Mathew Oliphant can cook. And we know this because he has already won an award or two for his cooking skills…and…he currently works as Chef de Partie on luxury cruise liners for the MSC Cruises company. Chef de Partie (also known as a station chef or line cook) is an experienced culinary professional responsible for managing a specific section of a kitchen.
But what Mathew could not do, was to thrive or survive in the “normal” school system. “I think, to describe my experience of school as a journey through hell, would be an understatement."
Mathew, who was born and still lives in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain, was moved through the grades by the progression pass system, which means, in the South African school context, a learner is moved to the next grade despite failing to meet the official academic pass requirements. And, you don’t have to be any sort of genius to figure out just how detrimental that would be to the learner and the system.
But here we are. It was only when Mathew had to repeat Gr9, that his mom, Grace took her parental instinct to nurture and protect her child at all costs to the next level. “We were able to afford a session with a good psychologist who diagnosed that Mathew had both Dyslexia and ADHD.”
According to Dr Google, Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental learning disorder that primarily affects an individual's ability to read, spell, and write accurately and fluently. It occurs when the brain has trouble processing written language and connecting visual letters to the sounds they make. And ADHD is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) a neurodevelopmental brain condition that affects a child's ability to regulate focus, body movements, and impulses.
Right, now that we have that out of the way we have to include the trauma Mathew sustained during that same period when he was robbed by 6 guys and then locked up in a shipping container for 20 minutes before someone let him out. It seems like every story I write about our communities comes with this little, not insignificant, piece of terrible trauma. However, with each person I’ve written about so far, they have also risen above their trauma and are blazing a helluva path to achieve new heights and inspire our next generation. And Mathew is no different.
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“My husband, Isak (who passed in 2009 from diabetes-related complications) and I were in a severe state of constant heightened anxiety and stress,” says his mom. “I walked, took taxis, buses trains, you name it, I went to many different schools, from Vredenburg to Parkwood and everything in-between, “normal” and special needs, but nobody was willing to give Mathew a chance, or they said they had no space. Eventually I ended up knocking on the Mitchells Plain School of Skill’s door, and despite Mathew being a year older than the qualifying age of 13, I was determined to get him in.”
I have to share with you that the raw energy and emotion, determination and indomitable spirit that IS Grace Oliphant is like a living thing in that room and I can see why she succeeded.
“I had Mathew’s medical file with me, which is about this big (she indicates roughly about a foot thick) and luckily the principal at the School of Skills was compassionate and listened to my story. I cannot praise the Mitchells Plain School of Skills and the principal enough; they changed the trajectory of my son’s life forever.”
Mathew smiles with obvious love and devotion while his mom speaks. “That’s when things began to click for me. The school’s approach allowed me to do well in all of my subjects and I chose Cheffing as my extra-curricular focus.”
“He gets that from me,” mom chimes in with pride. “My late mom was a chef, as was I,” says Grace.
“I completed the 4-year course in 3 years and eventually landed a job at the prestigious Taj Cape Town Hotel where I won one of the Inter-hotel Challenge competitions where we had to create winning starters and main-course dishes. I was an adult now and I also started becoming consciously aware of what was going on around me, how people behaved, what they were saying, and what they were withholding, as people do.”
“So I decided to move on from the Taj and despite being without a job for a few months and having to deal with the depression and internal challenges that comes with that, I backed myself again and just reached out to the agency for MSC Cruises. I was asked to come in for an interview and on my way down the elevator after the interview I was informed that I had landed the job,” says Mathew triumphantly.
“And, is it as glamorous as they would have you believe in the movies?,” I ask. “Well, make no mistake, you work your butt off, but you’re basically on a 5 star hotel in the ocean, and you get to travel all over the world, and you get time to go on shore and have amazing experiences of cultures a million miles from Rocklands,” he says with a wry smile.
“My favourite place, so far is Mexico, it’s just got that vibe, you know.”
It’s really difficult to convey the battle, war actually, that Grace and Mathew have won during his 31 years on the planet because you can see the scars in both of their eyes and you can’t help but be moved by it. However, the worst is over now, and now the future beckons.
“I’m looking ahead and I have a plan. I like the idea of creating my own customized or specialized gourmet food truck, or even a new restaurant concept. The creative process is currently on simmer and it will gently come to the boil to be served at just at the right time.”
Good luck Mathew, you are an inspiration to so many who are fighting the same battle in our communities.
Rock on, for Rocklands and beyond. Yeah, I know its cheesy, but cheese is lekker.
