MR NICHOLAS YALE
Nicholas Yale, founder of Nicholas Yale cc, one of our oldest and most respected elders in the industry, died on Tuesday 20 July 2021 aged 97.
He was always addressed as Mr Yale in his presence, and affectionately and respectfully as “Old Man Yale” by the industry and his customers.
I met him initially as a customer in the early 1990s and later he, and his business, became a client of my practice.
He was a salesman at heart and loved engaging with customers. He had both a common touch and very personal ability to relate to people.
My family and I, when my son was very young, bumped into him in Cape Town. After that he always enquired after my son and insisted he present himself on occasion at his business for Mr Yale to check on his ‘progress’.
Mr Yale was an extremely well read multi-lingual individual with strong roots in France and Spain. He would often send me interesting articles about firearms and political issues about firearm ownership. He was a staunch supporter of firearm rights and every year renewed his SAGA Corporate Membership. He was a founder member of SAAADA and a major contributor to its causes.
I never had occasion to hear him raise his voice or lose his temper. He was the consummate old-world gentleman, always impeccably dressed. He remained involved in his business into
