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Songs pay tribute to Fort McMurray wildfires

Touched by the devastating effects of one of Alberta’s worst disasters this century, an Okotoks doctor felt compelled to make last-minute changes while recording her first album.
Okotoks Dr. Stella Jansen van Rensburg released album Stella-Amoré, featuring Afrikaans music and a tribute to those who lost so much in the Fort McMurray wildfires.
Okotoks Dr. Stella Jansen van Rensburg released album Stella-Amoré, featuring Afrikaans music and a tribute to those who lost so much in the Fort McMurray wildfires.

Touched by the devastating effects of one of Alberta’s worst disasters this century, an Okotoks doctor felt compelled to make last-minute changes while recording her first album.

Papillon Medical owner Stella Jansen van Rensburg was in her native country of South Africa last May recording an album in Afrikaans when she received a shocking phone call from a friend in Fort McMurray.

“I was on the phone with her in the middle of the night while writing the last song for my album,” she said. “I was so taken aback by the fact that they were trapped and struggling to get out.”

Captivated by the stories of people fleeing the community as wildfires ravaged their houses and places of businesses, Jansen van Rensburg wrote two songs dedicated to the bravery of Fort McMurray residents for her album Stella-Amoré.

Hayden’s Song honours her now two-year-old God-daughter who was among those evacuated and I’ll Run You to Safety is about four young girls who rode their horses to escape the fires, and is available on YouTube.

Jansen van Rensburg initially took inspiration to record the album from her roots and native language of Afrikaans, although music hadn’t been a part of her life for years.

She sang in primary school choirs, took a classical voice class in high school and, in her early adult years, joined friends in performing at functions and arranging concerts, singing contemporary ballads and classical music.

Yet, Jansen van Rensburg’s love for singing was put on the back burner when she completed her bachelor of medicine and surgery degree at the University of Pretoria.

With a strong desire to travel, she moved to the United Kingdom in 2004 for a year-long internship before moving to Saskatchewan for a three-month locum and then working at practices in Alberta. She settled in Okotoks in 2012.

“I never intended to stay so I never went through the grieving process of saying good-bye to my family,” she said of her move to Canada. “That’s what makes this album special. I wanted to reconnect with my roots.”

Jansen van Rensburg decided to take the advice she’d been giving her patients for years and began writing songs in her native Afrikaans, using material from poems she had written over the years.

“When you get into the workforce you start to ignore the things that are essential to you,” she said. “I preach this to my clients to look for things they are passionate about. I have to walk the walk and do the things I love for me to be healthy and happy. It’s a gift to myself.”

Eight of the 12 songs featured on Stella-Amoré, released in December, are written in her native tongue. Afrikaans music was primarily influenced by Dutch folk songs, with some German and French influences, in the early 20th century.

“I had a longing for my homeland and to return to my roots,” she said.

Jansen van Rensburg selected a genre of music that wasn’t very popular in South Africa while she was living there.

“The music in the time I was growing up wasn’t very diverse,” she said. “It wasn’t the kind of music that young people liked. It was all kind of very stiff.”

That’s changed in more recent years, she said.

“It’s loosened up a bit,” she said. “It’s become a bit more diverse in the last 20 years. People are getting back to their roots and having pride in their language.”

The English songs on Stella-Amoré are modern-day country ballads.

Jansen van Rensburg said most of the songs are reflections of life’s purpose, love, friendships and disappointments.

“I’m inspired when I’m emotional – that can be positive or negative,” she said. “Those are the times I find I can write something beautiful in five minutes. It’s making space to think and appreciate and experience things.”

Jansen van Rensburg spent three weeks in her home country last spring recording her album and having it professionally arranged.

“I worked with a producer in South Africa,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of the whole process. I wanted to sit in some of the recordings of the music. We had been working remotely for a year on it.”

With two songs dedicated to Fort McMurray, Jansen van Rensburg hopes to take it a step further and organize a fundraiser to support the community and is looking for suggestions and help from her community.

Anyone interested in helping can contact Jansen van Rensburg at [email protected]

Songs from Stella-Amoré are available for purchase on iTunes. Proceeds go to Saving the Survivors, a charitable organization that attends to injured and endangered wildlife – particularly rhinos - that have fallen victim to poaching or traumatic incidents.

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