Our Weekly Meeting

“Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

We meet every Friday from 1:00 to 2:00pm at Wanderers Club, Illovo, Johannesburg. You can also join us on Zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86496040522.

Monday, 28 September 2015

Mark Potterton, Wendie White & the Rotary Peace Fellowship

Last Week
Dr Mark Potterton, the Principal of Holy Family College, spoke to us about the problem of Violence in Schools.  What we didn't know was that he had served on a government commission to investigate schools in rural areas which means that he has an extensive collection of photographs of school lavatories, unoccupied, I hasten to add.  We were only treated to a couple of them.  It was a fascinating talk and he emphasised the 'violence' that badly maintained buildings and facilities and non-caring teachers perpertrate upon learners and how schools should provide a safe haven from the violent environment in which many learners live.
We could see that in many of the schools he showed us that teaching was not only inadequate but practically non existent and he emphasised the non involvement of many teachers in caring for the children or even the environment in which teaching is supposed to take place.  He showed us a number of photographs of a school with broken windows, light fittings with no globes or tubes and graffiti over everything and asked if we could guess which school...no-one could.  It turned out to be Sandringham High, a very successful school in the past.  One of our members, Juanette McCrindle, gasped in astonishment when Mark mentioned the name of the school as she was former pupil there.
Juanette McCrindle with her partner,  Rainer Bairam who is a member of the Rotary Club of Zikwasi, Zambia.
















President Neville's Blast from the Past


Who would have imagined that the distinguished Dr Neville Howes played in a Band!

Well, he did in his well-spent youth and Bonny Pawley, a Rotary Ann from Kyalami Club rediscovered him, came to our meeting and revealed all to the world!   I will draw a veil over...............

This Week
Our speaker is Wendie White, Managing Director of Lloyd Orr Communications and Vice President of the Association of National Tourist Office Representatives.  One of her clients is the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing and it's Dubai she is going to be talking about.
Wendie became a partner and took over the reins at Lloyd Orr in late 2008. Wendie has 28 years experience in the South African travel industry, having spent most of her time in wholesale tour operating and is well known and recognized in her field.
Prior to joining Lloyd Orr, Wendie held the position of Managing Director at Holiday Tours. This experience adds an in-depth advantage to our clients as her insight and first hand knowledge of the tour operators and other South African travel companies ensures invaluable synergies. She believes that relationships are the key to good business and applies this philosophy when interacting with her vast network of media and trade partners.
Wendie has travelled the world extensively and her enthusiasm is well known and respected by many hoteliers, tour operators and other tourism suppliers worldwide. Wendie is passionate about her work and likes to be very involved adopting a hands on approach to the business.
Wendie speaks English, Spanish, French, and has a good understanding of Afrikaans and Zulu. 

WHAT PEACE MEANS TO ME

To commemorate the International Day of Peace, we share the personal perceptions of Rotary Peace Fellows.
People and nations worldwide will observe the International Day of Peace on 21 September, the date designated by the United Nations in 2001 “to be observed as a day of global ceasefire and nonviolence.”
That commitment to peace is directly linked to goals pursued by Rotary members since The Rotary Foundation’s mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace was proclaimed in 1917.
To fulfill that mission, Rotary conducts global forums, hosts international peace symposiums, continues its decades-long collaboration with the UN, and promotes initiatives such as the .
Rotary’s most tangible effort to build peace and promote conflict resolution is the , established in 2002. Each year, the program prepares future leaders to work for peace through a two-year master’s degree program or a three-month professional certificate program at Rotary’s partner universities around the world.
Today, more than 900 of these peace fellowship alumni are applying their expertise -- easing tensions in border conflicts, drafting legislation to protect exploited children, providing security to diplomats, and pursuing many other career paths devoted to peace.


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