The 90s were crazy and exciting—South Africa went from a police state to a rainbow nation. Being in the media then, documenting history in the making, was exhilarating, and I loved every moment. You never knew what each day would bring—whether it was 3 am covering a gang shooting, political mass protests, or a dog show.

I remember one particular day vividly: flying over the Winelands in an Air Force helicopter to cover a wildfire, only to hitchhike back with other photographers because we missed the extraction point—and then the first car broke down, so we had to hitch again! That afternoon, I found myself visiting the President at De Tuynhuys in dirty jeans, but just managed to clean up in time to slip into a “black number” and catch a play at the theatre. Sitting there, I thought: how could life get any better than this?

A highlight of the years working as a senior photographer at Die Burger was going on tour with the South African National Cricket Team when they played a five-day Test match against India in P.E. I was the official photographer for Media24.

I worked at Die Burger as the only female photographer for the first couple of years—until, thankfully, my dear friend Diane joined, and finally, the testosterone levels in the office dropped a notch. In the picture: Amore Bekker from a local radio station is interviewing Karin De Beer, Avril Fillies, and myself (check out the perm!).