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