Kloof Junior’s Wilks begins new adventure
After 27 years of service to the school, Kloof Junior Primary School's bursar has entered retirement.
FOR the past 27 years, Kloof Junior Primary School has been blessed with the skill and expertise of Jane Wilks, their esteemed bursar.
When the word bursar is mentioned, many would automatically assume the role was filled by someone quiet, prim and proper who, day after day, sits in a small, dull office. The school’s principal, Karen Leppan described Wilks as ‘an eternal breath of fresh air’ who ensured the admin block was a hive of laughter, a place of colour and plain, good fun.
“It somehow just won’t be the same as Jane Wilks signed off and closed down her computer for the last time on Friday, 14 May, such has been her presence and contribution to a fine little Kloof school,” she said.
Wilks arrived at the school as a locum in October 1994 as the then bursar, Gwen Watson, had to take leave to deal with a family tragedy.
“She never came back and here I sit, all those years later,” said Jane. “When I arrived, I knew absolutely nothing but I think I can safely say I have settled in and the school is miraculously still alive, well and strong.”
Blessed with a wicked sense of humour, Jane’s eyes sparkle when asked what has driven her to roll out of bed and drive the same route to the same parking and settle in the same office for another day for nearly three decades.
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“I have to be honest. It was the money,” she laughed. “Knowing I had a job, a responsible one at that and getting a salary every month, that did it for me. Seriously, I have four children and they all came through the school, plus the forever changing face of education provided an ongoing challenge.”
That challenge soon became one of Jane’s many responsibilities that extend beyond mere accounting.
“This is definitely not your regular accounting job. I am the mistress of everything, from maintenance, mechanics and electronics to sick children, supplying tissues when needed and I think I can add noise to all that, as my office is never quiet,” she said. “In fact, when I have to do the accounting, it’s a welcome relief, allowing me time to be `normal’ for a while.”
Passion for the school has been the soil that kept Jane growing through the years and, in her tenure, she has worked under three principals, Rosalie Burke, Lyn Dobson and the current head, Karen Leppan.
With two children in the UK and two in South Africa, Jane will turn her attention to travel and embark on an adventure while her husband stays behind to work. “I am going to the UK to live with my children – until they kick me out. The beauty is, they don’t know this yet,” laughed Jane.
Life is to be lived and enjoyed and Jane is well-equipped to take her next steps in life.
“She will be missed at Kloof Junior Primary School by parents, staff and children, none more so than her fellow partner in crime, Bev Abbott, the school receptionist who shared the front office with Jane,” said Leppan.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
