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Wouter Brand
22 November 1954 – 14 June 2024
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If you became a Tracks4Africa user over the past decade, you would be excused for not knowing who Wouter Brand is. Wouter is the founder of Tracks4Africa, going back to the year 2000. I met Wouter in 2001 and he invited me to join him on this quest to create the best traveller’s map of Africa. It is with great sadness that I must share with you that Wouter passed away on 14 June 2024. He would have turned 70 years old in November and leaves behind his wife, Hester, and his five children and eight grandchildren.
Wouter was a legend in his own time and those who knew him were lucky to have met an interesting and strong individual, not to mention eccentric. His strong will and determination had no small part to play in the establishment of Tracks4Africa and although Wouter retired from active involvement about a decade ago, we would never have been where we are without his relentless pursuit of excellence. Wouter laid the foundation of our Tracks4Africa map and we will continue with his work.
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When I met him, he had an e-mail domain called “eiportne”. I never got it until he explained to me it is "entropy" (entropie in Afrikaans) reversed. Later, when we had to pick a symbol for our forum, it was Wouter who suggested the honey badger. Why? Well, because the honey badger is tenacious and will never give up. These were all qualities of the man I got to know.
Back in 2016, I wrote a blog article based on a trip I did with Wouter and I want to dedicate this story to the life of the great man he was. Have a read, it will explain a lot about where we came from.
Wouter, you will be missed and never forgotten.
Johann Groenewald
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