A Mother's Tongue

Steven was born in a mission hospital, in Papua New Guinea, on 2 June 1990 at 2am.

He was a bugger when he was young and definitely not dependable, especially through the teenage years. But as he's matured, he's really grown into a much more responsible and reliable adult who I can absolutely trust and depend on.

Whenever we've had visitors to stay, old or young, I knew that while I was at work, if Steven was home, he would make sure they were looked after, cared for and entertained.

He is very confident. He can quite happily walk into a room full of strangers and strike up a conversation. Not only will he make friends there, but people will remember him. He is amicable & charming, and has the ability to get on with anybody, no matter what their age. Kids love him as he is still a big kid himself, swimming & jumping on the trampoline with them. When his 8 year old cousin visits, the first thing she asks is "Is Steven here?" He will join the men to watch the rugby game, and shout just as loudly at the ref. The "mommies" love him, because he has good manners and can comfortably chat with them. And of course, the young girls love him, because he is gorgeous! He is determined as when he set a goal he makes it happen for himself, by taking all the steps in the right direction.

But he is also STUBBORN; Wont always listen to advice and wants to learn from his own self-made mistakes, even when we know they could have been prevented if he'd taken our advice.

He does not really fuss too much about his appearance. At home, the “bed-head" look reigns but at work or party, the blow-dryer/straightener is used. Even though he does wear labels, it is not a priority and he will also wear no name brands, as long as it looks good.

The one snack he cannot go without is Biltong!

You are always surprised with him around as he will break into different accents: American, English, Australian, etc.

As a kid he loved Power Rangers and Teenage mutant ninja turtles.

During Primary school he was such a sweet boy. Always a happy chappy with a wraparound smile. He did well at speech festivals (gold awards every time) when he had an audience to act out his "pirate" poem to.

At High School, not so sweet! He rebelled a little bit! So he was sent to boarding school where, I think, he learnt to appreciate home and family a bit more. Good move, (though very hard for mom!) He became prefect, Victor Ludorum Swimming, Played Rugby and Headed the choir. "All-rounder"

A little secret: he fears spiders and he gets annoyed with other people’s anger.

We always played music in the house and on car trips, but never thought the kids really took it in too much. He took piano lessons in primary school and was very good but did not enjoy practicing too much. He taught himself guitar and drums in high school and could work out songs on piano, playing by ear. He had a band in both high schools that he attended. He is a natural and is very talented.

Steven was always very agile and was good at any sport he did; swimming, cricket, gymnastics, soccer, rugby, and rock climbing to name a few. He really is a natural athlete nowadays; I think he would play rugby again if he had the time.

Steven’s big brother, Dave, was always the leader when they were kids, deciding what they were going to play and who would be what, with Steven happily following his lead. After watching some Disney movies, David was the "prince" (of course) and Steven, the "servant." While videoing the "star" of the show, complete with cloak, singing "a whole new world," Steven popped up quietly in the background with underpants on his head, completely stealing the show!

I knew he was going to be someone big someday when his baby photo was put in the photographers shop window next to de Klerk, a SA president’s photo! And he chose a star symbol for his locker at preschool!

Sue Ward (Mother)

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