The SANParks Honorary Rangers (SHR) of the West Coast region recently said goodbye to two of its most acclaimed members, Colin Codner and Pam Rutledge.
The couple leaves the country soon for Perth, Australia. where they will be closer to their children.
Rutledge, born in New Zealand, and Codner, originally from Durban, met in Perth where he was an exploration geologist and she was teaching. The couple made several trips to SA, and after Codner’s retirement, passing through Langebaan during one of their visits, they saw a house on the beachfront and decided it was where they wanted to live.
They have lived there since 2001 and have been members of the SHR’s West Coast Region since 2002. Both were involved with many activities, especially the Pelican Watch Programme, organised with the West Coast National Park on Jutten and Malgas Islands.
Rutledge was the secretary of the SHR West Coast Region as well as the People and Conservation representative, where she originally took school groups every weekend as part of the Park’s Eco-ed programme. She also managed the group’s shop in the Park during the flowering season for about 12 years as well as the annual Wader Bash, the registration process of the annual Lagoon Cycle Challenge, helped with the Park’s Kids in Parks programme and was an instructor to prospective SHR members.
Pam received two gold awards from the SANParks Honorary Rangers “for her involvement, commitment and dedication to the West Coast Region Honorary Rangers and outstanding services rendered to the South African National Parks.”
“The West Coast Honorary Rangers have been central to our 17 years in Langebaan and our shared fun and camaraderie, our combined endeavors and sense of purpose, the many successes and achievements and occasional setbacks and disappointments that we have all been a part of, have made our time here immeasurably more worthwhile, rewarding and enjoyable,” the couple said.
