Erna Rademan – Past-President

 

 

I grew up in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and was fortunate to have parents who loved music. My father made sure that our house was filled with music instruments. I also had older sisters who played the piano, and they report that I started playing tunes since I was 4 years old. By the time I went to school, I could play comfortably with both hands and by ear, off course. Luckily, it was decided that I should take formal piano lessons from std. 2, otherwise the tale would probably have ended right there!
I studied B.Mus(Ed) at the US with the most wonderful lecturers and role models: Hubert du Plessis, Arnold van Wyk, Johan de Villiers, Philip McLachlan, Acáma Fick, Lionel Bowman, to name but a few.
I spent the following 27 years teaching Music and conducting choirs in Bothasig, Stellenbosch and Vredefort. I was extremely fortunate to have a permanent post with the Department of Education throughout my entire career.
In 2004 I was the recipient of the “Best Primary School Teacher in the Free State” award and in the following year (2005), I was appointed as Subject Adviser for Creative Arts in the senior phase in the Northern Free State.
I took the post of School Principal at the school where I spent the biggest part of my teaching career, in Vredefort in 2015, and retired from that position in April 2018.
Since my (early) retirement I have started teaching Music again and it fills me with joy and happiness. I have also started to take cello lessons with Christiaan van Zyl, a wonderful young cellist in Bloemfontein. I play in concerts as often as I can, and I love ensemble playing.
I took the organist post at Vredefort NG gemeente in 1986 and subsequently, my dear mother-in-law (Olga Rademan) made sure that I became a member of the Southern African Society of Church Organists. I have been the Free State representative for the past 4 years and have been the local organist for the past 35 years.
My career in the SASMT started in 1986, when my mother-in-law instructed me to become a member! She also nominated me as VP a few years later, after promising me that I would never be elected, since I was basically a nobody, but the centre had to nominate someone! Famous last words – I have been VP for the Free State and Northern Cape for many years.
I was voted President-elect in 2018 and served as President from April 2019 to May 2021, due to Covid, which prohibited us from hosting an AGM in 2020.