Former SATSA ExCo member, John Rothschild, passed away in Australia towards the end of May after a long and painful battle with cancer.
Rothschild served on the SATSA ExCo for several years and also served as CEO of SATSA. He was a highly respected and well liked member of the industry.
Liz Westby-Nunn, Founder of Portfolio Collection, shares the following memory of Rothschild:
“I first had the pleasure of meeting John in 1982 when we were launching Portfolio of Places in Mutual Square, Rosebank, Johannesburg (now part of the Gautrain Rosebank station). Our theme for the afternoon launch in Mutual Square was the Romance of Travel from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s and we converted the Square into a railway station from those eras as authentically as possible.
We needed some original vintage cars to recreate the atmosphere, and I was recommended to contact John Rothschild, the then MD of Gold Reef City (which was very new in those days and a great tourist attraction). John did not hesitate and very kindly provided several vintage vehicles, including a fabulous bullion van, which really set the scene. From then onwards, our long-standing friendship began.
“John was a larger-than-life personality (in more ways than one) and amongst other positions, he went on to become CEO of SATSA. He was a consummate marketer and under his direction, SATSA’s membership grew in leaps and bounds. He had a wonderful sense of humour, and was a kind, generous and warm human being who would make every effort to help whenever he could. He had an enormous passion for travel and tourism and always had great enthusiasm for all the projects he was involved with.
“A fond farewell to one of South Africa’s tourism stalwarts … hamba kahle John,” said Westby-Nunn.
Rothschild leaves three daughters Anne, Yolande and Lindsay, who live in Auckland, New Zealand, and a son, Gavin, who lives in the Eastern Cape.
