Sadie Glibberey
(December 1941 – May 2023)
PSSA President and School Salon promoter
Sadie Glibberey served as PSSA President between 2009 and 2011 and also served as a Board member for several years. She was awarded a Service Medal for her continued hard work over many years for the School Salon. After joining PSSA in 1991, she became an expert photographer and was awarded FPSSA Honours for her work in mono prints in 2010. The tributes by Norma Pearman FPSSA and Francois Rousseau Hon PSSA, APSSA were first published in e-Image of June 2023.
Sadie, Sadie the beautiful Lady, always humble and kind to all. RIP Sadie — Norma Pearman.
I met Sadie for the first time when she arrived at Edenvale Camera Club, where Derek and I were members at the time. She came in and sat quietly to one side to observe how the camera club worked and operated as she was thinking of joining. When she arrived again at the next meeting as an observer, I went and introduced myself to her and asked her to come and have some tea with me. We chatted and from that time on we built a very good friendship.
Sadie told me she was interested in photography as she wanted to have a hobby as she needed another outlet, other than her being a school teacher — and the rest is history. She joined Edenvale Camera Club and we became good friends and sat together at club. We chatted about photography and she would ask questions on how certain photos were taken. Derek and I helped her to settle in and watched her progress along in the star ratings in the club. We would meet at different outings and help and guide Sadie until she found her way and direction. She wanted to move in her photography.
Sadie, was a very easy person to get on with and always very humble. I got on with Sadie so well and found we had a lot of common interests. When Derek was retired from Transnet we left Kempton Park, as we had decided to move down to Nelspruit in 1992. We both left Edenvale Camera Club with a sad heart, but we soon joined Nelspruit Camera Club and enjoyed the people and the atmosphere and competitiveness.
I was working in Foto First, which was in Brown Street at the time, when I got the surprise of my life: who should walk into the shop — non other, than Sadie with her friend who lived in Nelspruit at the time! After that, whenever Sadie was in Nelspruit, she never failed to pop in and see me at Foto First. We would have a great time chatting and catching up on each other’s news. Sadie was having a cottage built on her daughter’s farm in the White River Area and she was planning to move there to stay. Fortunately, Derek and I had an opportunity to move back to Johannesburg in 1998 and I would bump into Sadie at different exhibitions camera clubs were hosting in Johannesburg.
Over the years that I have known Sadie, she never changed. We kept in touch via Facebook and phone calls over the years. She remained the person I had come to know over the years, always humble.
She had become an accomplished photographer, winning medals and other accolades. She achieved Honours in colour and monochrome prints, slides and digital. My greatest pleasure was to see her attain the greatest achievement in her photography when she became President of PSSA.
I will always remember the good times. We had chatted and shared good laughs together over the years and Sadie, I will miss you deeply.
Fly high Sadie, as God has called you for higher work.
Former PSSA President Francois Rousseau shares his memories of Sadie Glibberey
What an absolute honour to write about my friend Sadie. Normally, we would not have been friends, but thanks to photography we met and had wonderful cups of coffee and chats after she retired to the Lowveld.
We met at the Nelspruit Photographic Society, and later we were both PSSA Board Members. Sadie ran her business out of Foto First in the mall in Nelspruit, hence we had lots of chats and cups of coffee whenever I visited.
The most memorable two weeks of our friendship was back in 2011. Sadie was President of PSSA at the time and the Chinese Photography Association invited her and some PSSA Board Members to attend their annual congress in Lishui, China. In the end only Sadie, my wife Petro and I went to China.
Now, the first part of our trip was self-planned and was really a low budget affair and off the beaten track to find interesting photographic opportunities. Our travel arrangements were sketchy at times. We had good laughs when the bus dropped us off in the middle of a small town on the Yangtze delta and we had no idea where we were. Nobody spoke any English, but through pointing and pictures we managed to find our guesthouse, after taking a ride on two human-powered tricycles with all our luggage.
The beds in the guesthouse had no mattresses just traditional woven mats. We were the only Westerners, and we were often subjects for other photographers; especially Sadie, since she was quite tall amongst the Chinese, grey haired and she smoked, attracting quite a lot of interest from the locals.
The food was interesting. We kept on passing on the street food since we couldn’t recognise anything familiar and again no English, and by evening we had to take a plunge else we would have starved. Sadie was very courageous, and we had some very interesting unknown meals and good laughs.
We ended up with 2nd class train tickets to Lishui (booking lost in translation). The tickets were quite cheap, but boy, we had an interesting journey amongst the working class with some very strange smells while food was being prepared in the aisle of the train and an over utilized toilet area! Then there were missed flights, lots of expensive, but good, coffee, and getting soaking wet in a rainstorm. She did not complain once and took it all in her stride. One morning in the street of Shanghai she spontaneously joined a drumming tai-chi group, and she caused quite bit of excitement amongst the other players.
Sadie, my friend, I salute your passion for life and the good times we shared. Thank you for your friendship.
Several PSSA members also paid tribute to Sadie on Facebook.
Evelyn Gibson, PSSA PRO: It is with great sadness that we hear of the sudden passing away of Sadie Glibbery, a past President of PSSA. She will be remembered by many of our members. RIP Sadie and we will all remember all that you gave in many ways, to the benefit of PSSA.
Wilma Labuschagne: My deepest condolences to her family and close friends, I will always remember her commitment and dedication to photography. Really sad news indeed. Rest in peace Sadie.
Maretha Wiegand Roux: Sad to hear the news. My condolences to her family and close friends.
Iris Seegers: My Innige MEEGEVOEL met die naasbestaandes vriende en kollegas Sadie, jou plek gaan so leeg wees R. I. V. LIEWE VRIENDIN.
Nelson Lopes: My deepest condolences to family and friends. She was a great friend and companion to have around. RIP.
Corine Ross: Sorry to read. RIP and Condolences to the family and friends.
Margaret Finn: Very sad news. I got to know Sadie through photo clubs here in Mpumalanga. She was a lovely lady & I will miss her at our meetings. RIP Sadie. Condolences to her family.
Jan Jacobs: Sad news.
Eileen Covarr: Very sad news. Condolences to Sadie’s family and friends.
Johan Kloppers: Very sad indeed. Will be missed. RIP.
Carol Patteson Phillips: RIP Sadie. Condolences to her family and friends.
Gerhard Viljoen: RIP.
Marleen la Grange: Very sad news indeed. Thinking of her family during this very sad time. Her friendly comments will surely be missed.
Francois Roux, past PSSA President: Sad news, condolences to her family and friends.
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