A half century is not something often achieved even by cricketers, however, when a half century milestone is achieved in the number of years served to the South African public, there’s more cause for celebration.

Antonette van Niekerk, theatre manager and sister at the Shelly Beach Hospital clocked in 50 years of service to the nursing profession this month.

“We are here to honour Antonette’s distinguished career and unbelievable milestone of a phenomenal woman who is well respected in the medical field having operated many theatres around the country,” said Noeleen Phillips, the hospital’s general manager.

Antonette’s journey began on January 3, 1972 where she enrolled in nurse training at Addington Hospital. She completed her training in 1974 thus qualifying as a professional nurse.

“From a young age, all I ever wanted to do was help and look after people, as I used to take care of my grandmother when she was sick. I was fortunate enough to follow my dreams and make a career out of taking care of people,” Antonette said.

Upon leaving Addington Hospital in 1979, she relocated with her husband Johann, a former member of the police service. The pair then moved to the Boksburg Benoni Hospital, followed by another move to Newcastle all while welcoming the birth of their first son Pierre.

Antonette and her family settled in Port Shepstone in 1983, the same year her second son Ryno was born.

“My husband’s job required us to move around a lot, so I’ve worked in various parts of the country across different hospitals which allowed me to gain much-needed experience”

Upon joining the esteemed Shelly Beach Hospital, Antonette helped re-establish the theatre complex from only two operating theatres to five, that operate fully with a range of specialist surgeons.

She also formed part of the team that set up cardiothoracic surgery, the first of its kind on the South Coast, as well as experiencing robotic surgery with a specialist orthopaedic surgeon.

Next on the agenda will be the opening of the catheterization lab (cath lab) and cardiothoracic theatre which she will also be involved in

However, a 50 year career does not come without challenges as expressed by Antonette, “Being married with children and working long hours clashes with being a mom, and I must say, I don’t think I could have done much without my husband’s support, so those are some of the challenges that are faced by a ‘career mom’,” she said.

“However, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a patient who came in sick, leave fully recovered and ready to get back to their life. It really is a beautiful thing being able to save lives.” she added.

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