Talking Movies: Remembering Barry – Episode 12
Welcome to Talking Movies, I’m Spling. This week we embark on episode 12 of Remembering Barry, a heartfelt tribute to the beloved entertainment journalist and film critic Barry Ronge. A rare privilege, I stepped into Barry’s tranquil Johannesburg home and conversed with his partner of 47 years, Albertus van Dyk. Their starry-eyed story unfolds beautifully, a love that blossomed against their shared passion for the silver screen.
So Albertus, how do you think Barry would like to be remembered? Did he make any requests known to you at any stage?
No, you know, we enjoyed life. Barry wrote his story and he said that was this week’s story and if you’re going to wrap up the meat or the groceries in that article, then that’s what you did. We truly lived life to the fullest and that’s important. We didn’t think about the year after or what happens when you die. It wasn’t uppermost in our mind.
And in fact, that poem that I read about remembrance, don’t grieve for me when I’m gone, because we lived. But yes, I have to go through grief and I’m bringing it back to me because I am surviving. But Barry would have said we lived life to the fullest. We had ice cream, we had cake, we enjoyed that delicious coffee with rich ice cream. That’s Barry. I think he would have loved it with a twinkle in his eye.
He did always seem to have a twinkle in his eyes, somehow.
Yes. Somebody said it like beautiful hannepoort grapes because the eyes, he had kind eyes. I miss that.
And I understand you wanting to preserve part of Barry’s legacy by creating a library with almost 2,000 film books from your private collection.
Yes. I realized once I pack up this library, the essence of it will be gone. The essence of Barry will be in a box until I open that box again. Some of them I want to keep, but a public space where it can be enjoyed. You saw and you experienced today a bit of our life. I let you into my kingdom, my sanctuary, our unicorn garden. We can work together and I’m grateful that you are trying to do something.
Yes. I think the secret is trying to find something that’s going to celebrate his memory and also remain just like his personality, accessible, informative… I think that’s why the library makes so much sense for him.
Yes.
Because it’s from a different age.
Yes.
It’s got the magic of books. Yes. And this is all just kind of coming to me right now as I speak, but it is almost an extension of a lot of what he represented.
Exactly. And the joy of us sitting together and splitting what you are proposing and the ideas we are formulating. Yes, it’s exciting. It gives me hope. It gives me a new purpose, a new dream. I can’t house them. If I had room, I would have kept the Barry Ronge Library for myself. Why?
For listeners, you don’t really have a proper sense of just how extensive the library is. Walking through the home, almost every room has a section of books in it. And it’s not quite labyrinthine, but books are such an important part of Albertus and Barry’s life. And add just such a warmth that I’m sure you must feel when you have your own book collection. So I really hope that we can find a suitable and special place for this commemoration and celebration of a life well lived.
So, Albertus, there must be a plethora of admirers and fans who miss Barry Ronge and want to do something to ensure his legacy endures. How do you think people can get involved and answer that question as well?
I’m grateful for you. Thank you. And yes, let it unfold. There are people who want to say thank you. People who want to remember. Well, sometimes we say money talks, doesn’t it? Space talks, a lovely library talks. Yes, we’ve got nothing against academia, but we don’t want it to disappear to the elite of the few students who will benefit greatly to the exclusion of other people.
We don’t want to exclude anybody. We’d love this to be celebrated, to be joyful, to have your lovely coffee and ice cream and a lovely chocolate cake. Don’t smudge the books. We still have respect for books. I still haven’t issued. I put a little sticker in the book that says Barry Ronge, because I come from a culture too that you don’t deface a book. You don’t bend the pages over. Have books really become nothing? That’s a big question. That’s a big answer that needs to be mulled over, percolated over, and let’s hope that we get a solution.
I just hope that everyone who Barry has inspired, moved, or felt like they’ve benefited from his wonderful insights and entertainment as a raconteur, as a journalist, as a pioneer for a lot of things, I just hope that they’ll be led to give, whether it be financially or even in terms of just opening their minds to other possibilities, inspirations, and ways of just celebrating Barry and all that he stood for.
Yes, I agree. And if one should do fundraising or crowdfunding, the ubuntu of Barry’s library, that would be lovely.
So if you’re one of those people that is just thinking, I’ve actually just come up with an amazing idea, Eureka, please do get in touch. Please keep that idea percolating. Yeah, let’s do something special together.
For the love of books.
And the love of Barry.
And the love of Barry. Thank you.
