Prof Alex von was a brilliant lecturer and presenter. He had a delightful sense of humour and was capable of holding the attention of senior executives, scientists, students and even shop-floor operators for long periods on end.
Farmer’s Weekly came to hear of the passing away of Prof Alex von Holy on 27 March this year. Sue Paterson, one of Von Holy’s colleagues, says that the past few months were very difficult for him due to illness and a number of spells in hospital. His passing was nevertheless sudden and unexpected. Von Holy graduated in biochemistry, chemistry and microbiology at the University of the Witwatersrand with distinction and completed his MSc and PhD degrees at the University of Pretoria part-time. joined the of Witwatersrand as a senior lecturer and was later appointed professor at the School of Molecular and Cell Biology. He received the prestigious International Leadership Award of the International Association for Protection in 2003. Alex founded Von Holy Consulting and worked as a food safety consultant, trainer and auditor. pioneered formal adult education and in-service training on food quality, hygiene and sanitation, HACCP, food safety as well as food microbiology for staff of Southern African Food Processors.
He was best known for his training courses on Pre-Requisite Programmes for HACCP and his workshops on in food processing, having trained well over 8 500 delegates in the SADC region since 1984. H e was a man of character, honest and down to earth, a mentor and tutor to many, and freely shared his vast knowledge of food safety through lectures, presentations and publications. He leaves an exceptional legacy of professionalism and ethics and will be sorely missed by the food industry. Alex is survived by his wife Corene and their three sons to whom we extend our deepest sympathy and condolences at this sad time. All Von Holy Consulting Food Safety training courses will go ahead as scheduled. All course details are available at www.vonholyconsulting.com. For further details, contact Corene von Holy at 083 461 4228, Sue Paterson at 082 927 3695, or e-mail [email protected]. – Glenneis Erasmus
