A quiet week for the Rotary Club of Rosebank, and an invitation to a skittles fundraiser at the Swiss Club on Friday the 4th March...

 From the Pen of the President....

The past week has demonstrated nature in some of its different guises. On Tuesday evening we had a magnificent sunset lasting nearly three quarters of an hour with the many clouds turning pink and then turning to a bright gold that slowly dulled until 19:15. Then on Friday we had a huge thunderstorm with hail that resulted in the Wanderers bowling greens being under a sheet of water and flooding in several areas. We can only be in awe of what nature can do.

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom (Socrates)

Last Friday...

... and also the last Friday of the month and therefore a social meeting was held at Wanderers, and if you weren't able to be there in person you unfortunately missed out on the Fellowship as it was decided that there would be no Zoom participation as it would not be very gratifying.

It was a small gathering, the pizza offering was tasty and the conversation was at times weighty, because of the tumultuous times we are living through, but James Croswell, our duty sergeant lightened the mood with some choice jokes and a raffle for a home grown succulent which was won by Lyn Collocott.

An unexpected Highveld thunderstorm meant that a few of us got thoroughly drenched while scampering for our cars.

Our contribution to the Rotary Day of Action did not go unnoticed....

An email received by Lyn from Shirley Tebbutt, a Blairgowrie resident and a champion for the Delta Park

Hi Lyn  and all the Rotary members

 

Wow, what a difference you are making to the sensory garden – it looks sooooo much better.

Are you planning to  put plants into the  raised pots?

Soon it will be a pleasure to walk through the garden again. Well done and many thanks.

 

I am about the to write the Delta Park Newsletter --- and all this will be in it. Can’t have people thinking

City Parks had done all this !!!

 

Cheers

Shirley

Last Thursday's edition of the Randburg Sun also showcased our activities with a lovely article and photos.

This Friday....

.... join us on Zoom when Sybille will take you on a virtual tour down the mighty Amazon River, a trip that she made in 2015.

Please join us on the evening of Friday 4th of March at 6:00 at the Swiss Club in Vorna Valley.

It is a fundraiser - R120.00, which also buys you 1 ticket into the Raffle.

Food and drinks are for your own cost.

It will be a wonderful evening of Fellowship and will also be for a good cause.

Please let Sonja Hood know if you would like to be part of the fun - 083 707 1055

The monthly business meeting, who won February's Club 100 draw, Highlands North Boys High School Interact Club's blood drive and a very successful Day of Action in the Delta...

From the Pen of the President...

“Tempus fugit” – time certainly is going by very quickly and I realise that I need to give attention to several of the tasks that I have planned but postponed. No doubt many of our members experience the same pressures. That is one of the reasons why I am so appreciative of those who gave of their precious weekend time to help clear some of the overgrown and weed infested garden area in Delta Park. A big thank you to all who assisted!

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

Be nicer than necessary to everyone you meet. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle  (Socrates) 

Last Friday....

.... was our monthly Business Meeting which was conducted via Zoom. As from next month the business meetings will be hybrid meetings.

David Craik from the Rotary Club of  Seven Oaks in the UK attended the Zoom meeting. He is no stranger to our club and has visited with us many times on his S.A. visits to his daughter, who lives in Johannesburg.  He receives our Ramble and enjoys reading about all our club activities. He mentioned that his club struggles to attract new members, and their numbers have sadly dwindled to seven. They collaborate with their local Round Table club on certain projects, as they too are down in numbers. 

President Costa announced that as from March going forward only the first meeting of the month shall be on Zoom, thereafter the second and third meetings will be hybrid meetings at Wanderers and also via Zoom, whereas the Social meeting at the end of each month will only be an in person meeting at Wanderers.

Costa mentioned his concern about the poor attendance of late and he and others will be touching base with those members who have been scarce to try and determine what the problem might be.

The announcement that Ann Hope-Bailie will be President Elect for the next Rotary year received a warm round of applause.

John Symons could not present his financial report in person as he was still recuperating from a cataract operation, but all is good.

Our almoner David Bradshaw reported that he had been in touch with Carol Lawrence, Bernard Neuhaus (who hopes to visit and give a talk soon) and Judy Powell. Roger Lloyd is slowly settling in and is planning a visit to the Rotary Club of Claremont. Chrispin is having endless problems with his asylum papers which is the reason we have not seen him at meetings.

In his capacity as Chair of membership David shared that he had prepared a proposal for consideration by the Board on membership which he should be able to present at next month's business meeting.

On the Youth front Jean Bernado reported back that our Interact Club at the Highlands Boys High School's community activities are once again gaining momentum. They had held a successful blood drive and would be inducting new members in two weeks time.

Sadly the Careers Day will have to be postponed to a later date, probably May.

The Youth Leadership weekend is being planned for October.

On publicity Ann Hope-Bailie reported that she updates the club's Facebook page at least twice a week, and it was agreed that this social media avenue was more valuable than our website, which has been dormant for a while now. The Rosebank Ramble is being read by the editors of Rotary Africa and District 9400 newsletter and also goes to many members of other Rotary clubs.

Ann would like to hold training sessions for new members with regards to online learning.

Sonja Hood, who chairs the fundraising committee, announced that we had secured two dates for the ever popular quiz evenings, namely Wednesday the 25th of May and the 26th of October at the Parkview Golf Club. 

Friday 4th March we are hosting a fellowship/ fundraising bowling evening at the Swiss Club in Midrand. Please let Sonja know if you would like to attend. Numbers are limited.

The Environmental committee has been hard at work organizing our club's contribution to Rotary's Day of Action taking place at the Delta Park Environmental Centre. The event was widely publicised on our Facebook page and  other Facebook groups.

Scroll down in this edition of the Rosebank Ramble to read all about it....

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Blood Donations save lives....

..... and the young men of the Interact Club of the Highlands North Boys High School did their bit by hosting the first of four blood drives that they are planning for 2022.

AG Jean Bernardo rolled up her sleeve, extended her arm and gave a pint of her precious and rare A negative blood to the attending SANBS nurse. 

Making sure that Jean was well looked after are Interactors  Philani Mgquba and Arethbeng Mothapo, and also Mimi van Deventer, who teaches at the school and is the liaison officer for the Interact Club.

The Rotary Day of Action...

.... started off wet, cold and gloomy but we were determined to soldier on and not let the weather get the better of us. 

We had chosen Saturday the 19th of February to prematurely celebrate Rotary's birthday and there was never a question that our club contribution to the Rotary Day of Action would be of environmental importance. 

The resurrection of the Delta Park Waterwise and Sensory Garden was our mission and at 9:30, armed with spades, forks, rakes and trowels, our team of Rotarians (from Rosebank, Randburg and Morningside) as well as Anns and friends and family attacked this mammoth task head on.

Although we had sent in Kenneth the previous week to start clearing the black-jacks and weeds this is what we were faced with.

Liz Short, Penny Robinson, Su Mills and Debi Lieberthal took on the overgrown planters.

People of Action

We got our hands dirty....

.

 

....Filled bags and bags of garden refuse

....Documented our achievements

We made a difference and beyond that we had lots of fun! Thank you to all the volunteers who made this day happen.

This Friday.....

....we meet at Wanderers. Hope to see you there.

Remember, there will be no Zoom.

Eco-Activist Lorraine Jenks's thought provoking presentation, the Anns lend a helping hand and the Countdown to our Rotary Day of Action....

 From the Pen of the President...

It will be super if as many Rotarians, Anns and Friends of Rotary as possible come to Delta Park on Saturday 19th February to participate in the Rotary Day of Action – even if only for a short while.  We will be helping to clear the blackjacks and other weeds in a water-wise garden initially developed by Sasol under the watchful eye of Geoff Lockwood and Shirley Tebbutt but sadly neglected for quite some time.  Spades and forks will be useful implements to bring and that will make the task easier.  Anytime from 09:30 onwards should be suitable.  Hope to see you on Saturday!

Costa Qually
President

Tailpiece

Every action has its pleasure and its price  (Socrates)

Last Friday....

...we had the privilege of welcoming Lorraine Jenks to the Wanderers Club to present a burning topic to us that she is uber-passionate about.

Lorraine is no stranger to Rotary, having been a member of the Rotary Club of Parktown-Excalibur, and if there is one person that the adage "dynamite comes in small packages" applies to it has to be Lorraine Jenks.

Mike Lamb introduced her as The Little Green Queen, and as she had revealed in her bio that she had sent through to him that she was a collector of keys, he presented her with an old tobacco barn key that he had acquired in Andorra.

Having grown up on a farm outside Fochville, Lorraine had always been in touch with nature and after finishing her studies to become a teacher she travelled extensively from London to Canada and California where she worked for the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency. 

After returning to South Africa she joined Sun International (now Tsogo Sun) as a procurement manager for 82 hotels. This position allowed her to steer the hotel chain to adopt more eco-friendly policies, and she was instrumental in introducing recycling in the hotel waste management, which ultimately saved the hotel chain about R75 000 a month. It became her personal mission to find more eco-friendly versions of every product and service in her Purchasing  Manual.

She held this position for 15 years.

Lorraine is a renowned international speaker on all matters Environment and belongs to the International Speakers Association. Her next speaking assignment will take her to Azerbaijan in May this year. 

She has won 22 awards in her illustrious career and she is also a sought after judge for eco-projects.

Climate Change and Ecological Genocide, or Ecocide, is what keeps her awake at night.

Her big fear is that we might already have left it too late, but her advice to us is:

Thank you Lorraine Jenks, and now we know why Rotary has added the Environment as an Area of Focus.

This Friday.....

...is a business meeting on Zoom.

And this Saturday....

 ....we invite not only our members but also their family and friends, the Anns and any other community members to come along to make this a day to remember.

The event is being publicised via various social media platforms and the Randburg Sun will showcase it in their next edition.

Last Saturday we employed Kenneth to do preparatory work at the Sensory and Water-wise garden in preparation for our labours this Saturday

PDG Eric Kimani from Kenya on Rotary Foundation and Donations, and Save the Date for this year's Rotary Day of Action - Saturday 19th February...

From the Pen of the President.....

Travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town through alternative routes took me through a variety of towns and cities.  The contrast between a number of them was profound.  From clean, tidy and well-maintained environments to refuse strewn areas, pot-holed to virtually non-existent roads and other indications of collapsed municipalities.  Considering why there were such differences, I decided it resulted from the attitude of the people involved.  On the positive side were those wanting to do their best and fulfil their duties whereas on the negative side were those who just wanted a paid job where they did not have to do much or to accepting responsibility.  This made me even more appreciative of Rotarians who do so much to improve the lives of others, the environment and our communities.

Costa Qually
President

Tailpiece

Your reward depends on what you say and what you do; you will get what you deserve  (Proverbs 12:14

Last Friday......

...saw us back at Wanderers where we welcomed a very distinguished guest, PDG Eric Kimani from Kenya to address us on the Rotary Foundation and the importance of donations.

PDG Jankees Sligcher from the Johannesburg New Dawn Club, who is also the Regional Rotary Foundation Co-ordinator had orchestrated a joint meeting with our two clubs, and New Dawn was well represented, but we were also privileged to greet IPP Grace van Zyl from the Rotary Club of Johannesburg as well as  PDG Michael Johnson (1989/90 District 9350 - Angola, Namibia, South Africa) and PP Nick Bell from Rotary Holt and District in the UK.

A big thank you has to go to Carol Stier, who was in charge of tech,  and who made sure that our Zoom participants were kept abreast of proceedings.

Thank you also to IPP Ann Hope-Bailie, who stood in for President Costa, who is still on leave in the Cape.

PDG Eric Kimani has been a passionate Rotarian for 31 years, and has served as a past president of the Rotary Club of Nairobi North, and in 2012/13 he was the Governor for District 9200, comprising of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Eritrea, and during his tenure he grew the district with a record 21 new clubs and led a record fund raising for the Rotary Foundation.

Eric shared with us the model that he introduced to ensure that the right calibre of person is attracted into Rotary.

Prospective members had to attend 4 formal training classes held every Friday evening, had to have attended at least 4 out of 8 meetings, partaken in one of the club projects and had to have paid their subs in full before being inducted into the club.

Six years ago he started a new club, the Rotary Club of Muthaiga North, with 35 members, which has to date grown to a impressive membership of 95, with very low attrition. The demographics of the clubs in his district has also had a big shift, where 10 years ago they consisted of 60% Indian, 35% white and only 5% black representation, today 95% of the membership is black.

Eric is currently serving as Rotary Endowment and Major Gift Advisor of Region 28/Zone 22, which was the reason for addressing us and to encourage us to support the Foundation through means of Donation.

His personal donation journey only started 10 years after joining Rotary when he became District Governor and he and his wife Margaret reached Donor Level 3 by donating $50 000 to the Foundation.

He joined the Bequest Society 10 years ago, which means that he has made a testamentary bequest for the benefit of RI.

The stipulation of his donations is that all proceeds return to Africa, mainly Kenya.

19 years ago PGD Eric, together with his wife Margret initiated the Palmhouse Foundation, an educational Trust, set up by Africans for Africans.

Gratitude for his personal abundance inspired him, and that is the reason he is taking his "Book of Begging" to all the districts.

He calls donations "Happy Dollars", and he uses the analogy of a motor car that needs fuel to drive, and for the Rotary Foundation to be able to issue Global Grants it needs all our donations.

As a thank you gift IPP Ann presented PDG Eric with a Rotary bow-tie.

A truly inspirational presentation by a humble human being.

Save the Date.....

The Editor of this edition of the Rosebank Ramble hopes she will be forgiven her plagiarism of parts DG Stella's  January newsletter to announce our club's Rotary Day of Action, which will take place on Saturday the 19th of February, starting at 9:30 at Delta Park.

We would like to encourage all our members, their families, other Rotary clubs, Anns, friends of Rotary and community members to pitch in on that day to help clean up the Waterwise and Sensory Garden, situated next to the Environmental Centre.

This beautiful spot has been sadly neglected and with the abundant rains these past months it has become a veritable jungle. It needs many hands and lots of energy to rid  it of its black jacks and weeds.

This Friday....

...we welcome guest speaker Lorraine Jenks.

She is no stranger to our club and will no doubt give us inspiring insights to her life's passions.

Lorraine Jenks is a global TEDx speaker, a greening facilitator and a sustainable procurement, supply chain and circularity specialist.  A teacher by profession (University of the Witwatersrand), she has two additional Montessori Method qualifications.

 A certified Climate Reality Leader trained by Former US Vice President, Al Gore, Lorraine also studied under the United Nations Eco-Labelling Project, the National Cleaner Production Programme, Green Building Council’s Interior Design and Décor, Green Leaf Carbon Auditors and is a qualified Procurement and Supply Chain Manager. 

 With her unique style, Lorraine has become a popular international speaker.  She runs workshops, consults and manages fully furnished “green” exhibition homes and hotels.

 Her career as an activist began in the 1970s during her “hippie” years when she travelled to California and worked with the brand new Environmental Protection Agency.  After returning to South Africa Lorraine spent 15 years as Contracts and Procurement Manager for Africa’s largest hotel chain – working on new builds, refurbishments, management and operations. It became her personal mission to find a more eco-friendly version of every product and service in her Purchasing Manual.

 Winner of 20 awards and honours in her 70s, along with her indomitable team she also manages two leading non-profit “yellow page” product directories – www.hotelstuff.co.za for all sectors and www.greenstuff.co.za which lists only eco-friendly goods and services. These are used by up to 33,000 buyers every month.