The Department of Mining Engineering in the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology is proud to announce that its Diamond Jubilee publication, published in 2021, was one of the finalists in the South African Publication Forum’s Annual Excellence Awards for 2022 in the category One-off Publications. It was one of five finalists entered by publication agencies across the country, and was commended on the quality of its writing, communication and design.

This commemorative publication was published to celebrate the Department’s 60^th anniversary in 2021, and chronicled the Department’s development and achievements since its establishment in 1961. It includes recollections of students from among the first classes of Mining Engineering at the University of Pretoria, as well as photographs of all the final-year groups since 1965.

The narrative takes readers through each decade of the Department’s existence. It covers some of the Department’s flagship initiatives, as well as its focus on the future, and its intent to develop mining engineers who are prepared for the challenges of the next decade.

The judges called the publication both informative and inspiring. They remarked that it was refreshing to see an acknowledgement of challenges and lessons learnt in a commemorative work. “Recognising each and every person in every graduating year is an impressive achievement, and a terrific testament to the personal investment made in each and every graduate. It’s obvious why so many alumni remain in close touch.” They also commented that it was very heartening to learn that, in a key industry frequently in the news for various reasons, there is a centre of such ongoing excellence and adaptivity.

Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman, Head of the Department of Mining Engineering, says that this is incredible recognition from the publishing industry of the quality of the Department’s work. “I am delighted that this publication, which was the culmination of the Department’s anniversary proceedings in 2021, should be acknowledged in this way.”

To view the publication, go to https://issuu.com/universityofpretoria/docs/diamon_jubilee_flipping_book