From the Pen of our President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

We managed another social meeting and had some success with technology this time – will it ever be right?

With our third wave on the horizon here, it is not clear how the socializing is going to go in the immediate future – let’s take it a day at a time. There are many more people in our circle that have contracted COVID at this stage than previously and also many of us who have had at least one dose of vaccine – a day at a time.

PDG Peter seems over the worst and is very positive, although Elaine is in hospital. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, along with Jeannette, Jean, Jerry and anyone else who may be ill.

 

We have an induction and new beginnings to a new Rotary year to think of in a month – a new theme, changes all around and lots to look forward to.  I went ahead with the board’s approval and bought 40 bricks towards the Rotary Exhibition Centre – for each of our members, plus a couple!!

 

You have all heard about Rotary’s Action Plan -or have you? (Action Plan | My Rotary)

“ to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt..”

There is so much information on the Action Plan – presentations, courses, guides and flyers – FAQs, Blogs and more – go ahead and read some of it – it is inspiring, makes one excited to be a Rotarian.

 

Keep safe, keep warm and be inspired!!

Yours in Rotary,

Ann

 

Last Friday.....

.....saw 14 members once again meet in person at Wanderers for our monthly social meeting with 7 members joining on Zoom.

We had some nail biting moments, as Wanderers WiFi had gone down, but Ann managed to purchase additional Gigs on her mobile phone and then used the device as a hotspot to connect to Zoom. As they say in the Classics " 'n Boer maak 'n Plan".

Michael Lamb was our Duty Sergeant and presented PDG Ken Stonestreet with a pair of Rotary suspenders, which, judging by the look on his face,  he was pretty chuffed to receive this unexpected gift.

Mike proceeded to regale us with some hilarious jokes and this anecdotal story was too good to relay, so I asked Mike to share it with us verbatim:

Many of us will have great memories about some of the projects we worked on in Rotary or have related anecdotal stories about our times in Rotary.

Here's mine in the latter category.

In 2008 I was on a  European Union mission in Bangladesh focussed on infrastructure development.

I and my project team were staying in a little hotel in Dhaka where I had stayed on previous missions there and developed a close friendship with the manager/owner.

We needed a little light relief one weekend so I decided to try and get a few six packs of beer. Not an easy exercise in a Muslim country!

I went to the manager’s office to enlist his support, the services of a “facilitator” and directions to source.

He had a distinguished visitor there, a doctor and Past Rotary District Governor.

I saw his Rotary badge and said that I too was a Rotarian. After some discussion, he asked what I was doing that Friday. I replied “Nothing” and he, there and then, invited me to be his guest at a major Rotary Banquet in honour of then Rotary International President, Wilf Wilkinson who was visiting Bangladesh as part of a world tour.

Introduced as a visiting Rotarian from South Africa, I was seated at Table #2 with the Past District Governor. During the evening’s proceedings, which were lengthy, I was invited to Table #1 to talk with Wilf Wilkinson. He told me that he was visiting South Africa in a few weeks time as part of his tour and wanted to ask me a number of questions about the country, my Rotary activities, my Club and the District’s activities. 

A few weeks later I was back in South Africa and at a District function arranged at the Sandton Sun Convention Centre to welcome visiting Rotary International President, Wilf Wilkinson.

I was talking to then Rosebank Rotary President, Kevin Wolhuter when the crowd separated  and Wilf Wilkinson walked up to me, gave me a hearty greeting, and we talked about our previous meeting. 

After Wilf moved on, I turned back to Kevin. Open mouthed, he said in amazement,

“You’ve only been a Rotarian for three months and already you know the Rotary International President!”

It was a moment to savour and remember! 

Apologies Kevin!

James's famous marmalade garnered a healthy R100 from Sybille for the Club coffers, and Ann taking a breather after tense moments with technology 

Our delightful exchange student Masego, or Momo as we have gotten to know her, has been wanting to share a special video she had made of her most precious memories of her stay in Thailand but had some challenges along the way, so finally last Friday she had the opportunity to present her video in person.

For those who missed it, or wish to watch it again, please click into the link and enjoy!

Momo's Thailand Memories

Calling all Quizzers....

This Wednesday the 3rd of June it's the Rosebank Gals versus the Guys, so here's a shout out for the Ann's to join in the fun and test your general knowledge.

Please let David Bradshaw or Ann Hope-Bailie know and they will gladly send you the Zoom link.

This Friday....

Our guest speaker will be Paul Channon.

Paul is a Director of AEC, the Alexandra Education Committee which creates opportunities for children of promise in Alex.

Paul was Headmaster at the Ridge School in Johannesburg from 1997-2014.During this time he attended the Harvard Principals Centre and was invited to be a sponsored fellow at Columbia University’s Klingenstein Centre.

Paul has close contacts with the Leadership of independent schools, having served as Chairman of the South African Heads of Independent Schools Association (SAHISA) and as Vice Chair of the Council of the International Confederation of Principals.

While in the ISASA/SAHISA leadership structures, Paul worked with the Wits Graduate School of Business to structure Executive Development Programme tailor-made for heads and senior leaders in the independent schools, the LDP, with an emphasis on enhancing financial skills and developing a strategic mindset.

A Business Meeting, The Anns head for the Wilds and DG Annemarie presides over her final Assembly and AGM

 From the Pen of our President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

I am getting my ducks in a row – getting an asset register in place, checking on our club goals, archiving photographs – ticking the boxes and dotting the i’s. And “about time too!!” you may say – it is like spring cleaning!! I can safely say that as a Club we are in good shape – we made our goals, paid our dues and have money in the bank!! I would like to make sure we look after our assets and archive our memories – please help me to collect photographs and digitize them to preserve our club history. Bring along any pictures you would like to have scanned or I will fetch them.

Check your garages and cupboards for banners or Club assets and we will try to take more care of them in future.

A week or so ago I mentioned the Rotary Exhibition Centre – we need to buy bricks to have our Club represented – I think we should buy 37 bricks @ R50 each – that is one per member – what do you think? Time is running out so please let me know.

DID YOU KNOW?? Rosebank is well represented in District – Jean Bernardo, Peter James Smith, Costa Qually, Kevin Wolhuter, James Croswell, Richard Moloney – when we have our social meeting this Friday, 28th May, at Wanderers - ASK THESE MEMBERS what they have been up to!! Then there is also David Bradshaw and Chrispin Matthieu – they are also busy behind the scenes – what are they doing??

There is always something to talk about – looking forward to seeing you all on Friday.

Yours in Rotary,

Ann

Last Friday.......

... was our monthly Business Meeting.

President Ann's tenure is nearing its end and PE Costa  asked us to save the date for his induction on Friday evening, the 2nd of July at the Old Johannians Club. It will be a formal occasion.

Pam Donaldson reported back on Attendance for the past month, which averaged out at 22 members per meeting. For now the plan is to continue with hybrid social meetings at the end of the month. It is felt that the need for Fellowship is great, and we will rather adhere to more stringent Covid regulations than forfeiting in person get-togethers. 

Last month quite a few of us paid our R50.- lunch money into the newly acquired Yoco Point of Sale and we ended up not having sufficient cash to pay for the pizzas. It is great being able to pay by credit card, so no doubt someone will be able to pick up the tab and then get reimbursed.

Our treasurer John Symons reported back on Club Finances.

All subs are up-to-date.

Thus far R73 130 have been deposited into the Rotary Project account towards the Blanket Drive,     R40 000 came from the Bryanston Methodist Church and was remitted to District.

 Lorenzo made a very generous donation of R4 000. 

Peter James-Smith received two requests for financial assistance to procure wheel chairs for needy persons, one from St Vincent's and the other for a gentleman living in Park Cottages, Bertrams.

We were sent a photo of the grateful Martin Botha, whose life will have been made just a tad easier.

David Bradshaw reported back on Membership: Our goal was to expand our membership by 5 members in this Rotary year, which we have achieved despite lockdown restrictions and David is hoping that we might be able to induct two further new members at Costa's Presidential inauguration.

As Club Almoner David also stays in contact with members, Anns  and friends of Rotary who need additional attention. He had spoken to Bernard Neuhaus, Judy Powell and Carol Lawrence and Hugh Rix who were all bearing up. Peter Margolius had developed an aneurysm behind his knee and sadly had to have his leg amputated above the knee. David said that he had sounded surprisingly positive when he spoke to him shortly after the operation. We hold him in our thoughts and all wish him a successful rehabilitation.

James Croswell will be handing over the reigns of the International portfolio to Richard Moloney at the beginning of the next Rotary year, but plans on still having a formal handover of the palliative care container at Baragwanath before the end of June.

He urged the members to join HEWRAG (Health, Education and Wellness Rotary Action Group) now that you no longer have to pay to belong to the AG.

And on that note Ann Hope Bailie asked us to consider joining the Environmental Action Group.

Ann reported back on Jean Bernardo's Youth portfolio in her absence: The annual Youth Leadership Course will be going ahead; it has not been decided yet whether it will be in person or online. They are aiming for October.

While attending the opening of the newly built classroom at the Highlands North Boys High School donated by The Class of 81, Marianne Soal met the President and Vice of the HNBHS Interact Club, and remarked how evident it was to her that these young men are in desperate need of mentoring and career guidance.

Career's Day will become part of the Youth Portfolio in the new Rotary Year.

Most of Sybille Essmann's  Community  and Vocational Services Report Back was dedicated to the successful completion of this year's Blanket Drive.

With the funds raised we will be able to supply the following:

100 blankets to Phuthadijhaba (Alexandra)

25 for Assemblies of God (Alexandra)

50 for the Boeregemeenskap

50 for St. Vincent de Paul

15 for Kaya Manzi (Crossings Church)

50 + for Boikanyo

30 for Charity Begins With Me

30 for the Fordsburg Old Age Home

80 for Inner City Street Children

20 for Refilwe (Gracepoint)

That is a total of 430 blankets

Jeannette Horner is in constant touch with Florence Sebeko of Umnotho for Empowerment who were instrumental to get get the sewing project in Muldersdrift off the ground.

Among other  community driven projects Umnotho is very involved in Youth Development. They offer training programs in:

• Plumbing
• Welding
• Waitering and Bar Tendering
• Computer Literacy
• Business Development
• And Job Seeker Support

To that end Florence sent us a wish list that could assist in setting up their training centre:

Please peruse the list and if you are in the position to assist in any way you can get in touch with Jeannette who will liaise on your behalf.

The District AGM and Club Assembly....

DG Annemarie presided over the AGM and her final Assembly as District Governor.

Various topics and issues were discussed which will no doubt be covered in the next District newsletter.

One slide worth sharing from DG Elect Stella Anyangwe:

On behalf of PDG Grant:

We believe it is in everyone’s interest to take cognizance of the present thinking at Rotary International and in particular the committee titled “Shaping Rotary’s Future Committee" which you can find at the following link:

 

Barry Rassin Special Resolution No 3 pertaining to future governance structure as a pilot District.

 

In addition we herewith also recommend your club watches the following YouTube presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM9t1vFscws

This Friday.....

We can look forward to Fellowship and Pizza at Wanderers and for those that are joining us via Zoom: Wish you were here!!

Sybille shares her story, a Visit to the Humanitarian Center and Rosebank Rotary gets a mention in the Killarney Gazette....

 From the Pen of our President.....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

It strikes me that there are times when people do good, make donations and spend time without getting appropriately thanked. Sometimes it may seem that your contribution is not appreciated, not acknowledged and you do not get direct thanks. Apologies and THANK YOU.

While on the subject – thank you to all those who sold blankets, bought blankets, donated towards blankets and had anything to do with the Club’s blanket drive – final figures pending!!

 

I heard today that the WHO has said that people who work long hours reduce their life expectancy by 20% - now that is scary!!   

Worse than this though is a TED Talk I listened to about loneliness – not having meaningful relationships in your life and being lonely is seriously bad for your health. It is as bad as too much alcohol, too much smoking and being obese!! Take a listen Frientimacy: The 3 Requirements of All Healthy Friendships | Shasta Nelson | TEDxLaSierraUniversity - YouTube

 

So there’s a good reason to be a Rotarian, make new friends in Rotary and spend time having fun while being of service!!

It is getting colder – keep warm and stay healthy – nearly said ‘hug a friend’ but we are not encouraged to do that yet!!

Yours,

Ann

 

Last Friday.....

A short notice change in the Friday program put Sybille in the spotlight and she quickly had to put together her life story.

She has had a life that could probably fill a book, but for purposes of this newsletter let's keep it brief:

She and her twin sister Sabine were born in Windhoek, (then South West Africa now Namibia) to German speaking parents. Her sister Sonja was born a mere 13 months later. Sybille spent her first 7 years in Walvis Bay before moving to Cape Town where she attended the German School till matric.

She decided to spend a gap year in Germany, which eventually stretched out to nine years.

She did a few odd jobs and then decided to train as a nursing sister at the Bavarian Red Cross in Munich.

After her training she nursed for a further 3 years, but following a 6 month sabbatical on a kibbutz in Israel  she made a life changing decision to return to South Africa and never nursed again.

Instead she used her knowledge of German to become a tour guide which took her to all parts of the country but her then husband (now ex-husband) was not happy that she spent so much time on the road, so she changed tack again and became a medical rep, which she hated and so was open to another change and joined Sanlam as an insurance agent, eventually going into brokering and qualifying as a Certified Financial Planner. She subsequently started her own financial services practice which she eventually sold in 2012, mainly because she  wanted to realize her passion to travel the world.

On her 59th birthday in 2014 she boarded a plane to New Delhi and  travelled solo for eight months through India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Borneo and Nepal.

The Thar Desert in Rajastan, India and hiking to Laguna 69, 4600 m above sea level in the Andes, Peru                                                       

The sun rising over the Annapurnas in Nepal and summiting Mount Kinabalu on Borneo 

No doubt Sybille has thousands of memorable pictures of her travel adventure, but these are the ones  she felt she would like to share.

After spending a few months back in South Africa she headed for the continent to the left in 2015 and started her next travel adventure through Brazil, which took her on a 6 day trip on a rust bucket along the Amazon to Manaus, on to Colombia, Ecuador and  Peru and five months into her trip, just before she could make it to the bucket list Machu Picchu she broke her leg at the beginning of a 2 day hike into the Colca Canyon. And that, as she says, was that.

Home for surgery and a long arduous path to recovery, which took over 5 years and 7 surgeries. Today she is healed, she is able to walk 10 km on a Saturday morning and manages to push her own golf cart around the golf course.

She is a passionate Rotarian and her plan and dream is to travel to far flung places and connect with fellow Rotarians all over the World. 

And maybe one day she might just write that book.

A Visit to the Humanitarian Centre.....

 A few weeks ago President Ann and Sybille decided to take a drive to Bedfordview to visit the Humanitarian Centre.

It was a busy Thursday morning and a number of Germiston Rotary Anns were sorting linen and toiletry bottles they had received from Tsogo Sun, who donate all their old linen and hotel toiletries to the Centre.

You are able to collect linen items from the Centre for school sick bay rooms or homes in need. The request generally comes via a Rotary club and the recipient has to have a letter of introduction to be able to receive the goods.

For the past 13 years, the Rotary Clubs in Texas have been collecting educational and recreational books from schools, universities and many other sources and these are shipped to South Africa. Funds are raised by their Second Wind Foundation and the Humanitarian Distribution Centre of SA.

This project allows people in Southern Africa access to free educational or recreational books. Free books are collected by school teachers, nursery school teachers, churches, prisons, government departments, orphanages and homes for the elderly and independent folks who just love reading!

You are welcome to collect books from the centre. However, you need to have a letter from your local Rotary club inviting you to collect the books. We need to also have a letter from the organisation or school etc who the books will be for. The collectors will need to complete a form stating how many books were taken and who they are for. We will also need the ID number of the person collecting the books.

David Bradshaw had recently liaised with the Wonderland Christian School and had received this letter of thanks.

Good morning David.

 Thank you for your support towards our Wonderland Christian School book drive. The Rotary's Humanitarian Division allowed us to select and get books. We managed to get over 430 reading books. On behalf of Wonderland Christian School, I would like to extend our gratitude to the Rotarians for according our growing school an opportunity to access the readers. 

Stay Blessed.

The Community Services Committee is planning a further visit to explore to explore future library projects.

The Rosebank Club of Rosebank's good deeds do not go unnoticed.....

A young Caxtons journalist intern happened to come across a post on our Face Book page and contacted Sybille for an interview to elaborate on our involvement with the vegetable garden project for Charity Begins with Me.

Click into the link to read all about it.

https://rosebankkillarneygazette.co.za/362013/rotary-club-of-rosebank-lends-a-helping-hand-to-charity/

This Friday....

Join us for our monthly Business Meeting

 

Give Peace a Chance, Keeping Someone warm this Winter, Madiba Buggies are rolled out and Highlands North Boys High School receive a new classroom....

 From The Pen of our President..... 

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

I missed the meeting on Friday – thank you Costa for filling in for me,

Yesterday was devoted to mothers everywhere – and here, thanks to Helen Steiner Rice is a tribute….

A Mother’s love is something

that no one can explain,

It is made of deep devotion

and of sacrifice and pain,

 

It is endless and unselfish

and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it

or take that love away . . .

 

It is patient and forgiving

when all others are forsaking,

And it never fails or falters

even though the heart is breaking . . .

 

It believes beyond believing

when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty

of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

 

It is far beyond defining,

it defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret

like the mysteries of creation . . .

 

A many splendored miracle

man cannot understand

And another wondrous evidence

of God’s tender guiding hand.

 

Have a great week,

 

Ann

Last Friday......

Our meeting was "graced" by the presence of the very passionate Grace van Zyl, President of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg -  the Mother Club, and Rosebank being the Daughter Club, the second oldest club. 

The Rotary Club of JHB, being the 1st Rotary Club on the Continent of Africa (founded 25 April 1921, chartered 1 July 1921) is also the first Peace Builder Club in Southern Africa, inaugurated in November 2020. 

Going back in history, in 1931 the RCOJHB received a letter from the Rotary Club of Keokuk, Iowa with an invitation to symbolically smoke the Pipe of Peace – fast forward some 80 years the peace pipe letters were again brought to life  when contact was re-establish with over 100 Rotary Clubs still in existence. As a result District 9400  formed a Peace Builder Club Committee where the aim is to create more Peace Builder Clubs and promote an annual project that promotes peace.

 

 

 

Rotary has partnered with the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) and offers an online curriculum for all Rotarians; this can be accessed on www.rotarypeaceacademy.org The IEP has 8 Pillars that promote positive Peace, which align to Rotary’s now 7 Areas of Focus.

As Rotarians we unconsciously promote positive peace in almost every project we take on and/or support.  The aim of becoming a Peace Builder Club is to consciously promote positive peace, create awareness and have an annual project or event specifically designed to promote peace and create awareness.  We all have a part to play in creating positive and sustainable peace.

 From a District perspective an International Human trafficking webinar is planned to create awareness on human trafficking and that this does not only relate to sex or drug trafficking.  Recent stats show that more than 40 Million people are human trafficked world-wide, South Africa stats show that 4 out of 100 people are human trafficked on a daily basis.  The webinar is in a planning phase and Grace would welcome more Rotarians to join their District committee.

If you should be interested to learn more about this initiative please contact Grace at grace@gracevanzyl.com.

We will be keeping 250 + souls  warm this Winter.....

As winter approaches the plight of so many needy people who will feel the chill becomes ever more evident and it was gratifying to see how many people opened their purses to support this year's annual blanket drive which we held this past weekend at the Pick 'n Pay on Nicol.

The final figures are not yet in, but we are confident that we will be able to supply about 250 blankets to various communities in the Gauteng area.

Thank you to the Rotarians, Anns and husbands and wives and children of Rotarians  who made this a truly successful project. We are most definitely People of Action!

Madiba Buggies roll out...

A while back Marilyn Bassin of the Boykanyo - Deon Herson Foundation - had received a consignment of 25 incomplete Madiba Buggies which needed trays and foot rests to make them functional. 

Could we help?

Jerry Bernardo, who is a whiz with his hands with the help of Costa Qually set to work and designed and built foot rests, struts and trays and delivered the completed items for assembly and ultimate distribution to well-deserving disabled children.

Another testament to People of Action!

Highlands North Boys High School receives a new classroom....

Last Friday Jean and Marianne from our youth committee were invited to attend the opening of "The Highlands North Class of '81  new classroom. They joined Vusi and Simpiwe, President and Vice President of the Highlands North Boys High School Interact Club and their liaison teacher Mimi van Deventer, who is a member of Rotary New Dawn.

President Vusi of the Highlands North Boys High School Interact Club poses in front of a plaque of all the '81 Old Boys who contributed to the building of the new class room. Can you see Cesare Vidulich's son Fabio's name on the list? (A bit small)  

PP Jean looks on and applauds as the ribbon gets cut.

A Special Invitation to join this Week's Quiz....

Those who attended last year's quiz challenge against the Ugandan Rotoract Club of Bokomo will remember what fun it was. And this Wednesday the 12th we are having a repeat.

Let us extend some South African Fellowship and come out in our numbers. The more the merrier!

If you would like to join please let David Bradshaw know by Wednesday morning so that we can send you the Zoom link. 

This Friday......

Momo's Thailand adventures Part 2.

 

 

Welcome to our newest and youngest e-member, Brian Leech will be remembered and "Roslami" skittles Centurion....

 From the Pen of our President....

Dear fellow Rotarians,

I enjoyed our social meeting last week – not sure the pizzas are as good as they were pre-COVID??

Here we are in May – who would have thought that time could go as fast as my grandmother said it did? It does bring to mind a Bee Gees song about the “first of May”. May Day relates back as early as pre-Roman time in Britain and to Medieval times when Maypoles were in evidence. Some celebrate Spring, some celebrate Saints and many now observe Workers Day. No matter what you celebrate though, for us it heralds winter!! and it is definitely much cooler. Time to unpack those woollies and hot water bottles!

District 9400 are planning a Rotary Exhibition Centre, and it is going to be opened this year!! It would be nice to have a plaque on it with Rosebank’s name. In order for that to happen we need to buy some bricks. At R50 each they seem very reasonable…..25 bricks get’s one a plaque. How many bricks should we buy – one per member, one per year since we were chartered? Let me know what you think.

As the Rotary year winds down and the cold begins to bite, spare a thought for those not as fortunate as ourselves – if you are not working at the Blanket Drive, please think about donating a blanket or 2.

Have a wonderful week, keep warm and smile!

Yours in Rotary,

Ann Hope-Bailie

President - Rotary Club of Rosebank

Last Friday......

The last day of April was once again a hybrid social meeting where we invited members and guests to join us for pizza at Wanderers and it was another testament to the need for fellowship that 16 Rotarians and two guests attended in person while 8 more connected via Zoom.

Hybrid meetings are still a work in progress. The projector allows the attendees to interact with the "Zoomers" and besides the webcam the club has now invested in a better microphone, so hopefully the members connecting via Zoom will have a more inclusive experience.

We would appreciate your feedback.

Duty sergeant Marianne addressing us while James managed to raise a few hundred Rand by auctioning his home made marmalade.

Friday was indeed a special meeting because we had the pleasure of welcoming another e-member into the Rotary family. Sonja Hood's son Gareth, who teaches in China was inducted. He is our second e-member (or the third, if we count Juanette McCrindle who is still stuck in Germany).

Although China is 6 hours ahead of South Africa, Gareth will not have time constraints in joining our weekly lunchtime meetings as it will be 7 pm on that side of the Pond, and what better way to start the weekend.

A very emotional mother introduced her son and then looked on as President Ann read the charge and officially inducted Gareth into the Rotary Club of Rosebank. Everyone at the meeting stood to attention and then gave our newest and youngest member a warm round of applause.

Welcome!

Gareth is of course is no stranger to the Club as he was the quiz master at our weekly quiz challenges during hard lockdown. He had managed to return home from China and carried on with his teaching duties remotely. We were all very sad to see him return to his full time job once China had opened up again. He tells us that he had to go into 2 week quarantine and has so far undergone 8 Covid tests. The Chinese have got tracking and tracing down to a fine art which is done via your cell phone, and when you have been in a high risk area the colour on the Covid app changes.

Gareth lives in Hefei, an industrial hub with 8 million inhabitants, 3 hours west of Shanghai. He teaches English and History at a Canadian International School with over a 1000 learners from all over the world, even a few from South Africa. He clearly loves his job and being in China.

In Memoriam.....

We were very sad when we lost Brian Leech to Covid last year, and in his memory and his immeasurable commitment to Rotary, his partner Coragh Bedford-Shaw had a plaque put up in the Garden of Remembrance at St. Michael's Church in Bryanston.

He will not be forgotten.

"Roslami" takes on Centurion......

Rosebank joined forces with Kyalami - the "Roslami" team -  to challenge the formidable Centurion team who had ventured south across the Jukskei to a game of skittles.

Before Covid this had been an annual gathering, and we were thrilled that the old tradition had been resumed and an evening of laughter and competition was a tonic to the soul.

   Three Presidents: Ann Hope-Bailie, Pierre Rossouw and Sibylle Gussmann, and a jolly group photo.  

This Friday......

President Grace van Zyl of the oldest Rotary club in Africa, the Rotary Club of Johannesburg, will address us. She is a financial life strategist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and international speaker and will no doubt have an insightful presentation.

Sonja shares her Story, District 9400 hosts the Mother of All-African Centennial District Conference and JoJo has arrived at its destination....

 From the Pen of our President......

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

I am square-eyed!! I watched the various presentations and discussions of the Conference ALL weekend. What an amazing conference – exhibition booths, panel discussions and awards, very good presentations and an excellent selection of speakers. There were a few breaks in internet but took less than a minute to get back. The recordings will be made available on the District website and I highly recommend taking some time to listen to a selection.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Friday at Wanderers – if you have not decided yet, please come along – we have missed out over the past year and the pizzas are still good!!

It is already 3 years since we moved my parents into our home and out of theirs – I am still sorting out my Mom’s endless papers!! My mother was the Queen of Quotes and Sayings (on scraps of paper). I quite like this one, found on a coaster from a coffee shop – BE THE PERSON YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE.

Enjoy ‘Freedom’ on Tuesday and see you on Friday.

Yours in Rotary,

Ann Hope-Bailie

Last Friday.....

Sonja shared her life story.

On the  27th March Sonja turned 35 years old for the 16th time.

She was born in Durban and grew up in Pietermaritzburg and had a very convoluted family. She grew up thinking she had a mom and dad and a sister, but in her early teens she found out that she was adopted , and that her aunt was in fact her biological mother and that the father was unknown by choice; this meant that she had 3 sisters and one brother, two mothers and two fathers and that was just who she knew about.

Her childhood memories were of lots of cousins and friends but one thing she says she gladly left behind in her youth was camping – she came from a family of campers but as soon as she flew the coop, she knew that was one pastime she would never attempt again.

In 1988 she started working at FNB in Pietermaritzburg, and she found out coincidentally that Lynn Collocott had also worked in that self-same branch a few years before her.

There was no money to go to university but with a lot of tenacity she obtained her degree in 2005 and completed her honours in 2016 – this just shows that you are never too old to learn.

In 1989 she moved to Durban with Wesbank, which is the vehicle / fleet division of FNB and where her career and passion for banking and more specifically fleet management started.

She worked for First Auto for 21 years, in various roles and lived in many towns, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Richards Bay, Empangeni, East London, Port Elizabeth, 2 months in Cape Town and even had a 6-month stint in Windhoek in Namibia. and finally, Johannesburg

Sonja was fortunate to travel to many countries and cities, but  Paris remains her favourite destination.

She eventually took a career leap and joined Absa where she remained a further 10 years and then for the last two years she has been consulting to Sanral with a major focus  on the Tolling solutions in South Africa  including e – toll.

Her career molded her and allowed her to meet various people who  have been instrumental  in defining the person she became,  especially in her leadership roles. 

But her biggest achievement and honour in life is her family! Her husband Steven is her greatest love story. Their two boys, Gareth and Josh have grown into two amazing young men and in her own words: “I still want to put them over my knee and brain them half the time, but how amazing it has been to see them grow and become the young men that they are.”

A major part of her life has always been to give back to the community.

She will never forget the first time she volunteered, albeit not willingly (she lost a bet), spending  time at the Ark, based at the bottom end of Point road in Durban, a halfway house for homeless and destitute families. Part of it housed a creche for children who lived there;  this creche operated 24/7 as it offered a free service to the “ladies of the night”, to offer care for their children in the evening, where the children were dropped off, were cleaned, fed and most times all their laundry was done as well. This was her turning point to do more for the community and taught her a profound life lesson at the tender age of 19. 

Since then, she has been part of various communities, focusing on enabling people in various ways, however mostly to educate on how to start uplifting themselves, by establishing bank accounts, budgets and often just being an ear. And as Sonja says - teach them to fish and not giving them fish

After she moved to Johannesburg she got involved in a number or charities and eventually became the driving force behind the JHB North region of Santa Shoebox for a period of 7 years, a very special initiative which collects shoe boxes containing 8 “gift” items, and which are handed out to vulnerable and less fortunate children of various communities at Christmas time.

In 2019 she was invited to attend Rotary meetings and subsequently joined Rotary of which she says she feels very honoured to be a Rotarian.

I believe in forming and continuously working on friendships and keeping my business networks alive,

Her story is not yet complete, and she looks forward to creating, living and experiencing the next chapters, continuing to love life and embracing all those who are part of it.

Being Part of The All-Africa Centennial District Conference......

Last year it was with great excitement that we had put our names down and paid our deposits to attend Discon in Maputo, Mozambique, but of course Covid 19 shattered  our best laid travel plans.

And little did we know that the pandemic would still rule our lives one year on.

2021 was to be a very special year for Rotary and District 9400 - We were celebrating 100 years of Rotary's presence in Africa.

DG Annemarie Mostert and her team with the help of DGE Stella Anyangwe pulled out all the stops and hosted a world class virtual conference that they can be more than proud of.

The caliber of speakers was phenomenal and every area of focus, including the Environment was highlighted and showcased.

Many of us  had planned to attend in person this year, seeing that the festivities would have taken place on home turf, and of course we were there virtually.

The presentation that resonated the most with me was that of RI President Nominee Jennifer Jones. She tells of the importance of telling our story, much like our Sonja shared her story with us last Friday.

 Our stories are what makes us unique.

 If you have not heard her powerful contribution, please click into the following link and listen to her story.

Jennifer Jones - Rotary International President Nominee 2021/22 address

 

DGE Annemarie and DGE Stella added gravitas and poise to the proceedings and it was a poignant  and proud moment when the old guard rang in the new. 

The Durban Deep Community can finally water its Vegetable Garden......

Thank you Charmaine Leesman, for volunteering the help of your  nephew to collect the 4750 liter water tank from the JoJo factory in Rosslyn Pretoria and delivering it at the site where a new vegetable garden can be planted now that the JoJo tank has finally been installed.

This Friday......

Join us in person at Wanderers or via Zoom for a social meeting and our second e-induction of Gareth Hood who will be signing in all the way from China, 6 hours ahead of us.

Our monthly Business Meeting, a very successful EcoBrick Building Event and Countdown to the Centennial Conference....

 From the Pen of our President......

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

 Many thoughts have come to mind since our meeting on Friday:

I have been putting together a history of the club for the Rotary Club of Johannesburg (our mothership)– first thought, Rosebank Rotary Club is AWESOME!!

I have gone through many photos and put them into a video, there must be hundreds more – where are they? Lets get them all together.

I have been watching the fires raging in Cape Town with great sadness – thought, we need to be grateful and enjoy what we have!!

I watched the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon – thought, we REALLY need to count our Blessings and enjoy what we have!!

Who are you going to share the Ramble with this week?

Please join those of us attending the Centennial this coming weekend – District is still offering tickets until Thursday.

 Yours in Rotary,

 Ann Hope-Bailie

President - Rotary Club of Rosebank

Johannesburg

Last Friday.....

... was our monthly Business Meeting with report backs to the Club by the Board, thereby keeping its members in the loop.

• Attendance - monitored diligently by Pam Donaldson. On average we had 21 members attend the weekly meetings, a slight decrease from the previous month. 
• Membership - David Bradshaw might have been on a well-deserved  break in the Cape, but he did submit his report, which our Prez presented. 

1. Gareth Hood (Sonja's son, who teaches in China) has had his fireside chat and will be inducted on Friday the 30th of April. He will become our second e-member (unless we count Juanette, who is a bit of a hybrid)
2. Rui Lopez, who was introduced by PP Jean will have his fireside chat shortly and will be next in line to be inducted.
3. Roger Wedlake - used to be an Excalibur member and is very keen to join Rotary Club of Rosebank.
4. David has been very busy drumming up enthusiasm at Dainfern with the aim of forming a satellite club. So far there are 8 potential members. He is also looking at Steyn City and Jackal Creek Estate.
5. He visited Carol Lawrence, who has settled in nicely at Ekklesia Park in Blairgowrie.
6. David plans on picking up Peter Margolius for our next hybrid social meeting at the end of the month, and reports that Hugh Rix and James Byrne are also looking forward to coming to the meeting at Wanderers.
7. Jean and Ann visited Judy Powell

• International - James Croswell reported back that he had spoken with Dr Mpho, who heads up the Palliative Care Department at Baragwanath, and he is hoping that we will be able to do a formal handover of the refurbished container at the end of May.                                                                                                                                                                                            James also dispensed with an interesting snippet of information, that one no longer would have to pay a subscription to join an Action Group, and he is encouraging Rotarians to join an Action Group like HEWRAG                                                                                                                         
  
  
  
• Youth - AG Jean reported that the InteractClub of Highlands North Boys High School had voted for a President and Vice President, but that it was still quite difficult to arrange meetings as only the Matric class attends school daily. They are planning a Blood Drive and organizing a Blanket Drive at the Norwood Spar. They are looking for project suggestions for Mandela Day.                                                                                                                                                                                               District RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) will this year again be an online course                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
  
  
   

• Publicity - Thanks to our weekly Ramble going to Rotary Africa and also District we have been getting regular exposure in the monthly publications.
•  Foundation - Les Short - Not much longer for the Grant reports to be finalized and ultimately submitted, which is a prerequisite if we want to apply for a further grant.  
• Fundraising - Sonja Hood and a few others of us (over 200 people to be exact!) attended an enthralling Zoom presentation organized by the Rotary Club of Helderberg in the Cape - Clem Sunter - topic: Beyond 2021 - The World and South Africa - Latest Flags, Scenarios  and Probabilities. She is exploring the possibility of inviting Clem to present to a Rotary Club of Rosebank fundraiser.                                                                                                                                                                                        Although our annual Quiz evening is still a few months off, please give some thought to donating prizes for the  Raffle.
• Community Services - Sybille had done a sight inspection of the Durban Deep vegetable garden to determine where the JoJo water tank we are donating to the community will be placed.                                                                                                                                                                                    
  
  
  

The intended area is walled and well secured and there is ample space to establish a sustainable vegetable garden.

The existing vegetable garden is thriving, but there is no space to expand at its present position.

The annual Blanket Drive has been confirmed and will take place at the William Nicol Pick 'n Pay on Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th of May, there will be three shifts of two hours each on Saturday and two shifts on Sunday. We need 4 volunteers for each shift  as we have to man two entrances and Costa has circulated a spread sheet for members and friends to put their names down.

And the meeting ended with Sybille taking a video of the Zoom attendees singing a hilarious Happy Birthday to the Rotary Club of Johannesburg who are celebrating their Centenary in April.

President Ann has painstakingly converted it to a wonderful tribute.

Ecobricks Galore...

On Saturday the 17th of April the Rotary Club of Rosebank was represented at an event in Diepsloot to celebrate the beginning of a very ambitious ecobrick community centre building project.

This was in support of Diana Musara, President Elect of the Rotary Club of Randburg. 

We have reported on the Khensani Collection NPC in previous editions of the Ramble. It is a non-profit company who have been operational in Diepsloot since 2016, providing assistance to the underprivileged.

They do extraordinary education-focused work with youngsters in the area, offering teen mentorship, after school lessons in maths , English and science, entrepreneurship programs and coaching and career guidance.

They are now planning on building a further two classrooms as well as a library and a gym, and all of this with ecobricks. 

Claudio Marangonic, a teacher at St Davids Marist Brothers and his wife Jane, who teaches at St Mary's are both  passionate about the environment and had been encouraging their learners to make ecobricks, but it was only when they were shown pictures of the Khensani classroom that they realized that there was purpose in their commendable endeavours. They were therefore very excited to bring a group of their students to this ecobrick making event.

Sybille is also planning on getting  an article published in  the Killarney Gazette to showcase this ambitious project with the emphasis on St Davids and St Mary's  challenging other Johannesburg Schools to beat their record of 500 completed ecobricks. 

There were many groups involved involved in making this day a success and Sybille even picked up a rake and helped fill a bag with the volunteers from Move a Million,  a passionate group of activists that want to make a difference.

The youngsters left that day with a sense of achievement, knowing that their future ecobrick endevours will be going to a good cause.

Countdown to the Centennial.....

Please heed DG Annemarie Mostert and our President Ann's call and attend this weekend's Centennial Conference. The programme is jam-packed with the most amazing speakers and promises to be the best district conference ever.

This Friday......

Sonja Hood shares her story.