Selwyn Sklarchik was a friendly student with a confident manner.  Despite his keen intelligence his academic performance was unspectacular, and he repeated fifth form to matriculate with the Class of 1962.  However he was a great social success out of school -- as one classmate recalls, he was "always the lad the pretty girls flocked around".

After school Selwyn worked briefly at his father's estate agency, but then chose an unusual path more suited to his independent spirit:  he became a youthful entrepreneur.  Hamburgers were something of a novelty in Durban at the time, and Selwyn saw a business opportunity.  With three partners, he opened a Burger Ranch in Davenport Centre.  This project proved very successful, so Selwyn bought out his partners and opened a second Burger Ranch in Montclair. 

This was the start of a long career in the restaurant business, in which Selwyn gained renown for his perfectionist genius for creating popular restaurants. Selwyn's formula was always the same:  A creative menu of delicious food, served in generous portions, at modest prices, in a welcoming environment, under his close supervision.

Selwyn married Robin O'Callaghan in 1969 and they had three children, Jo-Ann, Nicole, and Brett.  Here is a photo of the young family:

The marriage ended in divorce in 1981.  Sharon later married Sharon Tolman in 1994, but that marriage also ended in divorce.

In 1970, after the hamburger venture, Selwyn operated the Three Monkeys Coffee Bar in the African Life Arcade.  His menu declared that "Three Monkeys is the most picturesque coffee bar in the Southern Hemisphere" and it soon attracted many loyal customers:

Selwyn's next venture was Selwyn's Coffee Shop, which he opened in 1980.  This was followed in 1982 by the enormously successful Press Club, located between the Natal Mercury and Daily News premises.  Next came Circus Circus at Musgrave Centre, followed by Oscar's in Essenwood Road.  Then, as decay set into central Durban, Selwyn moved further afield and opened two more successful Oscar's restaurants, in Durban North and Hillcrest.  This family photo was taken at that time:

Selwyn's last great venture was a revived Press Club, which he and his son Brett opened in Umhlanga in 2013 to enthusiastic reviews. One Tripadvisor contributor praised the "cuisine magician" in these terms: "His breakfast selections include original dishes such as curried potatoes and beans on his wonderful home-baked bread, topped with eggs and baby tomatoes; his curries are as good as the best Indian specialist restaurants in KZN;  the lamb shanks are up there with the best versions anywhere, and the chicken and mushroom pie I had for lunch was packed with much-moreish ingredients that left me content and belt-straining.  Creative salads, excellent sandwich selections for the less-hungry, great cakes, coffees, milkshakes for the sweet-toothed snacker are all part of the electic menu.  Selwyn's hospitality is a by-word in the industry; he recognizes the legions of regularly returning customers by name, and recalls their favourite dishes."

Selwyn was so dedicated to his work that he felt unable to attend our 50 year reunion dinner in 2011 -- he dearly wanted to be there, but he absolutely could not leave his restaurant in the evenings!  However he did find time for some distractions at other times -- bowling, watching sports and other programs on TV, and betting on horse races.

Unfortunately Selwyn suffered from health problems in his later years, including liver and cardiac issues.  In 2020 he was diagnosed with advanced kidney disease.  He retired to Beth Shalom home in Durban, and for five years received regular dialysis treatments.  This photo is from that period:

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Selwyn's health continued to decline until he succumbed to complications of renal failure on 26 February, 2025.

Selwyn Sklarchik is survived by his daughter Jo-Ann, who works in real estate, and her children Luke and Gemma; his daughter Nicole, who is a teacher; and his son Brett, also a restauranteur, and his children Tyler and Brooklyn.

[Special thanks to Sid Rosen and Nicole Sklarchik for their help with this In Memory notice]