Alberton bids Maureen farewell

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ALBERTON – Maureen Ansett was honoured for the relentless work she did in improving the lives of people in her community, which includes her hand in establishing Broken Wings and her involvement with AMCARE.

In 1987 Maureen joined Caxton as a distributor tasked to create teams of young people and female supervisors to deliver 28 000 copies of the Alberton RECORD.

In 1994 she joined, now councillor, Bruna Haipel in starting the United Ratepayers Action Group (URAG) which stood against the high property rates charged in Alberton, by 1995 they had won a seat in council.

Maureen also became a member of the CPF in 1994 to which she remained a loyal member up until her passing. She co-founded Broken Wings, a home for adults with disabilities as well as joining the Democratic Alliance, then Democratic Party. In the same year she started the Meyersdal Nature area project which continues to today.

She was a member of the governing body and chairperson of the PTA of Bracken High from 1999 to 2003. In 2000 she was elected to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council where she served until her retirement in 2011.

Councllor Michael Basch told guests at the Dutch Reformed Church, “The badge I am wearing today, I owe it to Maureen. She made me the man I am today.” Maureen was a member of the Alberton Networking Forum, the Ekurhuleni Metro Disability Forum and recently helped launch the friends of the library forum in Brackenhurst, she was a patron of AMCARE and a huge supporter of the SPCA … the list goes on.

There is no doubt that Maureen’s influence has been felt throughout Alberton and Ekurhuleni. As a councillor she was dedicated, approachable and highly effective resolving all her constituents queries timeously while growing the DA in all areas.

Her most noticeable contribution was Jackson Dam, which she opened in December 2007 and continued to develop into the beautiful park that it is today. Maureen also had a passion for the township and undertook to mentor many young men and women, many of whom have gone on to hold prominent positions in the party and society as a whole.

She will be missed greatly by her family, friends and colleagues. “Farewell my friend, thank you for all the motivation and support through all these years,” said Clr Bruna Haipel.

“Rus sag Maureen, jou plek op my wykskomitee is leeg,” Clr Estelle Visser.

“Onwards to the next journey, forwards to the next challenge – thank you for your guidance and mentorship,” concluded Clr Michael Basch.

Maureen leaves behind her husband of 49 years, Gerry Ansett, her son David and his family and her daughter Lorna and her husband Ruan.

She will be missed as a mother, a wife, a friend and colleague by all who knew her, Rest In Peace Maureen, your job is done and you have truly left this place in a better condition than you found it.