Warrant Officer Lyndon Sisam, second from left, with past and present Rondebosch police chiefs. From left are retired station commander Colonel Henry Hubbard, current station commander Lieutenant Colonel John Tayler and former station commander Barbara Breedt.
Rondebosch police bid farewell last week to a long-serving officer, Warrant Officer Lyndon Sisam, who is retiring at the end of the month.
Family, police officers and representatives from the community police forum and the Groote Schuur and Rondebosch community improvement districts were among the 50 guests at a surprise farewell party for him at a Rondebosch restaurant on Friday May 10.
Warrant Officer Sisam, 59, of Turf Hall Estate, has been part of the Rondebosch police for 36 years.
“It has been an amazing experience, I loved what I was doing and that is what made it worthwhile,” he said.
He was the station's communications officer for many years and did safety talks at schools. The job had grown more challenging with the steady decline in staff and vehicles over the years, he said.
“The station worked hard to improve its partnerships to fill those gaps.”
Rondebosch police chief Lieutenant Colonel John Tayler praised Warrant Officer Sisam, saying: “He has given 36 years of his life to serving his country and his community."
Rondebosch CPF chairperson Bernard Soules said they were losing a very strong and community-orientated officer.
Former Rondebosch police chief and now Groote Schuur Community Improvement District manager Barbara Breedt said he was very dedicated and always ready to offer advice.
Describing his leaving as bittersweet, Warrant Officer Sisam said: “My colleagues became my friends. To walk away from that will be hard, and I have built relationships not just with my colleagues but with the public as well."
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