Gijsbert Oosthuizen

Gijsbert Oosthuizen (Full Name: Gijsbert Pieter Oosthuizen) is the founder and current Chairman of Hosian Democrats (Saridan) and a Saridani political figure.

Early Life
Gijsbert Oosthuizen was born on October 4, 4157 in the small market town of Goedaalen, Tasselstaat. His father, Pieter Oosthuizen, was the Ameliorate Pastor of the town's parish, and owned farming land outside of the town. His mother, Gertrude Oosthuizan (nee Bregman) was a homemaker and an involved bookkeeper and administrator in her husband's parish. On both his father's side, and his mother's side, he comes from a long line of Ameliorate clergy, stretching back to Gert van Tassel, and counts among his ancestors some of the original founders of Tasselstaat.

During Gijsbert's early life tensions between Saridan, Istalia, and other countries was high, and Communists and Green Leftists conflicted constantly with ultra-nationalist authoritarians. This political climate, which was toxic even to him as a child, and which his father preached against and counselled him to change and avoid, was critical in the shaping of his current ideology and stance.

He was sent a traditional Ameliorate Duntrekker boarding school in the nearby capital Koeistad, where he excelled in religion, language, rhetoric, and sciences, but he struggled with mathematics and foreign languages. He was also a talented runner and an all around admired athlete

At 17 he attended Universitaat Seridjan, in Klaus, Sint Pietereiland, where he graduated in 4178 with a Bachelor's of Arts in the Faculty of Hosian Theology, as well as a Bachelor's of Arts in Public Health. He continued at Universitaat Seridjan, and gained a Master's Degree in Public Administration in 4179

Adult Life
After graduating, Oosthuizen moved to Koeistad, the capital, where he married Fillipa deGroot, a daughter of friends of his mother, who was introduced to him during a visit to the friends in Koeistad. After getting married, Oosthuizen accepted a job offer from Sankten Hospitaal, where he begun in 4180 as a Junior Administrative Officer for the Ontological Treatment Center.

During the 4180s, Oosthuizen began to become politically active on the local level. He was a vocal campaigner around certain issues and was a powerful presence at open city council meetings. He was elected to several minor positions on city boards, helping to manage sanitation and water. He continued to advance in his career in hospital administration, rising to Chief Administrative Officer for the Ontological Treatment Center at Sankten Hospitaal in 4194.

In 4206, after receiving political acclaim and attention for his views through local political activism, church involvement, and occasional editorials for Die Burger (A major Saridani paper), he raised funds and met with connections around Saridan, including Michelle van Heerden (A popular independent mayor of Sonskaap), and Joost Steenkamp (A retired general), who helped him establish the Hosian Democrats (Saridan) Party. He promptly took early retirement, and went on a talking tour to raise his party's profile