Where are they now......?

Many people have asked where everyone is these days, so we've dedicated this page to all the Team Members and Suppliers who worked for or dealt with Game during those early days when Jack Schaffer and Alan Hellmann ran the company.

Bernard Shapiro

I left Game in 1975 and worked for various other retailers including Spar, Pick 'n Pay Hyper, Mica Hardware and then Key Account manager for a wholesale distributor. I returned to Game in 1984 and stayed for another 8 years but by then it was a totally different company with stores around the country, many losing money and some eventually closed. In 1988 there were many changes and we started making profits again.
I retired in 2012 and Wendy and I decided to downsize, sold our house in Durban North after 33 years and we emigrated to Cape Town early 2013. 

We live in Cape Town as do both our children and we have two grandchildren. We're still in touch with many ex-Game team members and suppliers.

And yes, I'm still a loyal Sharks Rugby Team supporter!


Frank Haigh

I started my career as a bicycle assembler in Game Smith Street and ended my career in 2014 as a Divisional Executive, reporting to the Operations Director, showing that hard work does pay off! I enjoyed 35 fantastic years with the Company and received my Master’s Jacket at the Company Conference in 2011. 

I have assisted with the opening of many new stores countrywide and developed many of the existing Store Management team.  I have even appeared on Game’s TV and newspaper adverts.

I was medically boarded after a stroke in January 2014. My wife, Sandi, still works for the Company, and she keeps me informed of all the comings and goings! 

We live with their 2 teenage children in Durban North.

      

Howard Davison

After leaving Game in 1978 I did some consulting work (organised by friends of Jack Schaffer, of course!).

This finally put me on the road to Johannesburg and a career at Dion from 1980 to 1993 where I became director of marketing and manpower.

The takeover in 1993 was by Massmart was time to move on (another massive culture change by people who did not know what they were doing).

I returned to Durban but all roads led back to Johannesburg, where I teamed up with Private Label Promotion in 1994 in a joint venture and today I head up The Rewards Factory (a rewards and recognition company) as Managing Director. www.therewardsfactory.co.za

So life is good. Still married to Ruth (or is she married to me?).

Had supper with Mike Davidson and a few Dion colleagues last week (August 2016). He has not changed a bit!!

Chris Burlock

After leaving Game, I joined Paton Tupper Associates (PTA) in Durban and, at the age of 26, opened PTA (Transvaal).  I built this design and promotions company into the biggest in South Africa and at 48 retired to a private game reserve in Botswana. I now lives in the Western Cape and use my marketing experience on a purely voluntary basis, helping various conservation and animal welfare organisations.

Mike Ross

I still reside in Westville and have done so for the past 45 years. I am keeping myself active as the Operations manager for the largest independent warehousing and distribution company and am enjoying every moment.

Joey Diamond
(Prima Toys)

Now runs successful toys company DIAMOND SELECT TOYS and lives in Cape Town.

Joey and I met for coffee to chat and reminisce about the old and not-so-old days. Always great to see and chat to people who know what they're talking about. 

 Erna Vause

After leaving Game I joined Jack Schaffer and Barry Clements in a bottle store venture called VIVA. Unfortunately it was not to be and profitable venture and we closed after only one year due to monopolies in the liquor industry. 

I joined Dion's in Johannesburg for about three years to sort out all their systems and came back to Durban to assist Jack and Barry once again with the systems and administration in SNAP Stores which unfortunately went into provisional liquidation in 1984. 

Shortly thereafter I joined Pick n Pay Retailers in Durban as an Accountant and retired with them in October 2013. These were happy years with a wonderful company and it was like coming to a great second home after Game. 

Frank and I sold our home in Durban North after 28 years in 2015 and moved to Rob Roy Lifestyle Village and are at last enjoying the fruits of our labour's in the Retail Trade.




Trevor Falkson

 In serious discussion

Photo of Trevor above taken (not) recently!

Trevor Falkson attended the recent Game and DionWired conference.

Here is his impression......

It was quite by accident that I was invited to attend the annual Game and DionWired conference in the Berg. The Marketing Director Mark Turner asked Vis Gounden, who is one of the oldies, if he had any contacts of original Game management and he happened to see my birthday messages on Facebook, and so started my adventure into the past.

The theme of the conference was GameChanger and all of the 650 people present were involved in the exercise. The conference opened with a 1 hour play enacted by 5 professional actors, Game team members and yours truly. I was the opening scene talking about the past and what made Game so successful:

• ·         The aggressive marketing
• ·         The decisive decision making
• ·         The back to basics
• ·         G.O.YA (Get Off Your Ass)

·   The customer and supplier relationships and many of those other things that so many Ex-Game members have mentioned on the Blog.

They loved the “If You Cut A Game Member We Bleed Pink.” The rest of the play was different scenarios of negative and then positive responses to customer to my requests. It was all done professionally and the following 2 days were spent in new-product presentations in the numerous conference halls in the resort. 

I told my wife Lyn I have never had a selfie taken before and here I was the blast-from-the-past that everyone wanted a photo with. 

The upshot of this wonderful adventure for me is that I have had requests to come and talk to various divisions and within the next couple of weeks will be having a meeting with the Food Director Alan v d Berg and 20 of his buyers, merchandise managers and planners to get back to basics and hold a Green-light Session - date still to be advised. 

I will keep you posted on how that goes.

I also met a few people from our day, George Naidoo (now the confectionery buyer, Sherriff now the Small and Major Appliance buyer (he tells me that a new fridge order would be in the region of 2 thousand units) and Ray Edwards who was with Rob Burnill at SPAR - he was responsible for the opening of Tops at Spar and now looks after liquor at Game. I even have a new Game Shirt which I will wear at my meeting with Alan Van Den Berg who was the food buyer at PnP for 20 odd years.

Yours in Pink, 

Trevor Falkson



 

Trevor Falkson visited us in Cape Town in February 2018 and a week later, so did Terri Boardman (Sweet), who was Jack Schaffer's secretary.

It was so nice catching up on all that's happened since we last saw each other, in the case of Terri it's been more than 40 years.