22 February 1923 – 28 June 1998
Obituary by Laurence Davies
It is with great sadness that I report on the passing of Jack Blackman who died of a heart attack on Sunday 28 June 1998. To say that Jack’s passing will leave a large hole in everything to do with fly fishing is a huge understatement. I don’t think that there is any one single person who has given more of his life to the teaching of fly fishing in South Africa than Jack did. No other person has taught or introduced more people to the fine art of fly fishing than Jack. Although he had created a business out of teaching or guiding in recent years, most of his teaching had been given freely. He ran the flyfishing clinics for the Natal Parks Board for a number of years, visited schools, clubs, service organisations and anywhere where he could spread the good word of fly fishing. He was without doubt the Mr Chips of fly fishing.
When I first started fly fishing Jack was one of my first contacts in the sport, working at Kings where I would pop in to buy flies and equipment. The first clinic that I attended (at Royal Natal National Park) was run by Jack, my first fly tying session was run by Jack (at the Rugby Hotel), Jack was prominent at the first FFA meeting I went to, also at the Rugby Hotel. He has been one of the most important influences in my fly fishing life, spanning some twenty odd years. When we sat on the same committees his views and council were always sought, and he was a great support to the FFA chair and committee, even when he no longer stood on the committee. He always took an active interest in the club and we had many discussions about where the club was going. It was only last Friday when he phoned to express his concern that some of our club stalwarts are not attending our monthly meetings, and that he felt that they were letting the club down. It is almost impossible to accept that Jack will no longer be there, sitting in the front seat at our monthly meetings, chirping at me or the guest speaker (and getting the same in return.) Even though he gave up smoking recently I will always remember him chewing away at his pipe, jammed in the corner of his mouth.
Jack was to me the father of FFA, having sent out letters to interested fly fishermen, inviting them to the Inaugural General Meeting at the Westville Hotel on 15 March 1980. He was the first Chairman of the club and was an Honorary Life Member, and Vice President of the club. Although I say that he was the father of the club, he was also a father figure to many at the club. Jack could always be relied on to stand-in if a guest speaker let us down, contributed regularly to the newsletter, in fact edited the newsletter for a number of years.
Jack had a number of setbacks when he lost his son, when Keith died and more recently when Sheila died, but he soon found comfort, in fact one could almost say rejuvenation, in his religion. He also found the strength to comfort others in similar situations.
I could go on and on about his club activities and support that he has given us all. I speak not only for myself but also for the whole committee, and in fact the whole fishing fraternity, when I say that we will miss Jack and his contributions to the sport that we all love. I have many happy memories of times spent with Jack which, along with his book which he autographed for me, I will treasure. When I contacted John to let him know about Jack, we started on the “remember when” (square bottle, 8 pound fish at Comrie, keys locked in car, and so on), and I am sure that many of our members have similar memories which they will cherish.
We are richer for having known him, and we have an ideal role model for all that he represented in flyfishing.
To his sons Peter and Alan, and your respective families, thanks for sharing Jack with us. Please accept our sympathy at your loss, but know that we are all richer for having known Jack, for having spent time with him, and he will long remain in our memories.
Jack Blackman
Jack Blackman, a legendary figure in South African fly fishing and prominent member of the Durban angling community, passed away in the mid-2010s . Based in Durban, he was a key figure at Kings Sports (now Kingfisher), known for importing high-quality tackle, and was instrumental in documenting the history of the “Walker’s Killer” fly.
Key Details on Jack Blackman:
- Legacy in Fishing: He was regarded as a “doyen of South African fly fishing”.
- Kings Sports/Durban: Worked at Kings Sports in Durban during the late 1970s and 1980s, importing premier gear like Scott rods.
- Fly Tying: He was heavily involved in the Durban Fly Tyers and was known for mentoring others in the sport .
- Contributions: He documented the history of the Walker’s Killer fly, which was developed by Lionel Walker.
- The “Hot Cat”: He created a unique, effective trout fly known as the “Hot Cat”
Kevin Cole reminded members who attended the 2015 AGM that the DFT started in protest against the Natal Fly Dresser’s Guild refusing Jack Blackman Life membership. So he and his mates started the DFT and promptly made Jack Blackman its first life members and honorary vice chairman. Jack of course was one of KZN’s fishing legends. Very few fly fishers of my vintage didn’t have a Jack Blackman story to tell. He helped me as a teenager and introduced me to the mysteries of tying a Walkers Killer. His death left a void in KZN fly fishing that took many years to fill.
