After 18 years in the newsroom, journalist Jana Oosthuizen is closing an important chapter in her life as she embarks on a new career in real estate with Perfektum Homes.

From hard news and community stories to school events and sporting coverage, Oosthuizen has reported on it all with dedication, professionalism and heart.

Yet her greatest gift has always been telling people’s stories – what those in the newsroom fondly call human interest stories.

Through her writing, Oosthuizen has made readers laugh, cry, reflect and celebrate life’s special moments.

Over the years she has met people from all walks of life, built valuable contacts and formed friendships that will last a lifetime.

In the Ridge Times newsroom, Oosthuizen has been far more than a colleague – she has been family.

For many readers, Oosthuizen became much more than a journalist. The connections she formed with the people whose stories she told often grew into meaningful and long-lasting friendships.

A life shaped by travel and storytelling
After matriculating from Hoërskool Middelburg, Oosthuizen followed her desire to travel, spending a year as an au-pair in Germany and another year in the United States of America.

She later obtained a diploma in applied journalism through Damelin College and also completed a diploma in travel and tourism.

Her first job was at a travel agency in Middelburg where she worked for two years. A few years later, she joined a cruise liner as a photographer and travelled through Mexico, Alaska, the United States of America and Canada.

After completing her contract, she returned to South Africa, but her passion for travel remained strong.

Oosthuizen then pursued an opportunity to teach English in Thailand. She also travelled through Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, where she also completed a scuba diving course.

Before returning to SA, she contacted one of her lecturers for help in finding work in the media industry.

“It was a bad time in the economy. I lived with my parents in Middelburg. I even applied as a sales lady for a swimming pool company. I sent my CV everywhere,” said Oosthuizen.

She joined Ridge Times in October 2009.

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“Since I was a child attending school events, I remember seeing then journalist Daleen Naudé of the Middelburg Observer taking photographs and thinking it looked like such a wonderful job.”

Although she is excited about the future, leaving journalism is not easy.

“It is bittersweet to go. However, I have been given a better opportunity and God has opened new doors for me,” she said.

“This has been the most fulfilling job. The chance to meet people, sit in their living rooms, hear their life stories and share those stories – whether good or bad – has been incredibly special.”

Oosthuizen also expressed her gratitude to the community and her colleagues.

“Thank you to everyone I have met, to the community who supported me with their news and trusted me with their life stories, laughter and sadness, and to my colleagues, both past and present, for their support over the years,” she said.

As she steps into the next phase of her life, Oosthuizen plans to spend more time on the things she loves – reading from her extensive book collection, cycling, hiking, visiting her parents in Middelburg and enjoying parkruns with her weekend dog, Lulu ‘Gesiggie’.

For a journalist who spent nearly two decades capturing the lives of others, the next chapter is finally one where she gets to write a little more of her own story.

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