Art in Africa Jenny Strathern, née Grindle (ED 1972) left St Swithun’s to study radiotherapy at Guy’s Hospital in London as for her it was the perfect combination of physics and people. She went on to work in the neutron clinic at Hammersmith hospital, then St Luke’s and the Royal Marsden before heading over to Groote Schuur in Cape Town, South Africa, the site of the first ever heart transplant. Woven in between these medical jobs, Jenny also dabbled in catering, running a sandwich bar at one point and catering for birthdays, weddings and other events. It has been a reliable back-up trade for times when she needed greater flexibility and it was also another wonderful way to meet people. Jenny met her husband Chris whilst sailing on a yacht from Cape Town, via St Helena Ascension Island and the Azores, to Turkey. She remembers their trip as a life-changing experience, not only because they decided to get married but because the forestay broke and the prop shaft sheared! And in those days, there was no GPS either… Since leaving the UK, Jenny has lived in many countries - South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland), Zambia and currently Uganda, where she and Chris have been for almost ten years. Zambia was one of Jenny’s favourite places as they were surrounded by wide open spaces and the most beautiful game reserves. She also loved Cape Town as it was gloriously cosmopolitan. Being built around Table Mountain and the sea there was always a feeling, for Jenny, that nature was at its heart too. Wherever she has lived, the common theme for Jenny has been community and she has worked hard to be part of each area, make connections with people and give back to society however she could. An amazing example of this is Jenny’s artwork. A talented artist, Jenny often sells her work and donates the proceeds to local charities. She has sold wildlife pictures in aid of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (who are committed to fight against wildlife crime, protect endangered species and engage local communities in wildlife protection) and other paintings to support the work of the Rays of Hope Hospice in Jinja, Uganda (who do phenomenal work in cancer detection and treatment, amongst other things).
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OGA Chain 2021
