Cyberconnection: 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

2009 Rock Circus at the Barnyard Theartre

Jade Hendriks ( 1987 - 2009)

Jade joined Sanlam in 2008 as an in-service trainee in the final year of his IT Diploma. I recall being impressed with the way that he conducted himself in his initial interview, as he came across as being very calm and collected despite the seemingly difficult interview questions that we threw at him.

He also struck me as being a very refined, confident, ambitious young man who was determined to succeed in the corporate world and make a difference where he could.

As a student Jade did well to adjust to the challenges of working in a large corporate organisation, despite how intimidating and daunting it may have seemed. After his 6 month in-service training he was offered a contract with Sanlam, and was appointed as a permanent employee in the Internal Audit department shortly thereafter.

During this period we got to know Jade fairly well, and he fitted in well into our department. We soon realised that apart from the hard working, ambitions side that we saw, there was also a very jovial side that we all enjoyed. Jade was always full of laughter and it was not uncommon to unexpectedly receive some smart remark or unusual chirp. Jade seemed like this fearless junior who would also have a go at the seniors from time to time. He had an interesting way of expressing himself and always seemed to see the light-hearted side to every situation.

He was a friendly person who got along easily with those that he interacted with. He was open-minded, however was never afraid to speak his mind or challenge your opinion. On a social level, his friends would probably describe him as being a team player, someone who was reliable and could be relied upon when needed.

Jade was also extremely competitive and was an asset to our action cricket team. He was also a diehard Manchester United supporter, and the rest of us soon learned that one wrong word against the Red Devils would be asking for trouble.

It was a pleasure to have Jade as a member of our team. In his own way he touched the hearts of those that he came into contact with, and he will be missed.