An intimate farewell luncheon was held on Friday, 1 July 2022 in honour of Ms Christine-Ann Paddon, to thank her for her service and invaluable contribution to Sol Plaatje University (SPU). She joined SPU on 1 August 2015 as Director of Physical Planning and Infrastructure, responsible for leading, managing and overseeing infrastructure planning and development at SPU. Ms Paddon held this position until 31 December 2021, whereafter she received a six-month post-retirement contract as Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Ms Paddon was lauded for her work ethic, intellect, creativity, innovation and astuteness in the overall spatial development plan, and developing the precinct from conception to completion. She was described by fellow colleagues as a woman of consistency, honesty and authenticity. “She is kind-hearted, sincere, professional, and incredibly creative,” said Chief Financial Officer Ms Annalene Marais. “If I had to put a ballpark figure on all her efforts at SPU, it would be worth two billion rand.”
Colleagues expressed their gratitude for the support received from Ms Paddon during her term in office and talked about how her commitment, passion and care for others has left a mark on their lives. “She drove us to want to work even harder and excel in our respective roles and environments. Christine is a force who leaves behind an incredible legacy, and the University will always be indebted to her for her efforts,” said another colleague.
Ms Paddon considers herself extremely privileged to have participated in what she describes as one of the most prestigious social justice programmes in South Africa – the development and expansion of opportunities for tertiary education for all. Her journey with SPU on its Infrastructure Project is the “swan song” to her professional career, she said.
“Whilst I am still quite not sure of what retirement will actually mean for me, I am looking forward to involving myself in completely different sorts of projects to those I have dealt with on a daily basis for 40 years. In the short term, they will be about me planning and creating an indigenous garden at my new home, entertaining family and friends without planning it around work, doing things on a whim, resting in the afternoon, and generally only being responsible for my own well-being.”
Chief Operating Officer Mr David Kanguwe expressed his sincere thanks on behalf of the University to Ms Paddon for all her efforts and hard work, and wished her well on her retirement.
