Good times: Prof Fabio Todeschini receives his farewell gift from VC and principal, Prof Njabulo S Ndebele, at last week's retirees' dinner.

Speak to any of this year's batch of retirees and they'll tell you that their times at UCT weren't always rosy. But they'll also tell you that, instead, it's the good times that they'll be taking with them.

"UCT is a fantastic place to work," says Professor Fabio Todeschini of the School of Architecture, Planning and geomatics, whose 46-year bond with UCT goes back to 1959, when he began his undergraduate studies (his 45-year service record started in 1960, when he tutored).

Thengu Litlake of Access Control Services and Lost Property holds dear the many people he worked with over his 15 years at UCT. "We were like a family," he says.

Manny Abrahams, based in the Finance Department, says his 21 years at UCT has seen its ups and downs. But, again, it's the ups he remembers best. "I have no regrets of my time at UCT," he says.

Retirees for 2005

Manny Abrahams, Finance (21 years at UCT)
Ebrahim Adams, Properties & Services (29)
Marlene Dreyer, Student Housing (21)
Keith Hall, Human Biology (37)
Sandra Janetzer, Finance (11)
Maria Josias, Molecular & Cell Biology (16)
Prof Horst Klump, Molecular & Cell Biology (18)
Thengu Litlake, Properties & Services (15)
Prof Julia Mekwa, Nursing & Midwifery (3)
Nina Reddy, Traffic Office ( 19)
Dr Ashley Robins, Pharmacology (26)
Gretchen Smith, Information Literacy (36)
Howard Smith, Properties & Services (9)
John Thornwaite, Laboratory Medicine (18)
Prof Fabio Todeschini, Architecture & Planning (45)
Prof Dirk Van Zyl-Smit, Criminology (23)
George Williams, Student Housing (19)
Meg Winter, Chemical Engineering (18)
Prof Douglas Young, Education (24)