A farewell lunch was held in the helicopter hangar of the now ageing S.A. Agulhas at East Pier in Cape Town’s Table Docks on the 29th last week to mark the retirement of Henry Valentine, Director: Earth Systems and Strategies in the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) from South Africa’s National Antarctic Programme.
The Directorate: Earth System Strategies of DEA was created in 1 April 2013 with responsibility inter alia for:
– Coordinating Southern Ocean and Antarctic science and policy;
– Implementing where necessary decisions of the Antarctic Treaty system, including its protocols; and
– Undertaking environmental management on sound scientific principles.
Prior to this Henry was Director in charge of all the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Antarctic activities, including logistics, for a number of years before tasks were apportioned.
ALSA was present at the function and was able to wish Henry all the best for his retirement.
Feature photograph: Henry Valentine addresses the audience.
John Cooper, Principal Investigator, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, 01 February 2016