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Dr Lizanne Pieterse makes name as team doctor

28 December 2020 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Supplied

Lizanne_Web read more — Dr Lizanne Pieterse, a former Kovsie, has become a regular sight on and next to the sports fields.

Three years since making her childhood dream a reality, Kovsie alumna Dr Lizanne Pieterse is in high demand as a sports team doctor.

Dr Pieterse currently serves as the team doctor of the Southern Kings rugby team and is involved with the Warriors cricket team and Chippa United soccer team, all based in Port Elizabeth. She has also served in numerous capacities in the field of sports medicine and has been with a number of teams since starting with the Eastern Province U19 and U21 rugby teams in 2017.

She has worked at international cricket and rugby matches and was the concussion doctor at the International Sevens Tournament in Cape Town. Her husband, Barend, previously coached the Kings. He is a former Springbok rugby player.

“As a young girl I was always with my dad on the side of the rugby field or watching the early morning games on television with him. I always wanted to be the doctor on the side of the field.

“I think the dream definitely comes from loving sport and growing up in a family that enjoys sport. I love working in a team and learning from others,” she says.

Pieterse, or Doc Lizzy as she is known, initially started with Quantity Surveying at the University of the Free State in 2006. “Within my first semester, I realised that my love for medicine will always remain. I changed to medicine and completed my degree in 2011. I am passionate about sports medicine, especially concussion in sport.

“To one day run out onto the field with the Springboks as their team doctor, would really be a true honour and a dream come true.”

Pieterse is currently working on her master’s in Sports Medicine.

News Archive

Boyden observatory celebrates its achievements

2004-10-05

The red carpet will be rolled out and champagne glasses filled tonight when the Boyden Observatory outside Bloemfontein will launch the first phase of the new science centre.

This phase, which was completed earlier this year, consists of a new auditorium, reception area and paths which connect educational visiting points on the Boyden terrain.

“Over the past two years the Boyden Observatory has been re-sited as a research, educational and public facility. The new facilities are now being utilised for educational and public programmes. The 1,5m Boyden telescope has also recently been upgraded and is used for research purposes,” says Dr Matie Hoffman from the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Physics, who is responsible for the management of the centre.

“The Boyden Observatory is a unique facility of the UFS - we are one of the few universities in the world who has its own observatory,” says Dr Hoffman.

“The main purpose of the science centre is to create enthusiasm for science amongst the public. The centre also has a great educational function and focuses specifically on the improvement of the quality of science education in the Free State,” says Dr Hoffman.

Fund-raising for the planned second phase of the science centre, which will consist of interactive in- and outside exhibition areas, will also start tonight. “After the completion of the second phase the Boyden Observatory will probably become the most accessible and public-friendly observatory in the country and a great asset for the Free State Province,” says Dr Hoffman.

A small robotic telescope, which will be controlled from the University College Dublin in Ireland, will also be installed at the Boyden Observatory this year.

“Just as this year is a significant one for the UFS with its centenary celebrations, so it is also a significant one for the Boyden Observatory. The Harvard University in the United States of America started with the construction of the original 1,5 m telescope in its original form 100 years ago, the telescope was put in place at Boyden 70 years ago and Mr Uriah Boyden – the person who donated the money with which the Boyden Observatory was constructed, was born 200 years ago,” says Dr Hoffman.

The first phase of the science centre was built with funds sponsored by the AngloGold Fund, the Shuttleworth Foundation, the Charl van der Merwe Trust and the Lila Theron Trust. Donations from the Friends of Boyden Observatory and other individuals also contributed to the success of the project.

Those who are interested in educational tours of the science centre can contact Dr Hoffman at (051) 401-2322.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 October 2004

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