Milnerton Pre-primary School’s secretary Gail Davis has been awarded a long-service certificate for her 30 years at the school.
Milnerton Pre-primary’s principal Lindsay Pretorius handed the certificate and a bouquet of flowers to Ms Davis last Thursday and thanked her for “all the years and loyalty”.
Ms Davis said the job had been enjoyable since day one and it still was.
“I love working here. Not every day is the same,” she said.
Ms Davis was first tied to the school when her daughter was a pupil there. Ms Davis was on the fund-raising committee and decided to apply for the secretary post when it was advertised.
Getting off during school holidays and working half days had appealed to her. She was 33 when she started working at the school and said a lot had changed since 1990.
The staff has tripled from seven to 21 and the children have grown from 88 to 124.
Ms Davis has collected 30 years of memories in a thick photo album. One picture shows the playground 30 years ago. In the picture, a wire fence separates the school from Koeberg Road.
“So much has changed. When you look at the health and safety policy today, you would never get away with a fence like that,” she laughed.
Now a high vibracrete wall has replaced the wire fence.
She also recalls all the milestones she’s been part of at the school.
The fashion show at the air force base to celebrate the school’s 40th birthday and the commemorative recipe book the staff did for its 60th.
Now 63 years old, Ms Davis is nearing retirement age but admits she’s asked herself: “Do I want to retire?”
“For a whole lot of women working together, we’re a happy bunch. It’s really a nice environment to work in,” she said.