THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 10/SEPTEMBER 2014
Alumni chapter revived
Dr Glynis Pieterse, who obtained her BA and HDE (1986) at UWC, has been instrumental, together with Abelene Visagie Goezaar, Paul Sauls and Reynold Patrick King, in the re-establishment of a UWC alumni chapter in her home town of Port Elizabeth. Pieterse believes in using her skills and talents in service of her community. A motivational speaker, she is currently a school counselor at Westview Special School and is a community representative on the governing boards of FAMSA Port Elizabeth and MTR Smit Children’s Haven.
Dr Glynis Pieterse is one of the leaders in the revitalisation of the UWC alumni chapter in Port Elizabeth.
It all started when she attended UWC in the 1980s. “Teenage years are known as the most turbulent years in human development,” she says. “Added to this was the increasing turbulence of our country and the political pressure cooker ‘Bush’ had
become to the Apartheid government. This was the most turbulent time in the history of the country and our university.” Life at UWC was a mad kaleidoscope of struggle, fear, but mostly fun and laughter. “During all the turmoil there was always the ongoing camaraderie … the studying till 12 o’ clock, the checking out of the men folk, of course, and the falling in love and the inevitable heartache of being dumped for another girl. Life was turbulent but also surprisingly normal.” Although she later furthered her studies up to PhD level at another university, UWC gave her the foundation. “It was where I learnt that knowledge is fragile, that reality is but perception and that community is all. I am who I am because of my Bush experience.”
UWC hosts successful Johannesburg Golf Day UWC marked its tenth Annual Golf Day in style when the University hosted a resoundingly successful UWC Johannesburg Golf Day in July. On a beautiful sunny day, 96 players took to a challenging golf course at the Wanderers Golf Club in Sandton, Johannesburg and teed off in a Better Ball Stableford format of the game. After a day of golf played in a wonderfully warm yet competitive spirit, John Massie and Gideon van Branden from Van Wyk Attorneys took the honours, with Christopher Williams and Pieter van Lochenburg winning second prize
and Thomas Parker and Enver Swarts coming in third. The day was made even more memorable for Mandla Mbukwane when he shot a hole-in-one at the sixth hole. At the prize-giving dinner, UWC’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Brian O’Connell, delivered a light-hearted keynote address that encouraged all guests to contribute to higher education. Alumnus Dr Raymond Patel, CEO of merSETA, paid special tribute to Prof O’Connell for his enlightened leadership of the University. Patricia Lawrence, UWC’s Pro ViceChancellor for Institutional Advancement, thanked all the players who participated in the 2014 Golf event and expressed a
special word of thanks to the sponsors: Naspers Group (platinum donor), Ashburton Fund Managers, merSETA and PPS Insurance (watering hole sponsors), and prize sponsors Budget Car and Van Rental, City Lodge Hotels Limited, Distell Group Limited, Exclusive Mineral Water, Kopanong Hotel, Millennium Travel and Singapore Airlines. The main objectives of the annual Johannesburg Golf Day are to raise funds for the Jakes Gerwel Endowment and Bursary Fund and to nurture the University’s relationship with its Gauteng-based alumni and corporate partners.
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor congratulates Mr John Massie (left) and Mr Gideon van Branden (right) winners of the 2014 Johannesburg Golf Day.
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