Beating the Drum_Issue 81_2017 Beating the Drum_Issue 81_2017 | Page 2

March | April 2017 : Beating Drum Page 2
Under the mindful leadership and guidance of Patti Bruyns
the Go for Gold programme has grown exponentially, the
programme now has offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg,
2 campuses in Cape Town, 11 full time employees and over
880 students have participated since that very first class in
1999. The time has come for us to bid Patti a fond farewell
and wish her all the very best for the future.
In 1974 Patti started her teaching career in shaping young
minds and did so for 25 years before joining the GFG team in
1999. After 18 years Patti will be passing on the baton that
she has so faithfully been carrying and complete her Go for
Gold journey.
Go for Gold was launched in April 1999 with one class with
about 20 students, from both Grade 11 and Grade 12.
Classes were held in what was then
known as the Nico Malan Nurses
College in Athlone, Cape Town.
Students were tutored in life
skills and communication
which was Patti's field of
expertise, while
Mathematics and
Science were taught
by tutors provided
b y t h e We s t e r n
Cape Education
Department.
Patti fondly recalls the first holiday programme with the class
of 1999. Patti's vision was to use this time to showcase the
students' growth and development since they joined the
programme. She asked the students to arrange their own
“Awards Ceremony” in what was then the NMC training centre
(now Finance Offices). No certificates or actual awards of any
kind were presented but it was a platform for the students to
verbally showcase their achievements.
Patty invited a number of contributors to the programme as
guests and it was a resounding success. The event gave the
students an additional boost in self-confidence and this
simple idea of wanting to showcase the personal growth of
each student served as the inaugural G4G Awards ceremony
which is now an annual event hosted in the CPUT auditorium
welcoming hundreds of guests.
“It has always been about the identity of the 'Go for Gold'
student – not so much what they do, but who they are and
what they stand for and why they exist. Patti has become a
legend through maintaining and developing a high standard
of quality in all aspects of the programme with absolute
passion.
She has had a lasting impact on the lives of all the students
that have passed through her guiding hands. If one thinks of
the journey that 'Go for Gold' has walked for the last 18 years
the one individual who has walked this road unflinchingly
day-to-day and been consistently diligent and pivotal has
been Patti. From me and I am sure all those who have had
the privilege of working with or being a student of Patti
Bruyns, 'We Salute You”.” Shaun Webber, CEO NMC
Construction Group and founding member of Go for Gold.
Patti who was a full-time school councillor at
Alexander Sinton High School when joining the
programme, offered up her spare time to teach the
first classes of GFG. In 2005 Patti became the first
full-time GFG employee and she was the only full-
time employee for many years. She continued to
work two jobs for a long time and after much
deliberation and determination on her part was
seconded to GFG by the Western Cape Education
Department until the end of 2009.
“I have had the unique privilege of gradually
designing an intervention addressing the
needs of the participants and the built
environment. It was an exciting but very
humbling experience.
The real heroes are the young participants
who display an amazing degree of resilience
and courage. If they were not as alight with
determination to succeed, everything else
would be in vain.” Patti Bruyns, Go For Gold.
The Go for Gold Programme was developed by NMC
Construction Group CEO - Shaun Webber, the Safe Schools
Programme and the Western Cape Education Department.
NMC Civils supports experimental research at Levendal
The NMC Construction Group encourages and
supports the growth and development of students
who have selected the construction industry as
their field of study. Jean-Claude Labuschagne is
one such student. Currently completing his MEng
Civil degree at the University of Stellenbosch,
Jean-Claude's dissertation titled 'Pressure
Induced by Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) on
Formwork' requires experimental research.
Through his research Jean-Claude aims to develop
a prediction model and guideline to predict the
lateral pressure exerted by SCC from bottom-up
and top-down pumping and whether formwork
should be designed for full hydrostatic pressure.
The structure at Levendal where the concrete walls are being built
The research component requires the
construction of ten unreinforced concrete walls
using Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC).
NMC Civils, a division of the NMC Construction
Group, has provided space on the Levendal site in
Paarl to be used as a testing area for this
experiment. The associated formwork costs are
being sponsored by PERI, whilst Lafarge is
sponsoring the SCC concrete and pumping costs.
The expected time frame for the research is one
month.
The introduction of SCC as well as an ever-
increasing focus on safety, quality, time, cost and
speed of placement in the construction industry
has created a need for more research on lateral
pressure exerted by SCC.