In January 2006, Prof Michael Whisson wrote a sermon about the importance of answering one’s calling.
In January 2006, Prof Michael Whisson wrote a sermon about the importance of answering one’s calling.
To realise this objective, he said you have to ask yourself "how best you can use the talents and resources which you have been given" to love God and to love your neighbour as you love yourself because you will be judged on "what sacrifices of time, talent and resources are you prepared to make in order to reach this goal".
In using his own yardstick to measure the man, Whisson has certainly gone considerably further than most of us in using his talents and sacrificing his time to answer his calling. In his sermon, Whisson obliquely and modestly refers to his calling as that of editor of the parish newsletter, but anyone who has spent time in our community will know that as an active member of the parish, as a Makana municipal councillor, as an anthropology university professor and in the many other roles he has taken on, Whisson is energetically and passionately committed to serving this community with all his immense talent and resources at his disposal.
It was therefore not the least bit surprising that the Rotary Club of Grahamstown announced at a gala dinner on Friday evening that Whisson was the winner of the 2009 Grahamstown Citizen of the Year Award.
Clearly members of his parish and his political party recognise the immense value that Whisson brings to the community, but it is arguably the ANC that have contributed the most towards validating his integrity and commitment. In June this year, in the middle of a lively split within the local ruling party, seven ANC councillors voted to elect a DA man, Michael Whisson, for mayor. In the final tally, Vumile Lwana won a narrow victory to occupy the top spot. However Whisson said that had he been voted in as mayor he would have sought to lead a non-partisan institution choosing the best five councillors available for the mayoral committee "regardless of their political affiliation".
Even the ANC believed him because his reputation rises way above party politics.
Congratulations Michael Whisson – Citizen of the Year.
