Appreciation celebrations for seasonal staff

GEORGE NEWS - More than 200 municipal seasonal workers who worked long hours and gave more than was required of them this past season, on especially the beaches and busy roads in town, were celebrated for their hard work by the George mayor, municipal manager and other councillors with a special braai to say thank you.

Three different braais were held at Herold's Bay, Victoria Bay and Leentjiesklip to allow all the staff to attend and enjoy.

Contracted seasonal staff together with permanent officials were deployed to clean our beaches, keep our visitors and locals safe, keep facilities on the beaches and the town clean and control traffic hotspots so that the traffic flowed easily.

Municipal Manager Michele Gratz gave a big thank you to everyone who worked so well together during the festive period so that all could enjoy the season and have a safe holiday as well. Gratz said the teams worked long hours and showed immense commitment in ensuring everything was in place for our visitors.

"Again, thank you to everyone who has gone the extra mile and beyond the call of duty," Gratz said.

Mayor Leon van Wyk said the teams did incredible work and were always friendly and helpful towards our visitors during the holiday season. "The attitude of our staff carries a lot of weight in making our festive season a success," Van Wyk said.

A group of staff and lifeguards listen to the mayor speaking at Leentjiesklip before enjoying their braai.

He said good festive seasons help in creating job opportunities and if tourists experience a good time in George, they will tell other people and bring more people here to boost our economy.

PHOTO GALLERY: George Municipality say thank you to holiday staff

Cynthia Pylman, who was part of the teams that cleaned the beaches, said she enjoyed working in a hardworking team. "I think we had the best team and I looked forward to coming to work every day. I'm sad my contract is coming to an end," Pylman said.

Daniel Lucas, also part of the cleaning crew, said he had a good experience on the beaches. "I enjoyed my work. I am on a three-month contract. People on the beaches complimented us on a job well done," Lucas said.

Adriana Cupido, who helped with law and order on the beaches, said most people gave their cooperation during the festive season. She said everything works well when people adhere to the by-laws and everyone can enjoy the facilities.

Mayor Leon van Wyk with some of the lifeguards at Herold’s Bay.