Simon Ndlovu is retiring after 36 years at the Bryanston Country Club; a group led by Julian Thorrold decided to donate their winnings in honour of Simon.
Bryanston, South Africa (31 January 2022) – Julian Thorrold has been a member of the Bryanston Country Club for two years now and wanted to do something special for retiring staff member Simon Ndlovu. He and his table agreed that if they won the prize of R27,000, they would donate it to Simon for all his years of excellent service.
Each month, there is a prize evening for club members, with a substantial amount of money up for grabs. Julian and his table had hoped to win, and when they did win, they donated the money to Simon. The ceremony was an emotional one for all the members as Simon shared a speech with everyone, to thank them for the years of support.
Simon Ndlovu started working at the Bryanston Country Club in 1985; he has worked as a waiter. He shared that he watched many of the members today, grow up from a young age. The members have become like family, supporting him and his family over the years with their generosity.
Paul Leishman, the General Manager of the club says everyone was moved by Simon’s speech and then more so when the donation for his retirement was made.
“In the tough times’ everybody has been through in the past two years people are looking for inspiration and signs of hope … Justin’s table gave that to us in bucket loads on Friday. And Simon is such a worthy recipient of this generosity” – Paul Leishman, Bryanston Country Club, GM.
Speaking to some of the staff and Paul, it is clear that the place has heart. The Country Club has been called a “happy place” and we can see why. The generosity, not just of the members but also every role player who makes the place run smoothly, is evident.
“We are incredibly grateful and proud of the community spirit and support that we receive from our members all the time. During the tough times during Covid, our members donated over R1.5 million to caddies and staff that would have otherwise been destitute.
Our BCC Charity Foundation also does incredible work for our community … we recognise the important role we can play in our community and are proud to be making a difference.” – Paul Leishman
Simon promises to be back for a golf game or two now that he has retired. Take a look at his full speech below.