SAOUG Committee Member: Saying goodbye

During the Valentine's workshop on 13 of February 2009, with sadness we said goodbye to Ingrid de Bont, who after many years of being in the SAOUG committee, decided to leave.

It was a committee decision to present Ingrid with a honorarium for long and dedicated service. The SAOUG chair Madelein van Heerden had the pleasure of handing Ingrid a gift and saying a couple of words of appreciation.

This is what Ingrid had to say:

" Personally, I take this opportunity to thank the Committee, and the Group, for the generous token of appreciation which was awarded to me. I feel honoured, and I want to stress again that membership of the SAOUG has opened worlds of interest to me over the years, and that work on the Committee has been such fun, and has given me so much, in the way of insight and also friendship and encouragement, that I really feel that my personal gain far outweighs any time and effort spent in the process"

Ingrid also sent through an e-mail, her thoughts on the presentation given by Anthony Olivier:

Valentine’s breakfast 2009 – “Ada’s offspring” by Anthony Olivier

"A full house of SAOUG members attended the traditional Valentine’s breakfast at Swan’s Rest in Centurion. The morning was chilly, but at least the sun was out again and made the lovely venue look its best.
After having enjoyed the breakfast spread, we were treated to some fascinating previews of what is in store for humanity in the way of computer technology, things that many of us may actually live to see, and which are likely to be as natural to our children or grandchildren as radio and TV are to us.
Tony demonstrated in an entertaining way that virtual worlds are already within reach, ready for exploration and exploitation by the imaginative. The question is whether we will still be in charge in the end, or whether computers could actually outsmart us altogether, a thought that Tony followed through history and speculated about, supported by some thought-provoking examples."

Thanks Ingrid for your inputs and your spirit. I hope you will still keep in touch with us!

Have you seen the SAOUG blog post on the Anthony Olivier presentation? Click HERE!

Posted by: Pavlinka Kovatcheva (SAOUG blogger)