Vetnews | April 2024 30 « BACK TO CONTENTS Houseparents of Onderstepoort residence: 1985 to 2024 Written by Annette Boshoff and Heloise Heyne of the Veterinary History Society of South Africa A celebration of the past century of the Onderstepoort residence would be incomplete without a tribute to the long-suffering houseparents. For those of you who will attend the reunion and festivities on 5 and 6 April, this will be your chance to own up and ask for forgiveness. In this issue, we look back to the past forty years and the most recent houseparents. For the next instalment, any information or photographs on the incumbents before 1985, would be greatly appreciated. Alischa and Tiaan Henning – January 2018 to date Dr Alischa Henning (née Fourie), whose father was also a veterinarian (Johan Fourie BVSc 1973 from Rustenburg), qualified at Onderstepoort in 2010. Alischa was appointed as a lecturer in Pathology in 2016 and obtained her MMedVet (Pathology) in 2018. Tiaan studied at the University of Potchefstroom (now the NWU) and qualified with a BSc (Hons) in Actuarial Science in 2008. He is employed at the South African Reserve Bank and develops strategies to manage climate-related risks for banks and insurers in South Africa. They have two children, Rudolph aged 8 and Laubscher aged 5. These two boys are born and bred Opiates. If you were to ask them as a newlywed couple, where they would picture themselves in the future, being houseparents at OP Village would definitely not have come to mind. Now, however, they cannot imagine being anywhere else. For them, it is a privilege to have such a far-reaching influence on so many young lives and this realisation becomes greater with each passing year. They admit that it is a tough job and most of what the position entails is continuous service without much appreciation. However, the occasional letter, email, thank you or unexpected smile makes it worth it to this couple. When asked what will stay with them, they mentioned the TuksRes welcoming event - an event held during orientation week where all the first-year students from all the UP residences come together at the Rembrandt hall. As a VIP guest, the houseparents sit in the middle of the hall surrounded by roughly 8000 students. In their own words: Not only the physical experience but the sheer thought of the magnitude of one’s responsibility and influence left us breathless. To take a step back and see what we have managed to do in our years at OP Village is very satisfactory. Tiaan and Alischa Henning, houseparents since 2018 with their two boys, Rudolph and Laubscher, c. 2023. Henning family and their dog, Norris, with the House Committee at the statue of Klippies and Cola, in front of Old Res, c. 2023. Henning family with the House Committee, c. 2024.
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