When you meet Dr Jaco Strobos, you expect the calm confidence of a surgeon and the sharp mind of a medical pioneer. What don’t you expect? A man who gets just as excited about model trains and woodworking as he does about pioneering a world-class hospital. But that’s exactly the point. There’s far more to him than scrubs and scalpels.
Dr Jaco Strobos might be known to most as Dr Shoulder – the renowned orthopaedic surgeon who has operated on thousands of shoulders. But there’s a whole world to this man beyond the hospital walls. From building trains in his garden to crafting fine woodwork and hosting guests in a luxe guesthouse, he’s driven not just by precision, but by purpose.
As founder of the Johannesburg Surgical Hospital (JSH), Jaco isn’t shy about his dream – to flip the script on healthcare in South Africa. “I wanted a hospital where patient care is optimal. Where doctors have a say in what happens. Not some bureaucrat who has no idea what’s best for the patient.”
Frustrated by the declining quality of care in larger hospital groups, he knew he had to act. “JSH is more than a medical facility. It’s a vision brought to life. It’s not about money for me, but chasing your life goals and watching them become reality.”
Walk into JSH, and you’ll immediately notice something unusual. Light. Lots of it. “We bring nature and natural light into the building. Even in the ICU or theatre. There’s a harmony between the structure and nature that we hope helps the healing process.”
As a proudly South African surgeon, he beams when speaking about the hospital’s impact. “I want people to see this is one of the best medical units in the world. And yes, I want to leave a legacy.”
When he’s not in scrubs, chances are Jaco is out in nature – on a golf course, exploring Botswana, or in the Kruger National Park with his wife, Marisa, and their family.
“Life isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon,” Jaco adds. “I always think of my brother-in-law’s Comrades Marathon advice – 10km an hour. Keep the pace, don’t burn out, and enjoy the journey.”
He’s also the owner of the five-star Kleine Constantia Guest House in Weltevreden Park, where every detail reflects his love for craftsmanship and good living.
“The name comes from my love for wine,” he shares with a smile. Inspired by the historic Groot Constantia Wine Estate in the Cape Winelands, Kleine Constantia pays homage to years of travel in pursuit of the world’s finest vintages. Think Napa Valley in California, to the famed Burgundy and Bordeaux regions in France, and even the Hunter Valley in Australia and Wairarapa in New Zealand. “I’m a huge fan of Bordeaux blends. But I never drink alone. Wine, like life, is best shared.”
It turns out that the same hands that hold a scalpel with precision also happen to love woodworking and excel at it. “I made a spice rack in Standard 6,” he says, smiling. “Won a prize for it – best in school, then best in Pretoria. That thrill of creating something with my hands never left me.”
These days, if he had the time and freedom, he’d love to build something grand out of wood. Maybe even a cathedral. “I’ve looked at the churches in Spain, like the Sagrada Família, or Notre-Dame de Paris … The architecture, the craftsmanship, it blows me away. If I weren’t a surgeon, architecture or engineering would have been the next best thing. I love the planning, the imagining, the designing, the building. There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing a vision come to life in wood.”
Ask him about his other passion – model trains – and his eyes light up like a signal box at rush hour. “The love for model trains started early. I remember my sister and I got a blue Lima train set from our parents. I would lie beside the tracks in the dark, mesmerised by the sparks flying from the wheels as it sped along the figure-of-eight. That little train ran until its traction rubber wore away, and I was hooked. It’s always been the mechanics and movement that fascinated me.”
What began as childhood wonder has blossomed into a full-blown engineering marvel. From an HO scale layout in his train room, recreating the South African Railway to scale, to a functioning train track running through the lush gardens at his guesthouse. “We’ve just got permission from the council to build a train track in front of our guesthouse. I can’t wait to share this joy with others and have a place where people can enjoy the hobby too.”
His ultimate pride and joy? A replica of Lyndie Lou – a locomotive he once climbed into on a Free State farm called Sandstone. “We built a copy in the UK, and the original owner came to visit me. He said I was just as crazy as he was. I took it as a compliment!”
That fascination came full circle this year when he finally experienced a journey on South Africa’s iconic Blue Train. “It was everything I imagined and more. The service, the scenery, the history – I feel proud to be South African.”
Is there a dream item Jaco’s still chasing? He lets out a laugh. “There is one … but I’m keeping it quiet for now. The current owner doesn’t even know I’ve got my eye on it!”
Whether it’s surgery, woodworking, or collecting trains, there’s one thing Jaco always brings. Precision. “I grew up in an environment where you had to work hard for what you wanted. That taught me discipline. Nothing in life is 100 per cent perfect, but you should always try to get the best out of any situation.”
His train-building hobby, with its intricate designs and engineering, mirrors his surgical mindset. “Each locomotive, especially at the bigger scale, needs to be physically built, piece by piece. It’s a technical process, just like orthopaedics.”
So, what drives Jaco? “I don’t want to bury my talents under a rock. I want to use every gift I have to the fullest, to make a real change. I want my legacy to be that I tried. That I didn’t sit back. That I used my hands, my heart, and my head to make life better for others.”
And judging by the hospital he built, the shoulders he’s healed, the wines he’s savoured, and the joy he brings through his trains … he’s doing exactly that.
Details: kleineconstantia.co.za
Text: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG. Images: SUPPLIED.
