Johannesburg
On 9 February the Johannesburg branch held their AGM where a new committee was elected. Unfortunately at the time of going to press, the various office bearers and portfolio coordinators had not been finalised. This will soon be done however, so watch this space in the next issue for details.
The well-proven format of holding branch meetings on the second Wednesday of every month will continue, as will the time and venue: 18:00 at Rivonia Recreation Club. We encourage all members to make a special effort this year to attend meetings. Guests are welcome. The branch meetings are always informative, sometimes controversial, and remain a great place to meet colleagues and friends.
Sub-branch news is encouraging with both Rustenberg (chaired by Marthinus van der Westhuizen of Amplats) and Welkom (chaired by Peter van Vuuren of Anglo Gold) branches remaining active. Our thanks go to the past and present chairmen of both sub-branches for their continued efforts in keeping the interest in SAIMC matters going. Due to their efforts, and subject to compliance with the grading criteria and ratification by Council, these sub-branches may soon be upgraded to full branch status.
Secunda continues to prosper under the capable leadership of Piet van Rensberg and we hope to bring you more on their planned activities in the next issue.
Tony Holme
Chairperson, Johannesburg branch
Zululand
The Zululand Branch started work by fulfilling one of our education objectives. We had the opportunity to attend the annual graduation ceremony of Tisand Technical High School in the Richards Bay suburb of Esikhawini. This school is unique because it not only offers trade subjects at N3 level, but all the pupils passed their Matric! The SAIMC, in partnership with Process Automation and Reyrolle Electrical respectively, present trophies and cash prizes to the top achievers in electronics and electrical work. We also assist with their material needs by donating the electronic components to complete their projects. The generosity of Honeywell makes this possible and they also sponsor the prize for the N4 top electronics student at the local Vocational College, Richtech.
CARISMATECH is a facility that has achieved national recognition recently. A consortium formed by the Careers and Lifeskills Learning Centre, the Science Centre and the Technology Centre, this facility offers a 'one-stop-shop' to teachers and learners alike. The exhibits have recently benefited from a donation by the Danish government, a display on loan from the British and a portion of the Honeywell sponsorship. The outcome will be reaped by over twenty thousand students visiting the centre throughout the year and highlighted during the Careers Opportunity week presented each year. The SAIMC is a leading role player in this event. "A huge vote of thanks is due to the vendors who consistently support the SAIMC to make these achievements possible," said Wally Jooste, the Branch Chairman at the recent AGM. "Without them this mammoth task would be almost impossible."
The highlight on the social calendar will again be the annual dinner dance to be held in August, for which plans are already being drawn up. Tickets for this highly popular event are likely to sell fast, so vendors are advised to check they have made provision in their budgets! The funds generated by this event will further assist the branch in meeting our future objectives.
Industrial development in this part of the country has brought the promise of several extensive projects being started in the near future and some are already in the advanced planning stage. The measurement and control fraternity is a major role-player in some of these developments. Bearing this in mind and recognising the need to promote measurement, control and communications, training has been high on our agenda. A Micro Training Week will be run in the week of 14 August. The focus will be on Industrial Communications.
John Crossland
(0351) 901 3339
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