Celebrating a century of Forester training
Celebrating a century of Forester training – eighty years at Saasveld
The history of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s George Campus is inextricably linked to the training of Foresters in South Africa. From 1906 to 1911 a theoretical course in Forestry was presented at Tokai, following which a training course focussed on the actual work done by infield Foresters was started at Saasveld from 1912.
This year (2012) being both the centenary and 80th year commemorating the inception of Forester training in South Africa and at Saasveld respectively called for a special celebration.
It was with this in mind that NMMU George lecturers in the School of Natural Resource Management arranged a “trip down memory lane”, involving both current and former Forestry lecturers. A photo slide show highlighted the changes at Saasveld over the past eighty years, while retired Forestry lecturers, Messrs Joh Scriba, Albie Colton, Richard van Tonder and Sarel Theron gave a presentation on the general highlights of the Forestry programme and the mischievousness of past students.
constant change was one of the factors that has kept Saasveld relevant and vibrant over the years.
The group were in agreement that constant change was one of the factors that has kept Saasveld relevant and vibrant over the years.
Saasveld was managed by the National Government up to 1986, when it was incorporated into the Port Elizabeth Technikon. This status was maintained up to 2005, when the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) was formed from a merger of the University of Port Elizabeth, the PE Technikon and the Port Elizabeth Campus of Vista University, making it the biggest comprehensive university in the Eastern and Southern Cape.