Cinderella ending for Brandwag learner
The coach was shaped like the pumpkin from the Cinderella movies.
Hoërskool Brandwag learner Zané van Zijl had a matric fairy tale ending – arriving in style in a Cinderella pumpkin coach at her matric dance.
The Benoni AH resident said she has dreamed of having a unique farewell since Grade Eight.
When she watched a Cinderella movie, she realised a unique way to really leave an impression.
“I wanted a Cinderella coach and some of my friends supported the idea, while others did not,” she said.
Her partner for the matric dance, Henry Geeringh, who is a former learner of Hoërskool Brandwag, did not at first quite understand what Zané had in mind but chose to support the idea anyway.
“The guys in my school thought it was stupid, but Henry agreed to be surprised on the night of the dance, so he didn’t see the coach until that evening,” Zané explained.
Much like her classmates, her father, Anton van Zijl, also did not know what to expect and, as a result, procrastinated having the coach built.
“He thought it was a phase until I told him this is genuinely what I wanted. He then asked a man who works for him, Martin Oosthuise, to build it for me,” Zané said.
“My mother is like my fairy godmother, just like in Cinderella. She ensured my dress (made by a local dressmaker) and coach were ready.”
Mum Charmain said she has always known Zané to have a quirky personality and once she’s made a decision, nobody can change her mind, so she supported the idea.
The coach was made from wire, iron, wood, paint and ample old copies of the City Times.
“We collected old newspapers from anywhere we could find them,” Charmain said.
October 1 finally arrived and Zané was ready for her dream night. Zané and Henry started their evening by having a photo shoot at the A’la Turka Yadah castle.
“I wanted my brother, Edwin, to be part of my night because he supports me,” Zané explained.
“Edwin and his friends were the escorts, and that symbolised how protective they have been of me all my life.”
After the shoot, Edwin and his friends carried the coach from Elizabeth Road, Boksburg, to Summer Place Wedding and Conference Venue, where the matric dance was held.
“Everyone was so surprised when they saw the coach,” Zané explained.
“It truly was a dream come true.”
The teen plans to take a variety of short courses after matriculating so she can settle on the right career.
“I am very creative, so I think I will study something in the beauty field,” she said.
