From the Pen of the President...
Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,
Thank you all for everything you do for our club. The DG visit went well and she was so impressed with everything she saw.
I am so proud to be at the helm right now.
The participation and enthusiasm of our cleanup on Saturday showed just what I believe.
Keep doing what you are doing.
Yours in Rotary.
Ann
Last Friday...
... we had the great pleasure and honour of welcoming our District Governor Koekie Makunyane- Quashie and her husband PDG Kobla (who Koekie lovingly referred to as her driver) to our meeting.
We were privileged to have been graced by the presence of PDG Francis Callard and his wife Janet, who too holds the title of PDG Ann, and also PDG Martin Forsythe-Thompson and his wife Christina who is the current DG Ann. And of course let us not forget our very own PDG Ken Stonestreet.
DG Koekie had been presented with our Club goals and financials ahead of the meeting and overall she feels that we are an exceptionally well-run club, that we are a "giving" club and that our Fellowship activities are impressive.
Koekie had recently met RI President Jennifer Jones in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, the first stop of her worldwide Imagine Impact Tour. Ghana, Kenya and Zambia were her next destinations and her plan is to visit 10 different countries during her tenure, speaking to heads of State and spreading awareness of Rotary's ongoing battle against the scourge of Polio and showcasing Rotary's Projects of Scale.
It is abundantly evident how impressed Koekie is of Jennifer's achievement of becoming the first female RI president.
We were shown a piece of art with Jennifer's signature on it which is to be put up for auction, the proceeds of which will go into the coffers of the RI Foundation for the fight against Polio.
Jennifer would like us to wear our Rotary pins and tell our Rotary story with pride.
Above all she would like us to keep Rotary alive, relevant and fun.
The annual District Conference (Discon) will be held on the 27th/28th of April 2023 in eSwathini and PDG Kobla Quashi heads up the planning committee. He presented some compelling reasons as to why we should not miss attending this event. It is to be held at the eSibayeni Lodge, outside Matsapha, the costs are to be kept low, there will be lots of singing and dancing and celebrations of Rotary's achievements.
President Ann and AG Jean Bernardo were gifted with an Imagine Rotary pin and a colourful Swazi shopper and in return DG Koekie received a spekboom plant.
World Cleanup Day hits our 'hood....
Saturday the 17th of September was World Cleanup Day, and in collaboration with numerous community Forums the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn under the guidance of eco-activist Babette Gallard undertook to rid 25 km of the Braamfontein Spruit of waste in the water and on the banks of this otherwise beautiful river.
We had been allocated a stretch of river frontage in the Delta Park and throughout the morning Rotary Rosebank volunteers wearing protective gloves and armed with rakes, spades and pitch forks collected debris and litter and deposited into heavy duty refuse bags.
Even our Rotary Exchange Student Tsjamo Nyato pitched in, wanting to make a difference.
Hats off to New Dawn for organizing such a successful river cleanup and a big thank you to all the Rotary Rosebank volunteers who once again proved that we are People of Action.
A Rewarding Rosebank Rotary Anns Bridge Drive....
The morning was warm and sunny.
The Petria plant in St. Michael’s garden blazed forth in all its purple glory.
It was the first Ann’s Bridge Drive in almost three and a half years.
I have been a regular attendee for a number of years and was delighted to find that the event was still run with its usual slick precision.
I arrived early and found a number of Anns already in the kitchen preparing the platters of food for the scrumptious tea which is one of the highlights of the morning.
The tables were covered in red cloths, all waiting for the 96 participants to arrive.
The table in the front was laden with prizes for lucky draws, raffle tickets and bridge winners.
One doesn’t always appreciate the effort put in by the Anns to get sponsors for some of the prizes.
A wonderful time was had by all.
R24 800 was raised.
The beneficiaries will be the Khanyisela Project in the Northern Drakensberg and and a few others and it is pleasing to know that all players did their little bit to help improve literacy in this rural area.
Lyn Collocott
This Friday....
....we welcome Speaker – Sifiso Gumbi
Recycler (2008 - 2017)
2013 he established GM Green Projects and used the business to spread awareness about recycling and to teach people in the township about how they can use waste to earn a living. He was involved in community clean-up projects and clearing spaces around the community. In 2015 he established Ubuhle Bekusasa Recycling, operating a chain of buy back centres where he worked with waste collectors, buying over 10 tons of recyclables daily.
Urban Surfer (2018 - date)
He joined Urban Surfer in 2018, and with his vast knowledge of the informal sector he helped develop solutions for informal reclaimers. He works closely on projects with reclaimers on the ground as well as engaging with government and corporate companies to create awareness about supporting informal reclaimers.
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