From dancing and shooting to therapy
Occupational therapist serves elderly with love
From representing South Africa at dancing and bisley shooting as a school girl to making a huge difference to the lives of the elderly as an occupational therapist.
This is the rewarding achievement of a young Port Alfred farm girl and mother, Mariska Vermeulen.
Born in Kempton Park in Gauteng, she also started her schooling there.
It was during her primary school years that she became interested in both tap and modern dancing and took this up “for the fun of it”.
But this was taken seriously by her dancing school and her team was entered to dance in a national competition at Sun City.
This proved highly successful when they won their age group section and, as such, qualified to represent South Africa at the world championships in Germany in 2007. Competition was obviously tough and they finished 18th in what Vermeulen called an “amazing experience.”
She was also keen on singing and sang in the East Rand Youth Choir for several years.
The family moved to the Port Alfred area when her father, well-known farmer Frik van Rooyen,
bought a property near Kleinemonde. She completed her schooling at PJ Olivier High and it was here that she was successful in the more robust sport of hockey.
She represented the school for two years, captaining the team in 2010.
With her father being a keen hunter, it was not surprising this young girl also became interested in the sport.
As the school offered bisley shooting as a sport, she took this up and soon excelled even though it was considered more suitable for boys.
It came as no surprise when she was selected for the Eastern Province schools side to compete in the South African championships in Bloemfontein at the end of 2008.
A modest Vermeulen said she managed to achieve a lot of full houses during this competition. As a result, she was included in the South African team that competed in the world championships in the UK in 2009.
She explained that they shot with .22 caliber rifles from distances of 50, 80 and 100 meters. “The competition lasted a week and it was an amazing experience,” she said.
Once school was over, Vermeulen obviously had to decide what she was going to do with her life.
“This was not difficult as I had a passion for people and a desire to serve and help them. I decided I wanted to become a physio therapist,” she said. However, she was persuaded to do a degree in occupational therapy and, after a strict selection as only 40 students were accepted, she started her degree at the University of the Orange Free State at the beginning of 2011.
A four-year course, she completed her BSc degree in 2014.
Still not qualified, she did her community service for a year in Kimberley.
It was here that she met her future husband and moved to Hopetown in the Northern Cape when they married. She opened her own practice in the town and ran this until the couple moved to the Eastern Cape at the end of 2016.
Again she opened her own practice, this time in Makhanda, where she also did work at Kingswood, Graeme and Victoria Primary schools.
In September 2018, Vermeulen took up the position of occupational therapist at Settlers Park, where it would seem she has found the true purpose of her occupation.
“I love it here. It is very rewarding to serve the elderly, to love them, and give them the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities and to give them a purpose in life instead of just sitting in their rooms,” she concluded.
By all accounts, she has proved very popular with all the residents she works with.
Vermeulen is the proud mother of a one-year-old son.
•This was Bob Ford’s final article before his passing.
This was not difficult as I had a passion for people and a desire to serve and help them