GEORGE NEWS - Sir Joel Ivor Mann KNZM was born to Dr Harry and Pearl Mann in 1944 in George. 

For the last 25 years he has been Professor of Human Nutrition at New Zealand's University of Otago, where he is usually known as Jim Mann from his initials. 

In the recent New Year's Honours list he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of a career spent researching the links between diet and health.

"My personal interest has been research in terms of what lifestyle can do for diseases like diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is largely a preventable disease," Sir Joel says.

Young Joel Mann was educated first at St Mark's Preparatory school, which was situated where the municipal buildings now stand. 

From there he went on to matriculate at Outeniqua High. In 1967 he was awarded his MB, ChB at UCT, which was followed in 1975 by a doctorate of medicine from Oxford University. 

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