Remembering Dennis Pather: A Life Dedicated to Journalism and Storytelling

Family, friends, and colleagues of esteemed newspaper editor Dennis Pather are expected to gather for his funeral service at St Thomas' Anglican Church on Musgrave Road, Durban, on Saturday.

Proceedings for the funeral service for Pather, 80, the former editor of the Daily News and various newspapers in the Independent Media stable, begin at 10 am. He passed away on Sunday.

Pather's lengthy and illustrious career in journalism was chronicled in his memoir, Copy Boy: Journey from Newsroom Gofer to Award-winning Editor, which was launched at the Durban International Book Fair in August 2023.

His entry into the world of journalism came shortly after a random meeting in July 1967 with a newspaper editor at an eatery in Durban’s Casbah. By the time Dennis Pather retired in 2010, the imprint he had made on the profession—mostly on broadsheets—was plucky, purposeful, and pronounced.

His son Brendan, based in the US, said it sometimes felt like his father's job was to chase stories around the world so that he could come back and share them with his sister Nisha and mother Kay.

"He told stories in a way that prioritised entertainment above life lessons. However, through these amazing stories, the life lessons stuck. The stories encouraged us to explore and question, to chase the dream but value the journey, and to always reach beyond the visible and mental boundaries designed to restrain us."

"As a child, I remember Nisha and I counting down the days, hours, and minutes to my Dad's return, in anticipation of the adventure he was about to take us on.

"From driving down the windiest road in the world in San Francisco to peeing on the Berlin Wall, his stories fuelled our appetite for life—just as much back then as they do now."

Brendan said his family were blessed this week with supportive calls and texts from journalists all around the world, both active and retired, who all mention his father in a similar vein.

"They describe Dennis as a man of integrity and courage, who stood up for others, fought for change, and was not scared to take on the status quo. To me and my sister Nisha, growing up, he was just our fun Dad. Thank you, Dad, we love you!"

DAILY NEWS