A World-Championship level triathlete, passionate fisherman, avid outdoorsman, loving brother and loyal friend are just some of the words that come to mind when asked to describe Rich.
Born on 30 November, 1982, Rich passed away at the age of 32 years old.
Hobbies and passions
As a carefree youngster, Rich lived with his family in Mauritius from 1991 – 1998. It was during his island years that Rich became a fisherman – one of his true loves. Whether deep-sea fishing in Mauritius, catching Trout in Dullstroom, or Tuna in the Transkei, Rich’s love for fishing was evident at a young age and continues to this day.
At 14 years old, Rich caught his first Black Marlin, followed by a second Marlin a year later. What a formidable feat for someone so young … and one of Rich’s proudest moments to date.
Rich has always spent his free time enjoying the outdoors. In his early 20’s, whilst studying at Rhodes University, a fellow student urged him to train with her for an up-and-coming cycle race. This was the beginning of Rich’s deep love affair with cycling. Since then, Rich has ridden thousands of kilometers on nearly every continent.
Rich progressed rapidly into the world of triathlon, proudly representing his country, South Africa, at the 2007 World Championships. He has competed regularly in competitions around the world from Thailand to Canada, Singapore to Hungary. It was on an early morning training ride (for an up-and-coming Ironman 70.3 race), that Rich was involved in his accident.
International Family
Rich went to high school in Johannesburg South Africa. He and his family are South African by birth but have become a truly international family, spread across Dubai, Australia, Canada and South Africa.
Over the course of Richie’s accident his immediate family moved back from Australia to Cape Town. His mum and Colin cared for Richie from home, with the support of excellent and loving carers. His sister Pippa also relocated to be by her brothers side.
Life in Dubai
Rich chose to embrace the exciting prospect of living in the dynamic city of Dubai. He arrived on his own, a confident and eager 25 year-old ready to make his mark. Rich found his place as a Marketing and Sales Manager for Sport in Life Distribution where he mixes his passion for sport with his dedication to marketing and selling some of the best sports products available. Rich has been living in Dubai for nearly 5 years now and had no immediate plans to leave his desert life.
Not one to sit on the couch at home – every weekend you’ll find him embracing the outdoors. He’s regularly 4×4-ing in the dunes, fishing in Oman or enjoying sunset braai’s (barbeques) on the beach. Rich loves to travel and has made it to 28 countries so far. He has recently been globe hopping – competing in triathlons in different countries.
Rich loves to entertain and he is a very social and confident man with a large group of friends. His house is always the venue of choice for dinner parties, birthday celebrations or Saturday afternoon rugby matches.