JOËLLE THOMPSON
DIRENE VAN DER WATH stepped into an added administrative role in the office at the beginning of the year. Sheis a warm and likeable person who is, in her own words, ‘an extrovert disguised at times as an introvert.’ She is mother to a girl, Lianke(6), and a boy, Jouan(2).
She has exceptional time management skills and juggles her priorities at work and at home very well. She makes use of reminders set on her phone calendar and sets alarms to alert herself to fetch her children from school. She writes everything on sticky notes and tries to get as much sleep as possible to keep her energy levels high. Mrs Van der Wath studied Hospitality Management and she is busy with a Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management.
Life is certainly not dull in this house. Mrs Van der Wath also finds time to fit in leisure activities such as knitting and needlework. She has her own home industry where she bakes cakes for special occasions. She started dancing when she was three years old and hasn’t stopped. Doing hip-hop keeps her fit. Make no mistake, her team is no average one; they took part in an international dancing competition. She says that she is good at paint-ball and knows how to forge knives, but she is afraid of horses!
Many girls (and men!) will envy Mrs Van der Wath for being a motorcycling enthusiast who has owned two Harley Davidson Sportster bikes: ‘Skillie’ and ‘Ruby’.She was even featured with Ruby in a Jack Parrow music video.
When asked about the strangest thing she has eaten for breakfast, she replied with a frown, ‘Sushi, because I don’t even like sushi!’
Her favourite animal is a dog. This corresponds with her favourite TV show which is Paw Patrol – her children’s doing!
Mrs Van der Wath feels passionate about her annual contribution to make it possible for a less privileged young lady to attend a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, her matric farewell. She helps to buy a dress and other accessories to make the evening magical for the girl. She believes that God will reward her for this act of kindness. No wonder she was a Mrs Bloemfontein finalist in 2012!
