Katikati Community Centre welcomes two new staff to the team as Jan de Faye moves to the Team Leader Community Services role. We invited Karen and Sheeren to share more about their roles and backgrounds.
Karen Verbeek, After School Programme Supervisor:
"Being the supervisor and programme lead at the Katikids Afterschool Care is a great opportunity to get to know our children and community. We feel very blessed to be able to use the space at Katikati Primary school and are very grateful for the friendly and helpful staff there, especially the caretaker, Steve, who always smiles and is willing to help where he can.
"The tamariki who attend our ASP is the absolute highlight of the job. Not one day is the same. It is a great bunch of kids and we hope to host more as the year progresses so that we can do even more awesome activities.
"I am a qualified primary school teacher who attended to my family for the last ten years. We moved up from Wellington about four years ago and absolutely love it here in Katikati. It must be the town with the friendliest people in the country. My husband and I immigrated from South Africa as newly-weds to New Zealand 14 years ago. Our two boys were born in Wellington and our girl in Hamilton. My husband works from home and is also a volunteer Fire Fighter for our local Katikati station. We also have two dogs, two cats, two axolotls, eight goldfish and half a dozen rainbow something fish in an outside pond. I enjoy gardening, sewing and anything creative, from woodwork to painting and of course going out on my motorbike whenever I get the chance."
Sheeren Booysen, School Holiday Programme Coordinator:
"My role involves arranging craft and sport activities and trips for children from 5-14yrs to have a great time in the school holidays.
"I’m looking forward to doing my first programme in the April School Holidays and working with the wonderful tutors and volunteers who help to make the programme fun for the kids!
"I live in Katikati and on the weekends I enjoy being outdoors either walking or biking or maybe even signing up to the odd adventure race. I love the beach and feel so grateful to live in such a beautiful part of the world with my husband, two kids and black Lab."
Welcome to the Katikati Community Centre Karen and Sheeren!