A time capsule
Did you know that FISA has a “time capsule”? A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, intended as a deliberate means of communication with a future audience and a way of recording change over time.
The FISA time capsule was put together in 2000 and is currently safely housed at the Nedbank head office. It will be officially opened in 2032, which marks the centenary year of the Association of Trust Companies (ATC).
This is the second such capsule of its kind, as the fiduciary industry also had a previous time capsule. This previous capsule had been put together and sealed in 1982, when the ATC was 50 years old. According to Aaron Roup, FISA Secretary, in the capsule were old ATC annual reports, press clippings and a tie.
Nico Botha, 2018 holder of the FISA Chairman’s Award and CEO of Stellentrust, adds that the first time capsule included a publication with articles specially written for the time capsule by members covering various fiduciary topics. There were no mobile phones at the time and the most advanced typewriters were probably IBM 6240 rotating golf balls. There were no PCs either. The publication was a key item as it reflected the best practice views of practitioners at the time.
Just before closing the capsule the chairperson at the time, Trevor Beeton, threw some notes and coins into the capsule as he got carried away with all the excitement.
The first time capsule was opened to great fanfare at a gathering of some 300 people at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton in 2000 as a “Y2K” project.
The items included in the first time capsule have been transferred into the current capsule along with other items of interest. Roll on 2032!