On October 13, IAWA hosted an intimate farewell dinner for the outgoing IAWA Editors Emma van Nieuwkoop, Elisabeth Wheeler (who alas had to cancel) and Pieter Baas in a Leiden Restaurant, organised by Cees Lut and Frederic Lens. Yafang Yin thanked Emmy and Pieter for 43 years of service in his welcome speech. Greetings letters from Hisashi Abe and some of the IAWA council members were also conveyed. Dinner guests included Yafang Yin and colleagues and friends from the Netherlands who had supported the Leiden IAWA Office many of these years. Pieter Baas summarised the role of each of them, and recalled the early development of the IAWA Bulletin into a full-blown scientific journal in the seventies and eighties of the last century. Botanical artist Esmee Winkel had been commissioned to paint three water colours with botanical and wood anatomical illustrations befitting each individual editor as special farewell gifts. Yafang Yin, Cees Lut and Pieter Baas subsequently had a small business meeting on discussion of IAWA developinrategy and financial management.

IAWA farewell dinner for outgoing IAWA Editors (left);
water colour by Esmee Winkel of Vitis vinifera – habit and wood structure, presented to Pieter Baas (right).