Ryk Neethling (Snr) was born on 1 November 1951 and he grew up on a farm between Bloemfontein and Kimberley.  He matriculated in 1969 at Grey College and thereafter he did his mandatory military service.  In 1972 he enrolled at the University of Free State where he graduated with a B Proc degree in 1976.  During his studies he completed his articles and in 1976 he wrote his admission exams and was admitted as an Attorney and a Notary on 3 February 1977.

He is married to San-Marie Lotz and they have 3 children.  Two daughters and a son.

In 1979 Ryk became a partner at Naudes Attorneys in Bloemfontein.  (The firm merged with Phatshoane Henney in 2013) and after serving as a Partner and Director for 44 years he decided to move to the Winelands where his son is the Group Marketing Director of Val de Vie.

Questions and Answers

Favourite sport to participate in?
Bowling

Favourite spectators sport?
Rugby, cricket, tennis and most of the Olympic sports

Highlights over the years
My wedding date, graduation, the birth of my children and their sport achievements.  I had the privilege to attend four Olympic Games where my son participated.  On a personal note the highlight of my own achievement was when I earned provincial colours in bowling during 2016 and 2017 when I attended the SA Senior Masters

Where did your love for law originate?
I was born in a family where no one studied law.  However I had a very good role model in our family’s attorney.  He was a legendary figure and a family friend.  He specialised in estates and conveyancing and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.  I am not a person who enjoys conflict and therefore court procedure and litigation were not my passion.

The best part of my work? 
The best part of my work is to resolve and process difficult and complicated matters and to finalise the matter with satisfied and happy clients.

What are you looking forward to the most when relocating to Paarl?
My wife and I are looking forward to be moving to Val de Vie.  The beautiful Boland scenery and the safety and security of the estate is extremely important to us.  Two of our children already reside here and our youngest daughter and her husband relocating to Paarl is also a possibility in the future.  In my youth we always visited family in Paarl and I fell in love with Paarl as a child as I thought it was the most beautiful place where one could live.  Still today we have family that farm in the Klein Drakenstein district and we also have family that live in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Hermanus and Cape Town.

What is your favourite holiday destination?
I don’t really have a favourite holiday destination but for many years we enjoyed our family holidays at Glenmore at the coast of Kwa Zulu Natal.  We also had to find a holiday spot where there was an Olympic size swimming pool available.  Strange enough, but this is a rare occurrence at the coast of South Africa.

What is your favourite overseas destination?
We’ve visited Ireland a couple of times where my youngest daughter and her husband resides.  My daughter is married to CJ Stander who is a South African that plays rugby for Ireland.  Ireland is beautiful with the friendliest people.

My favorite pet?
Is a St Bernard dog.  A man’s best friend!  We had this dog breed for 40 years now.  What an amazing animal.

What is your favourite proverb/s?
Always do the right thing, even if no one is watching and treat others the way you want to be treated.