Petroleum and structural geologist who became a prominent voice for ornithology and conservation in his native South Africa.
Roelof van der Merwe died unexpectedly in his sleep at his home in Waterkloof, Pretoria, in the early hours of Wednesday morning (23 December). He was 57 and is survived by his wife Willene, step-daughters Rachelle and Nini, Sister Elizabeth van der Merwe (Betsie), and mother Miems.
Picture: Dr Roelof van der Merwe receiving the BirdLife International Conservation Achievement Awards from HIH Princess Takamado in 2013.
Conservation
The evening before his death, van der Merwe had sent a festive season email message to his friends and acquaintances, urging them to greater conservation efforts in the coming year. Roelof was a generous donor to the BirdLife South Africa’s seabird conservation, including sponsoring the organisation’s Coastal Seabird Conservation Manager position. The private Charl van der Merwe Trust named after Roelof’s late father was also “Species Champion” for the endangered African Penguin in BirdLife International’s Preventing Extinction Programme, and supported WWF-SA’s marine conservation work and EWT’s raptor conservation work in the eastern Karoo, as well as conservation work on the Southern Ground Hornbill.
Roelof and his family trust had generously donated to BirdLife South Africa’s seabird conservation work, including sponsoring the organisation’s Coastal Seabird Conservation Manager position.
Hero
Roelof was an unsung conservation hero who did not want praise and recognition. He was a passionate conservationist and deeply committed to efforts to conserve penguins, other seabirds, and the marine environment.
Roelof van der Merwe trained as a geologist, completing his BSc (1982), Honours (1983), MSc (1986) and PhD (1994) at Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) in structural geology under Profs Chris Roering and Jay Barton. Between 1990 and 1992 he worked in petroleum exploration for SOEKOR, before completing his PhD.
From 1995 to 2002 he was on the staff of the Geology Department at the University of Pretoria, as Senior Lecturer in structural geology, before taking early retirement to manage the family trust and pursue his passions of conservation, travel and wildlife photography. Roelof’s commitment to structural geological education continued after he left the University of Pretoria, as he remained an extraordinary lecturer, and generously sponsored the Roelof van der Merwe prize for the best performing student in the undergraduate structural geology course, and the Dirk Visser prize for the best structural-based honours project.
Photographer
An accomplished birder and photographer, he travelled widely in pursuit of his passion, including several times to Antarctica. He was further a lover of good wine and dining and tasted the flavours of the world, including Lima, Peru, one of his last stop-overs on his way to the Galapagos Islands. He was a collector of model trains, a past chairman of the Tectonic Division and a Fellow of the Geological Society of Africa.
Our thoughts are with his wife Willene, step-daughters Rachelle and Nini, Sister Elizabeth van der Merwe (Betsie), and mother Miems. Roelof will be remembered by his family and friends for his humbleness and generosity.
Andreas Rompel & Adam Bumby. Reproduced with the permission of the Geological Society of South Africa
Save