“Do the ordinary things, extraordinarily well.”
These were the words of the newly appointed Head of Strategic Services of Bergrivier Municipality, Adrian Kearns, who assumed office in September.
Kearns mentioned that his vision is to build sustainable medium to long term partnerships for greater impact not only in the Bergrivier Municipal Area, but the West Coast as a whole. Another important goal for him is to develop the “people’s Integrated Development Plan” and the “people’s Spatial Development Framework”, as well as their municipal budget. “Communities should be able to easily understand these very important terms and strategic plans, because it has a significant impact on their lives,” said Kearns.
Kearns (40), originally from Cape Town (Hanover Park), attended Blomvlei Primary School in Hanover Park. He matriculated at Alexander Sinton High School in Crawford and later on completed his BTech in Public Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in 2013.
Kearns referred to the fact that the country’s current National Development Plan is nearing its end in 2030. “As various governmental institutions in South Africa, it is our collective goal to operationalise this plan into a strategy, whether it be at local, provincial or national level,” explained Kearns. On a local government level, a municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and its Spatial Development Framework (SDF) forms the very foundation for its strategic direction. Without the necessary budget, collaborations, partnerships and agreements in place, a strategy cannot be implemented.
At the age of 20, Kearns entered the formal sector as an Admissions Clerk at Hanover Park Community Health Centre. Over the next fifteen years, he worked at various government departments. Some of the highlights of his career includes managing two multi-million rand projects (National Treasury Projects) namely, Vulekamali and Municipal Money, both data portals. He has been extremely blessed to have worked in the most remote areas of the Western Cape such as Merweville, Klaarstroom, Vanrhynsdorp, Bella Vista and Kouebokkeveld, to educate and transfer his skills and knowledge. In times where resources were immensely scarce, he was able to translate strategic plans into realistic and measurable operational plans.
He is also a very active and energetic person and still plays cricket for Hanover Park Cricket Club. In his spare time he attends Bible college to deepen his faith. Kearns loves cooking and mentioned that he and his wife actually won first place on the Kom Ons Braai TV show a few years ago. Most importantly, he loves spending time with his sons Bailey (4) and Keaton (14).
“This is how I do everything in life, extraordinarily, even if it’s just a simple thing I always ask myself ‘How do I make what I do, stand out?’ Bergrivier is a beautiful area and has many similarities to other rural municipalities. In those similarities, you will find extraordinary opportunities in the very ordinary activities taken on by local residents. Whether it’s dancing, sports, culinary, services, culture and language, we need to explore the opportunities that have enormous potential more and be proud of it. Let’s love our neighbour as ourselves and demonstrate the extraordinary values we have in common,” he said.
Bergrivier Municipality wishes him well in his new position and may he serve all the communities with pride.
