LIVING THE LEGACY

As children, it’s one thing stepping into a family business – it’s quite another having a real passion for it and succeeding beyond expectations. That’s what you’d call the perfect legacy, where, from the outset, you’re given a love for an industry that almost runs through your veins. Legendary Mount Edgecombe and North Coast property doyenne, Sally Cameron, bequeathed that affinity for property to her children, Farrah and David. Today, this dynamic sister-brother partnership is flourishing. They’ve taken that passion and made it their very own.

The duo share long and deep memories of a childhood steeped in property, from spending Sundays helping to put up show boards and

organising show days, to being bundled in the car at 6pm heading to the Wild Coast to sign up a client.

The wonderful thing for both David and Farrah is that they not only entered that world equipped with the facts and foibles, but with those small, invaluable interpersonal nuances which makes a success of any industry so soundly based on relationships. That was Sally’s modus operandi. The extra effort she put into her clients’ lives was often questioned by many, but for her, that wasn’t even remotely about work. It was about who she was. Her children understood that, and the value of it.

In both her business and personal life, Sally Cameron was all about relationships and authentic, often

This powerhouse sibling team is fully aligned in their vision of what creates a successful enterprise

ABOVE: Brother and sister duo, David Cameron and Farrah Williamson.

BROTHER AND SISTER DAVID CAMERON AND FARRAH WILLIAMSON, WERE RAISED ON PROPERTY BY THEIR LEGENDARY PROPERTY POWERHOUSE MOTHER, SALLY CAMERON. TODAY, DAVID JOINS FARRAH IN A BALLITOBASED PROPERTY BROKERAGE, AND TOGETHER THEY BRING INNOVATION, ENERGY AND A DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE TO THE NORTH COAST

lifelong, connections, a fact to which her husband Rick would certainly attest after spending 47 years together. Sally wore many different hats while heading up Pam Golding Properties at Mount Edgecombe – her national Group conferences are still talked about – but whichever hat she wore, she was constantly seeking ways to do it better, bigger and bolder … while simultaneously lifting up the people around her. That was Sally. She had a contagiously electric energy about her that could light up an entire building, and an innate ability to make people feel understood, heard and cared for.

A great leader was Sally Cameron, but equally, an exceptional sales person. David grins: “She was once in the paper for selling three houses in a day, something that had never been heard of!” Leadership, integrity and a determination to succeed are certainly qualities which Farrah and David have inherited. Farrah has headed up the Mount Edgecombe franchise for 15 successful years, and when the Ballito franchise became available, Sally nudged Farrah to take it on – with the crystal-clear foresight of what the siblings are doing right now.

Now, David is officially joining Farrah at Ballito, bringing his extensive experience in residential developments and sales to the boardroom table. Having learnt from the best, this powerhouse sibling team is fully aligned in their vision of what creates a successful enterprise, one with which everyone wants to engage – clients and staff alike.

“We work hard to attract the perfect sales consultants, and take immense pride in working with individuals with integrity and experience to make up our professional team. Many of our agents have more than 15 to 20 years’ experience in the industry and the region, and that’s invaluable,” says Farrah. “We’ve always felt when you have the right person backed by the right brand, it’s an unbeatable combination.”

David’s property partnership with Farrah represents perfect timing for the branch and themselves. “I’m excited to bring in fresh energy and innovation to this highly motivated and experienced team – all of us supported by a brand that stands for everything we believe in.” He adds, “Farrah and I carry through mom’s professional and personal legacy of ethical business and honourable relationships above all else. It’s never simply about today’s sale, it’s about creating strong relationships which last for decades. That’s the joy mom received from the world of property, and we do too.” *

BELOW: Sally Cameron was a legendary giant in the property game.

not your average CONVEYANCING ATTORNEY

FOR DAVID VAN ONSELEN, SOLE PROPRIETOR OF VO ATTORNEYS, HIS LENGTHY JOURNEY IN PRACTISE HAS BEEN UNUSUAL

Granted, 40 years is a long time to find your niche in legal practise. This statistic still surprises David van Onselen, the sole proprietor of Van

Onselen or VO Attorneys, a specialised conveyancing firm he established in 2016.

Fortunately, time is also a great tutor, which explains to some extent why David was able to enter his new venture with complete confidence. After all those years he knew a great deal about his strengths and capabilities and, indeed, about all those things which conduce to success in his chosen field. Add to that, two key staff members who believed absolutely in what David represented professionally, and you have the makings of a jumpstart into business. The roll-out has been way above expectation.

Drilling back into David’s background, he comes from a family steeped in law enforcement and creative writing. It’s therefore not surprising to hear he stands for so much more than conveyancing.

He has a sound sense of justice – of right versus wrong, and the law’s role in controlling public behaviour patterns.

This was graphically demonstrated in the early 1990s when he championed the cause to change law. Under the acronym

TUFF (The Unmarried Fathers Fight), his action group helped bring a substantial amendment to Statute Law relating to unmarried fathers’ rights – changes which are today very much part of the Child Care

Act. It was a significant achievement much needed by society at the time.

Complementing a strong sense of justice is David’s affinity for working effectively with people. He understands human behaviour and their issues and is thus able to offer sound advice and counselling on a wide range of subjects. He can also mediate with understanding that there are always two sides to every conflict situation. He has formal training in this field.

Although initially trained as a litigation lawyer, David found no future in that field. His feel for people and their cause led him naturally to embrace conveyancing. Here, a lawyer is engaged by two parties to achieve a common goal – the transfer of ownership in immovable property from one person to another. The fact that this is achieved via a clear legal process, made good business sense to him. Job satisfaction could be achieved by applying yourself to how best to present the service, and thus delivering satisfaction for all parties involved.

With TUFF behind him, David threw himself into the business of assembling and leading a strong team of conveyancing staff. He gained important exposure to the establishment of share block-based developments for the timeshare industry, and was also directly involved in the emergence of hotels owned on a sectional title basis – both requiring creative drafting of complex documents incorporating new applications of the law. He found it uplifting and personally rewarding, but there was a catch. Being part of a legal firm offering a wide range of services with differing levels of profitability, made for a compromised overall business outcome.

The 2000s saw David try a new practise venture based in uMhlanga focused on developments, but fate intervened. The financial crisis of 2008/9 made profitable operations impossible. In some ways, he felt he needed respite from directing a legal firm. This came in the form of a five-year contract he was offered to run an established conveyancing department in a large law firm.

Those five years gave David an

opportunity to reflect and consolidate his thinking on what had been good and bad in the previous 40 years. The result? The framework of VO Attorneys emerged. A specialist conveyancing practise solely owned and managed by him, with separate departments for Developments and General Residential conveyancing. The rationale for the separation was the totally different client dynamic and operational process which drives the two fields, gaining further relevance from a strong business

He has a sound sense of justice – of right versus wrong, and the law’s role in controlling public behaviour patterns

ABOVE: David with his team of experts who offer clients a professional, expert legal service. From left: Cheri Bairstow, Robyn Horne, Sarah Burczak, Ali van Onselen, David van Onselen, Ali Tate, Sarah Hill, Antoinette Nel, and Belinda Smith. relationship with Collins Residential Developments as special clients. In effect, two specialised branches of conveyancing rolled into one law firm.

Making VO Attorneys function effectively under one management structure required capable professionals dealing with the roll-out. Within a few short years, David acquired key people and, together, they worked tirelessly to render their service delivery as a refined product, matching the complex issues posed by client’s legal requirements and the widely diverse spectrum of people with differing personalities that constitute the client base. It’s a delicate social science/legal balancing act – one that David sees as akin to an art-form.

Outside of the legal office, David has a diversified series of interests. In the 80s he was deeply involved in road running. Club Chairman and then chair of the Natal Marathon Runners Association, he embraced both the administration of the sport and was a good runner himself. In the 90s he took up flying, obtaining his private pilot’s licence which he maintained for 10 years. Interwoven into his life has been a consistent involvement with fly fishing.

But his real creative passion lies in the workshop. Working mainly in wood, David is an amateur cabinet maker, with a side interest in metal work. Running close to his workshop involvement, is his passion for bonsai cultivation – both these passions inherited from his father. For David, gardening and bonsai make up an important genetic connection which his family has with things horticultural. He finds a kind of “zen” factor in tending his small but well-aged collection of trees, which lend a calming/contemplative influence to his morning routine at home.

None of these outside interests run counter to – or distract him from – his conveyancing work. If anything, they enhance and elevate it. He considers them an important mental counter-balance to the largely indoor/administrative life he lives at VO Attorneys.