Spur’s founder Allen Ambor (above) has celebrated his 80th year with an autobiography titled, predictably, A Taste For Life. It does little to dissuade me that writing one’s own life story is an unnecessary indulgence. Such legacies are credible only when penned by independent outsiders. With the emphasis on independent.
That’s because by their nature autobiographies are one-offs, often the single opportunity to publicly credit family, friends and acquaintances. That sanitises such projects, and makes them boring to outsiders. Also detracting from the true purpose of recording a well-lived life – the sharing of experiences others can learn from.
There is, however, a segment in Ambor’s book which makes it different. Chapter 15 is dedicated to settling his score with Spur’s long-time CEO Pierre van Tonder, who committed suicide six months ago. Ambor hinted at his intentions during my interview with him just over a year ago. What emerged, though, was brutal.
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Ambor shares how Van Tonder was never his first choice to lead the business. That he was dishonourable. Worse, Ambor’s one-time protege is accused of falsely blowing his own horn. To whit: “Pierre stated there were only 40 Spurs in existence when he took over in 1996. The fact is there were already 204 stores trading. The group was already 30 years old.”
From my experience, some things should be avoided. Like autobiographies. Resentments, too.
More for you to read today:
* Berkshire Hathaway’s Net Earnings Fall 66% on Lower Investment Gains. Unrealised investment gains at Warren Buffett’s conglomerate declined in the third quarter
* 2021 McLaren 765LT: An Extreme Supercar, Now Faster and Lighter. A more powerful variant of McLaren’s 720S, the 765LT is one of the only street-legal internal combustion cars that keeps pace with the Tesla Model S Plaid
* What your smell says about you. Your body constantly emits information about your diet, emotions, age and health – as well as your suitability as a mate.
* A little bit of history was made in Cardiff on Saturday night as the Springboks broke an eight year hoodoo against Wales. Amazing how much joy Rassie, Siya, Mapimpi and Co are bringing into South African lives. If you missed the game or just want to savour a famous victory, here’s the link to highlights on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW7S9menPE8
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