The branch AGM was held on 7 February at the usual Durban Country Club venue. Whilst AGMs never seem to attract the same attendance as technology evenings, we were happy with the turnout and, as usual, there was a good buzz and great interaction and networking. The committee would like to thank those who attended and for their continued support in the branch activities.
Kevin McElroy kicked off proceedings with the treasurer’s report – going through in fine detail the expenditure and income. The branch bank account shows a healthy balance, whilst still contributing funds towards technology evenings, school visits and training. Our big income generators are the branch patron members (of which we have to date 17) and again, our thanks to these companies without whom we would not be able to contribute as much to the C+I industry as we do. Our golf day also continues to show a good profit and the organisers (Dean Trattles, Howard Lister and Steve Sanders) received a round of applause for their efforts.
Chairman, Hennie Prinsloo, then went through the year’s activities and highlights and thanked the committee for their dedication and hard work. He reported that technology evening attendance was gratifying and that all our meetings for next year had been filled. The October slot has been allocated for an end-user presentation and if anybody is interested in presenting here, they should contact the branch directly. 2018 will see more training in the form of CPD-accredited courses, more colourful and exciting technical evenings and a revised/rescheduled mini-exhibition.
Hennie Prinsloo (left) thanks Vinesh Maharaj for visiting the Durban branch on the occasion of their AGM.
We were fortunate enough to have council representation from Vinesh Maharaj – past president of the SAIMC and past chairman of the Durban branch. Vinesh started off his SAIMC journey in Durban, so it was wonderful to welcome him back and have him present the president’s message on behalf of Oratile. The focus of Vinesh’s presentation was the structure and mechanism of council, which everybody found really informative.
He ended off by saying that without the branches, the SAIMC wouldn’t exist and they are the ears and eyes of the organisation – understanding the areas in which they operate, which in turn feeds initiatives and thinking from council. Finally he thanked the Durban branch for their efforts during 2017 and for continually raising the bar.
The online election process was completed ahead of the meeting, duly audited by Rob Moxham and the new committee is as follows: Hennie Prinsloo, John Owen-Ellis, Prof. Ralph Naidoo, Jane van der Spuy, Howard Lister, Dean Trattles and Kevin McElroy.
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