Death of well-known Paarlite
2009-01-29
THE unexpected death of a well-known Paarlite, Patricia (Pat) Martin (74), came as a great shock to family, friends and the Paarl community. She died at her house in Paryskloof due to a stroke on Wednesday. Martin who was known by many as someone who wanted to empower and uplift the community of Paarl, was born in Cape Town where she qualified as a teacher at the Wesley Training College, and then started her career at St Mark’s Primary School. In 1960 she married Paarl teacher John Martin, and they settled in Paarl. They have three sons Kempton, Lyndon and Raoul and five grandchildren. Martin was also known in the teaching profession having taught at several schools in Paarl, including Paulus Joubert Primary and St Stephens. She was the principal of Ronwe Primary School where she retired and she was a hostel superintendent at the then Athlone Teachers Training College in Paarl for eight years. According to her husband, she will be remembered as a real lady, always professional, and with a keen eye for detail. “Pat was a gentle yet strong leader.” In 2000 she became aware of the plight of abused women and children and the fact that there was no safe place for them. She was a founding member of the Athlone House of Strength (Ahos) when she called ten women from five member churches of the Athlone Institute Trust (AIT) together. They approached the AIT and managed to obtain seed funding to establish a one stop victim empowerment centre. With the help of donors, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Correctional Services and a dedicated committee and staff, Ahos was opened in December 2008 under her chairmanship. The facility boasts a shelter, child care centre and counselling centre. According to Bessie Pretorius, the manager at Ahos, she will remember Martin as someone who was determined to make a success of every challenge she took on. The funeral was held at St Stephen’s Church in New Orleans yesterday.
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