Saambr pays tribute to staff serving through the decades
A total of 16 staff and volunteers were honored for long service, ranging from 10 to 30 years.
THE South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) paid tribute to their longstanding staff and volunteers who contributed to marine conservation through the decades.
The association, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in January, handed out awards to 10 staff and six volunteers at its 67th AGM this week.
Since its inception in 1951, Saambr has worked to ‘help people care for the ocean’ through three intertwined divisions: the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), uShaka Sea World and uShaka SeaWorld Education.
Also read: Saambr receives internationally recognised accreditation
“Saambr’s amazing staff members and volunteers are our most valuable asset. With a little help from our animals, the knowledge, inspiration and education we have achieved these last 70 years is a result of their efforts,” said Saambr’s chief operating officer, Dr Larry Oellermann.
Volunteer guides, Ann Gibson and Marjorie Phillips were recognised for 30 years of service, Michael Sturgess for 20 years of service, Eltina Stenhouse and Auret van der Merwe for 15 years of service and Andree Sacco for 10 years of service.
Also read: Turtle recovers at Saambr after shark attack
Three staff members were awarded recognition for their contribution to Saambr over the past 30 years, namely Simon Chater, Gabby Harris and Dr Bruce Mann.
Ramini Naidoo and Quentin van Staden received their 20-year service awards while Siphamandla Hlekwayo, Matthew Needham, Dr Lawrence Oellermann, Muke Shadrack and Umesalma Wahab were recognised for 10 years of service.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. 
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Berea community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
