Annie Oliveira

Compiling this short bio I found a bit challenging, because how far back in one’s 75 years do you go without being a bore?? So I’m keeping it short and sweet, but I will admit that delving back into the past has brought back some wonderful, long-forgotten memories that have brought a smile to my face many times.

Mine was not an academic life. Born in Camden Town, London, in 1950, I went to school in Essex and left at the age of 16 (long before “Essex Girls” became a thing) with a clutch of O levels tucked under my arm, itchy feet and no clear plan ahead, except that I needed to find a job.

And so began my various work experiences for the next 2 years in the hospitality industry, flitting from London to Jersey, to Scotland, Liverpool and Manchester, to name a few.

But as soon as I turned 18 and had a passport, I was looking further afield and decided to come to South Africa (just for two years…). It wasn’t difficult to find suitable work and I did indeed stay for 2 years, first in Durban, then in Cape Town.

I returned to London, and then spent time travelling in the US and Canada and, in 1977, found myself back in South Africa, initially as an au pair on the Duke of Westminster’s estate in what was then the Orange Free State.

For the next 10 years I was working for PG Wood & Timbers in Jhb as a sales rep, travelling to the far reaches of Messina in the north to the Eastern Tvl via Venda and all other lovely places which I could explore along the way.

During this time I married and have a lovely daughter who is now living in London and appears to be following in my footsteps in reverse!

I enjoyed the travelling as much as the wood products I was selling, to such an extent that before long woodwork became a hobby for me, first making picture frames and then even some garden furniture (which I still have to this day). My employers at PG Wood found this quite fascinating and before long I was featured in their DIY catalogue showing “how easy it was for anybody” to use their products!

Incredibly, this hobby grew so quickly that before long I took the plunge and opened my own picture-framing business, which encompassed sourcing original artworks for clients as well as curating art exhibitions.

This continued for the next 30 years until my husband retired from Liberty Life and we moved to Hout Bay.

We’ve now been living in Cape Town for 13 years, but my career journey hasn’t finished yet. I’ve taken various opportunities as they’ve arisen, including being a volunteer manager for a charity shop in Hout Bay for 5 years, until it sadly became a victim of COVID, also helping out at conferences when needed, including the Mining Indaba, of which I became the office manager for 3 years, and lastly but not least (and during all this time) I’ve been involved in the film and media industry, which has really taken me out of my comfort zone on many occasions! As it happens, I have just finished a shoot that was so TOP SECRET that I can’t say any more about it!!

It goes without saying, I love travelling. I also hike with 2 U3A groups every week, one of which I’m the administrator of, and I have now joined the Probus hiking group and hope to join more groups.

I want to thank Annette Spykerman for introducing me to Probus and to mention that I do like the ethos I read on the website: networking, having fun, relaxation and stimulation.