A Michael Lewin
Last August, our dear friend and excellent photographer, Michael Lewin, passed away.
Born in South Africa, he came on holidays to Fuengirola in 1966 and decided to stay here forever. During those years, his passion for the horse began and so did his friendship with Luis Villalobos. Mike was always there with his camera to capture part of Fuengirola’s equestrian history.
He produced a great deal of work for the cinema and the American western. Moreover, he saved the Varietés Theater from becoming a bingo hall.
Without a doubt, one of his most famous photographs was the one with a famous group of horsemen, led by don Matías Fernández, crossing the old wooden bridge over Fuengirola’s river, which served as the fair poster of our town in 1976.
Photo: Michael Lewin
He was also the author of countless posters for hitch and dressage competitions celebrated in Fuengirola.
When I had the honor of becoming the president of the Peña de Los Caballistas, I thought that that part of Fuengirola’s history
should be displayed in our caseta forever, so I turned to Mike and asked him for part of his enormous photographic archive. The answer was a clear “yes,” for he has always been a generous person with his friends. It was so hard and fun to choose between so many negatives, and to see so many personalities from our town!
Said generosity paid off when we awarded him the Peña Caballista Prize in 2009. I still remember him crying with emotion and how he confessed to me that “it had been one of the happiest days of his life.”
He was a contributor to the magazine “Pasión por el Caballo” as long as his energy allowed him to, always with a smile and some kind words.
Without a doubt, his wife Nel Van Kesteren and his daughters Belinda and Traley must be very proud of Mike’s trajectory.
Thanks for everything, Mike, our friend. You are going to take such great photographs from heaven!
Eduardo López-Ayala Valverde
President of the Peña de Los Caballistas
This post is also available in: Spanish
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