ST FRANCIS BAY – The recent refurbishment of the St Francis Bay Fire Station was celebrated recently, thanks to the generosity and commitment of the Rotary Club of St Francis. For Kouga Local Municipality Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman, the occasion was more than just a ribbon-cutting ceremony – it was a return to his roots.

As a learner at Nico Malan High School in Humansdorp, Bornman once worked night shifts at the very same fire station to earn pocket money. By morning, he would head to class still carrying the smell of smoke on his clothes. A badge of honour that spoke of long nights spent in service.

Tough Shifts

“Those shifts were tough, but they shaped me,” he reflected. “I learned the value of hard work, the importance of doing the small things right, and the discipline of neatness and order.”

Bornman recalled how his journey began with a unique “interview” under the guidance of current Fire Chief Dewald Barnard, who was then the station commander.

“He gave me two 25-litre containers and told me to run with them to the fence and back. When I returned, he said, ‘Alright, you’re fit. You get the job.’ That was it. I was hired. Soon after, I was heading out at night to help put out fires. I carry many good memories from those days.”

Lessons Learned

Bornman said the lessons learned during those formative years have stayed with him throughout his career, forming a solid foundation for the responsibilities he now carries as Mayor of Kouga.

The revamped fire station now stands as a proud symbol of community partnership. Made possible through the efforts of the Rotary Club of St Francis. Its renewal not only boosts local firefighting capacity but also honours the generations of men and women who served there. Among them a young Hattingh Bornman, finding his way in the world one night shift at a time.