There are few people that can say they only worked for one company and retire after 47 years.
Members of Bryanston Country Club bid a sweet farewell to Reckson Mambabada who has spent the majority of his life working at the club.
Mambabada joined Bryanston Country Club back in 1971 when he was 18 years old and retires this month with 47 years exemplary service behind him.
He retires as a course supervisor working on the greens but still has the energy and passion he had when he started. Mambabada said he had seen a lot of changes over the years particularly with the Bryanston area developing from a small farm-like community to the big buildings and frenetic energy it has today.
The biggest change over the years has been the introduction of technology, Mambabada noted. In his early days, they had to transport irrigation sprays around the course in wheel-barrows and there was so much more manual labour. Technology has made things a bit easier and the course has got better. Workers now have utility vehicles to get around quicker.
Chairman Ian Murdoch presented Mambabada with a farewell gift at a recent staff gathering and thanked him for his hard work and commitment. At the gathering, Mambabada had some words for his younger colleagues.
“You must always have a commitment to your work, respect one another, love what you are doing all the time and support each other,” he said.
He added that he loved to see how the commitment and communication between staff and management have improved in later years and felt it had been great working with people who loved their staff.
Club President, Rick Hogben who was away on vacation sent this message to Mambabada for his farewell: “At the end of the month you retire after 47 years service with the club. You have been a loyal member of staff and looked after our golf course. You have seen captains, chairmen and general managers come and go, and big changes at the club. Thank for your service and we wish you all the very best and good health in your retirement.”
Mambabada will return to Limpopo where he hopes to enjoy retirement with his family.
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