ANDREW Vogelaar sits at the table with an easy confidence. He engages with my questions with interest yet he seems to be worlds away at one moment, suddenly returning with an expectant look the next. His creative mind is at work.
He seems at home here on the South Coast and at the Herald even though he laughs and tells me he has only been here since January. This surprises me because during my ‘Vac Week’ I witnessed him rushing in and out of the office, fitting right in like he had been there for 20 years.
Andrew loves it here but his journey was certainly not a smooth one. He grew up in Waterpoort but moved away to work as a graphic designer in 2014. While visiting his mother in Pretoria, the entire contents of his flat were stolen and, with no insurance, he was left in a difficult situation. So, he resigned and moved to Pretoria.
In his search for a new home, he turned to Google and as it happens, Port Shepstone was the first place to appear. Next, Andrew found himself on holiday here where he came across the Let’s Dance Studio which was being run by Mark and Charmaine Field at the time.
He asked for a job and they said yes. A few weeks later, they announced they were moving to England and Andrew was asked to take over the studio. So, Andrew renamed it Ridotto Dance Studio and began the intense task of running it. After the death of his father the next year, Andrew found it too difficult to dance and he left it to find what he called a ‘real job’.
He has always been interested in journalism and graphic design, so despite him studying the more practical option of Information Technology (IT), he had always returned to it. Even during high school, Andrew single-handedly ran the school newspaper. He has found happiness at the South Coast Herald and he has no intention to leave the coast anytime soon.
Andrew also has a passion for sculpture, especially cement design.
His father was a civil engineer and there were always materials and tools lying around the house which inspired Andrew to experiment with the medium.
His mother also helps to inspire a lot of his work with her keen ideas. Working here has also done a lot for his art as, according to Andrew, the city can get too rushed. People here, on the other hand, are looking for something different. Although he has his own distinct style, he does find it helpful to bounce ideas off his fellow artists.
Andrew also hopes to return to dancing but only on a part-time basis. This may include competing, as he used to dance competitively and won gold in the 2011 Gauteng Provincial Dance Competition.
Although Blackpool is Andrew’s ultimate dance destination, he hopes to visit Holland one day as his family roots lie there. There is actually quite a story behind this as Andrew’s father was born a Pavlyak but thought his real father had the surname Vogelaar. It remains a mystery whether or not this is true.
As I take his picture, Andrew tells me, “I’m not really one for posing.”
That much is true, he is what he is – a creator.
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