From early childhood I had a passion to reach out to poor, sick people. When I became a born again Christian this passion grew until I had the opportunity to start a Primary Health Clinic in a rural settlement north of Johannesburg. I headed up this project for almost 15 years, from 1990 – 2004, in that time running the Primary Health Care Clinic, a T.B. Clinic, a Mobile Home Based Care Clinic and an 8 bed Hospice. This initiative has now developed into the Refilwe Community Project.
I am currently a Board member of Refilwe and am involved in training Home Based Care workers.
Jesus said, “ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. My work in community upliftment has been in obedience to this great commission and my motivation through the years has been to express the love of God for all people.
I had been in full-time Christian ministry in local churches for many years but always had a longing to reach out in a greater way to disadvantaged people.
When Jean and I became friends I was a willing follower as she pursued the passion of her heart. Together we pioneered the Refilwe Community Project, starting with a first aid box, gas burner and a pot of soup in the corner of a Mission Hall in the Drummond Settlement.
We worked together for 15 years developing the Refilwe Primary Health Clinic, T.B. Clinic, Hospice, Children’s Home and a school offering the first 3 grades.
My current involvement is as a Board member and being available for any spiritual work which I may be called upon to do. Also by complete default, I oversee a Sewing Co-Op which I helped to establish.
It has been the love of God and the empowerment of His Holy Spirit which has enabled me to fulfil this calling on my life and for this I am truly grateful.
Ron Corcoran was born and grew up in Port Elizabeth. He completed his schooling at one of the well-known South African schools, Grey High School. At school he was a very active athlete and this carried on through his life.
He joined a large company, Stewarts and Lloyds as a trainee and was transferred to a number of the branches in South Africa. He subsequently was brought to the Head Office in Vereeniging and was a member of the team that started the Personnel Department. His main focus in this department was on training and development. In this role he was given the opportunity to travel overseas and study various training courses. He also completed his studies with an Honours Degree in Industrial Psychology. He moved to other departments and retired as a Divisional Executive Director.
Ron has been a member of Rotary for many years and has been involved in a number of humanitarian projects including the Ann Harding Cheshire Home and it was through Rotary that he became involved with Jean and Yvonne in the Christian Clinic. When the Refilwe Board of Directors was formed he became the first Chairman of the Board and served in this position for four years.
Ron is married and has a son and daughter.
Dr. Lawrence McCrystal holds a Ph.D in Economics from University of Natal. He received twice the Medal and Prize of the Economic Society of South Africa and publicized numerous articles on economics and economic development, a book on industrial location entitles “City, Town or Country” and a book on sustainable development of people entitled “The Gift of True Freedom”.
Previous positions include: Economic Advisor to the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, Chairman of the Board of Trade and Industries (responsible for advising the South African government on industrial development policy) and being a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the President of South Africa. His current activities include that of financial and economic adviser, and director and shareholder of several companies in the fields of property development, information technology, finance, foreign trade, and agricultural development.
The passion of Dr. McCrystal is to see people becoming sustainable therefore his involvement in various organizations which forms on the upliftment/empowerment of people in a sustainable way and by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He joined the Refilwe Board from its inception. He and his wife Pam are very involved with all activities at Refilwe.
Bruce Harrison was brought up and educated in Bulawayo, then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. His first employment was in the mining industry, as a small-worker, mining for tin near Kamativi. He thereafter worked for Messina Transvaal Development. He did his National Service in the Royal Rhodesian Air Force in 1967 and was selected for Pilot training in 1968. He served in various capacities thereafter until he retired in 1982.
On retirement from the Air Force he joined Edgars Stores (now Edcon) leaving them as Group Executive, Business Systems. He thereafter joined Nedbank and retired as Head of Card Merchant Services in 2004. He now runs his own consultancy in card and payment systems.
He is married to Sheilagh and they have four sons. He is an Evangelical Christian, active in the local church, the Gideons, and in various charitable and military organizations and NGO’s and is currently the Chairman of the Royal Air Force Officers Club, Johannesburg.
Jaco van Schalkwyk was born and raised in the Free State, South Africa and in 1989 started his professional career with a local commercial bank; became Business Manager and during 1998 became General Manager for a travel company. In 2001 during a gospel tour to Zimbabwe he, after a life changing experience, began his journey as a missionary and became part time involved with Refilwe Community Project. Extensive exposure to the harsh realities of poverty made him to join Refilwe full time in October 2002 with the mission to impact the lives of those who are poor and needy. His calling was confirmed by Proverbs 31:8 – Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing.
Jaco’s vision is to see the expansion of the impact that Refilwe has on its community through the replication of the Refilwe model into other communities. He also expresses a great desire to build an environment where donors can see that they are not just donating to a charity but that they are investing into the future of our country and the many lives that are touched by Refilwe and its various services.
Jaco is known to walk the talk and being dad for many children other than his own. He has six children of whom one is biological, two are adopted and three are foster children. He and his family are living at Refilwe.
Rebecca Warsop is currently the owner of PR Company, Warstreet Marketing. Born in the UK she moved to South Africa in 1982 after completing a B Sc Hons in Psychology at Bristol University. She joined 3M Company as a marketing trainee and 4 years later moved to head up marketing communications at Hewlett-Packard. She started Warstreet in 1994 as a marketing services company servicing the IT industry. She is married with 3 children and joined the Board from its inception. She is actively involved in the fund raising activities for Refilwe.
Rebecca and her family are passionate about the work at Refilwe and they are mentoring the development of a day care centre in one of informal communities that Refilwe serves.
David involvement with Refilwe goes back to 2004 while he was Diocesan Secretary for the Johannesburg Diocese, when he helped to arrange that Refilwe lease its present premises from the Anglican Church.
David first retired from the corporate world in 1990 where he had been managing director of a large engineering group. He spent some time with the St. John Ambulance before being appointed Assistant Diocesan Secretary. One of his passions while he held this position was building churches and he played a major role in obtaining land for 7 churches, after which he helped in the design and building of the churches. He continued this interest when he was appointed Diocesan secretary after John Hanna had retired.
After thirteen years as a full time volunteer with the Diocese, David retired in May 2006. A three month trip overseas was to be the start of a more relaxed life style, but a new house next to a son and daughter in law coupled with the oversight of the website development company that does the work for his son’s business ensured that he will not be bored. He has subsequently bought the business from the previous owner and now knows a great deal more about building websites than he ever thought he would.
David is married to Jean who does all the bookkeeping for some these projects. He has three sons – two in the UK and one in South Africa as well as 8 grandchildren.
Lizzie Marope is the pastor of the Well of Salvation Church at Refilwe. The members of the congregation are living at Refilwe and in the informal settlement communities surrounding Refilwe. Lizzie has real compassion for the lost and for poverty affected people because she came from the same background.
Lizzie is working as administrator at King’s School in Robindale, Randburg and also serves as member of the Board of King’s School. She has experience in Early Childhood Development. She joined the Refilwe Board in February 2008.
Her children say about her: “She has a good sense of humour and is very entertaining, she has very little patience with trivial things and never gives up. She is a wife, she is a mother, she is a granny and most of all she is a child of God.”
Neels completed cum laude both LLB, Pretoria University 1968 and LLM (Human Rights), Rand Afrikaans University 1995, and completed a course in International Arbitration at Queens College, University of London 1986.
Neels practised as an advocate at Johannesburg Bar from July 1969 to December 1994 and he specialised in Construction Law Litigation and Arbitration since 1982. He was appointed as judge of the Supreme Court, Transvaal, on 1 January 1995. Membership include: International Bar Association (1986-1991); Regional Advice Committee for the implementation of the Small Claims Court; fellow of the South African Association of Arbitrators and registered Arbitrator and Mediator since 1992.
Other interests include being Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercy Ships Southern Africa (Christian Relief Organisation operating 4 Hospital Ships worldwide) since its inception in 1998; member of the Randburg Male Voice Choir from 1992; Member of the Board of Patrons of the Abraham Kriel Maria Kloppers Childrens Home and consultant to the Fairland Community Police Forum. Neels joined the Refilwe Board in February 2008.
