From the Pen of the President...
Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,
This past weekend I had the wonderful experience of joining on an Outreach with the Boikanyo Foundation. It was a fun group, it was heart-wrenching, REAL, it was rewarding – it was everything and more. We live in a country where people need to depend on charitable organizations to get the care and service that they deserve from the Health Department. However, let me say that we worked for 2 days at the Thebe Hospital in Harrismith (the municipality is under government review due to debt) – it was run down, has shortages but was clean, and the people we encountered were enthusiastic and doing their jobs.
The cerebral palsied patients that Boikanyo see have been assessed and seen previously in the health system, but the beauty of what we did there was really that they got more professional service, donated ePap for a year, blankets, and refurbished buggies – we gave them a boost (especially their parents). They come from very impoverished communities, they struggle to get transport, they are just amazing.
There are so many photographs to share but you would have to have been there to experience the smiles on some of the faces to know what it all meant. Our club is doing a good thing by helping, donating and working for all those charities out there that need support – please let us keep being of service – we are needed and appreciated.
This coming Friday I challenge you all to either learn how to go online to My Rotary, access E Learning and Club Runner OR assist another member to do so. Bring your devices, laptops etc to the meeting, join via Zoom and get assistance, call a member who is not there and ask if they need help.
On 15th April we are gathering in numbers at Jean’s house to sew, knit, shoot the breeze, bring along your donations and your money, assist the sewers – every member is being asked to make a contribution in one way or another – we are in this together and have 1500 children, teenagers to give something to for winter.
Thank you and enjoy the week.
Ann Hope-Bailie
Last Friday...
.... the monthly social meeting only had the in-person option available, as both our President and tech-fundi and her stand-in Costa, who normally takes over the tech duty when Ann is not available, were away on a Madiba Buggy outreach to deepest Freestate.
And as the Ramble's Editor-in-Chief resides in the Cape and normally attends virtually, she asked duty sergeant Michelle von Benecke to be her eyes and ears at the meeting:
Hi Sybille,
so there were 11 Rotarians in attendance for our social meeting today. Lyn Collocott presided as president in Ann’s stead.
Even though there were no Zoom Rotarians to up the numbers, the mood was very jolly and great fun with pizza was had by all.
I was doing sergeant duties and focused attention on-this-day-in-history and related jokes. I also had to explain my Meyers-Briggs personality type (INTJ) and shared Emma’s economics project I helped with this week.
Lyn shared her latest NetFlix craze … watching the conspiracy theories around the MH370. Apparently all very believable.
But Les was not as convinced and explained in detail how aviation routes can be intercepted via satellite phones and special console plug-in devices.
Various other conspiracy theories were also discussed.
Roger Wedlake is very involved in a secondary school in Hillbrow called Newgate College and has appealed to all to donate bookcases and books for their new library. They are very well run, have a 100% matric pass rate and reading is actively encouraged at home and school.
Lyn reminded all of the sew-knit- crochet-a-thon at Jean’s house in April. Keep the goodies streaming in. All well worth it.
Thank you Michelle, you did a sterling job!
Exchange Student Emma prepares for a German Easter....
This week the decoration of the Easter eggs started. An Emma had to do them in the Sorbian tradition.
In Slavic tribes (and in much of northern Europe) the gifting of elaborately decorated eggs goes back to pagan times. Eggs are the symbol of fertility, and the rebirth of nature after a long cold winter.When Christianity established itself the eggs were incorporated into the new religion, as a symbol of Jesus Christ's resurrection.
She also baked some rusks for the family. After they dried out the dad ate five on the spot and mom had three, so clearly real treat and a hit!
Emma's European tour with the other exchnge students is fast approaching and her host dad asked her to design their tops. Se was so thrilled and honoured to receive this assignment, and by the looks of things she did not disappoint.
This would be on the front and back of the tops they will be wearing.
The tour route is impressive.
This Friday...
Although it is the fifth Friday of the month, there will be a meeting: ClubRunner and Rotary Data 101, which will be an informative and hands-on session to make sure everyone will be brought into the 21st Century s far as technology is concerned.
Please bring along your Smart phones and your laptops, if you have.
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