As told by his daughter Stephanie Berelowitz
My father was born on 2 February 1925, the youngest of three brothers and grew up in George.
He did his first year of medicine at Rhodes in 1941, then signed up for the Medical Corps, serving in the Middle East and Italy for 3 years.
When the war ended, he returned to complete his medical degree at UCT, graduating in 1950. After marrying my mother, Cynthia in 1953, he started working as a GP in Parow.
He was totally committed to medicine, had both a private and a railway practice and his patients adored him. The quintessential old-fashioned GP with tremendous warmth and a sense of humour second to none. He was loved by all.
As a keen golfer he enjoyed spending time at King David on a weekend where, win or lose, he was also a good sportsman.
Reuben (Berry) Berelowitz as told by his daughter Joy Sagor
Some of the funnier stories that spring to mind when I think back are as follows:
It was the time before beepers and cell phones, so all calls came through to our home line, twenty-four hours a day. So, one night the phone rang in the early hours of the morning and my mom answered as she usually did. On the other side of the line, she heard " Nursie kan ek asseblief met die dokter praat? (Nursie, can I please speak to the doctor). Only in the Northern suburbs did the patients believe that the doctor not only worked but slept next to the nurse as well! And in some strange way, in those days, the 'dokter' and the nurse were available to them twenty-four seven!!!
Or the Sunday evening a call from the man who suddenly realized that he had to go to work the next day and that was not such a comforting thought. He would then speak to my mom and tell her that he hadn't been feeling well the whole day and when asked why he hadn't come to the surgery on the Sunday morning during working hours, he replied that he did not have the time as he had been on the beach all day!!!! And we thought that chutzpah was a Jewish trait!!!