In mid-2005, we heard that the Pam Golding St Francis franchise was for sale, and Jane said, “Let’s move to St Francis!”

I said, “That’s a crazy idea.”

We had been fully settled in Llandudno (Cape Town) for 16 years, with three boys at school and many friends. I was active on school, sports club and suburb committees. But Jane had recently sold out of her children’s clothing business … and was restless. I was in a new business, syndicating UK commercial properties for Pam Golding Commercial, which was going well (unbeknown then to us was to crash in the 2007 global financial downturn), but we had a tricky relationship with our joint venture partner.

For a few weeks, even months, I steadfastly thought the idea was crazy.

One day in early August 2005, the light very suddenly went on. I can remember the exact moment. We were driving on the elevated Foreshore freeway, and I suddenly thought, “Moving to St Francis is a great idea!”

Within a few days, we met with Andrew Golding, who surprisingly gave us the go-ahead at the end of the meeting.

Our boys were shocked, but off we went … to live and work in St Francis! … which we knew well as holidaymakers, having spent all our holidays in St Francis for many years. Jane’s parents had built a house in Laura Road in 1970, and I had grown up in PE and knew the Kromme and St Francis before I met Jane.

Undoubtedly, our move to St Francis has been the very best thing. The boys blossomed at Woodridge and loved all the watersports in St Francis.

And I have so enjoyed running my own small business under the Pam Golding umbrella.

Richard Arderne

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