Our Weekly Meeting

“Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

We meet every Friday from 1:00 to 2:00pm at Wanderers Club, Illovo, Johannesburg. You can also join us on Zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86496040522.

Monday, 30 August 2021

A well attended social meeting, Rosebank Rotary receives a Citation, Winners of this month's Club 100, Environmental Training and a site visit to the Durban Deep vegetable garden...

 From the Pen of the President....


Tomorrow marks the end of women’s month. However, the reports of women being murdered, attacked and sexually abused continue at an alarming and unacceptable level. It makes me and many other men ashamed of how many of the male species act and how they regard women as objects to be exploited and controlled. We all need to speak out against this appalling situation and the all too often inadequate response of the police and others within the justice system. Saying we oppose gender-based violence but doing nothing about it is not sufficient. Laughing at and forwarding jokes that demean women and their dignity helps to perpetuate an environment of patriarchy and oppressive behaviour. I believe we can all play a positive part in remedying the situation - this may have limited impact to start but, with enough people doing so, will snowball and begin to change the attitude and perception of those who need to behave in an acceptable manner.


Costa Qually


President


Tailpiece

I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one.




Last Friday....


...we met for our monthly social meeting and it is heartwarming that even though we are still unable to meet in person attendance remains high; 21 attendees plus a guest is pretty good going.
Well, there were 5 of us that did gather at PP Ann's to have tea and cake in honour of Lenore's birthday and shoot the breeze with our fellow members on Ann's TV screen.





Social meetings give us an opportunity to tell some funny stories and Melodene had a hysterical joke up her sleeve which is worth sharing in the Ramble:

A fleeing Taliban, desperate for water, was plodding through the Afghan desert when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he hurried toward the oasis only to find a British soldier selling regimental ties.

The Taliban asked, "Do you have water?"

The soldier replied, "There is no water, the well is dry. Would you like to buy a tie instead? They are only £5."

 The Taliban shouted, "You idiot infidel! I do not need an over-priced tie. I need water! I should kill you, but I must find water first!"

 "OK," said the soldier, "It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie and that you hate me. I will show you that I am bigger than that, and that I am a much better human being than you. If you continue over that hill to the east for about two miles, you will find our Sergeant's Mess. It has all the ice cold water you need. Inshallah."

 Cursing him, the Taliban staggered away over the hill.

 Several hours later he staggered back, collapsed with dehydration & rasped:

 "They won't let me in without a  #^@* tie!”


President Costa has made enquiries at Wanderers and they would be happy to welcome us back for meetings and pizza, but in the meantime, if you are in need for fellowship Ann is inviting anyone to join the Friday meetings at her home.



The Rotary Club of Rosebank is awarded a Citation....



Despite all the challenges thrown at PP Ann Hope-Bailie during her tenure, she steered a steady ship and hats off to her and a committed club for achieving this prestigious recognition.



Dear President Costa

Congratulations!  Your club has earned the Rotary Citation, the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve, for 2020-21. During a year that was challenging for many Rotarians around the world, your club demonstrated a commitment to achieve your goals, which ultimately helps strengthen Rotary and shape our future.


Sincerely,

 


Annemarie Mostert

Immediate Past District Governor

Rotary International District 9400

Rotary E Club of Southern Africa 9400

Building 1, The House, Constantia Office Park,

Cnr 14th  Avenue & Hendrik Potgieter Street,

Weltevreden Park, 1709.

P O Box 6782, Cresta, 2118.

Tel+27 11 475 3372 Fax: 086 623 2515

Cell: +27 82 457 4558

E Mail:  annemarie@rotary9400.org.za

 



Foundation Training Morning...


Lyn Collocott, our Environment Chair shares her notes and thoughts:


A number of us attended the recent Foundation Training Session on Environment.
 
It was an hour well spent with many ideas coming out of it.
 
Please all put on your thinking caps and try to come up with ideas of projects we may be able to get involved with.
 
If we were to consider  applying for a Global Grant, any of the following may qualify:
 
REFORESTATION
*Protecting and restoring land.
*Remove invasive plants
*Coastal or freshwater resources
*Protecting and planting  indigenous  species.
  
PEACEBUILDING
*Human-Animal Conflict  An example is People versus the Cape Town baboons in the nature reserves.
*Training communities in conservation.
  
SUSTAINABLE AGROECOLOGY
*Sustainable aquaculture and regenerative Agriculture.
*Community Development
*Improving Food Security
 
ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE
Examples
*Renewable energy  Solar or Windpower
*Eliminating fuels like coal
* Electric vehicles.
 
 WORKING WITH VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
Examples
*Plastic Pollution
*Air pollution.... may  cause respiratory illnesses
*Water contamination from chemicals.
 
 COMMUNITY BASED EDUCATION
*Aligning the school curriculum  (Speak to Government)
Youth is our future.
* More Interact and Earlyact Clubs with emphasis on Environment.
Consider scholarship possibilities  and  helping  with career plans related to the environment.
 
 SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
*Composting
*Recycling
*Solid Waste Management
*Recycling of Food Waste
* Glass , Paper, Cans, Plastic
How do we get these ideas through to the population?
 
SOME THINGS WE CAN DO>
*Education
*Outreach
*Advocacy
*Eliminating and reducing environmental toxins
* Equitable  access to organic healthy foods.
*Vegetable Gardens
 
 
WHAT WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR A GLOBAL GRANT.
But, in my opinion, is still important.
 
*Single Event  Beautification
*Tree planting unless large scale
*Food Distribution
*Outdoor Rec activities
*Purchasing equipment for building infrastructure.
*Single event clean up.
 
Any bigger project we may get involved with in time , should consider the following:
*Sustainability
*Measureable
*Community Driven... What are their needs.
 
 
Lots to think about.

A Site Visit to the Durban Deep vegetable garden...


You will remember that at the end of summer our club donated a 4 700 liter JoJo tank to an informal settlement in the Durban Deep area to enable the women who had painstakingly planted a vegetable garden to water their fledglings during the winter months and then come the summer months to harness the rain water.
Every Saturday Stephan Ferreira of Charity begins with Me feeds between 400 and sometimes 1000 children with food items donated by generous sponsors.
It was bitter last Saturday, and thus the kids were encouraged to bring their backpacks and take their food parcels home.
Stephan makes use of an abandoned community hall, where he is able to store his provisions. 


It is behind this community hall that the vegetable garden has been established. Stephan has shown the women how to plant and nurture the seeds in egg containers and little yoghurt tubs.


Most of the women have decided to plant spinach, as it is fairly easy to rear, once harvested it re-grows and they are able to sell a bunch for R7.



The JoJo tank has been a godsend and it has made a huge difference to the sustainability of the vegetable garden, particularly during this long, cold and dry winter.
The children are being encouraged to deposit their food waste into old tyres which is being composted and then used in the garden.


During the cold winter months the women protected their fledgling plants by covering them with the plastic bottoms of cool drink bottles and old CDs have been tied on to sticks, and the reflections seems to keep the birds and rats at bay.

It is still early days but it was encouraging to see how proud the women are of their handiwork, and no doubt in a few months time they will reap the benefits.

They would be very grateful if we could supply them with egg containers and little yoghurt tubs and any discarded seedling trays you might have.


This Friday.....


Do not miss...





 

Dr. Joachim "Yogi" Reppmann was born in Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, in 1957.  He attended the Altes Gymnasium and matriculated at the University of Kiel, where he studied history, American literature, and philosophy.  In 1978 and fueled by his fascination with America from reading wild west fiction novels he traveled to the United States to learn everything he could about our country.  In 1984, he completed his masters thesis entitled Transplanted Ideas:  The Concept of Freedom and Democracy of the Schleswig-Holstein Forty-Eighters — Origins and Effects 1846-1856.  He has written several books on notable Schleswig-Holstein emigrants and the mass migration to the United States; served as a professor of German at St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges in Northfield, Minnesota; and chaired several conferences on topics ranging from the Low German language to Forty-Eighter Hans Reimer Claussen. The Steuben Society of America’s History Award, 2014, has been presented to him for his research on the 1848 movement’s democratic impact in Germany, and the USA.  

A brief outline of the Peace Pipe Proposal. The year is 1931. The results of the global economic crisis have an impact everywhere. Nationalism and ideologies that violate human dignity are on the rise. In the midst of this, the Rotary Club of Keokuk, Iowa sends out 496 letters in late December. On the model of the peace pipe ritual practiced by Indian tribes for dealing with conflict, the Rotarians of this small city on the Mississippi extend their hand to their Rotarian friends around the world.

The year is 2019. In view of its bonds across the Atlantic, this same Rotary Club repeats the gesture, sending out letters specifically to the German Rotarians who responded to its mailing of eighty-eight years before. The Iowa club feels that this is its duty. After all, the city of Keokuk is named after the Indian chief who chose not to take up the battle axe during times of conflict. The peace pipe letters of 1931-32 and 2019 symbolize international friendship and understanding.












Monday, 23 August 2021

The Environment takes Centre Stage, a Business Meeting, "Each One, bring One" and the Anns get acknowledged......

 From the Pen of the President....


As you are no doubt all aware, the seventh avenue of service in Rotary is the environment.  Lyn has set up a committee that is considering what we as a club can do in this regard. On Saturday morning, District had a webinar on this topic and it was pleasing to note that 7 of our members participated - far more than any other club. Various initiatives and possibilities were discussed. It is possible that a global grant could be obtained for a suitable project, which could well include a number of Rotary clubs. To qualify, the project will have to be sustainable, measurable and preferably community driven.  Please put on your thinking caps and let Lyn have any suggestions you feel should be considered.




Our quizzes are continuing and are a super way of interacting with Rotary clubs in other countries and districts. Please consider participating if you have not yet done so. I can assure you that you will enjoy the experience.

Enjoy the warmer weather and keep safe!


Costa Qually
President


Tailpiece

I count them braver who overcome their desires than them who conquer their enemies, for the hardest victory is over self  (Aristotle)



Last Friday....


....was our monthly business meeting.

Report back in brief:
  • In less than three weeks time District Governor Stella Anyangwe will be paying our club a visit and the various committee chairs are preparing and refining their activity and project reports. 
  • Pam Donaldson was happy to report that the average attendance had improved and that in July we had two meetings where we nearly had full-house. Please let her know of make-up 
  • Club Treasurer John Symons reported back that we are on track with annual Rotary subs. Various donations that were made in lieu of the President's induction dinner will be channelled to the Boikanyo (Dion Herson) Foundation to assist Marilyn Bassin in her charitable endeavours.
  • Richard Maloney, our International Chair is very keen to resurrect the Cervical Cancer Project and has been doing quite a bit of research. He has hit a bit of a roadblock when it comes to the Department of Health involvement but Richard would like to investigate the possibility of getting buy-in from Transpharm, which is part of Shoprite Holdings.
  • David Bradshaw has been hard at work recruiting potential members and he is hoping that we will soon exceed the target we set ourselves for this year. Please read what his Membership vision is below.
  • As club almoner he keeps contact with people like Carol Lawrence, who had a bit of a fall the other day, but has recovered. Hugh Rix is back from Cape Town, he's been in touch with Elaine Margolius to see how she is bearing up, and she has decided to stay put and not move right now. Judy Powell also seems to be doing well.
  • The Youth committee had a quiet month;  unfortunately the Covid restrictions have not eased up, and there is talk that the Spring school holidays would be scrapped this year, and with these uncertainties it has made it impossible to plan a Senior Youth Leadership course this year.
  • Head of publicity, Ann, hopes that everyone has read the latest edition of Rotary Africa that has all our club's  award winners in it.
  • Les Short reported that Foundation was holding it's first Environment training session on Saturday the 21st, and it was encouraging to see how much interest this course had evoked.
  • Sonja Hood, our fundraising queen, was thrilled to report that the Clem Sunter presentation had netted R12 500 for the Alexandra Education Committee. A big thank you for all the support!!   
  • It is now full steam ahead for our annual Quiz fundraiser on Wednesday the 20th of October at the Parkview Golf Club. We are still in need of prizes for the Raffle.
  •  Besides that Sonja has a few other fundraising ideas up her sleeve.
  • As Sybille, who chairs the Vocational & Community Services committee, was unable to attend this week's meeting, Lyn Collocott volunteered to report back on her behalf.                           
  • The committee has identified 5 worthy recipients for an Vocational Services award and the award ceremony is to take place on Friday the 8th of October; venue to be confirmed.  The Board has approved that each award winner is to receive an amount of R1 500 towards a charity of their choice.                                                                                                                                     
  • The committee is still crystallizing a sustainable project, and to that end Sybille had made an exploratory trip to Limpopo to discuss a potential project with Dr Coenie Louw, the CEO of the NGO Gateway Health Institute, a man with an impressive CV, who is researching the development of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable sanitary pads made from natural fibers. These pads are 100% compostable - breaking down to soil in less than 180 days. The project is entering a clinical trial phase, awaiting approval from SAHPRA.
  • Lyn Collocott has surrounded herself with an enthusiastic committee and was looking forward to attending the environmental training session on Saturday.                                          
  • Unfortunately she was facing headwinds with her attempts to reach out to the powers that be at City Parks to try and find out how we as a club could get involved in the upcoming Arbor week at the beginning of September.



A letter from the Membership Chair....Grow membership “Each one bring one”.

 

Improve service “Grow more to do more”.


 We have the power and the magic to change lives, good new members bring new life to our club, new ideas, new energy.


The majority of new members did not ask to join us, they were invited either by family members, work colleagues or friends.

We are all proud to be members of such a wonderful organization, but how many of us have ever spoken to non-Rotarians about Rotary, especially about possibly becoming a member.

 As Chairman of the Club’s Membership Committee, I sincerely encourage you to think more about this and do your bit to introduce new members.

Let us not keep Rotary as the best kept secret.

 

Thanking you

 

David.



This Friday....



Let's socialize!! Hope to see you all on Zoom.










Monday, 16 August 2021

R.I.P. Jerry Bernardo, Anne Padmore shares her Story with us, The Rotary Community Corp of Alex to the Rescue, and our first opportunity to take part in training....

 

From the Pen of our President....







On Saturday morning, Rosebank Rotarians joined the memorial service for Jerry Bernardo who had been called to higher service in the early hours of Tuesday.  The memories of and tributes to Jerry by family members, associates and fellow Rotarians evidenced a man who loved his family deeply and who was respected by everyone who knew him.  He was the epitome of service above self and spent many hours working on projects or assisting others in need.  He touched the lives of a large number of people in a positive way.  He will be warmly remembered and sorely missed by us all.




We extend our thoughts and prayers to Jean and her family at this time of sadness and as they face a future without Jerry.

At the memorial service, Sybille read the tributes to Jerry by Rotarians and these are recorded in the Memorial page of this Ramble.


Costa Qually
President


Tailpiece

I feel the last verse from a poem “Does it pay” is appropriate:

If some despondent soul to hope is stirred,

Some sad lip made to smile,

By any act of ours, or any word,

Then life has been worthwhile.


Last Friday.....



Christened Patricia Anne, but because of a family quirk, the second name was the one you went by, thus only ever listened to Anne.
Two older brothers were probably the reason that Anne recalled being a terrible tom-boy.
She grew up in Durban and has fond memories of being a teenager in the Eighties.


 
She admits that Princess Di was one of her influencers and there certainly was a resemblance.


Her three years at the University of Natal were pretty turbulent, but she did achieve her degree and had the great fortune of being offered her first job with the Sun Group which was part of the big international conglomerate UTI, a global supply chain services and logistics company. This allowed her to travel to many different parts of Europe such as Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, the UK and Spain.
Today she is the supply chain manager for Stellantis, which houses vehicle brands such as Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Opel, Peugot, Dodge and Maserati.

Anne may have a wonderful career, but the loves of her life are her family. She speaks with great pride of her son Jarred and daughter Amy, and her beloved mother, who is 86 and in frail care.




And of course not to forget her fur babies, who she bought a big house with a garden for, after being told she would not be allowed to keep them in her previous abode.

For fun she she plays  golf and cycles. She has successfully completed 6 Argus cycle races and is aiming at doing at least 10.

And what she has learnt?

In the words of Princess Diana:

Carry out random acts of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge  that one day someone might do the same for you.


Alex Rotary Community Corp to the Rescue.....



A few days ago a devastating fire tore through parts of Alex leaving many people destitute. Through the generous donation of e-soup as reported on in last week's Ramble the Alex Rotary Community Corp were in a position to help people in need.






Training.... to protect the Environment



We're starting this year's Foundation training with the latest addition to Rotary's Areas of Focus - Protecting the Environment.

 

Please register for this training session, which will be held on Saturday, 21 August at 9 am. This training is open to all Rotarians, so please share with your members, but we'd like to particularly encourage Foundation Chairs, Service Projects Chairs and Presidents-Elect to attend.

 

Details of other upcoming training can be found on the District Foundation Training Page.




This Friday.....



Our monthly business meeting.







 



Monday, 9 August 2021

The Rotary Community Corp of Alexandra gets showcased, Clem Sunter enthralled and the Rotary Anns made some children very happy with their knitting.....

 From the Pen of our President....



District has plans to establish a Rotary office/centre adjacent to the Humanitarian centre. Concept drawings are impressive and I will send copies of these to members this coming week. The Humanitarian centre will resume full operations once the worst of the current Covid wave is over. Books can still be collected provided you arrange this with Jeremy Phillips of the Bedfordview club in advance. The Humanitarian centre is not a district function - it is a Bedfordview project with sizeable funding provided by Jeremy.

Members are encouraged to do one or more online training courses. There are a number to choose from and will benefit you.

Many thanks to Sonja for organising the Clem Sunter event.  Positive comments were received from several of those who participated.

Costa Qually
President


Tailpiece


If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?



Last Friday.....


Our speaker  was Charles Mphephu who is the Chairperson of the Rotary Community Corps of Alexandra and an active community leader in Alexandra who speaks 8 different languages. He has diplomas in Business Management and Project Management. He is currently employed as a Project Coordinator with the Health Department of the City of Johannesburg. In this role he supervises and monitors field workers and reports to the Regional HIV and AIDS Operational Manager. He arranges in-service training and establishes community action groups in consultation with his ward Councillor to deal with issues of development and programmes involved in the support of people living with HIV and AIDS, especially children and child headed families. Charles works closely with the Men’s’ Forum of Alexandra who volunteer their time to combat Gender Based Violence. As a Rotarian he is currently working with the Institute of Applied Alchemy and the Rotary Satellite Club of Sandton Central to develop additional projects in this field. He was instrumental in setting up the Rotary Community Corps of Alexandra. DG Stella had the pleasure of recognizing Charles as Paul Harris Fellow. What is equally important, from a Rotary perspective, is that Rotary is being recognised and promoted in Alexandra.  





An RCC is an entity of Rotary International who work in partnership with Rotary Clubs to improve their communities through service projects. They can be leveraged in every stage of a project, from conducting community assessments to project planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation as they assist the needy members of the Alexandra Community. They hold one thing in common – they each are committed to their community’s long-term development and self-sufficiency and being leaders displaying Rotary values.




As a special expression of appreciation club members offered donations to enable the Community Corp members to carry out an array of programs. James, together with his son donated 6 000 fortified instant chicken soup flavoured meals with 24 added vitamins and 9 chelated minerals. For the RCC’s upcoming project at the Banakekeleni Orphanage, Costa donated 800 soup meals and Pam donated 7 kgs of fortified vitamin enriched peanut butter for a sandwich to add to the winter soup.




Supporting a Rotary Community Corps is a great way of empowering young leaders to solve their community’s problems and enhancing Rotary’s reach and impact.

(Thank you James Croswell for penning this article)


Also.....

We had our first official Zoom Raid last Friday with the following Sandton Central members attending our meeting:

David Grant, Charles Mphephu, Grace Dube, Allan Carter and Beata Gelderbloem and guest Michelle Strydom, who is interested in becoming a Rotarian.

Welcome!!





Clem Sunter's Presentation a resounding success...



A very big thank you has to go to Sonja Hood for organizing another successful well attended fundraiser. We are so grateful that Clem Sunter agreed to donate his precious time to share some thought provoking insights of his world view.
Terry Winship once again made sure that everything ran smoothly and thanks to her we have a recording of his presentation that we would like to share with you.

https://youtu.be/5qU-sw2d3X0


The next "Save the Date" that we would like you to pen into your diaries is our annual Quiz Fundraiser taking place on Wednesday the 20th October at the Parkview Golf Club.

An appeal goes out to all members to please help us with raffle prizes.


Winter Woollies warm little hearts....


It is always heartwarming when one sees that one's labour of love makes a difference in a child's life. This past long weekend Sybille spent some time in the District of Giyani in Limpopo where she met with renowned Dr. Coenie Louw, CEO of Gateway Health Institute and she had the opportunity of gifting a few children with beanies, jerseys and scarves that the Rosebank Rotary Anns had lovingly knitted. Pictures were taken with the permission of the mothers.






This Friday....



Apart from it being Membership Month at Rotary, it's Woman's Month as well in August and so it is only fitting that Anne Padmore will be sharing her story with us.





 

 

 




Monday, 2 August 2021

The monthly social meeting remains socially distanced, Blankets continue to provide warmth, the Environment elicits Enthusiasm, and two days remaining to secure your seat to the Clem Sunter fundraiser...

 From the Pen of our President....


Our District Governor Dr Stella Anyangwe is scheduled to visit the club on 10 September.  It is very likely that this will be a Zoom meeting.  Initially this will be with the Board prior to joining in our regular Friday meeting with all members.  This will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about District activities, grants, etc.

Please keep up your efforts in getting more people to join the Clem Sunter event on Wednesday and so boost our fundraising.  This event will replace our quiz.  A number of members have not yet participated in our regular quizzes.  They are great fun and it will be super if more of you give it a go.  The link to the quiz will be sent to you in advance.  Hope to see you at our next quiz on 11 August!


Costa Qually
President


Tailpiece

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make them once


Last Friday.....


…. our monthly Social Meeting.
With the third Covid wave still very much a stark reality it may be quite a while before we can resume physical meetings, but let us be grateful that we can still enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship of Rotary, albeit at a distance. 
Social meetings give us an opportunity to share what we have been up to, what we will be getting up to, have a laugh or commiserate.
The good news: Jerry was discharged from hospital, but please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as it will be a long road to complete recovery. 
And of course the other good news was that Tatiana Schoonmaker had made history by beating the World Record and winning an Olympic gold medal in the 220 m breast stroke. What an achievement!
PP Ann spent a wonderful week with her family at Welgevonden and they were lucky to have encountered the Big 5 and had many other wonderful sightings.
Marianne Soal and her husband are about to embark on a two month road trip around South Africa, starting off in the Northern Cape, where they will be just in time to experience the beauty of the Namaqualand Flora, then on to Cape Town and up the coast to the Eastern Cape. They are leaving all their plans in the hands of the Lord and will take every day as it comes. What an adventure they will have!
Gareth Hood is still on summer vacation in China and is exploring many exotic travel destinations. We hope that he will share some pics with us.
Lorenzo Locatelli-Rossi will be flying out to Angola where he has been asked to report on a project by a Lebanese company who wish to establish a salt pan there.
Sybille will be heading up north to Tzaneen and Magoeba's Kloof for the long weekend to spend some time with Dr Coenie Louw who has an impressive CV as long as his arm to get some insights into sustainable projects that he is involved with. 
Ann and Jean visited the Woodside Sanctuary a Home for the Intellectually Disabled and gifted them 20 wonderfully warm blankets.




Assemblies of God in Alex also spread good cheer.





The Rotary Club of Rosebank's Green Shoots to help save the Environment....







Lyn Collocott has assembled an impressive committee who are all passionate about saving our environment - Jean, Sybille, Pam, Melodene, Roger, Lenore and Gareth. 
Lyn won't let grass grow under her feet and with National Arbor Week (30th August  -  5th September) fast approaching, her first port of call was to get hold of her local councillor Tim Trulock, who is very active in the Parks (that's short for Parkhurst, Parkview, Parktown, Parkwood) who remarked that "everyone plants trees. Maybe look at putting protection around the trunks of existing trees."
And so an environmental seed is germinating, and Lyn would love to hear your thoughts.



One last appeal to support our fundraiser....




 

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When: 4th August 2021 at 7 pm.

Where: Relax in the comfort of your home – the link will be sent to you on email when you book your ticket.

Tickets:  R100 per login available on Quicket  

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/145206-thinking-the-future-with-clem-sunter/

 

Funds raised will be donated to the Alexandra Education Committee (AEC).

Alexandra Education Committee – Creating opportunities for children of promise from Alexandra since 1996 (alexeducation.org.za)

The AEC exists to provide bursaries for academically promising learners from low-income families in Alexandra for the full

five years of education at well-resourced high schools.

 




This Friday.....


Please join us to listen to David Grant tell us about the  Alex Community Corp.
It promises to be very informative.







Monday, 26 July 2021

Tutty's Story laced with rugby anecdotes, Rotary Ann's July Club 100 winners, Countdown to the Clem Sunter fundraiser, Vocational Service Award nominations and grateful blanket recipients.....

 From the Pen of the President....


The relaxation of some of the Covid lockdown regulations is most welcome and will allow us to restock our wine and beer supplies. It will also allow us to consider having another in-person Rotary meeting soon.  The freezing weather we have had will have made the recipients of the blankets we distributed thankful to have some means of warmth.   A big thank you to all members who assisted in the blanket drive and distribution.  Keep up your efforts in getting friends, family and associates to participate in our Clem Sunter event.

Costa Qually
President


Tailpiece


Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting



Last Friday, Tutty's Story.....


This Saturday, the 24th of July, as the Springboks were facing the British & Irish Lions, Tutty Faber would have watched the game with a touch of nostalgia as he remembered his personal encounter with the Lions 59 years ago, nearly to the day. He had been  chosen to be part of the 1962 Northern Universities 1st rugby team to play against this formidable team, a game they drew 6 - 6.


Tutty, proudly showing us his Northern Universities Rugby jersey.


It was because of this anniversary date that Tutty was keen to share his life story with us last Friday.

He was born and bred in Linksfield,  Johannesburg at the bottom of the Ridge. He only ever knew his father in a wheelchair, but despite his disability he was a mine manager and then went on to running a successful construction company, which Tutty was destined to join one day.
He was schooled at King Edward School (KES) from 1947 - 1957, and  was a sporting all-rounder.
He played 1st team rugby, 1st team cricket and was part of the 1st athletics team (he was crowned shotput champion), but Tutty obviously also had a good voice because he was awarded the leading part in an operetta staged by the school.
He managed to  fail his first year varsity due to his extensive extra-curricular activities like learning how to fly, but then managed to balance his civil engineering studies and his rugby career, although he admits that he had dreams of being part of the 1963 Springbok tour to New Zealand which sadly did not materialize.
He did however manage to play both rugby and cricket in the year he spent at Stanford University USA doing his MSc in construction . His beloved dad passed away while he was at Stanford, but the family made the decision that he should not return home but complete his tour of the States.
On his return he joined the family business and in 1965 he married Julie, the girl that he had taken to his matric dance. In 1966 they had a daughter followed by two sons. 
In 2002 he retired from his chosen career, mainly because most of his construction work had been generated by the mines, which had slowly petered out.
He joined the Rotary Club of Orange Grove in 1975 and over the years served on numerous district committees and was awarded a Paul Harris + 2 by his old club, which eventually was incorporated into the Rotary Club of Rosebank 
His rugby coaching career began with a rugby clinic at Wanderers in the same year  and in 1982 he started coaching rugby at his alma mater KES. It was three afternoons a week and on Saturdays and after 39 years he will finally be hanging up his rugby boots at the end of this year. 
He is a passionate Old Boy and has served on the School Governing Body and even has a rugby field name after him.
Tutty is very proud of his 8 grandchildren, particularly his namesake, who captained the 1st rugby team at St.Stithians and matriculated with 7 distinctions in 2018. As they say in the Classics: the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Every free minute that Tutty has he will head out to their much loved farm, close to the Botswana border which has been in their family since 1953. 
Tutty told his story with his quiet sense of humour and deep humility and would it not have been fun to be a fly on the wall at the Faber household on Saturday evening to hear his running commentary of the Springbok/Lions game.


Clem Sunter countdown.....


For those who have still not booked, please click into the link below and secure your seat.
We need your support.

 

 

 

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When: 4th August 2021 at 7 pm.

Where: Relax in the comfort of your home – the link will be sent to you on email when you book your ticket.

Tickets:  R100 per login available on Quicket  

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/145206-thinking-the-future-with-clem-sunter/

 

Funds raised will be donated to the Alexandra Education Committee (AEC).

Alexandra Education Committee – Creating opportunities for children of promise from Alexandra since 1996 (alexeducation.org.za)

The AEC exists to provide bursaries for academically promising learners from low-income families in Alexandra for the full

five years of education at well-resourced high schools.

 



Vocational Service Award Nominations....


In 2020 we were unfortunately unable to honour worthy recipients with the annual Vocational Service Awards, but with the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions we are hoping that it will be possible to have a proper ceremony at the end of September.
We are still accepting nominations until the end of  July. Please forward your motivation to Lyn Collocott.


Blankets beat the Big Freeze....


Marilyn Bassin of Boikanyo made it possible that the rural community of Mopani, close to Tzaneen received blankets before the severe cold front set in.






This Friday....


A social meeting.