A message from Nelson Mandela

摘要

As I write this column, I have just heard of the death of Nelson Mandela, a man who I admired greatly and someone who has affected my life and attitudes. The quote below applies to all of us, but is especially applicable to those of us who practice non-destructive testing and how we consider the effects of our ability or failure to detect significant defects. There seems so much serendipity with Nelson Mandela, South Africa, the boycott and, of course, rugby. I enjoyed the movie 'Invictus', which depicted Mandela's relationship with the Springbok captain, Francois Pienar, and its role in helping to unite the nation. As I have said in previous articles, I was present at the last Springbok international match in New York prior to the boycott. The sense of sporting isolation played a huge role in bringing the apartheid era to an end.