The Company We Keep – Stefanos Tselchous

The Company We Keep is a column on the CN&CO blog that profiles some of the most interesting people in our networks. Here we share the details of the lives of people we know, showcasing the extraordinary diversity of our society and proving that people truly are at the heart of everything we do.

But this one is a little different – this is blog is about the company I kept. I dedicate this blog to my beloved father who passed away in March.

I have always been proud of my dad, and what he achieved in his life time, but there is something with death that makes the person almost feel larger than the life they lead. Maybe it is just our way of preserving their memory. Thinking back on my dad and his life, I find myself amazed at how much he overcame and achieved in his 74 years.

My dad, Stefanos Tselchous, was born in 1948 in a small village in Greece, call Neochori. He was the youngest of six children. My grandfather died (mysteriously) during the war between Greece and Turkey, when my father was very young, leaving my grandmother to care for the family on her own. They were very difficult times, they didn’t have much to go around, but what they had was a lot of love and a strong faith. As a young child of five years old, he would take their sheep up into the mountains, with some bread and cheese to last him the days he was up there. He always said it was the most freeing time of his life. Just him, the sheep and nature!

At the young age of 21, my dad got on a plane to South Africa, not speaking a word of English, to come start a new life here. His initial intentions were to leave Greece and move to Italy where he was going to study veterinary science. However, fate had other plans. His sister, living in South Africa, had just lost her husband and was left to raise three young children on her own.  My dad always told us “you can’t always do the job you love, but you must always love the job you do!” He found himself a job as a cleaner and apprentice at Siemens. Being a foreigner in a country where you don’t speak the language was not easy. He was treated badly and assumed not to be intelligent, because of his accent. My dad was honestly one of the smartest people I know! Over the years he learnt electrical engineering on the job, grew his skills and understanding of the trade, got qualified as an electrical engineer and eventually opened his own electrical engineering firm.

My dad never believed in loans and credit – he would always say “you can’t stretch your feet beyond your blanket”. I think coming from a world of immense poverty, it taught him to value money and make the smart choices when it comes to your finances. He saved up a year’s salary before resigning and opening his own business. My dad successfully ran that business for 30+ years.

The other day we were at Sun City for a mini-break, when I was reminded of my dad’s claim to fame. He built the original panel that controlled the valley of waves, wave pool and the bridge. It reminded me of how far he had come in his life and how determined he was to make something of himself – from this once small farm boy to a successful business owner who was a part of something quite iconic.

This also reminded me of the words my dad would live by…. “Courage wins, but perseverance conquers” – courage can take you so far, it’s your perseverance that will pushes you to succeed!!

I miss my dad everyday – losing him is one of the hardest things I have had to accept. But I take comfort in the lessons he taught me and the words he shared….. It’s in those memories that he will live on.