Linda Dorothea Ness (de Wit) -1966

Linda Dorothea NESS was born in Johannesburg on 22 September 1966. She is the eldest daughter of Pieter NESS and Leonie STOLTZ. She married Gavin Neil DE WIT in Johannesburg in December 1988. Linda has an elder brother "Tiny" and two younger sisters Lorraine and Silvia. Linda grew up in Johannesburg and attended JG Strydom High School. After matric Linda attended Wits Technicon to study a Secretarial Diploma and over her career worked as Secretary, PA and EA. Linda served in many volunteer roles in the church but also in school tuckshops etc.

Linda and Neil had two children

She moved to Cape Town with her family in 1993 and lived there until 2002 when the family emmigrated to Auckland, New Zealand.

She was a member of the Methodist Church and attended the "Walk to Emmaus" and servered on a "Chrysalis" flight in the Western Cape. As a volunteer the also served as the secretary of the Methodist Church Women's Auxiliary for the Western Cape. In the late 90's Linda also volunteered to the Chaplain at Pollsmoor Prison and the very effective and successful Prison Ministry "Kairos".

In March 2014 at 47 years of age Linda sat and passed her Motorcycle Learners License test and in November of the same year passed her Resticted Motorcycle License test.

On 19 August 2015 at the age of 48 Linda passed away suddenly at Auckland hospital after developing DVT (Deep Vein Trombosis) in her left knee injured while skiing a few weeks earlier.

Related Ness Family

The NESS family have produced a number of boxers obtaining provincial and national colours (Springbok) over the years.

Linda's Uncle Nicky NESS represented Southern Transvaal and was a Springbok in 1980 - 1984 as well as being a very succesful boxing coach at Booysens Boxing Club in Johannesburg. Leslie Brooker : "Nicky Ness whipped my butt at jnr SA's '79"

Below are some photos of Nicky. 1. 1981 Southern Transvaal team for South African championships at Johannesburg
City Hall (Nicky on the right hand side,second row) - 2. Nicky second from front - South African National champions of the 1970's and '80's. Lance Gibson,
Sampie Minnie, Nicky Ness and Gideon Strydom. 3. Nicky vs George Masango in SA Open 1980 photo in Goud en Glorie by Pieter Pelser 4. Springbok Boxing Team of 1984 - Nicky left back row 5. Nicky training the team. 6. Nicky watching one of his charges perform in the ring 7. Nicky Ness Springbok 1984 and Lance Gibson Springbok 1982. Southern Transvaal and Transvaal team mates from 1978 - 1983 in Kuilsrivier, South Africa.

Linda's other Uncle Hennie NESS and brother of Nicky NESS. Hennie NESS - South African Light middleweight champ 1977 and Springbok 1978

Here is a fight vs Lance Gibson in 1977..................

And some more of Hennie NESS in 1978. Finals Light middleweight Spingbok trials 1978. Hennie Ness vs. Lance Gibson.........................

And Shaun NESS son of Nicky NESS and Cousin of Linda.........

Won the South African Welterweight Title on 23/10/2015 and lost the title on the 23/04/2017 to Thulani Mbengi via a TKO.

His fight history is as at 1 May 2017 : won 10 (KO 5) + lost 2 (KO 1) + drawn 2 = 14 - rounds boxed 70 - KO% 36%

And Herbie VERMEULEN cousin of the NESS brothers

Fought as a proffesional in the Light Middleweight division was ranked 11 out 26 in South Africa.

His fight history is : won 4 (KO 2) + lost 3 (KO 1) + drawn 2 = 9 - rounds boxed 23 KO% 37%

"No one can deny that Herbie Vermeulen ranks with the finest amateurs this land has ever known and his resume of 232 wins and 11 defeats speaks for itself. A four-time SA amateur champion (1965/67/68/70), Vermeulen competed as a light welterweight and was a consummate boxer/fighter with brilliant defensive skills. Short and compact, it’s noteworthy that his kudos were earned during one of the most competitive eras in local amateur fight history " - www.africanringmagazine.com

"Basil Meintjes will tell you with frank honesty that he grew up in a dysfunctional family environment and “was out of control” in the early part of his life. “When I was six-years-old my brother took me along to the Booysens Boxing Club where Herbie Vermeulen took an interest in me. Fighting was part of my life. I got regularly bashed up at home by my brothers and elder sister, and got into fights on the playground and in the street. Boxing provided me with a means to work out my anger and to learn to protect myself, and I was hooked from the moment I walked into the club,” he explains"

“I was attending a boxing fund raising event at the Carousel with Herbie Vermeulen and his wife, Cathy. God spoke to me when I was at this tournament and told me that the people there were the ones to whom I should reach out. At the end of the evening Cathy came up to me and, without any prompting from me – and without any knowledge of the message God had given me – told me I could ‘plant’ a church in the Booysens Boxing Club. The message to me was crystal clear, and I went ahead and in October 2006 I established the church in the hall of the Booysens Club where I conduct services every Sunday morning”

- www.africanringmagazine.com

"The Booysens Boxing and Sports Club is housed at an unpretentious little building a spitting distance behind the Booysens Police Station.In the past 75 years, it's had only 4 head coaches, but produced 29 Springboks and more than 3000 champions in different categories.

So unassuming is the building with the tan facebrick exterior that it would be easy for a passer-by to miss completely. The only things that reveal the true nature of the place are two boards - one against the palisade fencing and the other an old board against the wall - announcing in black and white what its purpose is.

And yet, the 79-year-old club - said to be the oldest active boxing gym in South Africa - has seen its fair share of boxing excitement.

For trainer Nicky Ness and co-owner Herbie Vermeulen, who have a combined 91 years' association with the gym, the institution has not stopped once being a dream factory" - The Star (South Africa)