"We are very proud of you"

After my rocky 3 years at Wits, I registered at Unisa, got some credits, settled into Economic Geography and finished two degrees, both with distinction.

Eight years after leaving school.

Looking back at the letters from Unisa I remember these years so well. I loved the quietness of self-study, I was disciplined, I enjoyed the feedback and I did well.

My Honours thesis was co-authored with my lecturer Dirk Prinsloo and published in the SA Geographer in September 1983: "Journey to Work Patterns and Office Decentralisation in Pretoria: A Case Study"

I received a bursary for my Masters, toyed with the idea for a while, but I was done.

My Economic Geography served me well, I ran my own consulting practice for a while called Urban Studies.

I joined the newly set up Premises Division of Standard Bank in the late 1980's, after our couple of years in Paris, to do the network planning for the Branch business. That started a couple of amazing decades in banking.

And at last my mother was able to write in her card, 'We are very proud of you.'

Family photos from my two graduations.