I don’t like to complain, but when I want to complain, I will complain.
My complaint is against the person who decided that 60 years old puts me over the hill.
Yours truly turned 60 earlier this month and is now forced to go into retirement.
But don’t give up on me just yet!
Jokes aside, it’s been an exciting time, starting at the old Cape Herald in the early 1980s, seeing the birth of The Plainsman that led to Community Newspapers and then being at The Argus Tonight where my passion for the arts and culture could find an outlet.
A journey that started on the dusty streets of Diep River, but with a love for reading.
I was never trained as a journalist, but actually as a sort of electrician – but don’t tell anybody.
A lot has changed since I started this journey and there is just not enough space to go into detail about it all, but I was glad to be part of writing against apartheid, seeing the birth of the new South Africa, and in later years trying to make a difference through my work here at TygerBurger and People’s Post.
Circumstances led to me coming here and I am thankful for being given the opportunity to work in the communities where I was assigned.
Many people have negative perceptions of many of the areas where I have worked, but my answer to them is that we tend to overlook the positive for the negative. Crime is there; it’s always been there, but amidst that I have loved showing the world that there are positive people out there trying to make a difference.
Through my love for music I was privileged to be part of two projects that highlight the good that exists in our disadvantaged communities. The first is the Delft Big Band. I watched with some pride how these young musicians grew into the professional group they are today. And then there’s the Jazz Yard Academy in Bonteheuwel. It started with one man who wanted to make a difference. And it is making a major difference – in so many young lives that could have been led astray. My job here is done. – Gary van Dyk
