Born Gideon Bailey on the 21 June 1939 in the southern capital Keetmanshoop, Uncle ‘Sonny-Boy’, was a go-getter from the word go. A bird of passage, the strongly built business-minded young Fellah embarked on an exploring journey that took him across the Orange River in search of greener pastures. 

The streetwise boy from ‘Kitmaro’ spent few years in the city of gold, Johannesburg, South Africa, mastering the art of entrepreneurship before retreating home, only to resurface in the city of bright lights, Windhoek. 

He found employment with giant road transport company F.P du Toit as bus driver, navigating passengers between the long-stretched 500 kilometers route between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop.

His next stop was Suidwes Ferreira Transport, assuming the duty of driving busses operating domestic trips between the City and Khomasdal. 

However, when the company went under the hammer in 1986, the wide-awake Uncle ‘Sonny-Boy’ saw an ideal opportunity to assume the long-held desire of becoming his own boss. 

Uncle ‘Sonny Boy’, wasted little time, purchased a fleet of busses from the defunct company to kick start his own taxy operations servicing Khomasdal routes. 

Some of his prominent competitors were fellow upcoming businessmen in the following sequence, former African Stars Football Club agile shot-stopper Willy Kavari, Goliath Cloete, Karools Coetzee and Ben Walters.

His undying passion to serve his community inspired him to encroach the dog eat dog business of road transport, which culminated in the inevitable birth of Bailey’s Transport under the famous banner of Reo Liner, shuttling the 90-kilometers stretch between Windhoek and Rehoboth. 

In the intervening years, the rapidly growing business venture spread her wings further afield navigating passengers to Walvis-Bay, Oshakati, Victoria Falls, Upington, Cape Town, South Africa, in that sequence. 

Uncle ‘Sonny-Boy’ was the proud owner of a gas station, located in the main street of his adopted town Rehoboth in addition to owning a general retail outlet in the fast emerging heavily populace Block-E section.  

Decorated sporting career

Growing up in an era that has very little to offer in terms of leisure, let alone sufficient recreational facilities, many young boys and girls turned their attention to playing football and netball as a way of engagement for a sense of belonging. 

Uncle ‘Sonny-Boy’ teamed up with few young boys in the neibourhood to form a football club, which they stylishly christened Golden Arrows Football Club. Some of his celebrated teammates were John ‘Tarzan’ Swarts, Theodore Wherrick Zimmer-Goreseb and Joe Kariko, amongst a galaxy of superstars.     

Back in the day, during the dark era of racial segregation, Khomasdal was proclaimed a township for ‘civilised’ none whites, while Katutura was described as a location for native Bantus (blacks), a race that was considered extremely dangerous for the well-being of minority whites, unless they were garden boys or housemaids.

As a result of the systematically defined divide and rule tactics, Coloured and Baster football teams were prohibited by the racist apartheid regime from playing against teams from the black community. 

Despite this puke-inducing directive, many footballers dug their heels in the sand point-blankly refusing to be told, let alone allowing being ordered whom they should mingle with. 

Football teams from Khomasdal would have none of that racially motivated directive. The defiant clubs would rather risk being thrown in jail for insubordination for daring to cross the prohibited colour line playing football in the Bantu locations… much to the chagrin of the notorious trigger happy ‘Bowker Boys’ (uniformed police officers). 

Arrows competed fiercely in the hotly contested knockout cup tournaments across the country. Apart from chasing an inflated piece of leather, Uncle ‘Sonny Boy’ was equally home-trading leather in the boxing ring. 

Interestingly, his flawless sporting genes trickled down to his grandson Stenfo 17, an outstanding hockey player running out for the reputable Windhoek High School (WHS) team.

Caring family man

Uncle ‘Sonny-Boy’ was happily hitched to his childhood lass Magretha, who bore him a quartet of cute siblings, a son and trident of daughters. 

His only son Wayne predeceased him in 2022, three months after the sad passing of his old lady. 

The adorable old Fox leaves behind three daughters, eight grandchildren. 

Daughters Ronelda Davids and Shirley Kruger described their dearest departed old man as a loving father but very strict discilinarian who put lots of emphasis on detail.

“Our father was a very reserved person by nature, phenomenal storyteller with a lion heart, never settled for second best. He was a hardworking, law-abiding citizen, always working by the book operating within the perimeters of the system. 

“He would more than often burn the midnight oil to get the job done,” narrated Ronelda and Shirley as the pair exchanged quick turns, lovingly mimicking their old man with eyes filled with pain, emotions mixed with great memories about their pillar of strengths.