Rosemarie Lewis, Hout Bay
Andrea Hespel and her husband, Pierre Hespel, settled in Hout Bay some 50 years ago when she rapidly became involved in the community.
Following the birth of their son, Roland, she helped organise play groups, where preschool children and their mothers could make friends and get to know their neighbours.
With an actress for a mother, Andrea inevitably became drawn to the Sentinel Players Amateur Dramatic Society, becoming one of their most active members.
When Pierre joined Lions Clubs International, she worked as hard as he did on the projects and fund-raisers carried out by the club. At that time, Lions clubs only accepted men so Andrea was instrumental in founding the Lioness Club.
In due course, the two clubs combined, and Andrea became one of the longest-serving Lions in the peninsula. This led to the formation of the Lions’ Arts and Crafts Market. The market was the Lions’ major fund-raiser and supported the many projects carried out by the club.
During her more than 40-year career as a Lion, Andrea received much recognition for her service, including the honour of a Louis Volks Award for humanitarian services.
Andrea was kind, generous and loyal, but you had to get to know her to discover the heart of gold underneath the sandpaper.
Goodbye, Andrea. You are sadly missed!
• Ms Hespel died on Saturday June 24.
