When commitment to a dream makes you indispensable
Sara Pandle of The Witzenberg Valley wants to become a nurse.
The road to the Witzenberg Valley, Ceres is clearly marked. It requires some effort to stick to the winding road and the ups and downs of the Gydo Pass and, if you’re not paying attention to what’s in front of you, you might miss the left turn and end up in Citrusdal. This could also describe 42-year old Sara Pandle’s life. She started the new millennium at Ouplaas, the family farm of Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing Procurement Manager and apple and pear grower, Calla du Toit, coming from Koelfontein in the nearby Prince Alfred Hamlet.
“When I arrived I was one of the people that used to walk behind the pickers in the orchards to pick up the fruit that they might have missed or dropped. Previously I’d worked in the vineyards and as a general worked around the house. At Ouplaas I developed my pruning skill sand become familiar with dealing with late developing branches. I found myself drawn to the Training Centres and community development as I knew that I wanted to work with the community. “Actually”, she says, “My dream was always to become a nurse but as I had to go out to work and help support my family at a young age, I wasn’t able to complete my schooling as a teenager living in Calvinia.
“Currently I am principal of the farm creche and responsible for looking after the children. We typically have around 30 children in the creche so I work on creating activities and educational programmes for them. I also work to raise funds for the creche by putting on community events. During harvest I also still work as a senior Quality Controller on the farm and, because of my Level Three First Aid qualifications, I’m also the person that our workers come to with problems.
Calla du Toit, a third generation grower at Ouplaas and still in the business with his father and wife Orla, says that what makes Sara’s story so inspirational is that she is entirely self-motivated: “Sara’s decisions and determination to improve herself are hers alone even though her committed relationship with God helps guide her in the right direction. Not only does she ask for what she needs but she also finds a way to make it happen – from improving her ability to communicate by learning to speak English and IsiXhosa to raising the money she needed to complete the First Aid courses herself. She was the one who approached us about setting up a creche on the farm and, when she did, she already had a plan of where it would be and who she had arranged to fix up the space and make it suitable for children.”
Sara says that sick children always come first. “Most of the health-related issues we see on the farm are children not being well”, she says, “although sometimes there is a fight and someone needs a knife wound bandaged before the ambulance arrives.”
“My training and experience over the years has let me know when I need to call the doctor or, worse, an ambulance”, she says. “The worst problems come in the middle of the night. Just when I think to myself I’m tired and really need a good night’s sleep, that will be the night I get called out.”
Sara’s husband, Johnson Pandle is a foreman on the farm. “He is very supportive”, she says, “and only sometimes complains about me being woken in the middle of the night. Often he will come with me.
“I see a lot of people with potential but like they say in the bible they “steek ‘n ‘n lamp op en sit dit onder ‘n emmer” or shy away from their own potential.
The word of God plays a central role in Sara’s life and she is a regular at Vlaksaal VGK Church in the community.
“I understand their problems as I’ve faced most of them myself. I know what it is like to be under pressure. I’ve been depressed in the past and then Johnson has really helped me. I’ve made peace with it that this is my work and my calling.
In December last year I got my learners licence, Code 10 qualification which will also let me drive a Code 14 lorry.
I’m struggling with my license a bit as I don’t have a car at the moment in which to practice but I’m going for driving lessons in the village.
Getting my license is part of my dream to become a nurse but, she says in Afrikaans, “my sak het a gaatjie in” meaning she doesn’t have the funds to go to the next level.
Sara is on the lookout for sponsors to help her complete her nurse’s training. If you can help, please email calla@tru-cape.co.za
As I quality controller who works with apples and pears we asked Sara for her best tips when it came to purchasing and storing fruit.
“Always buy Tru-Cape”, she smiles, “but try to buy fruit that isn’t 100% ripe so that you can keep it in your house for longer. Store apples in a cool place. I like Kiku™ and Golden Delicious as my favourite apples and pears I love Abate Fetel and Beurre Hardy. Usually I prefer fruit fresh but sometimes I peel a Gala apple and cook it with cinnamon and custard.
