Change is never easy, especially when it means saying goodbye to two valued colleagues, John Owen-Ellis and Kevin McElroy. One of the Greek philosophers said that “change is the only constant” but at the Durban branch of the SAIMC, for many years and many reasons, we’ve not had many changes to our team. It’s now time for John to move on and enjoy more time with his new wife, Tracy and their families, and for Kevin to pursue his new life and career in the UK − along of course with his passion for travel.
We know that change is an essential part of growth, and for a long time now we have been very conscious (at the risk of sounding a bit vampirish) of needing fresh new young blood to take us into the future. John and Kevin have been such stalwarts of the industry and the SAIMC and their legacy will continue to inspire us as the new branch management team embraces the opportunities that lie ahead.
There are a lot of our younger members who weren’t even alive when John and Kevin joined the SAIMC in 1979 and 1990 respectively. Kevin was the first of the two to join the committee at the behest of Carl Reineke, when Gary van Vuuren was the chairman. In those days branch technology meetings were held at the German Club in Westville with very (very) poor attendance. The Durban branch celebrated 21 years during the time that Gary was chairman. There was a period after Carl and Gary stepped down when Kevin was the sole member of the committee, which as he says was neither successful nor sustainable. A few more passionate people joined him, one of whom was John in 2001, and the Durban branch survived the storm and went on to thrive.
The monthly technology meetings moved to what was then known as the Natal Technikon, and today the UKZN, where the presentations were done in a lecture hall and the refreshments, which consisted of an assortment of beer and Spar supermarket sandwiches (carefully guarded against the general students) were consumed in the corridor. After this, the meetings moved to the Westville Country Club, the Durban Country Club and then to the current home at the Premier Splendid Inn. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve kept abreast of technology via our presentations and the food has vastly improved.
Throughout these years, both Kevin and John were integral members of the Durban branch, and their passion and commitment, together with leaders like Dean Trattles, Vinesh Maharaj, Howard Lister and most notably Hennie Prinsloo, helped take it from strength to strength – earning us ‘Branch of the year’ and ‘Platinum status’ for several years. Both Kevin and John were branch chairman at various times for several years. In latter years Kevin took on the role of treasurer and John the branch and national general secretary (subsequently COO) – two roles which kept him inordinately busy. During his tenure here, John was instrumental in the establishment of the current constitution – no mean feat. With his physics background and insight he was able to add a great deal to the many discussions over the years on the fundamental operating principles and applications of instrumentation. Both men came with a wealth of knowledge of the workings of the SAIMC at the national and at regional level which helped steer the Durban branch on the correct course.
There are so many people with so many stories and fond memories of both Kevin and John, but we thought it would be fun to ask each of them to say a few words on the other. Isn’t it interesting how, unprompted, they both mention beer.
Kevin on John: The consummate gentleman, with a wicked sense of humour and always bright and cheerful. We shared many a Guiness together over the years and hope to continue whenever we find each other in the same country at the same time on this wonderful journey of life. I count myself privileged to know the fella and value the close friendship that has come to be.
John on Kevin: Over the years, Kevin and I spent some time socialising over a few(?) ales while discussing options for the Durban branch, and we became good friends − a friendship that endures to this day. He might refer to my acknowledged preference for Guiness as a thought and tongue lubricant, which I acknowledge as his preference is Tafel.
The Durban branch extends our deepest gratitude for all they have done for our instrumentation community over many years. Let’s honour their contributions by carrying forward the spirit of collaboration, dedication and passion they’ve instilled in us.
| Tel: | +27 11 312 2445 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.saimc.co.za |
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