Of tanned leather and callused hands
Mr Myburgh's hands are callused from the many years of making leather bend to his will.
What drives you to keep going? What gets you up in the morning?
For Jan Myburgh (83), it’s the inability to sit still. Born in the Kuruman district in the Northern Cape, Mr Myburgh became a drill operator for the Department of Water Affairs. Many moves later, he relocated to Newcastle, as he had landed a job at a firm in Dundee where he worked for ten years before retiring.
“My work was always interesting. We went to areas where they would want to build a dam, where we would drill to check the earth beneath us. We needed to asses if the ground was stable enough to hold a dam.”
Today, living in the La Gratitude Retirement Village, Mr Myburgh supplements his pension by making genuine leather handbags and belts by hand.
“I have been making things out of leather for almost 15 years. It takes me about two days to make one bag from scratch.”
While the workmanship shows evidence of good quality, Mr Myburgh’s hands are callused from the many years of making leather bend to his will.
“I started making my products for an extra income. Those days I used to tan the leather myself. Now I order the leather from a tannery in Pietermaritzburg. It’s easier that way and I don’t make the neighbours so angry.”
Mr Myburgh is up every morning bright and early. He works from his garage where it is very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.
“By night time I am very tired. Most days I sit down in front of the television to watch the news but I don’t even see the weather, I am already asleep in my chair by then!” he explains, chuckling infectiously.
Mr Myburgh has been married for 58 years.
“I don’t think that there is a secret to a happy marriage. You have to love each other, and you have to compromise. I am still happily married even after so many years.”
Together, the Myburghs have two children. A son (56) who also resides in Newcastle and a daughter (52) who lives in Canada.
For many, the drive to get up and get going every day maybe taxing. For Mr Myburgh however, living life with a purpose comes naturally.
Mr Myburgh can be seen selling his wares from his car at local markets and shopping centres.
