15/04/2025
TRIBUTE TO WICO EHLERS
Good morning everyone.
My name is Brenton Tyrrell. I have been a friend of Wico’s for many years…but not nearly long enough. He is the one who should be standing up here, not me. Our roles should have been reversed as he was the youngster in the friendship, and I was always the old dog.
I always joked that when I shuffled off this mortal coil, he would saddle up his pony and drop by to say a few nice words about me. Assuming he could find any, that is. Even a few well meaning white lies would do.
Wico was a full-blown warrior at heart, and his biggest regret was not being afforded the opportunity to serve in the SADF. However he made the journey to France to try out for selection and inclusion into the French Foreign Legion. But, as the Devil would have it, he was unable to begin the selection because of an issue with his age. He was devastated.
Undeterred, he joined the Crime Prevention wing of the SAPS, where he served for many years, with distinction.
I was in the process of securing a very tough, Spartan contract for him in North Africa. He was the right man for the training position and should the job have turned into a hot contract, I knew he would pull his weight and not leave his fellow combatants in the lurch.
Many will remember Wico as an accomplished sport shooter, both in IPSC and IDPA. He travelled to the United States where he qualified as an NRA Range Officer and later as a top-level gunsmith, attaining first place in his class.
A few years ago, Wico joined my long-range shooting academy, Cold Zero, as Instructor and Gunsmith. His contribution was invaluable. Wico’s patience and dedication, combined with his broad spectrum of knowledge, endeared him to every student that attended. There were times when I took a back seat and watched as he captivated his audience with pearls of wisdom. I will be hard pressed to find a man of his calibre again. His absolute love of life and dedication to his work was infinite.
He remains one of only three people that engaged the large, medium and small steel gongs, at my range in Dullstroom, with consecutive shots. No mean feat, believe me. Dullstroom sometimes has four seasons in a day.
I think we can all agree that Wico had a huge heart and that he would take the shirt off his back for you. His generosity knew no bounds. There were times when I was stuck with a problem at home. Within an hour he would be there, armed with whatever implement was required to solve my problem.
My parties and braais will never be the same without him. He would just arrive and take over the role of braai master, giving me the opportunity imbibe Red Breast at leisure.
If I was out of the country and Lorin, my long-suffering wife, had an issue, all she had to do was pick up the phone, and he would be there in a heartbeat.
His value system was as big as his heart. He embraced all the good virtues of life; honesty, integrity, honour, empathy and decency. A testament to his good upbringing. His parent’s efforts were not in vain.
If I know Wico, he will be up in Heaven negotiating with the Sky Pilot on changing the book of Revelations to include a fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, wielding his sword as wingman for God’s Angel on the Red War Horse.
Now, old friend, you embark on your next journey, which is to solve the Great Mystery of the Afterlife.
Aufwiedersehen Teufelhund.
Make sure you keep a seat at the bar for me in Valhalla.
