Adieu to retirees

Long server: The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Njabulo S Ndebele (right) congratulated Prof Brian Kantor on his retirement after 43 years with the university.

Far from heading for woodwork projects, knitting for charity or consultancies, several of this year's retirees have chosen to stay close to the university - even after so many years.

And they have clocked up centuries of service between them. Among the 25 of the 37 retirees who attended the formal function at Smuts Hall, attended by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Njabulo S Ndebele and deputy chair of Council, Trevor Petersen, we counted 641 years of service.

The longest servers are Professors Brian Kantor of the School of Economics (43 years' service), John Webb of the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (41 years) and Heinz Rüther, School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics (35 years).

The other retirees are: Dr Michael Beatty, Prof Solly Benatar, Prof George Branch, Dr Patricia Burger, Donald Cook, Dr Neil Dewar, Prof Cesareo Dominguez, Dr Jean Firth, Sean Kierman, Dr Mwelase Mazamisa, Prof Jonathan Peter, Assoc Prof Dan Steenkamp, Leonard Watkins, John Cooper, Those taking early retirement are: Dr Lydia Abel, Sidney Adams, Nuraan Allie, David Basson, Keith Brink, Florence Cloete, Jeremy Galvin, Lorraine Galant, Prof David Haynes, Porof Brian Kantor, Cedrick Meyer, Latifa Omar, Lynn O'Neill, Steven Petersen, Melany Peterson, Margaret Phillips, David Querido, Jean Sorrell, Louw Toerien, Prof Richard Whittaker, Dugmore Williams, Zuziwe Mathe, Maureen Cooton, Michael Herbert, particia Halford. From the Provincial Government of the Western Cape: Dr A Philotheou, Prof Clare Stannard, Assoc Prof Edward Coetzee and Dr I Boyd.