Chris Schoeman
Author
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South Africa's Rugby Legends:
The Amateur Years
ISBN 9781770227880
South Africa’s Rugby Legends celebrates those players who have become truly immortal in the eyes of their fans – the greatest South African rugby players of the amateur years. This beautifully illustrated book covers the immense achievements of those players who ran out against the mighty All Blacks, the cunning Aussies and the fiery Welsh, among others, and played their way into rugby folklore. These are the best of the best, the players who make you say, ‘Those were the days! ’From Fairy Heatlie, who played for South Africa against the British in 1891, to the genius Danie Craven in the 1930s, the inspirational Hennie Muller of the 1940s and 50s, and the charismatic Morné du Plessis of the 1980s, the author explores in fascinating detail what made these men the unforgettable names they are today.
With historical photographs from the author’s personal collection, some of which have never been published before, this is the book every rugby fan will want for his or her personal collection.
Rugby at Newlands: A History in 50 Test Matches 1891-2015 (with David McLennan)
ISBN 9781928230212
Rugby At Newlands tells the legendary story of every Springbok Test Match at Newlands Rugby Stadium, the oldest continually used rugby stadium in the world. This comprehensive review is to be published the year after Newlands became the first South African stadium to host fifty Test matches – which, coincidentally, may be the total number it ever hosts. The epic journey of Springbok Test rugby at Newlands begins in 1891 and is covered here until the 50th Test in 2014. In addition to describing the great moments and titanic clashes of each game, the authors place the matches in the context of their time. Chapters are enhanced by unique illustrations, from rare match programmes to iconic photographs; and by contributions from various rugby greats who have trod the hallowed turf of Newlands, including Springboks Naas Botha and Divan Serfontein and British Lion Willie John McBride. With the future of Newlands Rugby Stadium in the balance, the time is apt for this celebration of one of the world’s great sporting stadiums.
The Historical Overberg: Traces of the Past in South Africa's Southernmost Region
ISBN 9781776090723
Situated between the Hottentots Holland Mountains and the Breede River, the Overberg is an important agricultural region and a popular holiday destination for tourists and nature lovers who delight in the beauty of its mountainous landscape, abundant plant species and long sandy beaches. But this area also has a rich history going back thousands of years, when the indigenous Khoi people originally thrived there, before the first European settlers arrived to leave their own indelible imprint on the culture, architecture and character of the region. This book provides a detailed account of this past by pointing out the many places, buildings, events and personalities that have made the Overberg the diverse and unique place that it is today.
The Overberg has been a home or point of interest for explorers, innovators, artists and writers, for figures as varied as Bartholomew Diaz, Olof Bergh, Hendrik Verwoerd, Gregoire Boonzaier, Audrey Blignault and Breyten Breytenbach. Some of South Africa’s oldest towns, houses and missionary stations can be found here, and its treacherous coastline has been the cause of hundreds of shipwrecks for centuries. Enlivened by historical and current photographs and informative side panels, this book is a collector’s item.
My Lewensreis. Springbok, Politikus, Diplomaat. (with Dawie de Villiers)
ISBN 9781776092420
Springbokkaptein, predikant, filosoof, ambassadeur, kabinetsminister, wêreldreisiger, kunsliefhebber, gesinsman. Dit was en ís die wêreld van dr. Dawie de Villiers, een van Suid-Afrika se ikone wat sy land dekades lank op vele terreine met groot onderskeiding gedien het. Hierdie boeiende lewensverhaal neem lesers op ’n merkwaardige lewenspad deur Suid-Afrika se sport- en politieke geskiedenis. De Villiers se jeugjare in ’n polities georiënteerde gesin, sy vinnige opgang vanuit sy geliefde Stellenbosch Rugbyklub tot in die Springbokspan, sy moeilike pad met sportbeserings en die soet en suur van Springbok-wees is maar enkele aspekte van dié lekkerlees-ervaring.
Hy vertel van sy betrokkenheid in die politiek as ’n ywerige waarnemer van onder andere die bekende filosoof, prof. Johan Degenaar; sy opwindende lewe as ambassadeur in Londen; as kabinetsminister onder P.W. Botha, F.W. de Klerk en Nelson Mandela; die Kodesa-onderhandelinge en die oorgang na demokrasie; en uiteindelik ’n reeks verrykende reise oor die wêreld as adjunk-sekretaris-generaal van die Verenigde Nasies se World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). My lewensreis is ’n belangrike bydrae om die rol te beskryf van Afrikanerleiers wat uit die rigiede denkskema van apartheid ontsnap het, wat vanweë morele oortuigings én hulle bevoegdhede ’n nuwe Suid-Afrika help skep het.
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