When the final Whistle blows pdf

When the final Whistle blows:
Coping when the limelight fades
By VDS Brink
Illustrated by Thilo Otterpohl
Copyright © VDS Brink 2012
Wisteria Avenue, Faerie Glen, South Africa
1
st
Edition, 2011 – 12 – 01
e-ISBN 9-78130-15448-75
Published by VDS Brink at Smashwords
www.corvus.co.za
Table of Contents
Introduction
Appreciation
Confessions from the 4
th
team
The gentlemen’s game
Principles of wealth creation
Blinders in our outlook
A full life
The author
References
INTRODUCTION
We live in turbulent times with a world slowly emerging from
the worst economic decline in 80 years. It will take years to
recover the damage. It is also a time when a new generation is
emerging with a new outlook on life.
The shadows of 1994 and the impact of the internet
changed all and that current ways of doing things simply will

not work in the future.
This article discusses it and provides guidelines for
coping and using it to create wealth in an uncertain and
difficult future.
As our personalities differ, our appetite for risk
accordingly, it is critical to be surrounded by people different
from you to maintain perspective.
This article was born from discussing many aspects of
life with great people on investment and particularly the life
of sports women and men.
To soar in life is to know that lots of data and
information mean very little. Greatness and victory is if we
can move to knowledge, then insight and ultimately the
wisdom. To do it is to drown the mind with facts, discuss it
with diverse people, test the water, burn some scars, emerge
with humility and only then follow your head.
On every aspect of life, this takes time, lots of it.
Back to table of contents
TO BE SURROUNDED BY THE BEST
Francois du Plessis and Tom de Lange of Vega Capital,
Laurette Pretorius of Sasfin and Hugo Snyman, Christo Luus,
Deon Olckers, Louwrence Erasmus, Thilo Otterpohl, Ian
Lane, Dewald Scholtz of Third Circle Asset Management
play a major role in my understanding of wealth creation.
In their shadows I moved from a salary earning ignorant
nobody to a share trader, understanding my limitations, made
small fortunes and lost some of it and came out wiser,
humbler and understanding my role so much better. It taught
me that there are wiser people than me; yet never lose
strategic control, to manage my fear and greed and see it all in

a wider context.
The world of sport for me was remote and distant. Sport
insults and humiliates 85 % of the population. Sport is not
exercise, it is hype and glitz. Whether anybody buys a seat at
Loftus, it makes no difference, it is less than 5% of their
income, the rest is pure media hype
With this cynical view, my roads crossed with wise
people on that side of the fence, and a new world opened up.
Christo Spies (former Springbok athlete, batsman for
Kovsies plus many others and today the mental coach for both
the Cheetahs and the Eagles), a friend and a daily pillar of
strength for the past 5 years.
Elizabeth Reynders (double Olympic swimmer), a friend
for many years and collaborator on the great post 2010
scenario project when she passionately shared her views on
the Sydney and Atlanta before and after the Games.
Steve Rautenbach (former Olympic coach at Barcelona)
who was a co-soldier in the trenches at the SAPS reserve
force and told priceless stories while doing midnight hours on
the beat.
Greyling Viljoen (clinical psychologist and canoe
champion of global rivers, Springbok for almost a decade and
sport administrator), a comrade in arms for many years at
Unisa’s MBA as co-lecturer on creativity gave me insight into
the world of high performance, and the limelight that shines
and fades.
Wonderfull discussions recently at SA Rugby at
Newlands with Steven Roos (ex school mate, operations
manager and veteran of 36 years at that holy ground) and
Giepie Nel (Blue Bull centre of yesteryear) who escaped the

final onslaught of fame and professionally qualified as a
dentist, gave priceless ideas.
A great lecture recently by Dr Sherylle Calder of the
Sport Science Institute on eye-hand coordination brought
great new insight.
The concept of the fading limelight enlightened by my
brother, Danie who as a doctor witnesses the devastating
impact on our lives. Johann Coetzee, the industrial
psychologist, and his concept of “when the corporate applause
dies” as seen in real life in my 5 year journey with Allan Heyl
who kicked off a new life with all lime lights glaring and a
Hollywood movie (“Stander”) to back him up.
We know that 60% of all chartered accountants in the
US of A die within two years after retirement and the rest of
us between the ages of 63-65, a sharp peak in death rate that
drops afterwards.
Leaving that great mining company after 25 years
brought me to my knees and 8 months of emotional living
hell. (“Why doesn’t anybody phone me”?) An identity
destructed, am I still good and competent, worthy of respect?
The corporate applause is addictive. For the young
sportsperson, it dies early and can and will lead to emotional
distress and subsequent bad decisions.
Back to table of contents
CONFESSIONS FROM THE 4
th
TEAM
80% of all super performing sportsmen & women are born
January – March. Fact. (Gladwell, 2009) Being no exception
as an October baby, I never made beyond the 4th team.

Ironically today after 4 decades, 90% of my compatriots
who sneered at me then, cannot even do one flight of stairs. I
spend an hour in Virgin Active daily, can do Table Mountain
in 1 hour 15 minutes and a comfortable sub 2 hour half
marathon For them, the impact of Gunston, Klipdrift &
Coke, Rump and Chips had the last revenge
Even more so, my dear wife, a November babe, never
even made the netball team, yet today is a multiple gold
medallist for the 10 kms, in the top 10% in this year’s Two
Oceans and last year a national 4
th
place for Virgin Active’s
triathlon. Her compatriots faded into mid aged overweight
ladies so sad.
Then, when working at the age of 22 under the baton of
the great Dr Craven as the resident scientist on the John van
Reenen world record project, brought insight into the world of
sport.
Eccentric as he was, “Doc” Craven also drove a Jaguar,
in his case a British racing green XJ with a ridgeback named
Bliksem who commandeered the front seat.
He creatively chose a champion swimmer for the 1960
test in Dublin. Attie Baard barely ever played rugby in his
life! Attie, a retired doctor and ex superintendent of the
Stellenbosch hospital shared his story with me to my delight.
He also relegated Andrew van der Watt the Springbok
wing at the time, to Maties’s 2
nd
team to make room for the
aging Jannie Engelbrecht.

Due to his physical appearance, we fondly referred to
him as “The Ape-Man”.
I cheated and bribed to get the job to cover my expenses
for my sins of not passing my second year maths. All funded
by the great Naspers and money was no object.
As most post grad students in sport science came from a
BA background, I soon become the resident hero to coach
them in the complexities of stats, maths and mechanics. An
endless stream visited me in my room to complete their
assignments, all paid for by Selected Tassenberg. (That is the
one with the cork.)
One of them the Springbok fullback at the time, Dawie
Snyman. Respect shown by my mates in the res’s corridors
grew by the day. In the same corridors lurked people like
Michiel le Roux (Capitec’s founding chairman) and Koos
Bekker (today of the same Naspers). Life was beautiful!.
Not stupid yet, I coded lengthy FORTRAN programs
solving exponential equations built upon the behaviour of a
discus in a wind tunnel. The mysteries and myths of swinging
cricket balls were part of the study. This was then discussed
with Naspers’s editors. They, also BA types, did not
understood a word what we said, yet as media moguls sniffed
money in the air, nodded their heads in enthusiastic agreement
and kept on footing the bill. I even bought a car!
Ivor Potgieter was the coach who wisely took the new
insight and adapted John’s style slightly. In our team was the
bow-tie wearing colourfull Dr. Jan van Heerden who analyzed
poor John’s skeleton by means of numerous X-ray photos. Dr.
Jan was then and remains today a national hero with his
groundbreaking book, “What every boy should know.” As Jan

van Elfen his books became part of our furniture.
The rest is history: we struck gold on 14
th
of March ’75
when John broke the world record with a huge 50 cm.
It was a great moment in the life of a youngster to meet
that humble giant. These days, at the age of 63, he is world
renowned artist exhibiting in galleries as far as New York.
John, in the true spirit set by Roger Bannister (of 4
minute mile fame) competed against only one person: John
van Reenen.
Back to table of contents
AND THE GENTLEMEN’S GAME?
That brings us to cricket. A game played only at a few places,
almost all of them in the Colonies. Sadly it excludes Canada,
yet oddly includes Holland.
Where played, it is worshipped, yet the story goes that
after 3 hours of sipping diluted tea, the batsman hit a six
followed by some applause, the visiting American asked:
“Did the game begin?”
When working with the ex coach of Pakistan and later
the Titans, Richard Pybus, he told me how he feared for his
life after losing a match and the fanatics building effigies of
him, dowsed it in petrol and set it alight.
They dress in long trousers and in white. The only sport
with a rule that you should behave yourself with swearing not
allowed. Girls LUV it. So to steal the hearts of long legged
blondes, wear white, be masculine and never ever use four
letter words!
My last match was for that miniscule West Coast town,

Koringberg, when we played against the mighty Piketberg. I
batted no 3 and was out after 5 balls for a duck.
Yet I love the game and all around it and in my
endeavours under prompting of my three teenage daughters,
was always on the hunt for autographs.
Gymmed in Brisbane next to the great Shane Warne.
Hotelled in London with Brian Lara and Co and the greatest
was on the way back from New York back in ’92 to fly to
Bridgetown, Barbados to pick up Kepler and team. My seat
mate next to me: Mike Procter! At the point over mid
Atlantic, a newbie sitting in economy in the back came to
speak to Mike and introduced himself to as Hansie, sadly not
with us anymore Ali Bacher resided up front in 1
st
Class
Only one survival of that flight these days, a member of
the under 19 team; a guy named Herschelle.
As a fanatic, I stood on the pitches of Lords, the Oval,
Sydney, Brisbane and visited the Brabham museum in
Bowral, NSW, twice as I had a project there Down Under.
Stood in awe on the Melbourne Ground with the highest light
poles in the world, fitting +100 000 comfortably and built
solely for cricket and the funniest game invented by mankind,
Aussie Rules
While talking about cricket grounds; in these days of
irritating name changes, we also need to look into the mirror.
Many years ago, there was a town outside Pretoria, Lyttleton.
In a wave of patriotism they renamed it more politically
correct as Verwoerdburg.
In the mean time, Dr Willie Basson of the Northern

Transvaal cricket union made a deal with the city council to
build a cricket ground. They dreamt of all the hundreds to be
scored and named it Centurion Park. The Jewish capitalists in
Sandton also had to make a move to be politically correct and
renamed the shopping complex next door Centurion City.
The city council, after many fights, flag waving and
debate renamed the whole city, making Centurion it the only
place in the world named after a cricket ground!
When the late Dr Albert Herzog turned his back on his
cronies, the same fate befell the Hertzog Tower in Jozi to be
renamed boringly as the Brixton Tower.
To divert a bit, with great guys domineering our history
as General Hendrik Potgieter and Colonel John Graham who
both easily wiped out whole towns before breakfast. They are
overshadowed by Lord Alfred Milner who through his
underling, Lord Kitchener cold bloodily killed 27000
children, mostly babies and toddlers. (Gilliomee, 2006)
Yet, their legacy is cherished in Milnerton,
Potchefstroom and Grahamstown.
Not the end of the saga yet as the Titan’s union then
succumbed to the onslaught of the Mighty Rand and renamed
their grounds: Super Sport Park!! Imagine a future billboard:
“Welcome to Super Sport City”.
Will we never learn?
However the most wonderfull was back in ’94 when we
opened our office in Brisbane and a guy walked in. He was
the owner of a civil engineering consultancy across the
corridor, Maclean & Chapman. As wicketkeeper of Oz and
administrator, he was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II for his
dedicated service in maintaining the tiny bit what is left of the

Empire. Sadly he did not attend the sword hitting ceremony as
he could not afford the air ticket. His wife almost divorced
him!
John Maclean MBE himself. John, a humble person, who
helped us every bit to find our feet in an odd country speaking
a foreign language by abbreviating everything while drinking
Swan beer. He kept up correspondence with my 15 year old
daughter sharing great cricket stories and gave her something
to brag about on the playground.
Listening to Sherylle’s lecture, it struck me that second
only to playing the violin; the utmost hand eye coordination
of mankind is found amongst cricketers. To read a ball
coming at you swerving in the air at 140 km/h is not for
sissies. They are indeed special people and lots are to be
learnt from them and what they do.
The mind of the cricketer surely is surely different from
the rugby player. In rugby lots of them at 35 are penniless,
desperate, a broken body and an empty mind. Working on
wealth creation with a great cricketer we need to take all this
in account as it shaped his mind for many years and this
unique characteristic just must be used.
Back to table of contents
PRINCIPLES OF WEALTH CREATION
This is the field for the experts, yet few ideas might help:
Every Rand/Pound/Dollar you spend must be earned by
somebody (= the root of the subprime debacle?); wait
patiently and work hard all your life; beware of scams and
promises (if it is too good to be true, it often is!); know how
much you earn, spend, save, own and owe, know how much is
needed to retire. (Luus, 2010, pers. comm.)

From Danko’s great book “The Millionaire, next Door”
(adapted after many discussions with De Lange 2005-
2007):
• Live far under current means: That is within 70% of
availability as calculated from the Wealth Index. The
WI will be discussed later.
• Spend lots of time, money and energy on ways to built
wealth: Count your money often, read, think future, talk
to advisors, and take final responsibility.
• Financial dependence >>> social standing. Live modest
and show it. The late Dr Rupert drove an ancient Merc
and Warren Buffet a 10 year old Ford Falcon.
• Children need to be financially independent. Give
everything for education and ongoing education.
• Create a legacy in a trust, pass on to the future
grandchildren
• Be clever to see new opportunities. Use strategic
insight, vast networks, feel for the future to aid to the
work of your financial advisors.
• Do the right things to create extra income. Do work that
creates networks and pays handsomely. Strive to cover
monthly expenditure for next 5 years from external
income.
• Guard against loss.
• Make the best of property, yet understand that there is a
price to be paid. (rather buy property shares ?)
• Stick to investments of what we understand. If it are to
be CFDs, SSFs, day trading, Hedge Funds, Persian
carpets, gold coins, golf estates, offshore gilts and
bonds, Emperor Casino or the Lotto, great, but know

before we leap.
• Handle risk with a balance between caution and
aggression: Always know how much I can afford to
lose and keep the foundation intact.
• Above all surround yourself with great people of a
diverse background.
Know yourself. Get your Myers Briggs type or whatever
indicator. Do Third Circle’s psychological profiling (a steal at
only R199). Talk to those same BA types mentioned above.
They have a great role to fulfill.
In my case as an introverted, intuitive, thinking
perceiver, I am certain to mess it up if I do it myself. My
miserable trading record proves it, especially when my pet
company Uranium One dropped by almost 80% overnight!
This all when my dear fund manager seems to sit boringly on
her hands, yet steered it all wisely to survive the market
collapse.
Understand your weaknesses, and use your strengths in
combination with wise people diverse from yourself.
To make a sure mess, is to sit in the “we-warm-
ourselves” crowd and follow the herd. Like the Norwegian
lemmings and Hamelin’s mice, you and your cronies will run
over the cliff.
Back to table of contents
BLINDERS IN OUR OUTLOOK
Each of us look at life with tinted glasses. This is our biggest
enemy in wealth creation. Some of them are (from
Wikipedia):
• Remembering chosen options as having been better
than rejected options.

• Bandwagon effect; if all thinks it’s great, then it must
be.
• Remembering one's past performance as more
different than it actually was.
• Recalling the past in a self-serving manner, e.g.
remembering one's exam grades as being better than
they were, or remembering a caught fish as being
bigger than it really was.
• Keep things as it is; do not rock the boat.
• Difficult to let go.
• An item that sticks out is more likely to be
remembered than other items .
• The emotion associated with unpleasant memories
fades more quickly than the emotion associated with
positive events.
• The inclination to see past events as being
predictable; also called the "I-knew-it-all-along" and
the “I told you so” effect. In our great country the
“good old days” is a lively topic when we braai. We
conveniently forget the cheating, bribing, paving the
way for our cronies. The only real difference is that
these days we at least know about it.
The herd will move through phases in the investment world:
Rejection – distrust – safe play - trust – exuberance – greed –
whatever – negative – it’s not true – worry – fear – panic –
despair – surrender – back to rejection.(De Klerk, 2009)
Since September 2008 we almost witnessed the whole
cycle and now somewhere between safe play and trust.
Perhaps the trick is to be 2 steps ahead of the herd?
Back to table of contents

A FULL LIFE
A full life is so much more than being wealthy. (Demathini,
2005). It is to balance family, spirituality, doing sensible
work, create wealth, have friends, have a healthy body. If
passing into the 50s, creating a legacy will be the 7th pillar.
To sum up: Mind, Body, Soul, Friendship, Wealth, Hard
Work and surrounded by Loved ones. Tinker with any of
these pillars and your castle of happiness will tumble down.
To be wealthy is not to be rich. It is to survive
maintaining our current lifestyle. (Danko 2004). Demathini
(2005) advises that we should have 2x months of salary saved
in the bank, then build up to 2 months in bonds, then a mutual
fund, then in blue chips, large cap, small cap, derivates and
then only hedge funds. It is to follow a route of small steps,
covering risk and learn along the way.
Maglolio (2205) advises a full year of research and
understanding before any trades.
The PSG Make a Million competition served me well as
I focused on a slice of the market (e.g. Alt
x
) and worked with
real money. A great learning exercise.
The most important is to find an asset manager that
walked the road. A person that can listen and get under your
skin. An open ear, dedicated with perfect administration.
If not drawing a fixed salary, yet accumulated a bundle,
long term planning can sensible done with Danko’s Wealth
index formula adapted by De Lange (2006).
It gives a monthly extraction rate. Stick to this, money
not spend can be blown and enjoyed. All new income is never

allocated for expenditure, but form part of the pool. By
choosing a conservative WI, the pool must grow over time
giving the freedom never to succumb to daily temptations, yet
building a legacy.
Back to table of contents
About the Author
After studying Science and technology, Van der Spuy (61)
worked in mining IT, a decade on offshore mining
development, managed Industrial Engineers, Knowledge,
Innovation and several mining restructuring projects
He lectured Innovation and Strategy for Unisa’s MBA
and now an external examiner for Stellenbosch’s Industrial
Engineering and strategy lecturer at Milpark Business School.
As a strategy facilitator worked with many companies
including Discovery, Amplats, Sasol and recently the faculties
and campuses of North West University.
The heart warming highlights were guiding a day
session with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to
be the MC for the governor general of Canada on her South
African tour.
He owns a startup stake in Asset Management,
Media, Venture Capital and Health companies, his startup
company is the winner of the Enablis business plan
competition of 2009 and Dept. of Science and Technology’s
best new company award for systems management in 2010.
Spending most his life in coaching and guiding
students and senior managers, he excels when co-sharing
views and ideas give birth to a diamond.
He is the proud grandfather of 4 handful diamonds
and goes though live with a Canon capturing the oddities of

life believing that in any heap of dung there is always a lily
about to bloom
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