GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Well-known Graaff-Reinet vet, Dr David Thornton (94), passed away peacefully on 15 August after a short illness.

Although he had become increasingly frail in recent years, he leaves many memories of a rather eccentric and daring character.

Thornton's exploits started in the Second World War. He joined the Natal Carbineers straight from school, and lost the lower part of his leg in Italy, after being hit by South African artillery. He never complained about his disability, and it did not stop him from enjoying life to the fullest.

He qualified as a vet in 1954, and after periods in the UK and Natal, he returned to his home town of Graaff-Reinet, opening a surgery behind his family home. He was greatly respected for his knowledge and caring nature.

He bought a small plane, ostensibly for work purposes, but had many mishaps and forced landings. One such event occurred when he was forced to make an emergency landing in the dam with a group of German skydivers on board. To confuse the rescuers, he persuaded his passengers to lie down and pretend to be dead - fortunately, they all survived without a scratch.

Another amusing anecdote involved a trip home from Johannesburg on his war surplus Harley Davison, when his prosthesis snapped while he was kick-starting the bike. He casually threw the broken 'foot' into the sidecar, to the consternation of the watching petrol attendant!

He collected friends from all walks of life and loved people. He found Karoo connections in those he met in areas as far away as Cape Town, and had a deep love for Graaff-Reinet.

His first wife, Joan, died tragically in 1997. He is survived by his second wife Orelia, his sons Alfred and Philip, daughter-in-law Yvonne-Mari, and granddaughters Selene and Isabelle.

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