Past-president of the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), Pat Corbin, who passed away aged 89 last week after suddenly falling ill, had over 70 years of involvement and experience in every aspect of international trade.
Among many of the milestones during his long and dedicated association with the Chamber, he co-wrote JCCI Importers and Exporters manuals with Alan Cowell.
In a tribute to Corbin, former Chamber CEO, Joan Warburton-McBride, said: “This was no mean feat as nothing like it existed.
“These publications provided excellent help and guidance to the industry.”
An added contribution to his insightful thought leadership was the lectures he gave on trade finance at the JCCI for more than 16 years.
Corbin was president of the Chamber from 1985-87 and was “never daunted by what seemed to be hurdles to others,” said Warburton-McBride.
Apart from his astute business contributions, he was also ahead of his time in many ways.
“During his JCCI presidency, Pat single-handedly got the city council to change by-laws prohibiting black commuters from taking buses and taxis from within the CBD of Johannesburg,” said Warburton-McBride.
Given his early commitment to the JCCI, it was a fait accompli that he would eventually become a director of the International Chamber of Commerce in South Africa (ICCSA), a long-held position during which he travelled the world promoting South African business.
He had a long association with and chaired the Johannesburg Tourism Association, the JCCI Medical Aid and was a director of African International Airways, a cargo airline specialising in the movement of animals.
In addition, Corbin served on many committees, commissions and advisory councils over his years of involvement in international trade, finance and logistics. These included The National Transport Policy Study, The Civil Aviation Advisory Council and the Ministerial Transport Advisory Council.
His specialization in trade finance goes back to 1975 when he became a shareholder in Randoux Finance representing European Banks, assisting various large South African companies.
Well known forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, who knew Corbin personally, described him as “a dear friend of many years”, and said he was saddened to hear of his passing on May 18.
“Pat was probably the longest serving member of the chamber in history and served right to the end,” O’Sullivan said.
“Our thoughts and prayers must go out to his life partner, Joan Warburton-McBride. Together, they were a formidable team.
“In the words of Joan, ‘he was sitting relaxing in the sunshine last week, reading the newspaper’.
“I was chatting with Pat on Friday afternoon, at Milpark, and he was full of spirit and joking. Now he has left us and will leave a massive void in our lives.
“There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone, the light remains. Pat falls into that group.”
His enduring involvement with the JCCI and ICCSA tended to overshadow Corbin’s other attributes, such as the heartfelt contributions he made to many other levels of society.
Warburton-McBride said: “For Johannesburg’s centenary celebration in 1986 he founded a brass band which was used extensively at city, chamber and other functions in Johannesburg.
“Pat had a can-do attitude and tackled everything he did with spirited enthusiasm. There was nothing that stood in his way. He was a real fighter.”
Another longtime friend of Corbin’s, advocate Mark Nowitz, said: “I met Pat in 1994 when I became a member of the Rolls Royce Club, purely to benefit from the Club Insurance Discount.
“Little did I know that this would be the start of a 31-year collaboration and close friendship.
“Pat encouraged me to join the committee of the Club and eventually, I succeeded him as the Club Chairman and remain such.
“In 2003, Pat asked me to provide a legal opinion for JCCI on a pro amico basis and invited me to attend a Council Meeting, ‘just as a matter of interest’.
“Before I knew it, I had become vice president of the Chamber in 2004 and thereafter president in 2005, with Pat pushing me and mentoring me in the process. Thus began my relationship with the Chamber and my ultimately replacing him as the Chairman of ICCSA as well, with his blessing.
“Pat was more than just a friend to me. He was a mentor and a pal in the true sense of those words and I will miss his laugh, his humour, and his company very much. His various business experiences and life story are worthy of a book.
“The world has lost a true renaissance man.”
Patrick John Michael Corbin was born in Blantyre, Malawi, on 12 July, 1935.
At the time of his birth, his father was employed on the Sena Sugar Estates in Mozambique. With the outbreak of the Second World War his parents returned to England where he grew up and was educated.
His father died when he was 12 and when his mother remarried the family relocated to Rhodesia.
Corbin’s first job was with Rhodesia Railways; with this solid foundation he moved to Cory Mann George, a clearing, forwarding and ships’ agent in Salisbury (Harare).
He was soon promoted to manager in Umtali and personally handled the entire Umtali Oil Refinery importation. His years in Rhodesia were very happy and filled with opportunities.
He came to South Africa to run Industrial Confirming after Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965.
