travels began after taking early retirement in 1996 from the post of vice-rector at Lovedale College in Alice, after his wife's death. He travelled through most of Europe and also visited Russia and Poland.
Star donor
Alfred is one of the George Blood Transfusion Service's star donors. He says he would have donated even more litres of blood by now, if it was not for the lack of facilities in the small towns in Namibia where he spent part of his teaching career.
"One can donate every 56 days. Although your body produces the blood you lost during a transfusion within 48 hours, it takes much longer to bring the quality of the blood up to its normal state again," he explains.
"Once you are over 65, you may only donate every three months. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you can help three to four people each time you donate blood. Blood components such as platelets and plasma can be separated from the blood, so that more than one recipient benefits."
Alfred has four children and eight grandchildren who are very much part of his life. Although they live in Cape Town and Pretoria, he gets ample opportunity to enjoy their company during his extended visits there. His sister who lives in lovely Barrydale also often receives a visit.
When he is in George, he is a regular at the gym. "I'm not idle for one moment," says Alfred, whose lively eyes bear testimony to his love of life.
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Alfred (right) on the border between Israel and Lebanon during his travels.
ARTICLE: ALIDA DE BEER, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
