Batsmen Evert Riekert and Jack Stolk

Evert Riekert

Jack Stolk

In translation

By Johan de Beer

Two of the Department’s top administrative batsmen, Evert Riekert and Jack Stolk, laid down their bats at the end of April and May 1994 respectively. Evert was in the Department for 26 years and Jack for 23 years.

Evert’s career in the Public Service began in 1959 in the Office of the Auditor-General. After a period at the Commission for Administration he joined the Department in 1968 as a work study officer. Since 1978 until his retirement he was head of administration, with the title of Deputy Director-General during the last few years.

Jack’s career began in the erstwhile Department of Social Welfare. He joined this Department in 1971 and approximately two months’ later he wasone of the first administrative officers transferred abroad. After about six years in Washington he returned to Head Office and was engaged mainly with Foreign Administration. For his last few years Jack was Chief Director for Staff andForeign Administration.

During the farewell function arranged by the Department’s top management, Minister Pik Botha expressed his thanks to Evert and Jack for their years of loyal support and the great efforts they went to during very difficult political times consistently to adapt the Department to new needs. Their tireless energy to establish Foreign Affairs as a special professional corps with probably one of the best career  structures in the public service deserves mention.

Mr Rusty Evens, Director-General, in his farewell message referred to Evert’s and Jack’s courtesy and the solid foundations they laid for their successors and other colleagues to build upon. Their commitment made his task as Director-General and those of his predecessors, so much easier.

Evert described his career in Foreign Affairs as having filled him with gratitude and he would not have wanted to exchange his 26 years in the Department for anything else. He thanked the Minister and Dr Brand Fourie for their “act of faith” in appointing him at the time. (It was an “act of faith” that delivered good results.) With the support of colleagues in the line function as well as administration he had a full life in Foreign Affairs and he was grateful that so much could have been achieved. In this the Heads of the Department under whom he had the privilege of serving, also played a special role. He “survived quite a few, namely Dr Brand Fourie, Mr Hans van Dalsen, the late Mr Rae Killen, 

 Mr Neil van Heerden and then also the current DG, Mr Rusty Evans. One of the greatest privileges a position in Foreign Affairs offered him was visiting various missions. They were enriching experiences and the hospitality of colleagues will be long remembered. All the experiences on visits abroad can sadly not be recounted here – they would take a chapter of their own.  

According to Jack his career in Foreign Affairs will especially be remembered for the rich life experience it brought him. No other Department can offer this. His training ground was in Washington where Minister Pik Botha was the Ambassador at the time. He remembered well the occasion when as a relatively officer abroad he had to show the Ambassador the ropes, as it were, on complying with a particular departmental regulation. The Ambassador asked him actually was the  boss in Washington. This was a good lesson for him (Jack) for the positions he later occupied at Head Office. It was also a special privilege to have visited various missions and as a result ensure a better support service to them.

Evert and Jack will undoubtedly be remembered for their positive approach to everything that crossed their paths in the Department. Their humane approach often resulted in the need to bend the rules, but always in a responsible way. Their loyalty to the Department and its staff was outstanding. The departure of these two valued colleagues there will leave  a gap of 49 years of knowledge and experience. The positive side is that that in the administration each leaves a well- trained and professional team to bat and to play on the field  that they prepared so thoroughly.

Evert and Willemien are going to settle in Pretoria and enjoy their children and especially their granddaughter. We wish him improved health and many years of good golf.

Jack is also going to enjoy more quiet days in Pretoria while Lettitia is still in the Department. Jack joined the corps og golfers at a relatively late stage and with his natural ability for the game his handicap will quickly be reduced.