A Business Meeting with a lot of content, Club 100 monthly winners announced, A visit to the Sensory Garden in the Delta, and an appeal for assistance.....

 From the Pen of the President.....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

We have so much to be grateful for – and yet we spend a lot of time complaining and going on about silly issues we can do nothing about!!

We belong to a world renowned, world class organisation which brings people together to use their talent and time to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. We should not be joining those who complain, we do not have time. Let’s go out there and be the people of action we say we are!!

I am going to be sending out the Club’s goals this week on email and would love to hear from members, ahead of the Club Assembly on the 19^th August, what you think. Our goals are what we are measured on, we need to feel proud of what we achieve.

Let’s see what we can do..

See you next week.

Ann

Last Friday....

...the meeting room was abuzz and attendance (in person and on Zoom) was the best it has been since lockdown.

It was our monthly Business meeting where the various committee chairs had a chance to report back what the club has been getting up to in the previous month and what the plans are for the year ahead.

It is the first month of the Rotary year, so there have been a few changes in leadership and committee members, so activities will gain momentum as we go along.

Report backs in a nutshell:

John Symons remains Club treasurer and holds the purse strings.

• The annual budget has been put forward but will be finalized at Club Assembly.
• Still to be ratified at Club Assembly on the 19th of August, but club subscriptions to remain at R2000 for the year, payable as a lumpsum or in installments. Please let John know how you would like to pay.
• In total R74 000 came into the coffers for our annual blanket drive, and most blankets have now been disbursed.

David Bradshaw remains responsible for Membership and is our club almoner:

• We lost four members in the previous year, due to circumstances beyond our control, but so far we have inducted Michelle von Benecke and we are looking forward to welcoming Prof Shelley Schmollgruber and Vivienne Brokken as members, both no strangers to our club, as they have always helped with the nomination of the Lester Connock Award candidates. They have attended a couple of meetings already and hopefully we will be able to induct them in the near future.
• David, as club almoner makes sure that he regularly contacts people like Bernard Neuhaus, James Byrne, Judy Powell, Carol Lawrence and Roger Lloyd and it was lovely to welcome Yvonne Franklin to last week's meeting.

President Ann presents our newest member Michelle von Benecke with the Rotary Charge

IPP Costa Qually is taking over the Rotary International Foundation chair

and President Ann has also made him Executive Secretary, as well as head of tech, so that our hybrid meetings run smoothly.

Feedback about the quality of the hybrid meetings by Zoom attendees would be appreciated.

• Please let Costa know about any potential Grant projects.
• Inhouse RLI (Rotary Leadership Institute) training is planned for all interested club members in the near future.

Sybille Essmann will remain  chair of the Community and Vocational Services committee.

• Our club will be taking over the Khensani Collection EcoBrick project from the Rotary Club of Randburg as they do not have the capacity. Khensani is planning on building additional classrooms with EcoBricks and we are very excited to be part of this monumental project.
• We are also looking forward to further collaboration with Stephan Ferreira from Charity Begins with Me, who so tirelessly works to uplift children in the Durban Deep informal community.

Lyn Collocott remains responsible for the Environment portfolio.

Paul Chinn and Babette Gallard, Eco- Warriors and members of The Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn in collaboration with numerous other community forums are planning the mother of all river clean-ups, and being People of Action we call on all our members, family and friends to volunteer their time to help make a difference.

Lyn met with the organizers and on behalf of our club expressed our willingness to be part of this project and  we have been allocated a portion of the Braamfontein Spruit in Delta Park from the blue pedestrian bridge (Delta Cafe) up to the Conrad Drive bridge (close to the Fresh Earth coffee shop).

Lenore Terblanche has agreed to take on the International Portfolio.

• She has chaired her first committee meeting and for the year ahead they would like to try and get smaller projects off the ground, with the emphasis being on Health and Wellness. 
• They would like to identify a children's hospital ward that might need upgrading. 
• They would also like to further investigate the bio-degradable sanitary pad project and will soldier on with the cervical cancer project.
• Club involvement with the Rotary Family Health Days taking place 12th, 13th and 14th October.

The Youth Portfolio will once again be chaired by Jean Bernardo

• The Highlands North Highschool Interact Club is up and running. They received 25 plus 20 blankets from us to hand out at an orphanage and an old age home that they support.
• The Youth Senior Leadership Course has been confirmed for the 14th - 16th October.
• District has approved three Rotary Exchange students. One of them is Emma, Michele von Benecke's daughter who will be going to Germany next year. Some of us will have met her as well as Tsjamo Nyato who attended President Ann's induction party. As the young man will need financial assistance to make his dream to go to France come true a number of smaller fundraisers will be organized in the next few months.
• The 2022 Careers Day is taking place at the Holy Family College this Saturday the 30th July. About 200 - 300 learners from various schools in Johannesburg have been invited to attend.

Sonja Hood remains our Fundraising Queen

Another fun quiz fundraiser will take place on Wednesday the 25th of October. The venue is confirmed, our quiz master Larry has been booked and Sonja is making an appeal to all members to assist with donation of raffle prizes.

Public Image will fall into Rosebank Ramble editor Sybille's domain.

• It has been decided to terminate our website and rather concentrate on improving our Facebook image. 
• It is a work in progress.

Follow-up Visit to the Waterwise and Sensory Garden in Delta Park...

This past Sunday Lyn Collocott and a few of her environment committee took a stroll through the Waterwise and Sensory Garden which we, with the help of willing volunteers, cleaned in April this year. We identified three areas that need attention:

1) Strip and paint the metal railings of the bridge.

This would entail quite a bit of material and hard labour.

2) Clean the metal signposts.

With a bit of warm soapy water and a bit of elbow grease these signposts could be easily transformed back to their original glory. There are seven or eight of them.

3) Filling the empty planters with water-wise plants.

Most of us would be able to find suitable succulents in our own gardens that we could transplant into these containers.

We have earmarked Sunday the 28th of August to gather members and willing volunteers to spend a day beautifying a valuable part of our city. 

Save the date!

An Appeal for Help....

The rector of St Francis in Parkview has forwarded this appeal to us to see whether we could assist in any way.

Roger Wedlake makes "light" of Eskom, and Support the Anns Bridge Drive....

 From the Pen of the President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

Today’s theme was – Do what you can, with what you have, where you are!! – in memory of Nelson Mandela who would have been 104 years old today. It was heartwarming and uplifting to hear all that was being done across the country – especially at a time when the need in the country is so great. Thank you all for what you did – big and small, it all counts in the end.

So down to business – our first board meeting of the year this week, followed by a business meeting on Friday. All members are expected to be involved in one or other committee, where the projects are discussed and executed. It is vital for members to attend business meetings to hear what the other committees are doing and hear the state of our finances, our membership etc.

Let’s get back to business – no more epidemic to blame!!

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” 

Nelson Mandela.

Till then…..

 

 

   Ann Hope-Bailie

    Club President

    Rotary Club of Rosebank

    +27 82 570 6627 mobile

    ann@hopebailie.com

 

Last Friday...

...in a nutshell.

Roger Wedlake gave us a very insightful and sobering talk on the woes of Eskom. 

Roger had been associated with this power producer since his arrival in South Africa 50 years ago, and has followed its steady decline with dismay.

In his view Eskom is very much a story of two halves: The rise and the demise.

Although founded in1923, Eskom came into its own after WW2 when the Nationalist Party came to power. 

Because of the abundance of coal in the Mpumalanga coal belt, the government owned the mining rights and  had contracts with the mining houses to supply coal on a cost plus basis. The building of power plants along the coal belt proliferated in the 1980s, and Eskom was able to produce some of the cheapest electricity in the world. 

So where did it all go so wrong? 

In Roger's opinion the  answer is not entirely obvious and the demise did not start with corruption but was mainly due to misguided advice rendered by overpaid advisors to the new government and a business model that led to gross mismanagement. 

The building of new power plants stopped in the year 2000 and by 2004 the warning signs were clearly evident when experts predicted that we would run out of power in 2008. Who remembers the first rolling blackouts back in precisely that year long before the Zuma era that then heralded the beginning of endemic corruption? 

Roger has a very bleak outlook on our future power supply and has reservations as to whether solar and wind power generation will be our salvation. 

The Rosebank Rotary Anns Bridge Drive is back....

The Anns fundraising endeavours were sorely curtailed during the two past lockdown years and they are therefore putting in  every effort in making their flagship fundraiser a resounding success.

Please diarize their Bridge Drive, which will take place on Wednesday the 14th of September at the St Michaels Church in Bryanston, between the hours of 10:00 and 14:00. They would like us to encourage participation but also have put in an appeal for Rotarians to donate some much needed prizes, like wine, chocolates or meal vouchers. 

The funds they are hoping to raise will go towards the Khanyisela Projects in the Drakensberg.

The Cavern Berg Resort has long been involved in providing aid to to schools, creches and the communities in the Amazizi area. Together with donations and assistance from other resorts, guests, friends and businesses, they hope to give the local children a sound foundation on which they can build and assist  in the long-term prosperity of their area and their country.

Please click into the link  Khanyisela Projects to find out more.

This Friday....

.... Please attend our monthly business meeting either in person at Wanderers or on Zoom.

A visit from the President of the International Women's Club, and Rotary proves that we are People of Action....

From the Pen of the President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

We are on our way with our Rotary year. Thank you to those who donated to Rotary Foundation on 1st July - we have R2450 to start our giving.
I was contacted by Knights Pendragon Club, who asked us to join with them to help the Gerald Fitzpatrick Home for the Aged. Those members at last Friday's meeting voted to assist - I am sure others will agree. They have no emergency lights.
I took it upon myself to plan for our 5th Friday meeting - morning coffee at the Wilds, but on Saturday 30th.

https://www.jhbcityparksandzoo.com/services-facilities/nature-reserves-bird-sanctuary/find-a-reserve/the-wilds-nature-reserve

There is a lot of talk at times about membership, and lets face it, without members our club will suffer. I would like to adjust our focus to other important topics as well. Members who are serious about being Rotarians need to be part of a committee, take part in projects. As a hybrid club, we appreciate that 'online' is as good as in-person and I think we are doing pretty well, and thank you to you all . Committee meetings are hybrid too and the meetings should be short, to the point and at a convenient time. Chairpersons are obliged to send minutes ahead of our business meeting.

In August we will have an Assembly and can finalize our goals.
My goal for the year is to have fun - join me!! We can be successful at the same time.

Keep warm.
Ann

Last Friday....

 

...Our club invited International Women's Club President Helen Langridge to tell us a little bit more about this organization.

Helen has been a longtime member and the President of the IWC for the past three years. The club was originally established in 1967 as a lunch club to help newcomers to Johannesburg to settle into their life in a new city.

The IWC is first and foremost a friendship club bringing together women of all nationalities and walks of life. They meet once a month at the Bryanston Country Club, where they will have a guest speaker and have a chance to socialize, and they also have a monthly activity where they will visit a place of interest, this month for example they plan to visit the holocaust and genocide centre and the following month a pottery class has been organized. You can also participate in various other special interest groups like book clubs, travel club, garden club, MahJong and bridge club.

Although they are not a charitable organization, they do however participate in various charity drives throughout the year, like Santa Shoebox and blanket and animal food collections.

Like many organizations they too were hard hit by Covid and as a result they saw dwindling membership numbers, but slowly it starting to pick up again.

As a number of members are only here for a finite time and move on to other parts of the world or return to their country of origin, it means that the friendships that have been forged during their stay in South Africa are far reaching and often long lasting.

It was lovely that fellow IWC member Liz Wolhuter was able to join the meeting as well as being able to greet Rita Millan from Rotary Club of Northcliff.

As young Tutty Faber was unable to receive his 100% attendance badge at President Ann's induction, she pinned it to his chest at the Friday meeting. Well done Tutty!

Rotarians, People of Action.....

"Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves"

This past weekend Rotarians Costa Qually, Jean Bernardo, Sybille Essmann and Rotary Ann Shirley Eustace had the most profound opportunity to make a difference in a few hapless souls  lives, when we were invited to be part of a group of 11 volunteers headed up by powerhouse Marilyn Bassin of the Boikanyo - Dion Herson Foundation who had identified the Sivenathi Care Home in a community on the outskirts of Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape which takes care of 36 severely mentally and physically disabled persons, who were in desperate need for specialized mobility devices. The other driving force behind this initiative was Ruth Stubbs of The Paige Project, who is a vastly experienced occupational therapist, specializing in the treatment of persons born with cerebral palsy. Kerry, a young comm serv occupational therapist, who singlehandedly heads up the OT department at the Victoria Hospital in Alice was our girl at the coal face who was tasked to identify the children and persons who would be receiving a wheelchair.

The preparation for this outreach started months ahead of time. The mobility devices had to be individually prepared and shipped down to the Eastern Cape. Our fellow Rotarian Anne Padmore employed all her connections to organize Value Logistics who transported the wheelchairs, equipment, 171 blankets and ePap, generously donated by the Croswell family and Marilyn Bassin. All free of charge!

Flights to East London had to be booked, accommodation organized, we needed a vehicle big enough to carry 11 persons plus luggage, food parcel donations had to be organized.... and the People of Action stepped up to the plate

We were indeed humbled to see how an impoverished community manages to survive with dignity and with what minimal resources they have to make do. There is no running water, electricity is sporadic and by all accounts the refuse removal is non-existent, the result of which was that we saw two of the children having been bitten by rats. As the care home did not have a First-Aid kit Dr Shirley Eustace headed for town to obtain an anti-biotic and buy the necessary resources to  clean  and bandage the offending sores.

Nevertheless it must be said that we no doubt made a difference to the quality of life of these desperate souls.

Please look at the makeshift wheelchair this young man had to make do with.

Before and after.

We also managed to refurbish a number of old wheelchairs . We even found one that had been donated by Rotary Great Britain & Ireland.

In between we also handed out much needed blankets, because it can get bitterly cold in that part of the world.

The caregivers are the unsung heroes of this care centre and as a small token of gratitude Boikanyo donated food parcels to them and their families. They also each received a blanket donated by the Rotary Club of Rosebank

This Friday....

...Join the meeting either in person or via Zoom when Roger Wedlake will educate us on Anti-Aging Part 2.

Please let Ann know whether you will be attending in person, so that Ann can order sufficient pizzas.

 

A Fitting Start to the Rotary Year - an Induction to remember

 From the Pen of the President....

1^st July 2022

Good evening everyone – thank you for being here to share this occasion and the first day of the Rotary year. I am honoured to be able to start the 68^th year of this Club as President.

IMAGINE ROTARY – our theme.

Imagine all the opportunities out there for us to be of service? Imagine Rotary getting bigger!

Imagine Rosebank starting another Interact Club? Or a Community Corp with the community of Charity Begins with Me. Imagine partnering with other Clubs and doing greater things!!

We are a hybrid club and will continue to be one – it takes some adjusting but we are able to be much more diverse if we really get it right. You know what they say about change.

While the emphasis is, as always, on attaining new members, I would like to honour those members who have been Rotarians for over 45 years. Not their age – age is just a number!!

Tutty Faber – 47 years

David Bradshaw – 46 years

Howard Johnston and Ken Stonestreet – 45 years

Rosebank has many members with a wealth of experience – I am here to learn from them all.

With COVID all but behind us, we can take off again and fly. And post COVID the need is almost greater than ever before.

Plans for the coming year are already in the pipeline – Careers Day, Youth Leadership course, Spruit Clean up, Rotary Exchange and Quiz fundraiser, online quizzes and skittles evenings. We will persevere with the cervical cancer initiative and continue to have fun as we go.

The goals I have saved on Club Central need discussion and agreement.

Polio Plus, Rotary Foundation, increase in members, joint projects, training and Action Groups.

The board for the year 2022/2023 is as follows:

Costa Qually - Foundation Chair and Executive Secretary

Mike Honnet – Secretary

John Symons – holder of the purse strings and keeper of gold!

David Bradshaw – membership, Almoner, Speaker Programme

Sybille Essmann – Public Relations and Community Service Chair

Lenore Terreblanche – International Committee Chair

Jean Bernardo – Youth Chair,

Lyn Collocott – Environment Chair “Madam Black Jack”

Sonja Hood – Fund Raiser and Social Fairy

Pam Donaldson – Club Services

Anne Padmore - Master Sergeant

Les Short – man with the knowledge and the stick/ or spoon

 

Thank you – Jean and Sybille for your help. Thank you  Josh and Ketya.

Thank you De La Salle for the venue!!

A club is only as good as its members – we have GREAT members so let’s be GREAT.

 

Last Friday...

Who remembers the presidential induction of 2020, when Jean Bernardo handed over the baton to Ann Hope-Bailie? It was during hard lockdown with the strictest of curfews, and only Jean, Ann and Paul Harris recipient Jennette Horner congregated at Ann's house for the ceremony. The rest of us witnessed it on Zoom. Last year 2021 we lived in hope that we could induct Costa Qually as president at a live ceremony. Sadly it was not to be as we were swept into the third Covid wave, and had to cancel in the last minute.

Once again Ann hosted less than a  handful of people at her home where she placed the presidential chain around Costa Qually's neck. 

How grateful we all are that last Friday we could have a fitting presidential Induction with all the pomp and ceremony this auspicious occasion deserves. 

The loadshedding gods looked favourably on our festivities and although we were prepared for all eventualities the lights remained on. 

We were honoured to greet PDG Jankees Schligcher and his lovely wife PP Judy from New Dawn, PP Grace van Zyl from Rotary Club of Johannesburg and her husband, PP Val Thompson from Rotary Club of Sandton as well as old friends of our club Peter and Jean James-Smith.

It was wonderful that two of our exchange students were able to join us. Tsjamo Nyato was accompanied by his very proud mom Johanna and aunt. Tsjamo will be going to France next year.

Emma von Benecke has been accepted on the Rotary Exchange Student program and will be going to Germany, and when she was interviewed her mother Michelle expressed an interest in joining Rotary, and it was fitting that incoming President Ann's first duty of office was to induct Michelle as our newest member.

PP and  Assistant Governor (AG) for our club  Jean Bernardo was our Master of Ceremonies for the evening and regaled us with some choice jokes and stories and made sure that protocol was observed.

She introduced the various members to toast our land - Howard Johnston, Rotary International - PGD Ken Stonestreet and to our Rotary Club of Rosebank - David Bradshaw. PP Costa paid a moving tribute to Jerry Bernardo, who passed away in August 2021 and PP Lyn Collocott was asked to say grace and only one person could recite the Four Way Test with the fervour it deserved and that was PP Melodene Stonestreet.

As part of outgoing President Costa's report he presented Ken and Melodene Stonestreet, Jean Bernardo, Ann Hope Bailie, David Bradshaw, Sybille Essmann and himself with 100% Attendance badges.

Furthermore, John Symons received a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition for his invaluable and ongoing contribution as treasurer and Board member of the club, and David Bradshaw was awarded the Jack Boswell's President's Trophy for the many duties and activities he has performed for the benefit of the club. Both well deserving recipients.

It did not come as a surprise to any of the members, but Sonja Hood was taken completely unawares when she was named a Paul Harris Fellow in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given to the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world. Well done Sonja!!

And the highlight of the evening of course was when outgoing President Costa  inducted our new President for the Rotary year 2022/2023 Ann Hope-Bailie and awarded her with the Chain of Office, which she will no doubt wear with pride.

The food was delicious, beverages, generously donated by Ann and Sonja, were plentiful, the fellowship was palpable and a good time was had by everyone!

This Friday...

We welcome Helen Langridge of the International Women's Club of Johannesburg,  

an organization which offers the hand of friendship, networking, socializing and support to newcomers and expats living in Gauteng South Africa.