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12 January 2024 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Supplied
Gerhard de Bruin read more
Dr Gerhard de Bruin is a dedicated paediatrician and a passionate organist.

Medicine and music keep him systematic and focused – skills that are crucial to being successful, according to Dr Gerhard de Bruin. He says many medical professionals have a talent and an interest in music.

“It’s not just an escape from daily routine; it nurtures creativity and activates different brain hemispheres. Organisational skills are vital in medicine and music. Both require discipline and extensive practice to excel.”

Solid background in piano

Dr De Bruin, an alumnus of the UFS, is not only a dedicated paediatrician with a keen interest in pulmonology, developmental and learning disabilities, and paediatric oncology, but also a passionate organist actively pursuing a PhD in this musical discipline.

He has been providing medical care to infants, toddlers, and adolescents since 2004. After completing his MB ChB at the UFS, he lived abroad before returning to South Africa to specialise in paediatrics. However, his passion for music was ignite earlier on.

"Kovsies offered me exposure to other faculties and their workings and helped to integrate medical students into campus life, more than other campuses in the country."

With a solid background in piano, Dr De Bruin began organ lessons at the Odeion School of Music during his second year of study.

Realising that his musical skills would wane without active practise, he embraced this ‘wonderful escape’ from academia.

His doctoral music study refers to Prof Jacobus Kloppers’ work. Prof Kloppers contributed greatly to organ music in Bloemfontein during his tenure in the Department of Music in the 1970s. “I fell in love with his composition style and feel comfortable performing his works. There is growing interest in documenting his career as a South African-born composer, offering me the chance to conduct a practice-based study on the thematic underpinnings in his compositions.”

Success requires consistent effort

Balancing his responsibilities as a paediatrician with after hour commitments, Dr De Bruin occasionally serves as a substitute organist to maintain proficiency and confidence in front of an audience. “Performing for yourself and others is essential to becoming a well-rounded musician.”

His commitment to his dual passions taught him that success requires consistent effort. He advises aspiring students to take continuous, small steps in the right direction to achieve their goals and realise their dreams.

News Archive

UFS academic discusses Dutch, Afrikaans and African languages
2006-05-22

During the colloquium presented in Belgium by the Province Antwerp were from the left Prof Pol Cuvelier (University of Antwerp), Prof Theo du Plessis (Director: Unit for Language Management at the UFS), Mr Ludo Helsen (Permanent Deputy: Province of Antwerp) and Mr Jean-Pierre Rondas (Flemish radio journalist).

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UFS academic discusses Dutch, Afrikaans and African languages at international conference

Prof Theo du Plessis, Director of the Unit for Language Management at the University of the Free State (UFS), was the main speaker at a colloquium titled “Routes:  Where to now? - Een traject van het Nederlands naar het Afrikaans en de Afrikatalen”, which was recently presented by the Province Antwerp in Belgium.

 The aim of the colloquium was to discuss the future cooperation in the field of language between the Province Antwerp and South Africa. 

 The Province Antwerp is already involved with projects in South Africa.  One of these projects is the Multilingual Information Development Programme (MIDP), a partnership project between the UFS and the Free State Province that is mainly funded by the Province Antwerp. 

 The project has been running since 1999 and was recently in the news with the presentation of a symposium on multilingualism and exclusion on the Main Campus of the UFS.  It is hoped that the Routes colloquium will indicate new stages on which can be added to the already successful cooperation in the area of language.

 Prof Du Plessis’s presentation titled “Nederlands, Afrikaans en die Afrikatale – kan samewerking slaag? Die geval MIDP in die Vrystaat”, investigated the successes that have been made with the MIDP.  He discussed two possible approaches to cooperation in the areas of language, that of a sentimentalistic  approach against an instrumentalistic approach. 

Cooperation in the first approach makes language the aim.  In the second approach language is used as a means to a greater aim.  According to Prof du Plessis the first approach is driven by a romantisised idea about the relation between the Flemish and Afrikaans speaking people, which may unfortunately polarise the position of Afrikaans in South Africa even further.

 He argues that, given the time that we are in, the second approach will deliver more constructive results as language can among others be used for to further  democracy in South Africa.   This can happen by cooperation in the institutionalising of multilingualism in our society.  The more languages are used in education, law and government administration, the more we can be assured a successful democracy.

 The Routes colloquium was facilitated by the well-known Flemish radio journalist, Jean-Pierre Rondas. About twenty South African and Flemish language specialists took part in the colloquium.  Dr Fritz Kok, outgoing chief executive officer of the ATKV took part in the opening ceremony and Dr Neville Alexander from the University of Cape Town and well-known activist for multilingualism in South Africa was also one of the main speakers.

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