From the Pen of our President....
Dear fellow Rotarians,
I enjoyed our social meeting last week – not sure the pizzas
are as good as they were pre-COVID??
Here we are in May – who would have thought that time could
go as fast as my grandmother said it did? It does bring to mind a Bee Gees song
about the “first of May”. May Day relates back as early as pre-Roman time in
Britain and to Medieval times when Maypoles were in evidence. Some celebrate
Spring, some celebrate Saints and many now observe Workers Day. No matter what
you celebrate though, for us it heralds winter!! and it is definitely much
cooler. Time to unpack those woollies and hot water bottles!
District 9400 are planning a Rotary Exhibition Centre, and
it is going to be opened this year!! It would be nice to have a plaque on it
with Rosebank’s name. In order for that to happen we need to buy some bricks.
At R50 each they seem very reasonable…..25 bricks get’s one a plaque. How many
bricks should we buy – one per member, one per year since we were chartered?
Let me know what you think.
As the Rotary year winds down and the cold begins to bite,
spare a thought for those not as fortunate as ourselves – if you are not
working at the Blanket Drive, please think about donating a blanket or 2.
Have a wonderful week, keep warm and smile!
Yours in Rotary,
Ann Hope-Bailie
President - Rotary Club of Rosebank
Last Friday......
The last day of April was once again a hybrid social meeting where we invited members and guests to join us for pizza at Wanderers and it was another testament to the need for fellowship that 16 Rotarians and two guests attended in person while 8 more connected via Zoom.
Hybrid meetings are still a work in progress. The projector allows the attendees to interact with the "Zoomers" and besides the webcam the club has now invested in a better microphone, so hopefully the members connecting via Zoom will have a more inclusive experience.
We would appreciate your feedback.
Duty sergeant Marianne addressing us while James managed to raise a few hundred Rand by auctioning his home made marmalade.
Friday was indeed a special meeting because we had the pleasure of welcoming another e-member into the Rotary family. Sonja Hood's son Gareth, who teaches in China was inducted. He is our second e-member (or the third, if we count Juanette McCrindle who is still stuck in Germany).
Although China is 6 hours ahead of South Africa, Gareth will not have time constraints in joining our weekly lunchtime meetings as it will be 7 pm on that side of the Pond, and what better way to start the weekend.
A very emotional mother introduced her son and then looked on as President Ann read the charge and officially inducted Gareth into the Rotary Club of Rosebank. Everyone at the meeting stood to attention and then gave our newest and youngest member a warm round of applause.
Welcome!
Gareth is of course is no stranger to the Club as he was the quiz master at our weekly quiz challenges during hard lockdown. He had managed to return home from China and carried on with his teaching duties remotely. We were all very sad to see him return to his full time job once China had opened up again. He tells us that he had to go into 2 week quarantine and has so far undergone 8 Covid tests. The Chinese have got tracking and tracing down to a fine art which is done via your cell phone, and when you have been in a high risk area the colour on the Covid app changes.
Gareth lives in Hefei, an industrial hub with 8 million inhabitants, 3 hours west of Shanghai. He teaches English and History at a Canadian International School with over a 1000 learners from all over the world, even a few from South Africa. He clearly loves his job and being in China.
In Memoriam.....
We were very sad when we lost Brian Leech to Covid last year, and in his memory and his immeasurable commitment to Rotary, his partner Coragh Bedford-Shaw had a plaque put up in the Garden of Remembrance at St. Michael's Church in Bryanston.
He will not be forgotten.
"Roslami" takes on Centurion......
Rosebank joined forces with Kyalami - the "Roslami" team - to challenge the formidable Centurion team who had ventured south across the Jukskei to a game of skittles.
Before Covid this had been an annual gathering, and we were thrilled that the old tradition had been resumed and an evening of laughter and competition was a tonic to the soul.
Three Presidents: Ann Hope-Bailie, Pierre Rossouw and Sibylle Gussmann, and a jolly group photo.
This Friday......
President Grace van Zyl of the oldest Rotary club in Africa, the Rotary Club of Johannesburg, will address us. She is a financial life strategist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and international speaker and will no doubt have an insightful presentation.
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