#knowyourbenoni – Benoni gets the credit for this success story

BCT: What difference has Benoni made in your life?

OB: I would say Benoni gave me my life back.

I moved to Benoni in August of 1998.

I joined Benoni Northerns in 2000 and six months later I ran my first Comrades.

I completed 10 Comrades marathons between the ages of 50 and 60.

Two years later I completed my 11th one.

Benoni Northerns gave me so much encouragement. I had no self-belief.

I am a member of Benoni Northerns, the Northfield Methodist Church and I attended the school of practical philosophy which also changed my life.

BCT: Tell us a bit about yourself.

OB: I was born in Belfast, but I grew up in a town called Steytlerville and I attended Grey College in Port Elizabeth from Grade One to matric.

In 1975, I moved to Florida, Gauteng.

BCT: Why did you move to Benoni after that?

OB: I started working for a small recruitment company on a commission based in Benoni.

I didn’t like the corporate feel of the company so I opened my own micro recruitment company.

One day, I came across an old R12 000 insurance policy. I used that money as a deposit on a flat near town.

I had no furniture and had interviews at coffee shops.

In the meantime, I bought a bigger house in Western Extension where I have been living for 15 years.

BCT: Tell us more about your job.

OB: I am passionate about my recruitment company.

It is my job to teach people how to conduct themselves, how to react in interviews, how to communicate and how to be their best selves.

People need guidance and my objective is to pair an individual with the best possible company.

I don’t mind dying poor, as long as I can restore hope in people, as I have restored hope in myself during very dark times in my life.

BCT: What are your plans for the future?

OB: I have just launched a course aimed at guiding people to a more fulfilled professional and personal life.

My business is not community work, but I see it as so much more than just a company.

People always want to upgrade their lives and my company is about empowering individuals and bettering businesses.

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