Graham (& Kate) Lizamore – The passing of a legend

My first meeting with Graham Lizamore was in the newsroom of the Natal Witness newspaper in Pietermaritzburg in 1981.  We were both ambitious journalists with a few hooligan genes, and we took to each other from the start. He had an impish sense of humor, a devil-may-care attitude and a kind of worldliness that impressed me.  He was always cheerful and philosophical, and never let life get him down.Professionally, Graham was an extremely good reporter who was liked and trusted by all his sources. Very quickly we became the best of friends, and I was fascinated by his travels and stories of a life filled with adventure. As a young buck, Graham had roughed it on the trawlers in Cape Town, lived on a yacht off Ireland and had once earned a good living as a professional diver.

Over the years our paths separated at times, then merged again as we pursued our respective careers. He was often on the move – some would say restless – and worked for the SABC and a multitude of papers around the country. He became a legend for his fearless reporting.

While working for the Weekend Argus in Cape Town, for example, he did a successful freefall parachute jump. This must have taken real courage because he had never parachuted before. He once confessed to me that his only professional regret – and he was not a man with regrets – was that he was not chosen by the Sunday Times to accompany South Africa’s ill-fated Everest expedition led by Ian Goodall.

In 2003 Graham and his dear wife Kate enticed me away from Cape Town to join them in Gonubie. He was working for the Daily Dispatch as a sub-editor, and I gleaned a living doing freelance writing until I was appointed Editor of the Business Hi-Lite. When I returned to Cape Town in 2007, I strongly endorsed Graham as the new Editor. With the help of Kate – an expert in advertising sales – he steered the magazine to new heights.

A deep thinker to his roots, Graham came up with many brilliant business ideas, but never had much money. We used to joke at his legendary braais that he was the poorest successful entrepreneur I ever met.
He loved the simple life and the sea. Happiness to Graham was piling into his bakkie before daybreak with the dogs and a fishing rod, and heading for the beach. Fishing was his passion.

A few weeks ago, the roving instinct took hold once more and the couple decided to seek their fortune in Pinetown, KZN. In our frequent phone calls Graham told me that he and Kate were happy and optimistic, and I was pleased for them because I knew they would make a good go of it.

Then they were suddenly, brutally taken from us, leaving a huge void in the lives of the many people who loved them.
Graham leaves a daughter Roisin and son Paul from a previous marriage. His brother and two sisters are scattered around the world. Kate leaves a sister and two brothers.

Text by Nick Whiteley, Photo by Gary Horlor