PIETER Kenyon Flemming-Voltelyn van der Byl (PK) was born on 11 November 1923 and grew up on historic Fairfield, the Van der Byls’ estate just outside Napier in the Western Cape.
Gerrit van der Byl, the ancestral father of the Van der Byls, arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1668. The Van der Byls were an influential family and the men, successful in business and farming, were active in South African politics from 1682 when Gerrit van der Byl became a member of the Cape Heemraad (Council).
PK’s father, Major Piet van der Byl, married a Scottish lady, Joyce Flemming, and served in Jan Smuts’s cabinet. When Smuts lost the next election, Major Piet was an influential member of the opposition for years. He also authored a number of books.
Being a farm boy, PK hated school and school sports – except for shooting – in which he excelled. During his military training with the South African Armoured Corps near Pretoria, PK received a sniper’s badge for shooting. When asked by a reporter about his hobbies PK replied, “The recreations I most
