Farewell to a Father

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday and Windhoek has lost one of its most recognisable patriarchs and, with him, a little of the city centre’s charm. Where once the white-haired and seemingly eternal presence of Biggs van Wyk inspired equal parts curiosity and comfort, Windhoek’s grandfather sits no more.

To many of the people who regularly passed “that old man” as they ran errands, went to work or hurried by, dogged by the urgency that characterises modern life, Van Wyk’s stillness and seeming serenity was a point of intrigue.

Urban legend says the man lost a child in a car accident and stood vigil for some twenty years, praying for those who call Windhoek home while honouring his loved one. As Father’s Day arrives, Van Wyk’s decades-long devotion looms large. It speaks to the profound bonds fathers can potentially share with their children. It illustrates the depth of Van Wyk’s grief yet also underscores his ability to alchemise his sorrow for the benefit of his fellow man.