Keen readers of this riveting series will recall that in August 2015 I had been asked to step into the role of Acting Dean of Pharmacy. That was expected to be a fairly short appointment for six months or so to support the Faculty of Pharmacy through the process of appointing a new Dean. Well, with one thing and another, it ended up being a rather longer assignment that anticipated, and my term as Acting Dean stretched through the whole of 2016. That meant that 1 January 2017 has brought some major changes: handing over the reins of the Pharmacy Faculty to the new Dean, handing over the reins of the Computer Science Department as HoD (my three-year term in that position also came to an end at the end of 2016), and starting a one-year sabbatical. The sabbatical is overdue (I was supposed to be on leave in 2016, but postponed those plans due to the Acting Deanship), and rather needed as it has been a very busy year with all the additional responsibilities. Those were also exacerbated by the student protest action that South African universities experienced in 2016: in April and again in September/October. Rhodes actually came through all of that relatively easily, compared to other institutions, and we managed to run the November exams as scheduled and without any protests or disruptions (but with significantly enhanced security measures in place). However, during the protests the Deans were on the frontlines in terms of trying to manage the impact of the disruptions on the academic programme of the University, so there were many emergency meetings called at short notice to try to deal with the crises as they unfolded. "Interesting times" as the old Chinese curse puts it!
The ride went well, with a personal best time (4:09:38.4 to be precise - still tantalising close to the elusive sub-four!). After our time in Cape Town/Fishhoek, we set off for the winelands, with a short trip through Stellenbosch to Franschhoek, where we had booked for a night. That was the first time either of us had visited Franschhoek and we fell in love with it - a beautiful little town nestled in a spectacular valley with vineyards and mountains all around. However, the best part may have been the trip out, through the Franschhoek pass back to the N2 and on to Wilderness for the night. Liz stayed on for the rest of March, celebrating her birthday with us, and attending a Rhodes graduation ceremony. That was the first Rhodes Grad she had been to, and with her brother as Acting Dean, rather a graduand, so she had a VIP front-row seat. The guest speaker and honorary graduand that night was Beatrice Mtetwa, the Zimbabwean human rights lawyer, who was really impressive.
The next highlight was a trip to Pretoria in June/July to spend some time with my good friends, Theo, Brenda and Caleb. There was also a Computer Science conference out at Cullinan during that time, so I was able to spend a couple of days out there meeting up with the rest of the academic community in Computer Science and Information Systems. September found me back in Pretoria again, for a brief weekend visit, but a very special one for Caleb's confirmation service. It was a real privilege to be able to share in such a significant moment in his faith journey.
September also saw the start of a rather long story that culminated in a major decision: to sell my home of 27 years and move (not far, just a few blocks, but I had always said that the next move would involve me being carried out of the house in a "box"!). Without boring you with all the details, the private school that owns the property to the North and West of mine made me an offer I could not refuse. The decision was made a little easier, as the quiet residential area in which I had bought my home 27 years ago has flat rights, and every other home around me has been razed and blocks of flats built to the point where mine is now the last home left in the street. The new home, to which I will be moving in March 2017, is bigger, newer and has a swimming pool, among other improvements.
October 2016 marked the end of lectures for a difficult year, and the annual Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit - always a major highlight of the year, and no exception this past year.
In December as the year wound up there were various end-of-year functions and leadership hand-overs in Pharmacy and Computer Science. I also attended a wedding of a Pharmacy colleague in Patensie, which was lovely (and in a beautiful part of the Eastern Cape, which I had not visited previously). Christmas was spent at home with my parents, before flying North for a few weeks holiday in Pretoria, which is where I am as I write this.
As 2017 starts I thus find myself blissfully free of almost all commitments for the coming year. After moving at the beginning of March, the rest of the month promises a visit by Liz, and the now-traditional road-trip to Cape Town for the Argus. After getting settled into my new home, I am planning to spend the latter part of the year (May - December) in Australia or New Zealand for my sabbatical leave. Arrangements for that and finding a suitable host university there still need to be done.
As we head into 2017, many people have commented on how difficult 2016 has been. While that is true in some respects, it has also been a good year in may ways, and I think it is important to maintain a positive perspective. So here is to 2017 - may it be happy and healthy and blessed for us all.
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