From the Pen of the President....
Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,
Jennifer Jones reports back on the survey done amongst members – “what’s most important is for everyone in every Rotary club to speak up and listen to one another. We should never be afraid to share with our fellow Rotary member what we expect to get out of our membership and have an open discussion about how to make that happen.” Sound advice.
I picked up on the Inter District Friendship Exchange – who is keen – I am!! Not everyone can afford overseas travel, but a visit to another district in South Africa for example, could be fun and we would host a group from there in exchange!! Let me know if you are keen.
It is half way through the Rotary year – we need to start looking at our goals!!
Have a great week and keep well.
Ann
Last Friday...
...we had the privilege of a visit by Tim Truluck who is no stranger to our club, as he had addressed us on a previous occasion in 2015 when he gave us an account of the history of Linden.
Tim's background is in environment as he studied Environmental Science and he has always been community orientated, joining the resident association before becoming a councillor.
He has been the Ward Councillor for Ward 117, comprising of the area we call the "Parks" as well as parts of Blairgowrie, Zoo Lake and the Johannesburg Zoo and the Braamfontein Spruit for the past 12 years, representing the Democratic Alliance.
His role is admirable given the many pressures and stresses of the
position. He maintained that proper maintenance and upgrading of basic services
had taken place for more than twenty years but that it would take 20 years of a
stable political coalition to rebuild these systems.
He gave the club a glimpse
into the behind-the-scenes machinations of the City Council of Johannesburg. It
is a deteriorating system in which the government agencies are unable to
operate efficiently - for a number of reasons - and this has created a downward
spiral in municipal services.
Tim urged those who were able to, to install
solar panels, gas heated cylinders and boreholes.
The suggestion was raised
that ratepayers should stop paying rates, but Tim advised against this, saying
it would worsen the situation immensely and that interest would be added to the
account for which the ratepayer was liable, although he acknowledged that there
are communities who, for historical reasons, are not paying for lights and
water.
The valuation roll for Johannesburg is being published on 8 February
2023, and will be in place for the next five years. R7billion Rand has been set aside by the city for infrastructure upgrades.
He guided the Rotarians on
how to appeal against high property valuations and suggested that proper
valuations (not by estate agents, but by a qualified valuer) be part of the
defence plea.
Tim considers himself the top boule player in Parkhurst but he will have to take a break from this pastime activity as he will be undergoing a hip replacement in the near future and we collectively wish him all success and a speedy recovery.
The Friday attendees also had the opportunity of wishing Ken and Melodene on their anniversary in person.
Exchange Student Emma's weekly Check-in....
It was Emma's 17th birthday last Monday the 30th of January and her host family celebrated her in style by baking her two birthday cakes.
Emma is certainly getting her fill of historical sights right on her doorstep. This magnificent castle in Bad Muskau is only 12 km from Weißwasser.
Not only will Emma be an ace fencer by the time she returns home, her bags are packed to set off on a skiing adventure on the Austrian border.
Emma will soon be proficient in German, but she is also teaching her host family a bit of Afrikaans.
Sybille visits the Rotary Club of Stanford....
The Rotary Club of Stanford might only have 9 members, but what it lacks in numbers it makes up in energy and enthusiasm. They meet every second Tuesday of the month at Egret and the Owl Book Cafe and on this occasion they had three Rotary visitors, two from the UK, swallows that spend half a year in Hermanus as well as a Rotary visitor from Norway. Besides yours truly there were two further visitors who could be potential members.
As it is such a small club everyone mucks in. Every last Friday of the month Stanford holds a sunset market, where Rotary sells raffle tickets for three hampers filled with local wines and fare and at the January market they managed to raise R3 650 for their projects.
Save the date for a Quiz Challenge against RC Esbjerg, Denmark....
Our quiz convenor David Bradshaw is getting ever more ambitious and has managed to confirm a Quiz Challenge against the Rotary Club of Esbjerg, Denmark on Wednesday 22nd of February.
They have announced it in their calendar and so far 22 of their members are attending, and no doubt we will match them in numbers and in brainpower.
This Friday....
... we welcome another Friend of Rotary, Eric Dabbs, who will give us insights into the history of Ukraine.
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