One of the highlights of the year is always the annual dinner which was held last year at uShaka Marine World, the fifth largest aquarium in the world. On the night of 25 November 2017, the corridors were filled with excited adults dressed in their finest party gear, warmly welcomed by chairman Hennie Prinsloo who was eager for everybody to enjoy the evening. The venue was transformed into a water wonderland with a magical atmosphere where welcome drinks were enjoyed amidst a buzz of exclamations and excitement as yet another beautiful fish or octopus glided past in the subtly lit tanks. With every other nook and cranny lit by candles and lanterns, it was a splendid way to start the evening. Many thanks once again to the table sponsors and to ifm electronic for sponsoring the welcome drinks.
MC Mark Calvert did a sterling job of introducing the proceedings and housekeeping rules (no fishing allowed) and the evening got underway with Hennie giving an overview of the Durban branch’s achievements for 2017. Council representative COO Johan Maartens followed him and extended the scope to the SAIMC as a whole. The Durban branch committee had been working undercover to surprise Hennie with an award for ‘Best Chairman Ever’. Mark reiterated the committee’s feelings when he stressed that without Hennie’s leadership, guidance, enthusiasm and commitment, the Durban branch would not have achieved half of what it did this year.
Patron member awards were given to new Durban branch sponsors: (middle four left to right) Alex Macedo (Instroworx), Brad Maher (Elonics), Antony Hittler (IFM Electronic) and Anton Schilz (Loadtech). Jane van der Spuy (left) was given her certificate for Senior Membership and of course Chairman Hennie Prinsloo is on the right, proudly looking on.
With the formalities out of the way guests were invited to visit the buffet tables for their main course of roast beef, chicken curry and a Mediterranean pasta with all the trimmings, and the verdict of ‘great food’ was unanimously agreed upon. Guests were then entertained by the evergreen Gee Jays, whose wit and musical prowess were a big hit. (Note: the committee felt it would be a little insensitive to include fish on the menu, so stuck in good SAA fashion to chicken or beef.)
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