Tinkie Heyns dies suddenly
Professor Tinkie Heyns, the most devoted of men, died suddenly on Tuesday, January 6, after suffering massive strokes – first on Christmas Day, then on Boxing Day. He was 84.
The strokes left him paralysed down the left side and unable to talk. He was sent to an intermediate care facility where he later died.
Tinkie Heyns – Izak de Villiers Heyns – never put his hand to a plough and withdrew it. He was devoted to his church, specifically the NG Kerk in Rondebosch, devoted to Rondebosch Boys High where he lived from 1948 till he died and to rugby football, especially the Western Province Referees’ Society.
After playing rugby at school Heyns concentrated on athletics at university and won the 880 at the South African championships and broke the record which lasted for many years. When an American athletics team came to South Africa just after World War II he ran against them gaining Springbok colours as a member of the Achilles Amateur Athletic Association.
He started teaching at Hottentots Holland High, had a spell in Port Elizabeth and at an advanced school in the United States before settling into the faculty of education at the University of Cape Town.
He started refereeing with the Western Province Referees’ Society, to which he was devoted. He refereed first league rugby from 1947 on. When he joined the great Springbok Phil Mostert who was more of a figurehead than subsequent chairman under whom Heyns served – Ralph Burmeister, Hansie Schoeman, Paul Dobson, Douglas Holwill and Dennis Immelman. He was for several years the Society’s vice-chairman, a position he relinquished with the unification of 1991 and the sharing of portfolios.
He made a massive contribution to refereeing in South Africa through his attention to matters of law. He was the country’s acknowledged authority on the laws and had many dealings with the International Rugby Board in this respect, edited the South African Law Book for over 40 years and was involved in the translation of the Laws into Afrikaans. Many times he set the examination in the Laws of the Game for all of South Africa’s referees.
Steve Meintjes, the chairman of South African referees, said: “Tinkie was an exceptional person in SA Rugby, leaving a lasting impression on many of us. His knowledge of the Laws of the Game is surpassed by no-one. His passion for the game knew no boundaries. His enthusiasm for everything rugby was tireless. It was only fitting that SA Referees honoured him with life long membership during 2008. I have only one regret, and that is that Prof Tinkie Heyns was not honoured more for his contribution to rugby and to the art of refereeing.
“South African referees wishes to express its condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
He was a man meticulous in his organisation, apart from attending to the appointment of referees each week he drew up the Union’s club fixtures for 49 years, an especially onerous task. In fact he has already done the fixtures for 2009 – his 50th set of fixtures.
Till the end of last season he marshalled the ball boys at Newlands. There he would be gathering in togs and balls, no task too menial.
He loved the Union. When sent away to referee on long journeys, he would take the train “to save the Union money”.
André Watson, South Africa’s refereeing manager, said: “He is one of the few that did it for the game in deeds and not only words. He’ll be sorely missed.”
He told a tale of bearing missing a match in Potchefstroom. He went to the toilet before the match and then could not get the toilet door open. He heard people calling his name and asking where the referee was but they could not hear his cries. Eventually he got a hand under the door and managed to wrench it open. There was just time to get out onto the field. As he ran out he felt a dampness on his hand and saw that the back of his hand was bloodied. He had ripped the skin off.
Tinkie was honoured with life membership of the Union (He was on the committee for 42 years) and the Society, with the position of Honorary Life Vice-President of the Society and recently with life membership of SA referees. He was a vice-president of Rondebosch Old Boys and at Rondebosch Boys’ High there is the Tinkie Heyns Dininghall in Canigou and the new wing at Mason House is called the Tinkie Heyns Wing with a plaque stating: “This wing was built to honour Professor Tinkie Heyns’ long association with Mason House”. .
Heyns refereed Currie Cup Rugby for 33 years, starting in Eastern Province. He also refereed matches involving touring teams, famously sending off a Griqua in a fight with the All Blacks of 1976. He wasatouch judge in 11 Tests.
Apart from teaching many teachers and helped many referees but it may just be that his greatest influence was on the boys of Mason House for boys in Grades 8 & 9 (Stds 6 & 7) at Rondebosch, proclaimed “the best house in the world”. He lived in the same small room on the first floor, little more than a monk’s cell for over 50 years – till the recent renovations when he was persuaded to move to a flat in the house.
He coached the smaller boys at rugby with his stick-and-carrot approach – cuts or Cokes. He did much for the athletics and was the referee at many sports meetings, including, annually, the Triangular.
He was a humble and respectful man, despite his abilities and achievements. Even colleagues of many years standing remained Meneer or Sir. Outside the prep room in Mason House one of his canes is Mounted with the inscription on a plaque: “In honour of a great man who gave so much and yet asked for so little”.
Tinkie Heyns was the good and faithful servant. It is hard to imagine anybody more so.
