GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Nicolas Oosthuizen was awarded a long-service certificate for his work rendered to date to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) at Tuesday's council meeting. Oosthuizen has been employed at the GRDM Roads Services Department for 40 years.
When he joined the GRDM roads team (Divisional Council at the time) in January 1981, he was appointed as general worker.
Today, Oosthuizen is a qualified diesel mechanic who specialises in earth moving and construction. He started his training at the Western Cape Provincial Government in 2000 and obtained his qualification as a diesel mechanic in May 2003.
During an interview with Oosthuizen, he recalls that when he was appointed at the municipality, he was "very young and inexperienced during that time". However, soon plenty of responsibilities started to rest on his shoulders.
Due to his passion for his job, he has been able to persevere and push through, overcoming every obstacle in his way to achieve success.
"This is not a 'clean job', however, the best feeling I get while working for GRDM is when I am able to repair a vehicle and see it driving on the road again," he says. "I am thankful to the Garden Route District Municipality for my years of tenure and that I can live out my passion and contribute strongly to the services that the municipality renders to the Garden Route."
Gerald Sinkfontein, deputy manager of Mechanical Services at GRDM, describes Oosthuizen as an exceptional individual and a person with good interpersonal skills. His characteristics, respect and helpfulness towards others in the workplace make it a pleasure to work with him.
Dirk Krohn, superintendent at the workshop for the George and Riversdale depots and Oosthuizen's supervisor, remembers that when he started at GRDM Roads in 1999, Nico was already employed at the municipality.
"The two of us have good working relations. Reason being, he is a willing employee since he is optimistic about his work. For that, I've developed the greatest respect for him," he said.
Lastly, Krohn noted that it is an honour to have Oosthuizen as part of their team as he is one of the longest-serving employees at the Roads Department, "and this is the reason why his colleagues have the highest respect for him."
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