Industry news

New member for SAFTAD

The SA Fishing Tackle Agents and Distributors (SAFTAD) Committee gained a man of many talents as new member when David Levene of Stealth Fly Rods and Reels replaced Alan Cunningham of Purglas as committee member.

Cunningham asked to be relieved of his SAFTAD committee duties after having served for four years, including three years as chairman and trade show organiser. He stepped down as chairman last year in order to devote more time to the family business, but agreed to stay on the committee for another year.

Levene is a keen fisherman, who like many in the industry, made his hobby his career when he started the Stealth Fly Rod & Reel Distributorship twenty years ago. "I retired twenty years ago and thought that I would spend my time fishing and playing golf ... but all my friends were working and it was no fun on my own," he explains.

Having started his career in 1952 working for his father at Greenfield and Levene, one of the largest hardware and fishing tackle traders in the country, the fishing tackle business is in his blood.

"I therefore thought a fly fishing distributorship would be a nice, clean, retirement hobby," says Levene, who soon found out that a business stays alive through growth (meaning, hard work!).

He returned to fishing after a detour in the fashion industry — "I like fashion!" he says with enthusiasm — working for Wolpe fashions and Elliott Footwear, distributors of Hush Puppy, from the 60’s to the 80’s.

He loves sport and played hooker for the Transvaal rugby team — including a game against the All Blacks in 1955 — but one of Levene’s proudest achievements is that he was one of the three anglers, returning from a billfishing championship in Hawaii, who were instrumental in introducing the tag and release concept in SA. "We told Rudy van der Elst of the Oceanographic Research Institute what we witnessed in Hawaii and he then found a sponsor to take it further."

Levene is a honory life member of the Tranvaal Ski-boat Association and Sodwana Game Fishing — an aspect of fishing that he can sadly no longer participate in due to a leg injury. He is also a keen rock and surf angler. Needless to say, fly fishing remains a passion.

John Pledger, board member of Rapala VMC, was re-elected as chairman of the SAFTAD committee. He stressed that it is necessary for the tackle trade to become involved in all the issues relating to recreational angling legislation — by, for instance, employing experts to act on behalf of the trade. Other organised fishing bodies are already involved with discussions with government.

Once SAFTAD becomes a properly constituted body (it is in the process) membership fees will be levied that could help pay for the services of a scientific expert.

The other SAFTAD committee members — Howard Joscelyne of JW Apex, Abdullah Mia of S.I. Mias, Pieter Strobos of Angling Africa and Mark Pledger of Rapala VMC SA — were re-elected.