12/08/2026
IN MEMORY OF AUDIE VAN NOORDWYK
It was with great sadness that I learnt of the passing of my longstanding colleague, Audie van Noordwyk, on 6 August 2026, at the age of 72.
My memories of Audie go back even further than the time when I actually knew him.
During my first visit to Hermanus in the late 1980s, while still living and practising in the dry and dusty Free State, I remember walking through the streets of Hermanus as a holidaymaker and seeing the nameboard of Burgers & van Noordwyk in Harbour Road. I did not know either of them at the time. I remember thinking that they must surely be among the luckiest lawyers alive, being able to practise their profession in such a beautiful place.
Little did I know that, within a year or so, Hermanus would also become my home and that Audie and I would practise alongside, and frequently against, one another for many years to come.
When I arrived in Hermanus in the middle of 1990, there were only four law firms in the town: Guthrie & Theron, Burgers & van Noordwyk, De Klerk & Maclennan-Smith, and the small practice which would later become Vorster & Steyn.
I met Audie shortly after settling here. My first impression of him remained my impression of him throughout the many years that followed. He was always impeccably dressed, courteous, quietly spoken and every inch a gentleman. His office reflected the man himself: neat, orderly and meticulously organised.
For several years we were often fierce opponents in legal matters. Yet I cannot recall our professional dealings ever becoming personal or unpleasant. There was mutual respect between us, and however firmly we might have represented opposing interests, the interests of our respective clients remained paramount.
His late partner, Chris Burgers, was well known for his meticulous approach to legal work, for dotting every “i” and crossing every “t”. My own experience was that Audie was every bit as exacting. He had little patience for poorly drafted documents and expected legal work bearing his approval to be of the highest standard. It was a quality I greatly respected.
Audie was also clearly a remarkably popular man. Having studied elsewhere, I did not share his university years or the earlier part of his life in the Western Cape, but over many years I was repeatedly asked by clients and members of the public whether I knew Audie van Noordwyk. So many people seemed to know him, and almost invariably remembered him with warmth and affection. That says a great deal about the young man he must have been, and about the person he remained.
Some time ago Audie told me, in his characteristically understated way, that he was struggling with various forms of cancer. There was no complaint, no exaggeration and certainly no self-pity. He simply carried on as the quiet gentleman I had known for more than 35 years.
The legal profession in Hermanus has changed enormously since those early days when only a handful of firms served this community. Audie belonged to that earlier generation of practitioners for whom professional courtesy, personal integrity, meticulous preparation and one's word still counted for a great deal.
I am saddened that another of that generation has now gone.
Audie van Noordwyk will be remembered as a formidable opponent, a meticulous lawyer, a respected colleague and, above all, a true gentleman.
Rest in peace, Audie. It was a privilege to have known you.
LB Vorster
