Odendaal retires by end of the term
When we had our first assembly and heard the children sing I knew I was at the right place
Marianna Odendaal, Sunnyridge Primary School principal, will soon say her last words as she heads for retirement after 41 years of service at the school.
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She joined the primary school as a teacher and a soccer coach after serving a year at a school in Malelane, Mpumalanga.
The school will be turning 70 next year.
“When I started at the school I remember on my first day I arrived late for the staff meeting.
“I came with the Germiston bus in those days and I couldn’t find the school,” said Odendaal.
“When we had our first assembly and heard the children sing I knew I was at the right place,” she said.
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“How I got the job at the school is funny. I went to the SA Army Women’s College in George and visited the school in Malelane.
“I received a call from the school principal. I was asked if I can coach soccer. When I said yes I was through the doors,” said Odendaal.
“I enjoyed my teaching years since then. I loved working with the children and the staff.
“We came a long way from being just a little school on the hill to a school which most parents want to see their children enrolled in,” she said.
The school has sites which date back to the 1990s, such as the Little Memorial Garden and the jungle gym.
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“The Little Memorial Garden has names of all the school children and workers who have died over the years. We have plaques with their names.
“The latest added to the garden is that of our former school teacher Maureen Dookee who died last year due to Covid-19,” said Odendaal.
“The jungle gym has been around since 1986,” she said.
“The Brent Eustice Media Centre was unveiled by Prof Kader Asmal.”
Odendaal will retire at the end of the second term and she is looking forward to travelling and serving the community.
“I am going to relocate to the Western Cape. I will assist community-based organisations,” said Odendaal.
