David Richard Pryce 1933 - 2026

David was born on 17 December 1933 in Cape Town to Cecil Percival Pryce and Gertrude Louisa Pryce, and grew up in Rondebosch.

He attended Micklefield school, Rondebosch Prep and Bishops, where he completed a post matric year (1951).  According to Stan Brown, (Bishops, matric in 1951), his close friend, they were members of the infamous C Form – the non-Latin takers!  They both did not excel in class nor sport, except that David represented Bishops at shooting!

David went on to study Civil Engineering at UCT.  On the day of graduation, he left, together with his friend Donald Ayres, for England on the boat.  After a two year working stint in London he returned to South Africa, having landed a job with Ninham Shand in Port Elizabeth,  where he was to design a bridge.

It was there that his love for sailing was instilled, when some friends, including Brian Hoskyn invited him for a sail on their yacht, Melody.  About sailing, he said that he enjoyed the stillness of the motion, no motor no noise.

David purchased Melody and shipped her down to Cape Town.  Brian, in the meantime bought the yacht Windsong and fixed it up.  It was on this yacht, that they sailed to the Seychelles in 1966.  A six-month sailing adventure, which appeared in the Newspapers!

In 1971 he joined the South African Navy in Simon’s Town, in the Civilian Branch as Harbour Engineer, and spent 19 years of being in charge of maintenance and construction in all the naval areas.  That is habour works, underwater design, ship lifting in Durban, building a jetty and even replacing cracked toilets in the Admiralty House!

Whilst employed by the Navy, he still made time to go sailing, and took part in the first Cape to Rio Race in 1971 on the General Botha’s Howard Davis skippered by his close friend Captain Philip Nankin, and also sailing on his friend Robin Wardrop’s boat, Amelia, in Table Bay.  Needless to say they were members of the Royal Cape Yacht club!

When offered early retirement in 1990 he took it.

A priority message went out :

28 June 1990

For Mr D Pryce – Works Navy

Your years of loyal service to the SAN marked by important contributions to the maintenance and expansion of naval facilities and infrastructure is appreciated.

The leadership attributes in managing works branch and motivation of personnel gratefully acknowledged.

My best wishes on your retirement.

As David aged, he remarked that usually as people get older their boats get bigger, but in my case I have done the reverse.  From sailing yachts, he started sailing hobie-cats, and then took up wind-surfing when he retired.

David’s first wife was Maureen, who he married in 1968 and had two daughters, Samantha and Caroline.  His second wife was Fiona Chisholm, a journalist for the Independent Newspapers, who he married in 2001.

In his latter years David enjoyed going to wine tastings, wading out on the Langebaan lagoon and doing DIY at Oostewal, walking in the forest with his labrador dogs, attending philamonic orchestras, operas, entertaining friends, and travelling around South Africa and overseas.

David had a wonderful sense of humour and handled things with grace.

He would say, ‘Take things as they come’.

The ODU and Bishops send their deepest sympathies to Samantha, Caroline and their families.

Rest in Peace dear David!