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RICK MENELL - CHAIRMAN Rick joined the PAST board in 2002, and succeeded Tony Trahar as Chairman in 2006. He holds an MA from Cambridge University and an MSc from Stanford University, both in the earth sciences field. Rick has had a 35 year career in the international mining industry and has been a geologist and mining executive in North America, Australia & South Africa. He has served as Executive Chairman of Anglovaal Mining, Avgold and CEO of Teal Exploration & Mining. Previously President of SA Chamber of Mines & Chair of the SA Tourism Board. Rick is currently a board member of Standard Bank Group, Goldfields, Mutual & Federal and The Weir Group in the UK, as well as Co-Chair of City year SA (youth service), Chair of tourism Enterprise Partnership, Carrick Foundation. Trustee/Director of The Business trust, the National Business Initiative & the Claud Leon Foundation. Affiliations include the World economic forum, the International Organisation on Migration, INSEAD and City Year(USA).

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MARK READ – VICE CHAIRMAN Mark Read was born and received his schooling in Johannesburg. Because of his passion for natural sciences he completed a BSc degree in Zoology and Archaeology at the University of Cape Town. After this, Mark spent a year with Christies Fine Art Auctioneers in London before returning to South Africa in 1981 to join his father at the Everard Read Gallery, southern Africa's most famous commercial art gallery. Since becoming Chairman of the Everard Read Gallery in 1998, Mark has greatly expanded this business, built impressive new premises in Johannesburg, established a branch in Cape Town and established numerous links with overseas galleries. Mark’s passion and love of nature has led him to channel much of his energy and expertise into conservation projects. He is a trustee of the Rhino & Elephant Foundation, the John Voeldecker Bird Book Trust, World Wildlife Foundation, the Green Trust and is patron of the Johannesburg Botanic Garden Foundation. In 1999 he was elected to the Executive Committee of the South African chapter of the World Wildlife Foundation and has been chairman of this important organization since 2007. In recent years he has been a director of the International Board of the World Wildlife Foundation and the Institute for Human Evolution at the University of the Witwatersrand. For a period he served as Chairman of the Northern Flagship Institution (Transvaal Museum) in Pretoria at a time that the Institution did not have a CEO. Being the owner of a game farm in the Cradle of Humankind, Mark has a deep interest in fossils and in the distant origins of humanity and through the years has encouraged palaeontological research on his property. Realising that continued research on the palaeoanthropological heritage in South Africa was under threat because of financial constraints, in 1991 Mark Read together with Gavin Relly, established the Palaeoanthropological Scientific Trust (PAST). Mark Read is a businessman, a field naturalist with broad interests, and has extensive knowledge of plant taxonomy. He is passionate about conservation in Africa and continues to unselfishly dedicate his skills to enable conservation and research on the natural and cultural heritage of this continent.

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BERHANE ASFAW (DR) – TRUSTEE Berhane received a PhD in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. He has published more than 40 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and is known as an imminent scholar in the field of African palaeo-anthropology. He is the Director of the Rift Valley Research Service, a Research Associate in Physical Anthropology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, as well as foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

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TINA EBOKA – TRUSTEE Current position, Director: Group Corporate Affairs and a member of the Executive Committee at Standard Bank. Prior to January 2005, Tina held the position of Executive Vice President at CSIR. She has a BSc in Industrial Engineering with a major in Applied Mathematics from the University of New York at Oneonta, USA, a BSc in Textiles Engineering from the Philadelphia University, USA, an MBA in Operations/Project Management, also from the latter University and a Senior Executive Program diploma from Harvard Business School. From 1984 to 1986 she held the positions of Mathematics Tutor and Adjunct Professor in the Mathematics Department at the Philadelphia University. She spent a further six years as Chief Engineer at After Six Inc. in the USA. Tina is a member of several professional organisations and her achievements are widely acknowledged as shown by listings in several publications. She is a Commissioner for International Trade and Administration Commission and has also been a non-executive director of private listed as well as state institutions.

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JOHN CRUISE (DR) - TRUSTEE Dr John Cruise Pr Eng is a Consulting Mining Engineer and a Chairman and Director of Companies. He is an Honorary Life Fellow and a Past President of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and has recently been elected as a Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering. He is the Chairman of the South African National Committee on Tunnelling and, as such, he is the South African Representative on the International Tunnelling Association. On the Engineering Council of South Africa, he is the Chairman of the Professional Advisory Committee for Mining Engineers. He is the Chairman of the Centennial Trust Fund, which funds the Chair of Rock Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. Appointed to the Council of the Engineering Council of South Africa. Founding Trustee of PAST.

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JAMES HERSOV - TRUSTEE James is the Managing Director (Africa) of Veracity Worldwide LLC and a Director of AVI Limited. He is also a Director of and Pilot for the "Bateleurs - Flying for the Environment in Africa". He was co-founder and Joint Managing Director of Otterbea International (Pty) Limited and Director and Member of the Executive Committee of Anglovaal Limited, a Director and Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of Aveng Limited and has also served as a Director of Control Instruments Group Limited and Westbank. He holds an MA degree from the University of Cambridge.

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MICHAEL JOHN NAYLER – TRUSTEE & TREASURER Michael worked in the Secretarial departments of Anglo American Corporation in the OFS & Transvaal Gold Divisions, the Secretarial & Industrial Relations Department in the Lusaka office, Zambia. The Managing Secretary’s Office & Industrial Department in JHB followed by the Property Division as Divisional Secretary. He then was appointed Assistant Secretary of AAC of SA and was the promoted to Divisional Manager, Secretarial and Administration of the newly established Industrial Group. Mike then remained Secretary of AAC of SA until his retirement in 2001, while remaining a Trustee of the AAC pension Fund. He has remained with the group in a consulting capacity having responsibility for the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, the establishment of the Group’s Archives and lead member of the team responsible for creating the Harry Oppenheimer Museum. Presently Chairman of Link Market Services SA (Pty) Ltd. Trustee & Treasurer of PAST, Chairman of the Siteka Homeowner’s Trust (KZN)

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JACKO MAREE - TRUSTEE Jacko Maree’s career commenced in the Corporate Finance Department of Standard Merchant Bank (“SMB”) in 1980. He was appointed Managing Director of SMB in 1991 and then Managing Director of the newly formed Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank in 1995. He was appointed Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group in 1999, a position he currently holds. He is a director of Liberty Life Group Limited, a former Chairman of The Banking Association (S.A.) and a former Director of the International Monetary Conference.

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PHETHIWE MATUTU (DR )- TRUSTEE Dr Matutu is currently working for the Department of Science and Technology as General Manager: Human Capital and Science Platforms. Part of her portfolio includes the development of human capital in Science, Engineering and Technology for the National System of Innovation. Dr Matutu obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Transkei (now Walter Sisulu University). Majoring in Mathematics and Chemistry, she was the first Transkeian to obtain a distinction in third year Mathematics in the university’s ten-year history of graduations. After obtaining an Honours degree in Mathametics from Rhodes University, Dr Matutu made history once again when she became the first African woman to obtain a Masters Degree in Mathematics with a distinction, also from the same university. Obtaining a PhD in pure Mathematics from the University of Cape Town made her the first African woman to do so at a South African University.Dr Matutu’s 16 year academic career spans a number of institutions including the Universities of Cape Town, the University of Stellenbosch and Rhodes University. Her research record includes publishing research articles in both local and international journals and presenting papers at both local and international conferences. Dr Matutu’s main research focus has been Topology in Mathematics.Dr Matutu was a National Research Foundation focus area specialist panel member in Mathematics and Statistics. She also served as a peer reviewer for the Quaestiones Mathematicae, an ISI listed South African Mathematics journal, and reviews for the German based Zentralblatt, one of two international Mathematics reviewing bodies. A further contribution in academia was serving as an external examiner of Research theses for the Universities of Cape Town and Limpopo. Dr Matutu is currently a Ministerial (Department of Higher Education and Training) representative at the Walter Sisulu University Council. For four years she sat in the SA-USA Fulbright board representing the then Minister of Education. Her keen interest in promoting science-related careers among the youth has partly been displayed through press interviews and presentations. Her commitment to and passion for promoting women in research is evidenced by her role played as president of the Woman’s Academic Solidarity Association at Rhodes University.

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SELEPE HOMER MOTUBA – TRUSTEE Homer studied medicine at the University of Natal, Durban 1977 Homer is a fellow of the College of Surgeons (FCS) of South Africa(SA) – College of Medicine 1986. And became a Specialist Surgeon 1988 He holds Professional membership with : Fellow of the College of Surgeons of South Africa, South African Gastroenterology Society, South African Society of Endoscopic Surgeons, The South African Medical and Dental Council, and the South African Medical Dispensing Practitioners. He has taught Medical & Dental students at the University of Witwatersrand since 1984, as well as having won the Michael and Janie Miller Post graduate prize in Surgery for Outstanding achievement at the University of Witwatersrand 1986. Homer is a Comrades Marathon runner, keen golfer and a Church Steward at the Parktown North Methodist Church.

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TIM NASH - TRUSTEE Timothy Nash is a Director of Odyssey Investment Advisors Ltd - the investment advisor to a hedge fund of funds in the Isle of Man, which he helped to found in 1993. He is currently resident in London, but spends part of the year in South Africa where he was born and educated. He studied Business Science and Accountancy at the University of Cape Town. His interests include flying - he has a private pilot's licence and is a Founder "future astronaut" with Virgin Galactic, which will mean he is one of the first 100 tourists into space.

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JENNIFER OPPENHEIMER - TRUSTEE Jennifer Oppenheimer participates in a broad range of civil society organisations in South Africa primarily in education-related fields. In addition to PAST, some of her commitments include the Institute of Human Evolution, the Field Band Foundation, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, and Endeavor. Together with her husband, Jonathan, she is also involved with the Brenthurst Foundation which works to strengthen Africa’s economic advancement through private sector led growth. Jennifer graduated from Harvard University in 1989 and from the Harvard Law School in 1993. Whilst living in Zimbabwe, with her husband Jonathan, she received a M.Sc. in Development Studies at the London School of Economics in 1997. She was the Chairman of the De Beers Fund for five years from 2002-06.

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ERIC VON GLEHN - TRUSTEE Eric von Glehn graduated with a BSc (Geology) and, after spending several years as a geologist with Gold Fields on various gold and base metal mines he joined Gencor's investment. He attended the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, where he obtained an MBA. He returned to Gencor for a further two years taking responsibility for all the group’s mining portfolio investments department as a mining analyst. He joined Martin & Co in early 1986, taking responsibility for base metal and energy research. Martin & Co was purchased by Flemings which was subsequently purchased by JPMorgan Chase. Eric remained with the Group in various positions, both in South Africa and in London. Today he is Managing Director, responsible for Equity Capital Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eric joined the Board of PAST in 2006 and has actively participated in its development over the past four years.

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Dr. C. K. Brain – Chairman Scientific Advisory committee Dr. C. K. (Bob) Brain was born in 1931 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the son of Dr C. K. Brain, a former Professor of Entomology at Victoria College, Stellenbosch, South Africa, and later Director of Agriculture in Rhodesia. Bob’s mother was Zoe Findlay, a botanist. He is married to Laura Kraan and they have two daughters and two sons, all of whom have participated with enthusiasm in his various field projects. Bob Brain is a palaeontologist with wide interests in natural history. He is the author of about 200 publications in this field, including several books, and he is currently an Emeritus Curator at the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria, South Africa, - in institution at which he has spent much of his working life and where he served as Director for 23 years. He did research there for his PhD that was awarded by the University of Cape Town in 1957 on The Ape-man-bearing Cave Deposits of the Transvaal. The results were published as a Transvaal Museum Memoir. In the course of this project he became fascinated by Raymond Dart’s concept of “the predatory transition from ape to man” based on a study of fossils from the Makapansgat Limeworks Cave. Dart concluded that our ape-man ancestors had been powerful hunters, capable of killing the most dangerous animals of their time and that “they slaked their thirst on the hot blood of victims and devoured livid, writhing flesh.” To throw more light on such remarkable claims, Bob spent many years developing the new discipline of African Cave Taphonomy which involves the study of complete fossil assemblages and draws conclusions about how the animals whose bones ended up in the caves, lived and died, and what their environments were like. This project led to the publication, by the University of Chicago Press, of The Hunters or the Hunted? An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy in 1981 for which the University of the Witwatersrand awarded Bob a DSc degree. But early on in this project it became clear that the fossil collections, made thus far from the ape-man-bearing caves, had been somewhat selected by the palaeontologists involved – complete specimens had been kept, while many others had simply been discarded onto the dumps, Bob decided to start his own excavation at the Swartkrans Cave, in the Sterkfontein valley, where Robert Broom and John Robinson had found remains of robust ape-men and early humans, going back nearly two million years in time. Bob’s excavation ran for 35 years and provided a sample of 240 000 fossils, each of which had been meticulously documented. From this study it became apparent that the ape-men and humans had not been powerful hunters at all, but rather had ended up as the prey of predators such as leopards and sabre-toothed cats. It was during the last two million years that the size of the human brain had doubled in size, relative to that of the body – a very remarkable happening, as it is known that the brain can be regarded as “expensive tissue”, using a considerable amount of metabolic energy, and not likely to be enlarged unless there was a good reason for this to happen. The Swartkrans project made it clear that the survival of the early humans there depended on their ability to somehow overcome the constant danger posed by the predatory cats. An indication of one of the ways they did this came with Bob’s discovery at Swartkrans of the earliest use of fire known anywhere, going back one million years. This was clearly a product of increased intelligence and its resulting technology. After that, humans slowly became powerful predators in their own right, while the robust ape-men, who showed no signs of brain-size increase, went extinct. Bob Brain became so convinced of the importance of predation as a driving force in the evolution of animals, in particular their sense organs, nervous systems and intelligence, that he decided to make a personal study of the origin and evolution of the earliest animals. To this end, he has spent a lot of time during the last ten years searching for fossils of ancestral invertebrates in limestones of Namibia. The chances of small, soft-bodied creatures being preserved at all are obviously slight, but Bob has been very fortuntate in finding abundant micro-fossils in limestones forming a long sequence from 760 to 540 million years ago – the time when the various animal lineages were starting to diverge from a common ancestral source. Publications on these exciting discoveries are now being prepared. This project has proved to be very labour-intensive, but also great fun. Bob has been fortunate in that his hobby as a naturalist has also been his profession and so, on retirement from full-time employment, he simply continued with what he enjoyed doing. His contact with colleagues is not only through the Transvaal Museum, but also via the University of the Witwatersrand, where he is an Honorary Professor of Zoology and a Research Associate at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research.

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JANETTE DEACON (DR) – SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Previously lectured Archaeology at University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, Archaeologist at the National Monuments Council. Currently involved with the conservation and management of archaeological sites.

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JOHN PARKINGTON – SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE John Parkington is Professor in the Department of Archaeology at UCT. He did both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Palaeolithic Archaeology at Cambridge University in England. His PhD was awarded in 1977, since which time he has been ad hominem promoted to Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and full Professor.

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BRUCE SIDNEY RUBIDGE (PROF) – SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Bruce Rubidge was born in Graaff-Reinet in 1956 and grew up on the family farm in the district. From an early age he became interested in fossils, collecting his first worthwhile fossil, a gorgonopsian, at the age of 5. He received his schooling at the Union High School, Graaff-Reinet and later St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown. He attended the University of Stellenbosch where he achieved his BSc; BSc (Hons) cum laude; MSc cum laude. In 1980 Rubidge was appointed as a researcher in the Palaeontology Department of the National Museum, Bloemfontein, becoming Head of the Department in 1981. While in the employ of the National Museum he completed a PhD through the Geology Department of the University of Port Elizabeth. In 1990 he was appointed Director of the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, and Head of the Palaeontology Department of the University of the Witwatersrand. He has published 85 articles in national and international scientific journals on various aspects of vertebrate palaeontology as well as bio- and litho- stratigraphy and sedimentology of Permian-Triasssic rocks of southern Africa. He serves on several national and international heritage and geoscience-related committees.

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MARION BAMFORD (Prof) – Scientific Committee Academic qualifications Tertiary Education: All at the University of the Witwatersrand:1980-1982: BSc, majors in Botany and Microbiology. Graduated April 1983.1983: BSc Honours, Botany and Palaeobotany. Graduated April 1984.1984-1986: MSc in Palaeobotany. Graduated with Distinction, November 1986.1986-1989: PhD in Palaeobotany. Graduated in June 1990. Professional qualifications Wood Anatomy Training (overseas as nothing was available in South Africa): 1994 - Service d’Anatomie des Bois, Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium, by Roger Dechamps1997 - Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, by Dr Jean-Claude Koeniguer1997 - Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France by Prof Georges Barale, Dr Jean-Pierre Gros, and Dr Marc Philippe Membership of professional bodies/associations Palaeontological Society of Southern Africa Honorary Secretary: Sept 1998 - Sept 2000,Vice President: Sept 2000- Sept 2002,President: Oct 2002 - Sept 2004,Immediate Past President: Sept 2004 - Sept 2006. Royal Society of Southern Africa ,International Association of Wood Anatomists,International Organization of Palaeobotany,Botanical Society of South Africa,South African Committee on Stratigraphy – Biostratigraphy,SASQUA (South African Society for Quaternary Research),PAGES Academic distinctions/fellowships/awards PAST-Standard Bank Award for Research Excellence – Senior Researcher 2008 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa – 2007 onwards Mellon Foundation Mentoring Award 2008; 2009 with student Natasha Barbolini NRF Rating: B-3 (2005-2009) NRF Rating: C-2 (1999-2004) MSc awarded with distinction, Wits University 1986.

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ANDREA LEENEN – CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Andrea Leenen has been employed at PAST for over nine years. Originally from a Dramatic Arts background she became involved in palaeo sciences through her small tourism business, ‘Human Origins’, which was, at the time, the only commercial entity to host fossil tours, particularly in the Cradle of Humankind area. This led to her career at PAST, through the inspiration and mentorship of Mark Read, and inspired her to further her studies in this field. She currently holds an Honours degree in Anthropology and is completing, on a part-time basis, a Master of Science in Palaeontology degree under the supervision of Dr. Lucinda Backwell at the University of the Witwatersrand. Andrea hopes to upgrade to a doctoral degree in 2010. Her research takes her into the field on a regular basis where she spend time with the Kalahari Bushmen working on actualistic butchering studies. In 2002 Andrea co-initiated the ‘Walking Tall Educational Project’, and the education of young African scientists is a particular area of interest, together with the ‘blurring’ of the Science and Arts disciplines which this project successfully achieves. PAST’s pan-African strategy was prioritised by Andrea and she continues to drive this policy as a way to establish Africa as the centre of human origins research, managed and developed by Africans. Andrea serves as the Chief Executive Officer of PAST and is a Director of the Origins Centre at Wits University. She is passionate about Africa, its ancient history and its bright future, and PAST and palaeo are her greatest loves!

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ANN SMILKSTEIN – PA TO CEO AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Ann joined PAST in 2008 after Managing and buying for a Jewelry Business - 20 years, Manager of a Security/lamination business for 2 years, while teaching English as a second language part time. Hobbies include baking, reading, knitting, and crocheting.

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TERENCE TIMSON – TRUSTEE Terry attained a B. Comm - University of Natal (Durban) 1976, 20+ years FMCG Marketing including Nestle and Johnson & Johnson 2000 Director Corporate Marketing, Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank 2001 – 2002 Director Group Marketing, Standard Bank Group 2003 – 2005 MD Diners Club SA (Pty) Ltd 2006 – presently CEO MTN Mobile Money Holdings and MTN Mobile Money SA (Pty) Ltd (JV with SB Group) 2000 -2004 Kingsmead College Council Interests Cycling, golf and wine

PAST has established itself as the ‘palaeo-hub’ of the continent. It is recognized as the matrix which envelops the core of palaeo sciences which in turn illuminate our understanding of life on earth to all of humankind.

PAST acts as a facilitator creating links between the public, business ,government and scientists. PAST creates and develops catalytic partnerships in order to protect, preserve and promote our unparalleled palaeo heritage.  To achieve the twin goals of education and research an interested and engaged community is essential. Together this hub is able to mobilise palaeo resources to further science education and research and promote an awareness of our common origins in Africa

PAST’s formation was a watershed point for palaeo sciences and heritage in South Africa and Africa. The remarkable growth and development of the organisation has translated into substantial achievements in research, education and public awareness in the palaeo field. PAST has established itself as the ‘palaeo-hub’ on the continent.

PAST’s approach in regard to supporting and developing palaeo science is based in creating a fertile environment in which the science can flourish.  This entails the creation of linkages between the business world, the government and the scientists in order for all three parties to recognize the importance of palaeo sciences to the country and continent and to find ways to achieve the twin goals of education and research within this field. To raise the required funds it is also necessary to spread public awareness to create an interested and engaged community motivated to protect, preserve and promote our palaeo heritage and to mobilise these resources to further science education, an awareness of our common origins and research output in our country and continent.

Our motivation is to ensure that our unparalleled fossil heritage is capitalised on by South African and African researchers who can then become internationally competitive in science research. Our continent’s researchers should take on the role of principal investigators, educators and managers of our incredible and continuous record of the evolution of life on Earth, establishing productive and mutually beneficial collaborations with international researchers working on our collections. Palaeosciences is one area where our scientists can be internationally competitive – after all, we have the fossil resources and we should be researching these treasures to increase our level of science research output. In addition to all the obvious benefits of promoting palaeontological research including the rich human heritage and cultural factors, our vast and incomparable fossil treasures and tourism benefits, we stress the importance to our country of academic research.  Aside from the critical shortage of trained personnel, insufficient financing is proving to be a constant drawback.  The benefits of research are of great significance in developing the country’s academic abilities and transforming it into a global player.  We need to upgrade our educational ethos and to demonstrate our ability to succeed in internationally approved research.  Palaeontology and its related disciplines are uniquely placed to become one of our country’s pillars of research output. 

PAST supports science education from primary to postgraduate level and beyond and our outreach programmes aim to support and enable educational excellence and opportunities for all learners. In an attempt to address a perceived lack of interest in palaeo science by learners in the previously disadvantaged community, PAST developed a major educational outreach programme entitled ‘Walking Tall Educational Project’ which brings an awareness of palaeo science and African heritage to these learners and to spark their interest in human heritage and palaeo sciences as a potential career.  The project utilises theatre to teach difficult science concepts such as evolution, and the programme is complemented by a teachers’ education programme and resource book that aligns with the national curriculum.  Our goal is to integrate Arts, Culture and Science and to engage and excite learners about potential careers in all these areas. At the same time, our theatre performances are often staged for the broader community and promote and celebrate our common human origins and our diversity. Over the past eight years, this project has gone from strength to strength and has performed to over half a million learners, educators and member of the public and has been invited to perform all over the globe including Belgium, Sweden, Kenya and Namibia.

At a tertiary education level, PAST supports students at Honours, Master’s and Doctoral levels in the fields of archaeology, palaeontology and palaeo-anthropology.  Our support to universities and other academic institutions is broadly spread across the country and broadening across Africa. PAST’s success is evident in the steady increase in the number of students studying in the field and their expression of the real need for PAST support.

PAST is also supporting a number of students and/or researchers from other African countries as part of our pan-African strategy. PAST’s real strength in this regard lie in its flexible yet rigorous application procedures as well as its close relationships with virtually each applicant. PAST-supported students form a large part of the future ‘working force’ of palaeo scientists in our country.  PAST also supports excavations, large research projects, exploration and discovery initiatives, conferences and academic publications.

PAST has created and developed several public awareness campaigns, the largest of which is our annual lecture series sponsored by a private donor. Now in its 7th year we have attracted well-known scientists such as Richard Dawkins, Richard Leakey, Tim White, Paul Sereno and Don Johanson as keynote speakers. Future plans involve a media campaign focused on the extraordinary recent discoveries made in the Cradle of Humankind, the Malapa hominid fossils. These finds will soon become iconic in global terms and will rewrite the prehistory of human origins in Africa. PAST hopes to ensure that these finds will reinforce the significance of Africa as the home to all humankind and will act as a partner in bringing the excitement of these discoveries to the world through an international exhibit and ‘road show’ In addition PAST will ensure that these finds sustain palaeo science into the future with associated educational and research projects.

In a nutshell our approach focuses on creating a fertile environment for fundraising, sourcing funds from private and public donors, attracting talented young scientists of both sexes from all spheres of the South African community, and then in funding respectively their academic careers and related and subsequent research projects. In addition, we manage a large educational outreach programme and create public awareness. PAST has enjoyed close co-operation over the years with commerce, industry and government, all of whom have provided the finance necessary for the perpetuation of its work.  Funds raised are expressly utilised to support research and education into our human and more ancient heritage in South Africa and Africa, and also to ensure that our country and the continent’s natural geographical advantage in this sphere is developed to its full potential to benefit the continent and all of its people.

PAST has clearly established itself as the prime non-governmental movement supporting palaeo research and education on the continent in the decades.  Our long-term and ongoing support received from the private sector is evidence of our commitment and success.  PAST spreads the important message that the provision of education and enthusiasm about science and particularly palaeo science is a priority, especially in the South African and African context.  Our activities are in line with the private sector’s social enterprise objectives and PAST is able to target specific programmes for organisations to support.  As recognised by the government in their review report, the goals of their partnership are being ably met by PAST and the organisation continues to contribute and grow its vision for the palaeo sciences in this country and continent. PAST embraces and sustains education, heritage and research objectives ultimately for the benefit of all humankind in its search for understanding of ourselves and our position on this planet we call home.