Rory's contacts

Rory Channing's deep understanding of South Africa's economic and industrial world shone through in the range of his contacts, and the respect in which he was clearly held. At short notice, the Governor of the Reserve Bank scrubbed other engagements to come and address a Reuters editorial conference in Johannesburg in 1994 on the country's economic situation and outlook, less than six months after Nelson Mandela had become President. Thanks to one phone call from Rory.

After I mentioned to Rory one day that I was hoping to get to see a cricket test match while one of my sons was out on a visit, I got a phone call from the chief PR of one of the mining houses inviting us to join their MD and other cricket-loving executives in the company box at the Wanderers ground.

Reuters had a luxurious executive box at the Ellis Park rugby stadium, jealously guarded by management and sales to entertain existing and potential clients. When the 1995 rugby world cup final was staged there, I was allocated four seats for editorial. I asked Rory for his recommendation of who we should invite. He found two ministers in Mandela's first cabinet who had not got seats, who duly joined us - the only two black faces in the 36-seat box, joyously embracing everyone else when South Africa won, spurred on by Mandela's iconic appearance in a no. 6 Springbok shirt. ■