Good news from Namibia

I have received an email from John Ralston, founding Director of the Ian Wark Research Institute in Australia (posting of 27 May 2014).  John has been helping the Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN) to transform to University status and he has just returned to Adelaide after his sixth visit to Namibia, which he says has been very productive and pleasant.

The PoN has just become a fully-fledged university, the Namibia University of Science and Technology. The Department of Mining and Process Engineering is growing well- six new staff have been appointed including three new Associate Professors/Professors from the Universities of Clausthal (Germany), Pretoria (South Africa) and Western Australia, all with useful practical experience, complemented by an excellent Russian materials scientist from Ekaterinburg and two engineers from industry [ both with master degrees]. A new building has just been completed, equipment is coming and lots of new plans are afoot. Expect to hear much more of this new University in future.

Meanwhile in neighbouring South Africa, the temperature today in the Winelands was a much more pleasant 30C, and we drove north east of Wellington, stopping off at the picturesque Doolhof Wine Estate, nestling under the Bainskloof Pass, before driving over the impressive pass for lunch in the small town of Tulbagh.

Doolhof

Bainskloof Pass

This was our second visit to Tulbagh (posting of 22nd April 2010) and we spent some time on Church Street, which has an 18th and 19th century streetscape perfectly restored after the devastation of an earthquake in September 1969.

Church Street, Tulbagh