Colleagues gather to celebrate 25 years of loyal service

In today’s day and age it might be frowned upon by some to remain with one company for more than just a couple of years, but the other side of the coin speaks about trustworthiness, reliability and strength.

On Friday colleagues of Sanlam’s financial adviser in Barberton, Paul du Plooy, converged from all over on Josephine’s to celebrate his 25th anniversary as part of the Sanlam group.

After accepting the award Paul, who is well-known in town, said during his speech that none of this would have been possible without the assistance of his wife Heleen to whom he has been married for almost 30 years.
He spoke about the early days when he was still driving his Sentra and also said those years were like being in the army: “It was the best years of my life, but I never want to repeat it. It’s been a long walk since then, but I am still here and Sanlam is still going strong in this town.”

He also conveyed a special thank you to everyone in Barberton who have supported him throughout the years and spoke about the loyalty of his colleagues. He said although Mbombela was very different to this town with regards to the infrastructure, he only ever received warmth and effectiveness from them.

Colleagues were also given the opportunity to throw in their two penny’s worth and needless to say, many anecdotes and witticisms from the old days were brought forth. It was also mentioned that upon retirement there will need to be a golf course nearby as Paul loved this sport. These humorous exchanges were accompanied by lots of laughter as well as some information not so commonly known about him.

One of these tidbits was that he is chairman of the Barberton Gentlemen’s Club, which is also the oldest of gentlemen’s clubs in South Africa, established in 1884. Paul joined in 1983 and has been a member for 32 years.

One of the colleagues spoke about the kindness that the couple had showed him and his wife many years ago when they were destitute and unemployed and said he regarded Paul not only as his mentor, but as a father figure.

Lunch was an impressive affair fitted for a king with a variety of smaller dishes served throughout the rest of the afternoon. Afterwards, the party moved outside for their farewell drink and everyone was reluctant to leave when the time came.

On being asked how he managed to not only to keep his head above water in such a small town, but to become a truly successful businessman, Paul quoted like a true financial adviser, “In the end, it isn’t about changing the world, but rather, how many worlds you have changed.”

Barberton Times wishes Paul many more successful years and congratulate him and Heleen on their trustworthiness over the past quarter century.