The Old Diocesan Issue 13 - Magazine - Page 95
OBITUARIES
PETER
ANDERSON
(1940–2026)
Peter Anderson
was the wellloved headmaster
of Bishops Prep
from 1970 to 1984, as well as
husband to Elisabeth, and father to
Peter Robert Anderson (1984K),
Janet, Megan and Pippin.
“I first met Peter in 1970 when he
arrived in Cape Town to take over
the reins from Pieter van der Bijl,”
said Phillip Pare (1975F) in a heartfelt
tribute. “I was only 12 years old, and
he was very concerned that Bishops
boys were unable to name and draw
more than three indigenous birds.”
Peter led Bishops Prep “in a way that
drew the admiration of teachers and
parents alike”.
“Peter’s foundations in the
Christian faith were strengthened at
Wits University where he was active
in various Christian societies along
with Steve Hayes and John Greig,
[who] later became a chaplain at
Bishops. I mention this Christian
foundation as Peter’s commitment
to serve other people has deep roots
in his faith.”
Peter and Elisabeth left Cape Town
in 1985 to teach at St Mark’s College
in Jane Furse, Limpopo. Peter was
the first headmaster at the school,
while Elisabeth taught history and
helped to build up its wonderful
library. They returned to Cape Town
in the late 1990s, before retiring to
live for many years on the coast at
Kasouga, about 70 kilometres south
of Grahamstown.
They then moved to Kenilworth
where they were closer to their
children, who lovingly looked
after them in their later years.
We extend our condolences
to Peter Robert, Janet, Megan
and Pippin, and their many children,
Peter and Elisabeth’s grandchildren.
Adapted from a tribute by Phillip
Pare (1975F). See odunion.com.
DAVID POTTER
(1943–2026)
A tech pioneer, physicist and
philanthropist, David Potter CBE
is best known as the founder and
chairman of Psion, a company that
created early mass-market handheld
computers. David spent all of one
year at Bishops, in the Standard 1
Class of 1952, but his was a life of
such interest and influence that
we would be remiss not to claim
him as a full OD.
Born in East London, David moved
from Bishops to Prince Edward School
in Salisbury, Rhodesia, before briefly
attending UCT. He read natural
sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge,
on a Beit Scholarship, and earned
a PhD in mathematical physics at
Imperial College London. While
teaching at the University of
California in 1974, he had the
realisation that microchips would
change the world. As quoted
in his Times of London obituary,
he resolved to “lead the industry,
advance society and enrich people’s
lives” – an ambition he went a long
way to achieving. Before he could
do so, though, he needed to raise
money in order to start a company.
From a youthful interest in
entrepreneurial initiatives, David
developed a keen eye for money
and astute business skills. He had
opened a small photographic studio
while still at school, worked part-time
as a lorry driver and set up as an icecream vendor in Hyde Park in London.
Now, he invested his £3,000 in savings
into six companies, which more than
doubled his money before his return
to the UK in 1975. He then went all in
on a new discovery of his – duvets –
which he’d encountered on a skiing
trip to Austria. He put all his money
into the only significant duvet
manufacturer in the UK, managed
to grow his capital to £70,000, then
launched Potter Scientific Instruments
or Nothing – aka Psion – in 1980.
This was the company that would
design and make the world’s first
handheld personal computer, one
of the status symbols of executive
achievers in the 1990s.
Later dubbed the “British Bill
Gates”, David recruited top academics,
many of whom he had taught at
Imperial College London, to write
software for home computers. As
The Times describes it, “The ‘game
changer’ was a flight simulator game
that he and his first coder, Charles
Davies, devised for Clive Sinclair’s
ZX81 as well as Acorn computers.
Its success made Psion the largest
provider of software for microcomputers by 1982.”
“British Bill Gates” David Potter holding Psion Workabout handheld devices.
THE OLD DIOCESAN | 91
