Gabriel Pappas, the first referees' manager and the longest serving, has moved slightly in the Golden Lions Rugby Union.

Pappas who became a referee in 1976, has served on the committee of the Golden Lions referees' Society since 1992 and is still there. He has served continuously on the committee longer than anybody else in the Society's history which dates back to 1904.

In 1996 Pappas became the first manager of a referees' society in South Africa, a full-time employee of his union, and formed a department with three others. A most efficient and dedicated man, he has stayed in this position till Theuns Naudé was appointed to the post in January this year, moving over from SA Referees.

Pappas will not be lost to refereeing. He remains on the committee and will give Naudé and the society his fullest support.

Pappas's new job at the union will be as the president's right-hand man, dealing mainly with the union's governance in things like compliance with strategies, labour laws, compliance and legalities in the mode of a company secretary. He also hopes to develop the union's archives and get a museum going.

Looking back on his time on the committee Pappas recalls as highlights the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the 1996 Students World Cup and the 2002 IRB Under-21 World Championship.  Pro Legoete played in the Students World Cup and later joined the society with Pappas as his mentor and coach. That Legoete is now a Test referee is a highlight. Then there was the symposium he organised in 2004, which may just have been a unique occurrence. All of that, but he says that the real highlight has been associating with referees from all over the world, being part of the refereeing "family".

One of his fond memories is seeing a schoolboy referee Wits 4th XV against Kempton Park and then watch Jonathan Kaplan's progress.