Info for school students & projects
One of the questions most commonly asked of me is whether I have information about myself that could be useful for school projects.
1 Your name is unusual, what does it mean?
Marijke is a traditional Dutch name. Both sides of my family are Dutch so I really love that my family honoured our heritage in my name. At the same time it’s unique – mum changed the spelling to sound phonically like Ma – ray – ka so people in Australia wouldn’t call me mar – ridge – key – which means I get to have my own domain name and email addresses and can use my name on social media as there are no other Marayke Jonkers out there. Lots of people mispronounce my name and that’s ok. It is strange going to Holland and hearing people say Marayke in supermarkets etc – then realising they’re not talking to me.
2 What’s your favourite food?
Greek salad – and cheese. I LOVE cheese
3 Do you have any pets?
I love animals and have a rescue chihuahua called Pepe. Growing up I had a special dog Sally who learned to walk under my wheelchair with her tail wagging out the back and never got run over – she lived so long I was a uni student when she died. I also had cats, rates, mice, birds, guinea pigs, chickens, peacocks and hermit crabs.
4 Who is in your family?
I am the eldest of 3 kids. My parents separated when I was a kid and live in different states, and my sister loves travelling for work. I treasure living near my Opa and Oma John and Frankie who drove me to swimming training every day and are the best grandparents I could wish for.
5 Have you tried other sports besides swimming?
Yes when I was a kid I did wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, tennis, athletics and even held a state record for under 10 junior discus. I thought I wanted to be a synchronised swimmer or ballet dancer but I turned out to be best at swimming.
6 What’s your favourite movie?
Cool Runnings.
7 Where do you live?
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
8 What are your hobbies?
Travelling, photography, craft, fashion, handcycling, exploring nature, being near the water and playing with dogs.
9 Where did you go to school?
Chevallum State Primary School and Beerwah State High School.
10 Favourite book?
Harry potter series- I’ve even taught Alexa to understand lumps and knox so I can do magic and turn on the lights!
11 How many countries have you been to?
33 on every continent.
