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First recipients of Bettie Harmsen Scholarship announced
Author: Pia Nänny
Published: 29/03/2018

​The athletic and academic careers of two athletes from Stellenbosch University (SU) received a significant boost when they were named the first recipients of the Bettie Harmsen Scholarship.

Bettie Harmsen, born Buitendag, was a keen athlete and Stellenbosch University graduate who received her BSc Honours in Medical Biochemistry in 1989. After graduating from SU, Bettie had a very successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, first in South Africa and later in the United States where she lived with her husband and two children. Bettie passed away on 21 December 2016 at the age of 50 after a fierce battle with cancer.

Days before her death, she and her husband Hans decided to award a scholarship to promising SU track and field athletes. The family has committed to donate $10 000 per year for a minimum of ten years.

Track athletes and Maties students Justine Palframan (24) and Gardeo Isaacs (19) share this scholarship in 2018.

The four pillars of the scholarship are aligned with the focus areas of the Maties Sport High Performance (HP) Unit, namely athletic performance, academic performance, personal empowerment and development, and community involvement.

“Our wish for the scholarship is that Bettie's passions and beliefs may live on. Bettie was an inspiration to many around her: family and friends, her colleagues and our church community. Bettie was always energetic, dedicated, determined, passionate, and guided by integrity and empathy. With a never-ending smile and positive, 'can do' attitude, she gave her best at everything. Driven by her strong faith, Bettie impacted on and was a blessing to many others. With the scholarship, we hope that Bettie may continue to positively influence other people's lives," says Hans.

“As a family we love South Africa. We were so excited when we watched Wayde van Niekerk win the 400m at the Olympic Games in Rio, and we would love to contribute to local athletes' success so that they can be an inspiration and example to others as Bettie was."

Bettie's sister Louisa Hall, deputy principal at The Settler's High School in Bellville, emphasised this sentiment:

“We are looking for students who are more than just athletes – students who dream of making a contribution to society. My message to the bursary recipients is: Develop your sport and pay it forward by giving back to the community."

The scholarship recipient is expected to participate in outreach programs and be an ambassador for the Maties Sport HP Unit as well as the PACER empowerment programme, which focuses on persistence, authenticity, commitment, empathy and resilience.

Justine, who is currently busy with her BSc honours in Biokinetics, is the reigning SA champion in the 200m and 400m, having won both events at the recent South African Track and Field Championships held in Pretoria. She represented South Africa at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 and has won two medals at the World Student Games – gold in the 400m in 2015 and silver in the 400m in 2017.

“I'm very excited and grateful to be one of the two athletes picked for this scholarship. It will enable me to stay focused on my training while working towards earning my honours degree and becoming a biokineticist."

Gardeo, a second-year BCom Management Sciences student, also specialises in the 200m and 400m. He progressed to the final of the 400m at the SA Championships and won a silver medal in the 4x400m relay with his Boland team mates.

“This bursary will assist me to improve my performance on the track and I believe that it will also boost my chances of competing at an international level."

After speaking to Bettie's husband and sister and paging through a picture book of Bettie's life, Gardeo learned that family was the most important thing to her and that she was modest no matter how successful she was.

“I would like to honour her legacy by helping a less fortunate sportsperson in the same way that she helped me."

Justine noted that Bettie was an amazing woman who loved to travel and experience new things.

“I would like to have the same impact she had, always smiling and helping out in any way possible, giving back where I can and putting my family first."

According to Sean Surmon, Head of the HP Unit, the Bettie Harmsen Scholarship has brought a great energy to Maties Athletics.

“We really support the holistic aspect of the expectations of the scholarship. The scholarship is also of such a nature that it can financially support a student athlete to utilise the incredible opportunity of competing overseas."

Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director of Maties Sport, emphasises the importance of strategic partnerships to support the Maties HP programme and students.

“We are honoured to continue Bettie Harmsen's legacy on behalf of her family. Their guidelines and goals for the scholarship fit in perfectly with Maties Sport's and the HP programme's objectives.

“The commitment of our two athletes to focus on community engagement through sport for social impact are important ingredients of our holistic development programme.

“We are so grateful that an alumna of this university has decided to invest in the dreams and goals of young student-athletes and we are sure that we will see the benefits of the Bettie Harmsen Scholarship in years to come."

Photos:

Main photo: Scholarship recipients Justine Palframan and Gardeo Isaacs page through a photobook of Bettie Harmsen's life.

Photo 1: Bettie Harmsen, born Buitendag, in action on the athletics track.

Photo 2: Scholarship recipients Justine Palframan and Gardeo Isaacs​.