Farrarmere resident and former Benoni Northerns president Ted Jarvis (72) moved to Benoni in 1976 because he met hockey players from the club and decided to join it.

BCT: Why did you join Benoni Northerns?

TJ: Graham Bolton asked me to join Northerns; I was 31 and already had over 200* Premier League games under the belt.

The day I walked into Northerns the members made it a home away from home for me.

I have been a member of Northerns for 41 years and in that time I have been involved in the club in various capacities.

Forty years ago I was elected chairman of Benoni Northerns Sports Club.

BCT: Tell us about your time as president of the club.

TJ: In 1980 the club created the position of honorary president and I became the first president of Northerns.

In 1983 I became a life member, and was awarded the membership number of ‘1’ which, according to the rules at the time, is granted as your membership for life.

I resigned from the position in 1993 for business reasons which saw me out of the country a great deal.

Keith Smith from the baseball section succeeded me.

When he emigrated I was honoured and thrilled to be voted back as president in 2001 until this year.

BCT: Tell us about yourself?

TJ: I grew up in the tough suburb of Mayfair, matriculated at Parktown Boys High in 1962 and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1966 with a BA degree with majors in English and Afrikaans.

I was elected onto the executive of the South African Men’s Hockey Association in 1980, as well as being president of Northerns.

I played provincial schools’ hockey for Southern Transvaal and, the year before joining Northerns, captained the Transvaal Country Districts Cricket Team in the SA Country Districts Tournament in Queenstown.

BCT: What keeps you busy?

TJ: I am semi-retired, but still a business consultant for Vital Engineering (Pty) Ltd.

I am married to Marilyn Jarvis and we have two children, Greg Jarvis and Jacqueline de Lange.

We also have four grandchildren: Megan and Andrew (17) de Lange, and Morgan (7) and Harrison (3) Jarvis.

BCT: What are your plans?

TJ: I would like to have the health to continue being active in business, community, club and sport administration.

My final wish is for Marilyn and I to be blessed with good health to continue our active lives.

*The figure was previously erroneously given as 20, but changed to 200 later.

http://benonicitytimes.co.za/298599/jarvis-has-northerns-flowing-through-his-veins/