The Heroes of Groote Schuur has been highlighting all the heroic staff members of the hospital and this month they look at all the unsung female heroes.
Cape Town, South Africa (20 August 2021) – Heroes of Groote Schuur is a Facebook page dedicated to highlighting the amazing people who work or visit the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.
The page is highlighting all the incredible work being done by the staff who keep everything running smoothly. Heroes featured on the page often have the most interesting jobs, especially now during the pandemic when so much is up in the air.
This month they have been highlighting all the incredible women at the hospital. This week, we meet Mariam Anthony a Senior Admin Clerk. This is her story.
“I’ve been here for 39 years. I came from Head Office as a data typist, and then in 1993 I moved to the Engineering department. There were about five women in the department with me, but in the last 10 years I’ve been the only woman. I’m an admin clerk, so I do all the admin at Engineering – leave, overtime, finance, stationery. I’m the go-to girl there.
I’m now 60 and my time to retire is near, but I love my work so much that I can’t make up my mind about whether I should retire. I love the guys I work with, the place, my boss. I feel comfortable and relaxed there. It’s like my home so it’s difficult to make the decision to go.
Sometimes I feel lonely being the only woman – but on the other hand I enjoy working with men. They make me laugh, and each one of them have different characters. It takes a superwoman to work with a lot of guys. When I started here there were 200 in the department, but now we’re 80 – it’s still a lot, and I can handle them. They respect me. I’m like a mother figure now because I’m the eldest there and I’ve been there so long. If there’s a problem, they know they can come to me. It’s like a family. If something happens to one, we all feel sad. I can write a book because it’s been a long time. It’s difficult for me to let go, but one of these days I must.
I also met my husband via Engineering. He worked at the stores, and came to the department as a store keeper. He’s quite comfortable with me being surrounded by so many men because he knows everyone. He’s not the jealous type and he knows I can handle them. You have to know how to put your foot down; you can’t let them walk over you. I’m a very straightforward person – I might seem serious but if you know me you know I’m not like that. There’s a lot of joking but I also know where to draw the line. If you don’t have that they will walk all over me.
Working in this department has made me a stronger person, and working with all sorts of different people teaches you a lot. When I do my work and I meet my deadlines, it makes me feel like I’ve achieved something. I’m here for a reason, and I like to deliver whatever is asked of me.
I don’t talk a lot, and I like to just get my work done and I don’t like to be in the spotlight but being nominated as a Hero is a real honour.”
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