RACA Journal January 2020 | Page 9

News The other person would be my late mother, Jeanette Mable Steenkamp, or ‘Bunny’, as she was known due to her twitching nose. An immovable cornerstone and saint, a Mother Theresa to 'some and all', she was the backbone of our business and always continued even when times seemed dire. Her sudden untimely passing left a huge void in our company that has been difficult to fill. Jeanette was a carbon copy of her late dad, Gordon Ernest Brown, and it is truly hard to believe we as a company have had the honour and privilege to not only have one, but two people who were so inspirational in our lives. We salute and honour them both every single day. Our loss will encourage us to continue carrying their legacy forward. My grandfather always said that Rome was not built in a day, because Ginger Brown did not have the contract. This is what drives us to excel and go above and beyond. This has been the driving force of our 60-year existence. None of this would be possible without the awesome team of people we have and the loyal support of all our clients. I am honoured and privileged to be a part of our successful and timeless company. Although we do not know what the future holds, we will continue to grow from strength to strength. Martin Steenkamp Managing director *The speech was delivered at the Ginger Brown 60 th birthday celebrations. GINGER BROWN THANKS BEAUTY JWARA FOR LONG SERVICE By Warren Brown, CEO Ginger Brown www.hvacronline.co.za B eauty Jwara, what an amazing woman, now retiring to enjoy her family. Beauty has three sons and a daughter, she’s a grandmother as well as a great-grandmother. She has always been proud of her family and in our opinion has been a model mother and a fantastic employee. A pleasure to have on our staff. Beauty started at Ginger Brown in 1981. She was employed as a domestic worker for my father, Ginger Brown. As the years progressed, she started doing odd jobs in the admin department. She assisted in filing and various other duties. When year-end came, Jeanette Steenkamp always got Beauty to wrap our customers’ Christmas cheer gifts. She also packed Christmas packs for the less fortunate arranged by Jeanette for the Trinity Methodist Church in Springs. One of her duties was to prepare a huge pot of soup every week for the soup kitchen for the homeless – also done for and on behalf of the church. Beauty has always been the company mystery solver. Whenever a document or chiller file went missing or should I say, kept in a ‘safe place’, she would find it. Beauty, I would like to say thank you, above all, for how you cared for my father. I don’t know how many apples or carrots you liquidised as my father loved his health drinks. The dinners you prepared for him and just caring unconditionally for him all the years. Thank you. Warren Brown with Beauty Jwara. *This speech was delivered at the Ginger Brown 60th birthday celebration. RACA RACA Journal I January 2020 7