Borchers will dance forever
Although former Benoni resident René Borchers has retired, she intends to continue dancing at the John Barrable Hall until her legs give in.
BCT: Were you born in Benoni?
RB: No, I was born in Bethal, but I moved to Farrarmere in 1970, after I married my late husband, Bunty Borchers, who lived in Benoni.
BCT: After your husband’s death in 1983, why did you choose to stay in Benoni until 1994?
RB: At the time, I was the director of the Benoni Publicity Association (BPA).
I also love the people of Benoni; everyone is so welcoming and friendly towards me.
BCT: Why did you resign from the BPA in 1986?
RB: I needed to take care of my daughters, Tanya Borchers and Michelle Rothery, and we wanted to move into a complex, which is why I moved to a complex in Boksburg in 1994. I still live there.
BCT: What did you do after resigning?
RB: I always wanted to open my own boutique, called René se Modepaleis, which operated in Elston Avenue from 1986 to 1990.
Hospice East Rand also asked me to be the public relations officer (PRO) for them in 1989. I accepted and stayed with them until 1995.
BCT: What else did you do to occupy yourself?
RB: I have been dancing since 1968 and my husband loved dancing, so when he died, I continued dancing.
I am a trained dancer in both ballroom and Latin-American Dancing and I was inspired to start a “singles social dance” club in 1985, after a group of widows and widowers met for dinner in Boksburg one evening.
In 1990 I started René-vive Social Dance Sport Club at the John Barrable Hall. It has now been active for 26 years and caters for those aged 35 years and older.
The dances provided are ballroom and “langarm” dance.
BCT: That is quite an achievement; what other achievements do you have under your belt?
RB: I appeared in two editions of Fair Lady’s “Who’s Who of South African women in 1983”.
I was nominated as the Benoni Jaycees Woman of the Year three times in the years 1979, 1980 and 1981 – winning in 1981.
In 1978, I compiled one of the most comprehensive books of Benoni’s sites, called the Benoni Information Guide.
BCT: You were in the spotlight for years in Benoni, is there anything we do not know about you?
RB: I used to play the piano, I enjoy photography and playing tennis.
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