You're in the best hands with this man
Be assured, you’re in the best hands with this man: Geoffrey Coetzee. Being both chief ranger and owner of Marksman’s Nest Shooting Ranges near Malmesbury and Velddrif, he secretly also is a man of many talents.
As a former mechanised infantry captain in the SANDF, he notched up extensive military operational experience over the course of two decades. In addition, he trained recruits, troops, as well as junior and senior military staff.
Working as a soldier under auspices of United Nations, Geoffrey learnt how privileged we are as South Africans. He said, “I’ve learnt to think wider, bigger and smarter. Importantly, the UN taught me to go out and win the hearts and minds of the people.”
A gifted ETDP
Furthermore, as an occupationally directed education training and development practitioner (ETDP), he’s taught numerous ETDPs; facilitators, assessors, moderators, course designers and skills development facilitators across several South African SETAs.
Unfortunately, the nature of his military job required him to spend weeks, and sometimes months, away from home. So in 2011, when Geoffrey decided to put family life first, he resigned from the SANDF.
Subsequent to spending four years as a security analyst and HR trainer for a Malmesbury-based company, he realised that he had a keen mind for business.
Business expansion
First he launched Malmesbury-based close-protection company Jabulani Security in 2015. And with his mantra of “opportunities multiply as they’re seized”, he founded K9 Intervention the following year. Although the basis for this business stemmed from Geoffrey’s military experience, it simultaneously fulfilled his deep-rooted love for dogs.
“As well as providing private and social owner dog training with agility, obstacles, nose and detection courses, we also manufacture and supply dog accessories,” he explained. “Dogs inspire me and what an honour it is to spend time with these remarkable creatures. Not only do we develop them to realise their full potential, but we also enable families to have a well-adapted, sociable dog.”
A few months later, Geoffrey established Marksman’s Nest Firearm Training Centre and Shooting Range’s Malmesbury branch. This was followed by the Velddrif branch in April 2022.
Top-notch chief ranger
“Because of my extensive defence force background, it actually was a no-brainer to launch the shooting ranges. Apart from providing competency in firearm use, we teach thorough know-how in close-quarter self-defence handgun training and tactics and safety awareness, training each and every client to the highest possible level. However, there’s an entertainment element too. Our fun outings, such as team-building, birthday celebrations and clay pigeon shooting, are extremely popular.”
But the proof is in the pudding. Karen Koen, one of Geoffrey's pupils thanked him for adding so much value to her life during training. "Big thanks to Geoffrey for always going that one step further." And Miena Visser, another pupil, corroborated this. "Geoffrey is an integral part of our community. He contributes to the growth of both the community and people around him. Not only that, he also actually cares deeply about people. A warm-hearted, adventure-seeking mentor and friend to many!"
Geoffrey’s inspiration? “Definitely Sun Tzu’s The Art of War about military battle handling. That’s been my soundboard for making management and strategic decisions as we go along. Although the 2020-2022 Covid-19 pandemic slowed down our process, we’re hopeful and look forward to many magical moments at our shooting ranges.”
In conclusion he said, “Give me a challenge and I’ll seize it with arms outstretched. It’s my privilege to surmount every trial.” All in all, it just goes to show that you're in the best hands with this man.
