Melanie Walker, a Social Meeting, Online Discon and Brian Leech RIP

Last Week

 I completely forgot Rotary last week and it was only after receiving a screenshot from President Jean and wondering what it was that I clicked.  One of our members also forgot a meeting and now sets the alarm every Friday for the meeting time!  Many days are much like the others and if you are particularly busy on that day, as I was last Friday, then it's easy to miss the meeting.  It was particularly heinous as I had been asked to introduce Melanie Walker.  My apologies to you all.

Thanks to our President here's what she talked about:

She gave us a run down on living in lockdown – how it has impacted her income, her work attempting to curb the incidence of shot-hole borer and put a halt to the recording of a new gardening program.

She strongly urges us to start growing our own vegetables to support us as life is so uncertain. Interestingly, she found a lot of bartering going on amongst neighbours and friends – she has a peppadew bush and her family are not fond of peppadews, and these have been a great bartering commodity.

A retired plastic surgeon has joined her in her fight against the shot-hole borer and come up with a concoction which seems to be keeping it at bay.

Melanie is a cheerful, interesting and entertaining speaker, and as you can see from the Zoom photo, she had us all smiling.

From Melanie:

Have attached short blurb and cover pic of my book. I’m happy to take orders and sign them individually and get them through to the Club for dispersement!

Usually R350 in store, am doing autographed copies at R300. Let me know if anyone is interested.

This Week
It's a social meeting and Saturday is the online Discon.  If you haven't registered it's at 12:00 and you still can.  Everyone will have received an email from District.

Brian Leech

Sadly, Brian Leech died on Sunday after 42 years as a Rotarian.  I have created a separate page for tributes on the main page so I will not need to edit them. Yours will be there. 

Latterly Brian's big interest has been the promotion of play pumps in rural areas which he and Roger Lloyd, as chairman of Community Service, have been adept at promoting within the club.  Thanks to them working togetherthe club has managed to install seven play pumps.  In March 2017 Brian visited the latest two sites in the Northern Cape to see how the pumps were functioning and the results.  He reported back to the board and here is an extract from one of his reports.  

2.    KEATLHOLELA PS

KEATLHOLELA IS A PRIMARY SCHOOL 45 KM EAST OF KURUMAN. THERE ARE 187 LEARNERS AND 7 EDUCATORS. WATER USED TO BE ACCESSED FROM A BOREHOLE AT THE SCHOOL BUT THE PUMP HASN’T WORKED FOR SEVERAL YEARS SO WATER WAS OBTAINED FROM THE COMMUNITY BOREHOLE ONE DAY A WEEK. THE SCHOOL HAD TO SEND A DONKEY CART TO FETCH THE WATER. 

BEYOND THE GREEN TANK A VEGETABLE GARDEN HAD BEEN STARTED AND AMONG OTHER THINGS GROWING WAS  A GRAPE VINE. IN THE FAR DISTANCE FRUIT TREES WERE ALSO BEING IRRIGATED.  TO THE LEFT OF THE PLAYPUMP AROUND THE BASE AND IN THE SHADE OF THE TREE THE SCHOOL HAD PLANTED ONIONS. ALL IN ALL THE PLAY PUMP IS BEING WELL USED AND THE SCHOOL IS VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE IT. 

That Brian is your memorial.  Requiscat in Pace