Wendy Anne Hartshorne
Wendy was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, but moved to South Africa with her family and matriculated in Johannesburg in 1980 with both SA Schools and Provincial hockey colours.
Initially she followed a career in town planning, joining the Johannesburg City Council, completed a BA and was promoted to a managerial position at the tender age of 28.
In 1992, Wendy relocated to Cape Town and branched into commercial property while acquiring her asset management skills. She once again excelled and left her mark after being appointed as Broll’s first woman director. Six years later,Wendy started her own consultancy and simultaneously completed her MPhil Development Planning at Stellenbosch University.
Today she enjoys a substantial track record of professional delivery and successful extramural challenges.
Her election as the Western Cape Commander follows her Chairmanship of the Cape Town Club (2006), her Chairmanship of the Western Cape region of the South African Property Owners’ Association and current responsibility as a Management Board member of the Metropolitan Golf Club.
Asked what drives her, she said, “No matter how humble our beginnings we can and owe it to ourselves to strive to make a difference wherever we can.
“In today’s world, the virtues of chivalry offer more than pleasantries and politeness. They give purpose and meaning to our efforts, and therefore support the overall workings of society. The emphasis I would place from the St Lazarus perspective and our work going forward is on Truth, Loyalty, Courtesy and Justice.”
To quote D.Joseph Jacques……….
Truth provides the foundation of chivalry. A person who lies cannot be trusted. Their strength and ambitions cannot be esteemed. Truth should always remain our greatest concern.
Loyalty denotes a relationship that is based on truth and commitment. If we are fortunate, we have companions who are loyal to us, but we must be loyal to others as well. Loyalty is a virtue to cultivate, even when it is not reciprocated.
Courtesy provides the means for cordial and meaningful relationships. A society cannot be healthy without courteous interaction. We sometimes admire people who trample on courtesy to get what they want. Unfortunately, the contentious world they create is very disappointing, and we all have to live in it.
Justice involves little more than treating people fairly. It also calls for mercy. We all make mistakes. We admire people who are strong, but if their strength is not directed to uphold what is good, what value does it have? We are called to use our strength to defend those who cannot defend themselves, and commit ourselves to just causes.
Wendy hopes to raise the profile of the Western Cape Commandery, with a special focus on the development of a Youth Chapter.