30 June 2023: A wonderful induction dinner for President Costa Qually, Emma visits a Prince, we look forward to the new year and the DG's visit....

From the pen of the President...

My new year as President started off with a most enjoyable induction dinner and the good
wishes of many of our members. An aim of mine is to encourage a greater level of social and
fun events in the coming year where friendships with a wider number of our members can
develop. Your thoughts and suggestions in this regard will be welcome.

Many thanks to Ann for her year as President and for achieving almost all her goals. We look
forward to input from DG Riana Pretorius on the club’s activities and plans for the coming
year. 

Keep up the support and the good work that you have given to our club in the past year!

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece
Those that are hardest to love need it most - Socrates 

2023 Induction dinner

 Ann Hope-Bailie, the President for 2022-2023, and the 2023-2024 President, Costa Qually, hosted a wonderfully relaxed, yet inspiring induction dinner. The dinner was held at a Thai restaurant and the club was honoured to have District Governor Riana Pretorius presenting the awards.  

 Here are some photos (thanks to our photographers Jean, Jan and Lyn) of the Induction dinner.

The following District 9400 "Service above Self" awards were given to these members to recognise their outstanding achievements and we congratulate them all: 

Bernard Neuhaus

Tutty Faber

David Bradshaw

Ken Stonestreet

John Symons

Les Short

Our Club also won a Public Image certificate for the Rosebank Rotary Facebook page.

Ken Stonestreet, David Bradshaw and Tutty Faber a receiving their "SERVICE ABOVE SELF" awards from the DG, Riana Pretorius. 

 

Two Paul Harris awards were recognised: Marilyn Bassin and Patrick Bosch for their sterling work in the Boikanyo project. A cheque for 11 000 British pounds was awarded to them on behalf of the Rotary Club of Kendal (United Kingdom). This money is for the Boikanyo project, which aims to alleviate the suffering of CP children and adults in remote rural areas by providing wheelchairs and 'prams'.

 

                    The Rotary Anns were also recognised for their contribution to a successful year.

To reflect the lively spirit of the evening here are some photos, so that the details of the colourful event can be seen, re-lived and appreciated!  

 

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News from Emma, our exchange student....

Emma's week reads like the diary of a princess! Emma stayed with a Rotary host family - who introduced her to the Prince of Hesse, whose family own a number of wine farms in Radebeul, Germany. Hesse is a state in Germany, one of the sixteen German states. 

       Here are photos of the wine plantations at the Prince of  Hesse’s home in Radebeul, Germany:

                                                        
                                                            The current Prince of Hesse    

The Hesse family boasts a lineage through its ancestors to influential families in many parts of Europe. The current Prince of Hesse is a distant cousin of Prince Philip. If you would like more details of this family's ancestry, just shout!

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Looking forward to the year ahead.

The Rotary year begins on 1 July each year. The 9400 District Governor Riana Pretorius will be visiting our club on Friday this week (Friday 7 July 2023) and we encourage you to attend so that you can meet your 2023-2024 DG. On Friday 7 July we have a talk by Brooks Spector on The new balance of power between the US, CHINA, JAPAN and the EU. On Friday 14 July, the topic for Rosebank Rotarian Brigid Booth's talk is "MY STORY". 

The new theme for 2023 is Create Hope in the World! In keeping with this theme, this quote by Thoreau is appropriate: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!"

Many thanks to Sybille for helping me to navigate a way through the infamous Blogger to get this edition to you!  The Rosebank Ramble will continue to keep you informed of  all the exciting Rosebank Rotary projects and events that are planned for the 2023-2024 year....

 

 

A Business Meeting and a visitor from RC Oyster Bay Dar es Salaam, The Anns honour one of their own, and Emma attends a Rotex Conference.....

 From the Pen of the President.....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

This is the last time I will be writing a few words as President. Thank you for making my year a very enjoyable one.

I have just been updating our Goals for the year and our Service Projects – I only see one goal that we did not achieve. Missing the membership goal does not bother me too much as we gained 6 members and lost 6 members – this is life!!

We have completed our projects, except for handing over the clothes, books and blankets to Charity Begins with Me. We have had lots of fun, paid our dues and served our charities and communities.

Nothing more is asked of you all as Rotarians – have fun, and be of service!!

Thank you for your efforts, your participation and friendship.

 

Let’s CREATE HOPE IN THE WORLD for the next year.

Ann

 

Last Friday....

....We welcomed the Assistant Governor of District 9214 (Uganda and Tanzania) Aisha Saicks to

our club and the customary banners were exchanged. Aisha is also the Immediate Past President of Oyster Bay Club in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The regular quizzers in our club might also remember that we extended a quiz challenge to them not that long ago.

Aisha was asked to tell us a little more about her club.

Oyster Bay Club is the largest Rotary Club in Dar es Salaam. 

The club was awarded a prize for diversity, representing 14 nationalities with ages ranging from 26 to 82 years.

Some of the signature projects of the Club are:

 Sponsoring Scholarships for post-secondary qualifications at local universities and

colleges.

 The ‘Empowering Girls’ project. With this project they partnered with the largest

TV and Radio station in a programme highlighting menstrual health and hygiene.

The club's biggest and most lucrative fundraiser is the annual Goat Race, which is in its third year now.

Please note: No goats come to any harm. The event is well sponsored by corporates and wealthy individuals. Tickets are sold and the more expensive VIP tickets entitles the holder to mingle and watch the race from a separate, luxurious enclosure. The citizens of Dar es Salaam (especially the ex-pat community) support the goat race generously.

Last Friday was also the final business meeting for the 2022/23 Rotary year.

This was no doubt a bitter-sweet moment for our outgoing President Ann, who will be adorning incoming President Costa with the Presidential chain next Friday evening at his induction which will be held at the 2 Thai 4 Restaurant in Illovo.

Unfortunately the handover of the clothes, blankets and books to Charity Begins with Me that was supposed to have taken place on Saturday the 24th June had to be postponed as Stephan Ferreira is taking some well deserved R&R. A new date will be communicated soon.

Treasurer John Symons reported that the club finances were in good order and Ann extended a heartfelt thank you to him for all his hard work during the year even from his sickbed.

David Bradshaw, who heads up the membership portfolio  reported that this has been very much an ‘up and down’ year.

Six new members were inducted during the course of the year, but sadly the club lost 7 members which means  the club ends the year with a membership of 33. Rotarians were urged to invite friends to the club. 

In his role as almoner David  also always keeps contact with members or past members who cannot or can no longer attend meetings for various reasons.

On July 7th the new District Governor Riana Pretorius will be visiting our club.

Youth Committee Chair Jean Bernardo thanked her team for their enthusiasm and willingness to get involved in the various youth projects. Unfortunately the Senior Youth Leadership course has to change venue and will be communicated once the new venue has been decided on.

We are expecting a new Rotary Exchange Student to arrive from Norway soon. Michelle von Benecke, whose daughter Emma is living her best life as an Exchange student in Germany has agreed to act as host mom and  she will be going to school at Helpmekaar School.

Rotarians are urged to get involved by inviting the exchange student to outings and generally making her stay in South Africa pleasant and memorable.

Lyn Collocott, who heads up the Environment portfolio reported that the annual Braamfontein Spruit clean-up, organized by the Rotary Club of New Dawn  is scheduled for 17 September. It has been proposed that the residents of Blairgowrie, Craighall Park, Parkhurst and Greenside join forces to promote the day.

It is a perfect event to showcase that Rotarians are people of action.

Lenore Terblanche, whose portfolio involves fostering international ties, reports that there are various leads that can be followed up in the new Rotary year, such as connecting with the overseas clubs that send Rotary exchange students to be hosted by us or the clubs who are hosting our exchange students.

The ties that we have forged with Kendal Rotary Club (UK) will be reinforced. 

The importance of the PR portfolio was highlighted. Club projects and activities are showcased in our weekly newsletter, and in that way come to the attention of the editor of Rotary Africa, who regularly makes mention of them in their monthly publication.

Last but by no means least outgoing President Ann was given a heartfelt thank you on behalf of the club for steering the club so ably in the past year. 

And what did the Anns get up to?

 

From the funds raised at the 2022 Bridge Drive, the Anns donated five ceiling fans and a Smart television to Sally's Workshop at San Salvador.  In addition, we donated a garden bench with a plaque which read:  "In memory of Joan Burgess, Director, San Salvador 1988 to 1992.  Donated by Rosebank Rotary Anns".

 

A group of Anns, Rotarians and the Burgess family attended the official handover at San Salvador on a bright, cold Tuesday 20th June.  The Burgess family were represented by Ken and Joan's son Shaun, his wife Carol and their son Marc. Margie Austin, Penny Robinson, Liz Short, Jane Symons and Diana Serrurier represented the Anns, and were joined by Pam Donaldson and Brigid Booth from the Rotary Club of Rosebank. Ronelle Sartor, the General Manager, welcomed the group and explained about the home and Sally's Workshop which currently employs about 40 beneficiaries from Alexander Township who receive a small stipend for their work, as well as support for the families of those in great need.  The home houses intellectually disabled women from 18 years to the oldest who is 82.  The ceiling fans were provided for the workshop and were a great help in cooling down the rooms during the summer heat.  The TV is used not only for entertainment but also for educational videos for the beneficiaries.  The bench is placed in a shady spot in the garden where it is already in use.

 

A brief history of Joan Burgess's involvement with San Salvador was given by Liz, mentioning that the weekly Ramble used to be duplicated at Sally's Workshop for the Rotary meetings and that the club had enjoyed a series of Italian cooking lessons by Lorenzo in the kitchen.  The Anns' meetings were held in the dining room and when Joan was President they lasted 20 minutes with her efficient leadership!  Joan was also the instigator and organiser of a number of "Non Talent Nights" which involved every single Rotarian and Ann performing whether they had any talent or not.  The best act was Mark Franklin and Barry Coetzee (both 6ft 6 ins) with Roger Lloyd and Wynand Viljoen dancing the pas de quartre from Swan Lake, complete with tutus and hairy armpits. 

 

The handover was a very happy occasion with Ronelle stressing how much they appreciated our support and that everything we had done would be to honour Joan.  Their needs are great and any ongoing support in the form of goods, jumble etc. would always be welcome.  After the official handover the group was treated to tea and coffee with delicious cake and fruit. 

 

Emma attends District Rotex Conference in Leipzig...

Over the last two weeks Emma went on a trip to Leipzig with her high school, Landau Gymnasium. It was fortuitous that her school trip coincided with the District Rotex Conference which took place there.

She was so happy to meet up with her South African friend Alex at the conference. He is also a long-term exchange student based in Italy, busy with his European Tour. He comes from Vereeniging.

The past weekend she was hanging out in Dresden, as her friend Clarissa from Brazil is on her way home after a year in Germany. They went to a little town called Meissen. Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about 25 km northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche.

This Friday...

A Worthy Recipient of the prestigious Lester Connock Award, The Anns have been busy and Exchange Student Emma appears in the local German Newspaper....

 From the Pen of the President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends, 

Not many public holidays fall on a Friday - this week we celebrate Youth Day. In Rotary terms we know a lot about working with young people and it is so rewarding.

The year is drawing to a close and we will be finishing off our big project on the 24th when we hand out close on 500 items of clothing, 5 boxes of books and some blankets to the folk at Charity Begins with Me. If you have sewing to complete or items to donate please get them to us by 23rd. 

The Rotary Club of Kendal so generously donated money to us as part of a District Grant for Boikanyo  - I let the cat out of the bag and called Marilyn - she was speechless. It does not happen often!! Great to know the money will be used for the next outreach. I have seen some of the recipients in photos - heartbreaking. 

Hoping to see you all at our induction dinner on 30th June - one thing we do well is party!!

The cold has hit....keep yourselves warm.

Ann

Last Friday....

Rotarian Les Short gave some insightful background  to the origins of the Lester Connock Commemoration Fund Award. During World War 2 Tara Hospital in Johannesburg was used as a recuperation centre for soldiers. One ward was set apart as a psychiatric ward. After the war Hymie Moross realized the need for the psychiatric ward nurses and medical professionals at Tara Hospital to get sponsorship for advanced training overseas. Lester Connock was a member of Rosebank Rotary and he chose to become involved in this project. Lester made sure that when Hymie Moross was no longer involved the project continued. The award is now called the Lester Connock Commemoration Fund Award in honour of this Rotarian.

The Rosebank Rotary club have sponsored a number of nurses who had previously proved to be outstanding leaders in their field to be sent to the UK and  Australia for training. In time, however. overseas training became exorbitantly expensive and the project changed direction to sponsoring students for training in the field of nursing in South Africa.

For the last 10 to 11 years, Shelley reported, the Rosebank Rotary club has been sponsoring the studies of outstanding second year Masters students at Wits Medical School.

 Last year’s recipient of the award, Zamakuhle Mguli, recounted how she had been researching in her Master’s degree the processes within oncology treatment at Milpark Hospital, especially the communication systems that involved ‘Navigators’. Zamakuhle explained that a ‘Navigator’ can be compared to a GPS system – it’s the navigator that ensures you reach your destination! The ’Navigators’, like herself, do everything in their power to remove any barriers in the treatment processes. She has identified some of these barriers in her research.

This year’s recipient of the Lester Connock award, Ntombikayise Kgosana, was accompanied by her supervisor Kerry-Ann Singarem, who attested to her protégé’s dedication and hard work in her field. Ntombi explained to the club that her Master’s degree is a Child Nursing Specialization, focused particularly on the neonatal patients. In the past, parents had been excluded from the treatment of these babies whilst they were in hospital. Ntombi believes strongly in a holistic approach to treatment and is campaigning for the inclusion of the parents in the hospital treatment processes from the beginning of the child’s life. She thanked the Rosebank Rotary Club for the award and sponsorship to further her research.

Blanket Drive update.

David gave an update on the successful Blanket Drive; there were generous sponsors. The club had a friendly rivalry with Morningside Rotary Club regarding Blanket Drives – but it was decided that we’d won this year. The logistics around the distribution of the blankets was explained.

'Charity begins with me’ project.

On 24 June 2023, the many items which were sewn or knitted at our two Sew-a-Thon events will be handed over to Stephan of  ‘Charity Begins with Me’ who made it his mission to make sure that 1500 children in the informal settlements in the Durban Deep area have something warm to wear this winter. The club members have worked hard to complete tops, tracksuits, blankets and beanies to donate to this charity  No doubt our endeavours will contribute to Stephan's ambitious target. .

Induction Dinner

The Presidential Induction Dinner arrangements are being finalized for the 30^{th of} June 2023. Please let Costa know whether you’re attending, for catering purposes.

Madiba Buggy Project

In July a team of volunteers which include The Boikanyo Foundation under the guidance of Marilyn Bassin and members of our Club is preparing to go down to the Jeffrey’s Bay area to custom fit specialized Buggies for cerebral palsy children and young adults whose mobility is severely compromised. This project will be run with the active co-operation of the Provincial Hospital in the area. Although most of the Buggies have already been refurbished President Ann made an appeal for two additional wheelchairs. 

 

Anns Activities....

Rotary Ann Hilary Humphries reports:

Rosebank Rotary Anns have recently been busy distributing knitted blankets, jerseys and beanies, as well as other winter clothes before the really cold winter weather sets in. The various charities we have supported are Charity Begins with Me, Door of Hope, Meals on Wheels, Dlala Nje (Ponte City), Acres of Love, Miracle Mission, Princess Alice Adoption Home and Woodside Sanctuary.

The knitted items are from our Busy Bee knitters at Golden Harvest, as well as the knitters among our own members and other donations.

 New clothing for the men, women and children at Woodside Sanctuary was purchased from funds raised during the year to help with their long “wish list” of needs.

The Anns were also happy to assist at the Rosebank Rotary sewing/knitting day to provide tracksuits, beanies etc for Charity Begins with Me, whose aim is to provide 1500 children with warm clothing. The day also proved to be a most enjoyable social occasion.

Rotary Exchange Student Emma makes it into the local Weißwasser Newspaper....

She shares what it is like living in Johannesburg with her concerns regarding safety and security and the challenges we are faced with loadshedding.

With her in the picture are her Rotary "parents" Steffen and Beatrice Noack.

In the past week Emma visited some picturesque parts of Franconia in northern Bavaria where she was on a very busy outreach with other Exchange students.

The distinct Franconian architecture is particularly evident in the cities of Nuremburg and Bamberg.

Next Friday...

...is a public holiday, Youth Day, and therefore there will be no meeting. The Rosebank Ramble will also take a break and the next edition will only be available on the 26th of June.

Our President went fishing while guest speakers Lorna and Linley tell us about a initiative to combat homelessness, Career's Day, Emma's exploits, Sybille in Stanford and David visits a Rotary Club in Romania....

From the Pen of the President....

No fish but great time with good friends, beautiful country and warm weather!! 

Please remember to bring potential members on Friday - nothing like Rotary and friendship!!--

Ann

Last Friday....

...We not only had two guest speakers to talk to the club about their endeavours to combat homelessness, but we also had a visiting Rotarian Lewis Lee from China gracing our presence. Lewis heads up Huawei in South Africa.

As is tradition Club banners were exchanged. 

Our guest speakers were Lorna Wridgway and Linley April, who both work for U-Turn Homeless Ministries.

U-Turn was founded in 1997 in Cape Town and there is no doubt that they have made a significant dent in combatting the problem of homelessness in the Mother City.

The end of 2022 saw the launch of U-Turn in Johannesburg, the first step of becoming a truly national organization. U-Turn has refined a four-phase skills development model that meets homeless clients where they are at, and walks the complete journey out of homelessness with them.

They have a very stable foot print in Cape Town where they have three transitional houses and have created work spaces for 136 "champions" as Linley calls their employees who work in their thrift shops, where they manage to generate an impressive income of  R35million per annum; but with running costs amounting to R700 000 per house, every cent earned is accounted for.

U-Turn's biggest challenge in Johannesburg is trying to find accommodation as they are unable to find affordable transitional housing for their "clients".

Linley is a seasoned minister and motivator and it was very evident how passionate he is about his role at U-Turn, where he says he has found his niche.

Lorna is involved in developing scalable training content for their Client Journey Model and she is assisting with the setup and management of new U-Turn Centres within Johannesburg.

Both Linley and Lorna can both be termed People of Action and they will no doubt work tirelessly in making a success of U-Turn in Johannesburg.

Rosebank Rotary's Gift to the Youth - a Career Choice...

A career is something that you will more than likely do for the rest of your active life, so you would definitely want to do something that you enjoy doing and that gives you satisfaction.

Choosing a career based on your passion will allow you to comfortably settle into your profession and excel while overcoming challenges with minimum effort. In a country where youth unemployment reaches almost 60% there are numerous obstacles. Hence, the more we are able to assist and support our youth to navigate these difficult waters, the better.

At Holy Family College in Parktown on a chilly Saturday winter’s morning, we had an array of exhibitions representing the ABCs of careers, ranging from accounting to animation, banking to beauty, construction to crypto currencies. 

PE Costa Qually opened the Careers’ Day and welcomed all.

 And then the school hall was abuzz with questions and explanations, demos and interactions. The Rotarians certainly had their hands full waitering coffee and scones up and down to keep presenters’ throats “well oiled” for the next set of waiting scholars.

Even though many of schools have already started writing exams the event was still well attended, although the numbers were marginally down from last year.

The presenters certainly made a difference to curious minds, which will hopefully help the scholars to find their place to contribute to a more prosperous and stable South African society.

A heartfelt thank you to Bela Carvalho from Holy Family College for the logistical arrangements, the schools attending and bussing their scholars on a early highveld winter’s morning, the Rosebank Rotarians ensuring that all felt welcome and looked after and our presenters that shared their knowledge, passion and insight.

(From the Pen of Michelle von Benecke)

Emma's Exploits...

Last week Emma spent some time at her host home, going to school, running errands like taking the cat to the vet and attending some birthday parties. Her councillor’s son turned 14 and Emma gifted him 3 lovely pairs of socks with hadedas, Cape Town and the Soweto towers on them which he wore the whole week! She visited her exchange student friends in Dresden, where they explored the city like the Blue Wonder Bridge (Loschwitzer Brücke) and ended up making tacos.

It was also the first time that she was allowed to catch the train on her own.

She is leaving today for a week to attend a Rotary outing with another district. She will be back on Saturday.

Safe travels and enjoy Emma....

And what is RC Stanford getting up to...

Sybille reports that in Stanford many children will benefit from RC Stanford's  Project Winter Warmth.

Last Thursday and Friday gogos, mothers and children arrived at the local community hall where they received a blanket and were also allowed to chose either a  beanie, scarf of neck warmer which had been lovingly knitted by a various ladies in the community.

The Stanford community is very supportive of Rotary projects and were very generous in donating funds to enable the club to purchase a substantial amount of blankets for this year's Project Winter Warmth.

David visits RC Timisoara in Romania....

The first club in Romania was the Bucharest club, founded 20 May 1929 4 days ahead of Timisoara.  

Rotary was banned in Romania when the Communists took over after the World War 2. 

David and his daughter Kirstie  had the opportunity of attending a meeting (held in a wine cellar). RC Timisoara has 70 members of which half are active. He exchanged banners with the Incoming President.  It was a very friendly evening, all members present spoke English and they were very keen to know more about our club and South Africa and even suggested an inter club Friendship Exchange. 

Picturesque Timisoara in Romania is only a two hour drive from Belgrade, which is in Serbia.

And some final photos taken in another pretty town called Zemun, 14 km from Belgrade on the Danube.

This Friday...

.... we will be presenting Ntombikayise Kgosana with this year's Lester Connock Award and Bursary.

Ntombi is a professional nurse working in the neonatal intensive care unit at a regional hospital in Tshwane.

She is a second year post graduate student pursuing a Masters Nursing Degree at the University of Witwatersrand.

She is passionate about improving nursing practice and healthcare outcomes, particularly maternal and child health. Her dedication to academic excellence is reflected in her status as a Golden Key recipient and the recipient of several undergraduate merit awards in leadership and academics.

For her master's programme, she has chosen to focus on family-centred care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), specifically implementing care-by-parent interventions in a regional hospital setting. This research area aligns with her belief that neonatal care should be approached holistically, considering the involvement of relevant family systems rather than focusing solely on individual care.

Ntombi's  application for this year's Lester Connock Award and bursary was compelling, and she will no doubt be able to put this bursary to good use for her thesis.

IT IS BRING-A-BUDDY FRIDAY, AND YOUR BUDDIES WILL BE WARMLY WELCOMED.