From Dream to Reality: How Perseverance Pays Off

15,000 kilometres, endless hours of paperwork, 2 continents, a wife, two children, and an entire lifetime of laughter and life-making memories moved Shaun from his hometown of East London in South Africa to our little city on the prairies. 

Shaun Hanekom and his wife had always wanted to live in Canada because of the opportunity and lifestyle amongst so many different cultures. Their tiny 10-month-old baby had just set hands and knees down to crawl through the wild grasses of their beautiful yard outside their charming brick home and would soon learn to walk through the trimmed prairie grass in the backyard of what would become their new home in Saskatoon.

In South Africa, Shaun worked as a certified technician and workshop foreman for Jaguar/Land Rover and Volvo, and in his job search, had found the Wyant Group with a position at Volvo Cars Saskatoon. Some might call that a coincidence, but we tend to think it’s serendipitous because we have so many of those magical moments within our group.

A helping hand

Shaun and his family have been here for 5 years now. When they look back at the arduous task of applying for a work visa and communicating with immigration, they are so grateful for the support and guidance from the Wyant Group for their commitment to helping Shaun secure the necessary documents to work and live here, a place they now call home. Our HR team helped Shaun navigate the Saskatchewan Nominee Immigration Program, an endeavour of what seemed to be an endless amount of hours, for which Shaun and his family are so thankful to have had help through all of it. Throughout that ordeal, Shaun and his family developed a strong measure of tenacity, a quality one certainly needs to make it through our long, unpredictable Saskatchewan winters! Although, Shaun notes that he loves winter and we’re not quite sure our entire team would embrace cold weather with the same level of enthusiasm as he has.

From mechanic to workshop foreman

Since working for the Wyant Group, Shaun has worked hard and has moved from a mechanic to workshop foreman for Jaguar and Land Rover, and now in his current role as workshop foreman for both Jaguar/Land Rover and Volvo.

Blending cultures

When asked about some interesting differences between South African and Canadian culture, Shaun noted with a smile that in South Africa it was common to show up at a friend’s house for an unexpected visit, while in Canada the unplanned pop-by has not been well received and that it is best if he makes plans with his Saskatchewan friends in advance.

When asked about the biggest challenge, with humour he noted that driving on the right-hand side of the road and turning left was the weirdest feeling for him and it took a few days to get used to.

Shaun also shared that he and his family love all of the wildlife they get to see roaming around so freely, adding that in South Africa everything is fenced to keep you safe from lions, tigers and other prey-seeking wildlife who could end your family adventure on a very unfortunate note.

Fond memories and new roots

While Shaun and his wife deeply miss their home in South Africa and the life they made there, they have also fallen in love with the life they are living here and know they made the right decision when they see their children experiencing the opportunities they had dreamed of.

There’s a saying: The easy road leads to the hard life, and the hard road leads to the easy life. Whether that stands to be true for every human out there, it certainly has proven to be true for Shaun and his family. It may have been incredibly hard and tiresome to jump through hoops and red tape to actualize their dream of moving to Canada, but that difficult journey has led to a life of sweetness and gratitude for the new roots they’ve planted.