'Tiger' William Thompson - South African Scout Association

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William Kortzen, better known as 'Tiger', was born in. Observatory, Johannesburg on 2 December 1931. His mother was not married, his father was a married ...
WILLIAM 'TIGER' THOMPSON ‘Roughed it’ at Hawequas 2002-2013 William Kortzen, better known as 'Tiger', was born in Observatory, Johannesburg on 2 December 1931. His mother was not married, his father was a married man, whom he never knew. At 2 years old, he was adopted by the Thompson family, as his mother could not afford to keep him. He spent most of his life in the Transvaal (Gauteng) until 1989 when he moved down to the Cape. Attended Brickston English Medium School in Troyville, where he started taking up boxing. Left school at 16, remembering all the excitement about the war at the time, how clean Johannesburg was, the tallest building only about 18 floors, the old Rag Parades, it was a great town, not like today… Leaving school to work in the City Municipal Slaughter Poles - sweeping up Ox blood which ate through his shoes at an alarming rate. Was not happy with this job and wanted to join the SA Police Force, but needed Standard 8, so ended up a Prison Warden in Johannesburg Central Prison. This lasted a year as he felt locked up with the prisoners - "almost like being in prison yourself". While being a Warden, worked part time at the local bioscope, operating the projectors. Absolutely loved all the Cowboy Western movies like – Roy Rogers, Hop-a-long Cassidy, Zoro and Deadwood Dick. Joined the Post Office, riding a little red Van emptying all the red mailboxes. While playing mailman, worked part time as a Detective and Bouncer at the then elite Ritz Hotel, still continuing training as a boxer at Jack Husters Club in Booysens, where some heavy boxing, wrestling and training took place. Then married Margaret, this lasted seven years producing a wonderful daughter Melody, in the process giving up everything but boxing. Went into the welding business, "as the pay was far better", making fridge's, parts and brackets for lifts in buildings, which by now were getting higher and higher. Tiger has no fear of heights, I've often witnessed him scaling the tall trees we have at Hawequas with ease. After a divorce, married Ellen and was now going in for professional boxing. This came to an abrupt end when he fought a short Portuguese guy and came to his senses, after having seven types of tripe beaten out of him. Changed to wrestling - "get less damaged, also those days wrestling was wrestling, not like today". Wrestled in the same gym to professional status during Jan Wilkenson and Willie Liebenbergs era, to become the SA Light Heavyweight Champion, a title held for

three years. Of 61 overseas professionals, he was 28th in the World Circuit, touring Spain and fighting in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Also came 2 nd in the Mr. Bodybuilder SA, says he was the oldest contestant. Due to SA being unable to participate in World Sport at that time, he toured as 'Cowboy Thompson', dressing up like a Cowboy to get to the overseas fights. During the fights, he wore a skimpy tiger skin pants and this drove the women wild, screaming ‘Tiger’ the whole time. This led to him becoming ‘Tiger Thompson’ and later simply ‘Tiger’, the name he still holds today. On his return from Spain he ended up in Italy where he was approached by a movie company to be the star in their latest cowboy movie. Tiger is the man today who was the original 'Billy the Kid' in the movie 'The Outlaw' dubbed into Italian. He says he was so fast with a gun that he could draw faster than any camera could capture at that time, he stared with Jane Russel in the movie. He was good with horses, still loves horses, and at one time rode three at once, standing and balancing astride on the outer two. Gave up the welding business and opened his own gym Radiant Health Studios in Germiston in the 1960's. Divorced Ellen and married Sarah or 'Jackie' as she was called who finally gave him the son he wanted - Lincoln. From his bioscope experience and role in the movies, Tiger bought his own cameras and equipment (still has these today) and started writing, directing and producing his own amateur movies which he would have liked to sell to cinemas, however, at present they are still only for private viewing. He produced ‘The Picnic’, staring his wife and daughter in a comedy horror and won a gold medal for it. He was the first South African to start producing Westerns in and around the Johannesburg mine dumps, his first ‘Love, Hate & Kill’, involved himself taking revenge on four Mexicans after they raped his (actual) wife in the movie. Said he struggled to find real mean looking 'Mexicans'. Even bought a horse for R180 called ‘Tac-a-tac’ – says this horse was a fantastic actor. Others were ‘Diamond Valley’ made in Petersburg involving crocodiles and two wild scavengers that come to a city and ‘Bill Gunner’ a detective story. He never finished his 'Tarzan' movie for some or other reason. He still has some of them, now on cassette. Eventually sold his gym and moved to Hartswater to open a farm shop that sold everything from pins to ships anchors for about 13 years. If you wanted it, then Tiger would get it for you. When Jackies mom died, they moved to Oudtshoorn to be closer to the sea. Here he bought a Fish & Chips shop ‘Suikerbossie’ in St Johns Street. Jackie fell very ill and they moved again, this time to Cape Town, where they stayed at ‘Hardekraaltjie’ in Bellville and later Melkbosstrand Caravan Parks. Tiger then worked with his son Lincoln and Jackie passed away in 2000 with cancer. It was two years later, in April 2002, when Hawequas was experiencing severe Baboon problems, that Tiger got to hear about it and moved into Hawequas – just temporary to curb the Baboons and stop the damage they were causing, and remained there ever since. How did Tiger find out about Hawequas, well Tess (our present Warden) is Tigers son Lincolns wife’s half sister – same father, different mothers. Tiger stayed on the property, first in a tent moving around the property, then finally after a storm took his whole camp apart, ‘Tiger’s Village’ was born from the shreds. Tiger assisted us in more ways than one, not only keeping the baboons in check (who at times wreaked havoc in destroying gutters, roofs, light fittings and ravaging through garbage), adding security to the farm by way of restricting

undesirable intruder movements, millions of odd jobs and repairs in assisting our Warden and Scouting, but best of all with ‘greening’ the farm. Tiger has an extraordinary gift of ‘green fingers’, and can even make a tree grow from a piece of wood – his Village bears witness to this nursery effect as does the Robert Hall Campsite and Hawequas in general. Tiger, now going on 82, loves adventure and the outdoors, shooting, cooking on an open fire, animals (had his own little cat for company - ‘Lucky’, until the baboons kidnapped it), gardening (producing tomatoes, butternuts, spinach, beans, peas, green-peppers to mention a few from the Hawequas soil) and of course absolutely loved Hawequas. Says he got very lonely and liked the weekends when Hawequas came alive with people. He likes a good wine, only eats when he’s hungry, does lots of walking (moving sprinklers around for us) and still does weight training (still has some of his weights). However, all things at some time eventually end, Tiger has now finally had to say goodbye to Hawequas on Saturday 27 April 2013, exactly 11 years after his arrival. It was a sad moment as Graham and I (Hawequas Management) witnessed the move out and realized the huge ‘gold mine’ reminder of ‘Tiger’s Village’ being walked away from and left behind for Scouting. Graham had prepared a framed reminder of better days, that we presented to Tiger. Tiger has now ‘retired’ to The SA Legion, Rosedale, Rondebosch, near Rosebank Station, where he has a small ground floor flat with garden, which he is very excited about. We wish him well on this new venture in life our one man with many hidden talents.

Tiger with Graham after presentation & Trevor (Tiger’s friend), Tiger and Andre Andre Foot Volunteer Hawequas Manager 2013