Headford News and Community Spotlight - Sharing Knowledge

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Every spring swallows arrive in Ireland having travelled over 9500 kilometres from South Africa. During this hazardous migration, many birds die from starvation, exhaustion and in storms, with an average of only 30% actually completing the journey. So what makes these tiny birds undertake such a mad feat? According to Joe Kennedy, writing for the Irish Independent, ‘Swallows are among the most dedicated parents in the bird world. They cover over 200 miles a day just to reach their nesting grounds.’

When it’s put that way, pretty much anyone can understand wanting the best for their young. Even if it means migrating to another continent.

Back in 1998, that’s exactly what Kathleen Van Der Wath did when she and her daughter travelled all the way from South Africa to Ireland. ‘I wanted my daughter to have a good education,’ Kathleen says.

Migration may not be as hazardous for humans as it is for birds, but it does come with a great many challenges and difficulties. Like the swallows who come back to the same places every year, Kathleen came to Ireland because ‘that’s where Grandfather Kelly came from – Tipperary.’

Kathleen’s daughter, Tammy, did get that good education and she’s migrated, once again, to Perth where she works as a hairdresser in a salon.

Kathleen Van Der Wath

Now, Kathleen teaches the Over 55’s Computer Classes at Solas, but teaching is something she’s been doing for a long time. She used to teach secondary school science. ‘I’m a math and science head,’ she says. She also got accreditation for hairdressing theory for junior and senior trades so she can teach hair science. Salons don’t offer this, she says, so when her daughter was younger Kathleen taught her the ‘science’ of hair dressing. She teaches the structure of the hair and what shampoos, conditioners and colours do to hair. ‘Not all chemicals are bad,’ she says. ‘The human body contains many chemicals—hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen . . . Chemicals can be good.’

Kathleen travels all the way from the Clonboo area to Headford because, ‘Solas gives me a platform to contribute to the community.’ She also offers a ‘Pampering Course’ – teaching people how to pamper themselves rather than going to a salon. The course covers skin care, masks, exfoliation, hydration, hand massage, manicure and care of the nails. In this course, she also instructs participants in what things they already have at home that they can use for pampering, rather than costly chemicals that aren’t very good for you. 

‘I’ve done the Train the Trainer course and loads of other courses as well. I’m not one of those people who thinks I’m too old to learn.’

So if you or someone you know are interested in the computer classes at Solas but you just aren’t sure, or you want to know more about the people teaching those classes, come back and visit this blog again. We’ll be highlighting each of the instructors. They’re all great teachers and, most important, they’re terrifically patient with beginners.

As Kathleen puts it, ‘I like sharing knowledge because it brings growth and makes people ask questions they wouldn’t normally ask.’