Leaving legends in his wake
Published
By Tommy Ballantyne
Dubbed affectionately as "The Pope" or the "The Dusi King", Graeme Pope-Ellis indelibly carved his name into the very heart and soul of the world's toughest ultra canoe race - the Dusi Canoe Marathon - winning it 15 times between 1972 and 1990.
The three-day race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban and "The Dusi King" were synonymous - he lived and breathed the race, paddling in it for the first time in 1965 at the age of 17 and completing it for the 46th consecutive time in January this year at 62.
He remained fiercely competitive, but after coming second to John Edmonds in 1991 and third in the doubles with Kevin White in 1992, and although he never won another senior title, Pope-Ellis didn't lose his thirst for victory and went on to win countless races in the veteran, master and grand master age group categories.
His Dusi record shows he was a doubles winner three times with Eric Clarke (1972, 1973, 1974), five times with Peter Peacock (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980) and four times with Tim Cornish (1983, 1986, 1988, 1990) and that he won the race three times in a K1 (1981, 1984, 1987).
Pope-Ellis grew up on a farm in the Bishopstowe area of KwaZulu-Natal and stood on the banks of the Umsunduzi River at the age of three-and-a-half with his father and grandfather as eight intrepid paddlers made their way down the river just before Christmas 1951.
Only one finished the race, Ian Player, and it took him six days, but Pope-Ellis's imagination had already been fired with thoughts of one day being able to paddle a canoe.
A contemporary of his, Robbie Stewart, now living in Sydney, Australia, phoned to express his shock and dismay after receiving the news via an e-mail from Canada.
"What do you say about a genuine sporting legend?" asked Stewart.
"When it came to the Dusi, Graeme was a true professional, so firmly focused, so well prepared, so exceptionally fit and simply just a great competitor.
"In fact he was the perfect Dusi machine - neither too heavy nor too light, an excellent river paddler and he could run like the wind!
"I first remember Graeme when our school travelled to Pietermaritzburg to play rugby and there was this guy in an Alexandra School uniform that I recognised from canoeing," said Stewart.
"We were at times rivals, enemies, teammates, depending on the time of the year, but remained locked in friendship over all the years.
"He also remained faithful to the Kingfisher Canoe Club of which he was a member all his paddling days.
"What was it like to come second to Graeme in the Dusi time and again?
"I would be lying if I said it did not hurt, so much so that when he did ask me once to race with him, I turned him down because I knew that it would still be Graeme winning," he said.
"It is too late now, but I had hoped to put that right one day by paddling one last Dusi with Graeme on a future visit to South Africa.
"His greatest attribute was that he was always humble in victory, always a smile and a spur from Graeme. But when it came down to judging just how good he was he let his results do the talking!
"He was, without a doubt, one of South Africa's greatest ever sportsmen."
I first met Graeme in 1985, soon after my arrival in Durban from Zimbabwe to take up my new post as recreational sports editor with the Sunday Tribune.
I stood on the banks of the Umgeni River at Blue Lagoon waiting for the first paddlers to finish that year's Dusi Canoe Marathon. I was surprised, like many others, that it was John Edmonds who I saw come in first, smashing the great rivalry that existed at that time between Pope-Ellis and Danny Biggs.
After a quick word with Edmonds I looked around for Pope-Ellis but could not see him anywhere until somebody said he was probably somewhere in the car park.
I did manage to track him down, totally relaxed in a camping seat next to his beloved wife Wendy and enjoying a cup of tea.
A man of few words, Pope-Ellis never basked in the glow of victory nor did he ever take anything away from anyone who beat him.
He has been described as South Africa's greatest athlete of all time, eclipsing even the legendary Wally Hayward and Bruce Fordyce of Comrades Marathon fame.
He was the perfect river paddler, especially in a low river, which suited his light frame.
The secret of his success was perhaps his attention to detail and his single- minded pursuit of victory - nothing could swerve him from his goal.
Pope-Ellis's Dusi exploits are now part of legend and to honour his memory, the Dusi Organising Committee has decided that the 2011 edition of the event will be a tribute to him.
Dusi Marathon race director Ray de Vries said: "Next year's race marks the 60th anniversary and it is fitting that it is in memory of the greatest Dusi paddler of all time."
Tributes are pouring in, from all over the country and beyond our borders, to the tribute page on the official Dusi website www.dusi.co.za