I was very fortunate to spend my first 7 years, growing up at various missionary stations in the Limpopo province. There, with the help of my loving parents, I learned to have a passion for God and a heart for people.
No wonder that I became the nurse and my brother an evangelist. It was running in our veins and up till now I love working with people, empowering them and to quote Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world”.
I did my B Cur degree at the University of Potchefstroom (now NWU) and completed it in 1989, registering as a general, community, psychiatric nurse and midwife with SANC in December 1989.
From the early stages in my studies, I always knew that I will become a Community Health Nurse. Ethics and Nursing Administration being my stronger subjects.
At first, I did a short course in Geriatric Nursing, working at various retirement villages from 1990 till 1996. I then worked for my husband’s pharmacy for 4 years as a Primary Health Nurse where I was approached by OCSA at first as a part-time PHC position and in April 2002 I was appointed as the occupational health clinic manager at a large earth-moving equipment company and I never looked back.
I was very privileged to work under great mentors, who helped me grow in all the aspects of who I am and believe in today.
My career path moved from Clinic Manager to the Southern Africa Occupational Health Coordinator for a global petroleum company in Cape Town within a year. After 5 years and engaging with medical professionals throughout Africa, I was appointed as the Regional Manager for Mpumalanga and Swaziland as well as coordinating various national & international occupational health programs in the mining, construction and transport industry.
In this time I got quite involved in the OCSA Academy and I facilitated various courses for them in South Africa, Namibia and the DRC.
In Jan 2016 I was appointed as an Occupational Health Business Manager, overseeing the Garden Route, Northern Cape and Free State.
It has always been a dream to have my own business so I resigned in March 2020 to start my own business catering for various industries in the healthcare sector and I never learned more in such a short time, collecting all my knowledge of the past 30 years to create a vision for my company with a mission that good healthcare STARTS with me and then another 3 S’s needs to follow: SIMPLIFY things, SHARE your knowledge and then SPEED it up.
I give thanks to the God who I serve because I am nothing but His hands and feet on earth and who kindly send the right people across my path to mentor me and also to my husband, Willie, and 3 wonderful children who always supported me in everything I do.
