President Faure thank retirees for their loyalty and devotion |19 December 2017

President Danny Faure yesterday met three female retirees to thank them for their dedication as well as for their professional and loyal service over the many years that they have worked for the government.

The three retirees are Merline Volcère who has clocked 43 years of service, Josette Thélermont (39 years and nine months) and Florianne Vidot (21 years).

During the meeting, the President extended his heartfelt thanks on behalf of government and the people of Seychelles to the retirees for their long years dedicated to serving the people of Seychelles.

“It is not always easy to remain in one profession for so many years, but your generation of public servants have set a good example for our young people. It is our hope that the youth joining the work industry adopt the same work culture,” said President Faure.

The retirees said they have all worked long years and they are looking forward to relaxing, spending quality time with their families and friends and even undertaking personal projects.

Speaking to the media after their meeting with President Faure, the retirees shared their secrets for remaining for such a long time in their profession.

Ms Thélermont started working in 1977 in the Police Force as a Constable, and has grown during her career to finally end at the Secretary Family Tribunal Seychelles (SFTS).

“My illustrious career started has a Police Constable in 1977, and throughout my years I gained a lot in terms of experience and knowledge. For the last nine years, I have been working at the SFTS, were I was able to accomplish so much.  I gave a lot to my country and the government, and I hope through my career I have inspired the youths to be patient in life,” she said.

Ms Vidot said to have a wonderful career, you need to be patient and willing to overcome all obstacles. She has worked in various fields, such as the Immigration and Civil Status departments.

“There are different factors that can make a person serve for a long time in a job, but the factors that made me serve for 21 years are the love for my job. It was not easy, but with the knowledge I have gained through my long career, I am ready to help the youths and provide them with the necessary skills to love their job,” she said.

Ms Volcère has held many senior positions in government administration, her last twenty years being in the President’s Office as director and then promoted to director general.

Recently she was the chief executive (CEO) of the National Information Services Agency (NISA) for the past seven years before she retired earlier this year.

“I started working for NISA (as CEO) in 2010, when the NISA Act came in force. Through my seven years working for NISA, I managed to bring to reality the printing project (NISA Press) at Bois De Rose. Also NISA’s sales revenue has seen an increase over the years -- from R10 million in 2010 to R27 million in 2016,” she said.

All three retirees said that they will rest for a while before deciding what to do with their spare time.