Tales of a life well lived
On a warm and windy afternoon, Wednesday May 29, I stood in a steadily-moving voting line at Helderberg College, waiting to make my mark in our election.
Apppropriately (I thought), I was reading All Rise: Tales of Human Rights & Wrongs, written by Roger Chennells, who lives in Somerset West... and who first crossed my radar about 23 years ago, when he was a lawyer for a well-known firm in Stellenbosch.
So I took a photo of the book on my lap, and sent it to Roger to let him know how much I was enjoying his engaging tales of boyhood and beyond, saying: “Your stories give me goosebumps, make me smile, bring tears to my eyes – thanks, I’m so appreciative.”
Roger immediately texted back to say he happened to be in the Netherlands, at the international launch of the book at a Health Ethics conference in Amsterdam, titled “Prepared”, and funded by the EU.
“The audience was extremely supportive and we sold out!,” he shared elatedly.
Roger is a human rights lawyer and conflict resolver by trade.
In his book of short stories and anecdotes, he recounts interactions and encounters from childhood and beyond...
The diverse, interesting and quirky characters upon his path, as a young boy growing up in Zululand, experiencing farm life and going through valuable rights of passage; student shenanigans, forays into the law courts; and adventures locally and abroad, legal work for the Pitjantjatjara in Australia, and likewise the San, and the Rastafarians.
Roger has perfectly-timed humour and a deadpan wit, and isn’t afraid to take a few shots at himself, in dry self-deprecation, all signs of someone who has lived a full and evolved life, and survived to tell the tale (and have the last laugh).
Beneath the laconic presentation, however, is a man who feels keenly the sting of injustice – and given his innate compassion and curiosity, combined with his deep knowledge of the law, he walked his talk... a principled man, determined to direct his skills and professionalism towards the upliftment and protection of the vulnerable.
Roger has the innate ability to regale events as only the true storyteller can, with a touch of whimsy, frivolity, and tongue-in-cheek humour.
Whether the subject matter is light or heavy, his inner effervescence always shines through.
To quote him: “I love stories. Whether deep and poignant, or light and frivolous, they are the threads from which our lives are woven.
“From my mother’s bedtime stories, later to camp fire, ghost, apocryphal, tall and mythical, they have always enriched my life.
“It was only after sitting around fires with the San and later discovering the songlines of the Australian Aborigines that I began to fathom the bigger picture.
“Each of our lives is stitched together out of these tales, including our own family stories and myths, which together create our own broader meaning and context.”
So, join Roger, as he regales us with memories of a free-range childhood, the experiences of boarding school and then the obligatory military service, and his journey into (and through) law, as his world vision expanded, enriching him immeasurably, and inculcating in him a sense of personal responsibility and connectedness to fellow mankind.
● Tessa van Staden, station manager of Cape Talk, will be in conversation with Roger at the 2024 Fringe Fireside Chats festival for indie authors.
The festival will be held from Thursday August 8 to Saturday August 10, at various restaurants, pubs and clubs in Gordon’s Bay, Strand and Somerset West. Roger’s event will be at Triggerfish, on Saturday August 10, at 2pm.
● ● All Rise: Tales of Human Rights & Wrongs is available through Takealot at www.takealot.com/all-rise/PLID94086631, or directly from Roger at scarlin@iafrica.com
● ● ● Bolander has two copies of All Rise: Tales of Human Rights & Wrongs for a Father’s Day giveaway.
Email bolander@acm.co.za with your name, phone number, and ALL RISE in the subject line. Winners will be notified telephonically by Friday at noon.