The life of Fr Stan is on the shelves
“The story of a simple man that may have not necessarily have had any talents but managed to get things done.”
This is how author David Gemmel describes the autobiography of the late Fr Stan Brennen.
Best known for his contribution to the controversial autobiography of Joost van der Westhuizen, Gemmel took a totally different direction when he embraced the challenge of writing about a man who, unlike Joost, had no known scandals.
“What began solely as a documentation of the life of the late Fr Stan Brennan turned out as an inspiring story of a simple man who just got on with things,” says Gemmel.
Gemmel says the project which was originally meant to only last six months, became a 15-month overdue long pregnancy that birthed Colour Blind Faith.
When the author was first commissioned to write about the life and times of Fr Stan, the Friar was still alive and helped with confirming information.
“Fr Stan’s passing meant that I would have to go through archives of newspaper articles mentioning him, interview people close to him and be meticulous when verifying sources,” he says.
“Writing this book challenged me as an author as I would spend hours in the Boksburg Library reading through thousands of articles and also interviewing people ranging from ex-gangster leaders from Reiger Park to prominent figures like Tokyo Sexwale.”
Gemmel expressed his disappointment not being able to get much information from the late Chris Hani’s Wife, Limpho, as Fr Stan is known for having a big part in the passing of the fallen hero.
“Colour Blind Faith was chosen as the working title of the book because Fr Stan saw no colour and changed the lives of many people living in the Boksburg and Reiger Park community,” explains Gemmel.
He says the book generally just tells the story of a good man with no scandals or warts.
“Although writers, like myself, often look and scratch beneath the surface for an underlying secret that could make for a great selling point, there was nothing to find here.
“Fr Stan improved the lives of those he met and even though he had vowed to live in poverty, he made it possible for there to always be money to get things done,” says Gemmel.
One lucky Advertiser reader will be able to win a copy of the biography Colour Blind Faith, by simply SMSing your name, surname and the word “Biography”, to 35718 by Wednesday, November 20, by noon.
SMSes cost R1.50. The winner will be notified telephonically.
