A Business Meeting, Calling all music aficionados for our Music Quiz, Donate a Blanket and Bring-and-Braai.....

 
From the Pen of the President.....

We have been experiencing important religions occasions of several groups of people at pretty much the same time – Easter for Christians, Pesach for Jewish people and Ramadan for Muslims.  All of them seek to concentrate our thoughts and feelings on matters spiritual rather than on material concerns and encompass the need to consider and care for the wellbeing of others and our environment.  Several of these elements form part of the objectives of Rotary and will likely be in our minds throughout the year and not only at present.

Costa Qually
President

Tailpiece

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do! ( Mother Teresa)

Last Friday...

.... our monthly Business meeting  saw only a handful of stalwarts meet in person at Wanderers and sadly even the Zoom attendance was pretty dismal. The low attendance figures of late was one of the topics addressed in the meeting, and we will have to put our collective heads together to come up with solutions to attract our members back to our weekly gatherings.  Do we change the venue? Maybe we should consider changing the time we meet? Mentorship for newer members?

All constructive input would be greatly appreciated.

Report backs:

President Costa:

Richard Tonkin has requested leave of absence from May to August and we all wish him God speed on his travels overseas, and Bon Voyage to Pam Donaldson who will also be winging her way to Europe in the near future.

Pam Donaldson, head of Club Service counted an average of only 20 members per meeting in the past month, and has asked members to please let her know of any make-up meetings and committee meeting attendance.

Finances - John Symons:

Club Finances are in good shape.

It was agreed that the Rotary Club of Rosebank would donate a sum of R5 000 to District 9370 to assist in the relief efforts for the flood ravaged KZN. Various members  donated funds in their personal capacity and John was able to transfer R15 500 to the District Relief Fund.

International - Richard Maloney reported back that he had been in contact with Shoprite CSI to pitch the cervical cancer project to them, but it will still need a lot of spade work. He will also be travelling to Germany in the next few months and plans on visiting Rotary clubs with the aim of building international connections.

Membership - ably steered by David Bradshaw, who is chipping away at potential candidates, and hopefully we will soon have some serious commitments.

David is trying very hard to establish a satellite club in Dainfern, who plan on holding a prostate cancer awareness talk for Dainfern residents in the near future.

Youth - The Interact Club of the Highlands North Boys Highschool have elected a President who will be inducted shortly, and they are planning on holding a Blanket Drive at the Norwood Hypermarket.

The Senior Youth Leadership Course will be taking place in October and deposits have been paid for 50 participants.

Jean and Ann Hope-Bailie  interviewed a couple of Rotary Exchange student candidates and were very impressed with their calibre.

The date for the Careers Day has been confirmed for the 15th of July at the Holy Rosary College.

Publicity - Ann H-B regularly updates our Facebook page and our Rosebank Ramble is in the running for a District Award to be presented at Discon in June.

Fundraising - Bookings for our Quiz Evening with the Music Guru Sean Brokensha have been going well, with more than 60 tickets already sold. Sonja has managed to secure some wonderful prizes for our popular raffle, but we still need many more and asks all members to bring, bring, bring....

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/145191-quiz-evening-with-the-music-guru-sean-brokensha/#/

Please avoid disappointment and book your team soonest.

Vocational & Community Services - The annual Blanket Drive at the William Nicol Pick & Pay will be taking place on Friday 6th and Saturday/Sunday 7th and 8th of May. Thank you to all the members, Anns and friends who are volunteering their time to "sell" as many blankets as possible. The Board has agreed to the purchase of a second Yoco Point of Sale machine, which should also help with more blanket purchases.

 

And this Saturday....

.... on the last day of April we can look forward to a wonderful day of Fellowship.

Guest Speaker Alison Groves on "green" buildings, Our Indian Quiz opponents win by a margin, the Anns hold a successful Jumble Sale, and Bookings are open for our Charity Quiz evening with the Music Guru

From the Pen of the President.....

A quick transition from a disappointing summer to winter weather that is both wet and cold highlights the need to assist the many underprivileged people in our community.  We will be involved in another blanket drive in the near future.  You will be able to assist in this drive by volunteering for a shift at Pick and Pay, Republic Road or by approaching people and enterprises to donate money to buy blankets – or both.  You can serve to change lives!

Costa Qually
President

Tailpiece

He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. (Confucius)

Last Friday....

.....our guest speaker  was Alison Groves, a Sustainability Consultant and environmental activist who had been invited to address us about "greening" of buildings.

Our technical director Ann Hope-Bailie was faced with some challenges because our meeting had been relegated from our usual venue at Wanderers to some less than adequate room, but in her unflappable manner Ann connected the Zoom participants with the meeting and somehow made it work.

Alison, who has been part of the "green" movement in South Africa since its inception in 2007, and a recipient of many environmental awards proudly told us of her involvement with the Emira Property Group, whose Knightsbridge, Block A Building in heart of Bryanston had just received a net zero, energy performance certification - the first one in South Africa. 

The anchor of a "green" building depends on the materials it is constructed with. Alison mentioned fly ash, which is a waste product in coal-fired power stations which offers an energy saving substitute to Portland cement; also aluminium and gypsum, both of which are recyclable and are extensively used in the building industry.

"Passive" buildings use maximum daylight, keep out the heat in summer, yet bring warmth in during winter months.

The heat emissions of buildings can be reduced by clever shuttering and creating shade by planting trees and establishing gardens around them.

Environmental difference can be achieved by making incremental changes in our homes: using LED lighting, taking shorter showers, turning off lights and taps.

Alison makes mention of the 5 R's - Recycle, reduce, re-use, refuse (straws, plastic bags and promotional gifts) and reclaim (by using recycled goods).

Food for thought an a topic that fits in very much with our seventh area of focus.

The Rosebank Rotary Quiz Team versus a formidable Indian Opponent....

Last Wednesday five Rotary Clubs from the Indian city of Cochin, in the province of Kerala -  RC Cochin Smartcity, RC Cochin Beachside,  RC Cochin Periyar, RC Cochin Uptown and RC Tripunithura Royale put together a formidable team who took President and Quizmaster Costa's challenging questions in their stride and we were no match against their collective brain power. 

Well done Cochin, this calls for a rematch.

Have you booked your Dream Team.....

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/145191-quiz-evening-with-the-music-guru-sean-brokensha/#/

Avoid disappointment, only a limited amount of seats available and tickets are selling out fast.

Next Friday...

...have a blessed and peaceful Good Friday and Easter weekend.

 

PP Grace van Zyl promotes Rotary's involvement in peace programs, Rotarian Gareth Hood's letter from China and final Club 100 Winners are announced....

From the Pen of the President...

You cannot share what you do not have.  It may be time, resources or talents – very often it will be a combination of these.  Our members have demonstrated over and over what can be done for others by sharing and positively impacting the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.  Keep up your contributions to the goals of Rotary – you have much to be proud of!

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

If you cannot feed a hundred, then feed just one  (Mother Theresa)

Last  Friday....

Past President of Rotary Club of Johannesburg and recently elected director for Africa on RI's  Rotary Action Group for Peace Grace van Zyl addressed our club and shared how the RAGFP works together to advance peace and prevent wars throughout the World. 

One of the objectives of the RAGFP is to forge a path for existing Rotary peace programs to become involved directly with Rotarians and their activities.

Rotary and Peace and how to approach projects with sustainable peace in mind.

 

Peace is in Rotary’s DNA “…to build goodwill & Peace”  and hence has partnered with the Institute of Peace & Economics (IEP) regarding positive and sustainable peace.  Anybody can complete the free courses offered by the IEP by going onto Rotary’s Peace Academy.

 

Peace is measured by two indexes, The Global Peace Index and the Positive Peace Index.  The global Peace index measures how peaceful a country is by the absence of war or conflict or the fear of conflict – this is viewed as negative peace.  The positive peace index measures looks at attitudes, institutions and structures that when strengthened lead to a more peaceful society.  It is not only associated with higher levels of peace, it is also associated with stronger macroeconomic performance.  The IEP uses thousands of data sets in each pillar of positive peace to measure peace. The Positive Peace index for 2021 showed the following:

In summary the world became less peaceful by 0.07% since 2020.  Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, with Afghanistan the least peaceful. 

 

There is a synergy between Rotary’s 7 areas of focus and the IEP’s 8 Pillars of positive peace.  Every project we take on as Rotarians improves positive peace in the communities we serve.  We are unconsciously competent at peace building but with training and a mindset change we can be consciously competent. There are 4 key steps for a mindshift change when approaching our projects:

 

1. SEAK HEALTH – not mission accomplished

Continue wrong and adapting to make improvements

2. SEE PATTERNS – not just problems

Step back from the problem at hand and see the bigger picture and patterns behind the problem  (look at the cause as opposed to the symptoms)

3. UNLOCK CHANGE – don’t impose it

Don’t get focussed on looking for the problem and then rush in to fix it.  Rather unlock the forces within the system to create the change.

4. PLAN TO ADAPT – don’t stay the course

Navigate the everchanging dynamics whilst still keeping your eye on the end goal

 

Many projects fail when we apply “Clock-Like” fixes to “Cloud-Like” problems.

 

So where does the Rotary Action Group for Peace (RAGFP) fit into all of this?  The RAGFP encourages Rotarians, Rotaractors & Interactors to become part of the action group and then ultimately convert to peace builder clubs.  The cost to join the RAG is $20 for Rotarians, $10 for Peace Fellows and $5 for Rotaractors and Interactors for the year.  The benefits of joining the RAG gives you access to the following:

 

To become a Peacebuilder club, you need at least 2 Rotarians to form a Committee.  Each of these Rotarians must complete the free training on IEP and join the RAGFP.  The club can decide if they will fund the $40 or if the Rotarians will fund this themselves ($20 dollars each).  We encourage members to become part of the District Peace Building Committee as well.  The club must identify one project a year to showcase/enhance positive sustainable peace (it can be an existing project).  The club must also commit to training their members and communities on positive sustainable peace.  There are chapter meetings every week that meet virtually, currently in Hong Kong, Germany & Serbia.  We have also launched the Africa Peace Hour that takes place on the last Sunday of every month via zoom at 7pm SA time on the following link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84438091586.  These meetings allow you to collaborate with peace builders in Africa that can give you a different insight into projects, what has worked and what are the challenges.

 

Becoming a peace builder club will help your club:

• More powerfully implement RI’s Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution area of focus in your club
• Address the growing problem and danger of divisiveness and polarization that fractionalizes and stagnates societies, disrupts peaceful relations, and increases the potential for violence,
• Build stronger, more harmonious communities and a more peaceful world,
• Help Rotarians maximize the peacebuilding impact of every Rotary project in all seven areas of focus, and

Assist in the accomplishment of Rotary’s mission to “enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace.”

 

Peace starts with each one of us, it is only when we become more peaceful within ourselves that we can build positive sustainable peace with in our committees.

A message from Rotary Ann Liz Short....

Dear Rotarians

 

At our last meeting we decided to continue with the Hundred Club fund-raising this year but we have had to reduce the cost of the tickets as people felt that money is so tight these days.  Your ticket for the year will now cost you only R200 and you will still go into the monthly draw for prizes of R150 and R300.  However, our end of year prizes have been slightly reduced, otherwise we won't make any money at all!

 

We would greatly appreciate it if you would support us again - we really value the contributions from our Rotarians and friends so please ask everyone you know if they will help us out.  Last year we only managed to sell 78 tickets so this year we are aiming for a full 100 and should raise about R12,000.

 

Thank you so much and love

 

Liz. 

And from further afield a letter sent to us from Gareth Hood....

The past year in China has been a fascinating year from many different perspectives. From a personal side, I have grown more in the last year as a person than I think I ever grew before in a similar period of time. I have experienced the challenges of being restricted from going home to see my family and friends who I miss dearly but through this experience I have realized that I have a strong mental fortitude and have developed a method of internal reflection that has greatly helped me through more challenging days. Another thing that has helped me greatly has been exercise of both my mind and body. Daily meditation and CrossFit have become hugely helpful tools in strengthening my mind and body. 

 I have missed the weekly quizzes and seeing the Rotarians online but due to blocks for security reasons, Zoom and very often any Google services will continue to not be viable communication sources for some time into the future. But be this as it may, I still strive to embody the values of a Rotarian on a daily basis and once the lockdowns in China are eased, I hope to start travelling internally again and make contact with fellow Rotarians. 

 With regards to my experiences in China so far, I have to say that China continues to amaze me by its beauty both natural and the beauty of their cultures and traditions. Never have I lived somewhere where people are so proud of the culture and still practice traditions thousands of years old. The people here are friendly and welcoming and love to hear my many stories about South Africa. One person even likened South Africa to the Wild West which I told them if they lived in Johannesburg could just mean Krugersdorp. 

 My students have been the highlight of my experience and life here so far. Never have I ever been so excited to walk into a classroom every day. My Grade 6s are the epitome of hungry minds, always inquiring. Our current unit is called Life on Mars in which we are exploring the pros and cons of humans going to Mars and a highlight of this unit was when one of the Grade 6s stood up during a class debate and stated that humans should fix Earth first before running away to another planet or we would eventually do the same thing to Mars. A life lesson if ever there was one. My Grade 10s are currently discussing conflict resolution focusing on game theory which discusses finite vs. infinite players and our discussions regularly give me hope that these students will one day lead the world into a more peaceful and prosperous period. 

 Overall I can comfortably say that so far my time in China has been the best time of my life and I am excited for the years to come here in which I can continue to grow and learn. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy and hopefully, I can eventually attend a meeting in person. 

Cheers for now!

 Love Gareth

This Friday.....

Alison Groves will address us at a hybrid Zoom/Wanderers meeting.

Alison has been involved in the ‘green’ movement in South Africa since its inception in 2007 and is a Green Star Accredited Professional. She is particularly interested in designing resilience into buildings, thereby future proofing against resource scarcities. A fundamental principle of her approach is to find synergies between systems and materials used, maximising potential for passive design.

Having worked closely with the Green Building Council South Africa since its inception, she has been involved in the development of a number of the Green Star rating tools, serves as assessor and sits on the GBCSA Technical Advisory Group. She has won several awards, including winner of the highest rated Green Star Building – Vodafone Site Solution Innovation Centre in 2013 and the Leadership award for the most Established Green Star Accredited Professional in 2015.

We find out more about the Donate A Loo Project, Making the difference in the lives of Cerebral Palsy children and our weekly quiz Challenge once again goes beyond the borders of South Africa...

 From the Pen of the President...

The trip to KZN with Boikanyo Trust has had a meaningful impact on me.  The smiles on the faces of some of the recipients of Madiba buggies and their carers/parents was uplifting and good for the soul.  The suffering that some of the children have endured and the level of poverty that was evident made any difficulties I may have faced or complaints I may have made in the past pale into insignificance.  A clear demonstration of the validity of the current RI theme of “Serve to change Lives”.

Costa Qually
President

Tailpiece

Definition of politics in South Africa:  The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

Last Friday....

...was a hybrid meeting at Wanderers, and Ann Hope-Bailie had to juggle two important roles: that of duty sergeant as well as being the technical director. She will be the first to agree that it is no easy task to link up the lap-top with the projector, then to connect the speakers, web-cam and sound system, make sure the mics work and last but not least to admit the Zoom attendees to the meeting and to ensure that they too are able to enjoy the experience.

Needless to say the Gremlins were at work again, but Ann remained calm and managed to eventually resolve the issue.

We welcomed a delegation from Johannesburg - New Dawn, David Marshall, Adele Dabbs and Peter Primich, headed up by Helene Bramwell to present a project that she is very passionate about to us, in the hope that with joint participation from various local and international clubs a Global Grant could be secured.

Helene was so deeply moved when she heard about the plight of a young child who fell into a pit latrine and drowned, that she felt she had to do something tangible to prevent further deaths, and with that the Donate A Loo Project was born.

She was not deterred by the red-tape associated with getting this project off the ground: Registering a Public Benefit Organisation, registering  with SARS, identifying nursery schools, determining what sanitation facilities they had, and finding willing partners to support her vision.

Helene was appalled at the dire conditions she uncovered at many nursery schools and saddened by the fact that these schools were not in a position to register with the Department of Education because of the lack of adequate sanitation.

To date Donate A Loo has received funding to be able to install 18 toilets in various informal settlements in the West Rand. Helene and her team have been hard at work finding more cost efficient ways of building and erecting these toilets and are partnering with local builders, thereby also being instrumental at job creation.

This is a project of monumental proportion and it needs People of Action to bring Helene's vision to fruition.

And last week, further afield in the rural KZN Midlands....

Having been involved in the first Madiba Buggy outreach to Limpopo last year, it went without saying that Marilyn Bassin from the Boikanyo Dion Herson Foundation would invite members from the Rotary Club of Rosebank to accompany her team to assist with the fitment of 14 cerebral palsy children in rural KZN.

President Costa has indicated how rewarding this experience was and these pictures are worth a thousand words.

Join the Wednesday Quiz night fun..

What started off being a weekly fun diversion during hard lockdown has now become an institution, so much so that we are being challenged by Rotary clubs from as far afield as Uganda; last week we had a fun evening of fellowship in competition against the Rotary Club of Mansopa/Maseru in Lesotho and this Wednesday the 16th we are being challenged by the Rotary Club of Harare in Zimbabwe.

They have pulled out all the stops and are hoping to also raise some much needed funds for their projects.

Everyone is welcome! If you would like to join the fun, please let President Costa know, who will gladly send you the Zoom link.

This Friday...

....will be a hybrid Business meeting, and for purposes of catering will you please indicate to Costa on the WhatsApp chat group whether you will be attending in person.

Sybille takes you on a virtual trip up the Amazon and a fun evening of fundraising and fellowship....

From the Pen of the President....

There is much happening nationally and internationally that may well be worrying us.  That is why it is so important to look for and recognise the good news and heart-warming aspects that are happening – and there are plenty of those!  It helps all of us when these are recognised and shared verbally and on social media.  Try it out when you feel that there is nothing you can do about the situation that you feel is depressing.  This will help to make others smile and make both them and you feel better.

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

Talk happiness.  The world is sad enough

without your woes.  No path is wholly rough;

look for places that are smooth and clear,

and speak of those, to rest the weary ear

of earth, so hurt by one continuous strain

of human discontent and grief and pain

  (Excerpt from the poem “Optimism” by Ella Wheeler)

Last Friday....

....was a Zoom meeting that saw better attendance figures with 20 members logging on and we welcomed two guests, David Craik from the Rotary Club of Seven Oaks in the UK, visiting in S.A., and a fellow club member Heather-Jane Ozanne, who joined us from the UK. She briefly introduced herself. She is the CEO of the charitable organization Spirit of Peace, and is very involved in various peace building programs, mainly in the Middle East having lived for a time in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. She enjoys local and global connections and was therefore keen to link up with our club.

It was then Sybille's turn to share some of her travel adventures with the club. She had taken two years out of her professional life in 2014/15 to travel solo and on a shoestring through India and South East Asia and then ventured to South America.

A trip up the Amazon was very much on her bucket list, and she really wanted to experience the essence of the Amazon and therefore decided to take the slow boat from the Atlantic coastal town of Belem all the way to the 2 million strong city of Manaus, 1500 km upstream.

The Rio Amazonas is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, is about 6 650 km in length and occupies 35% of the South American continent.

The trip to Manaus took 6 days, and it gave Sybille a lot of time to observe life along this mighty river which was at its fullest as it was towards the end of the rainy period.

After a few days in the bustling city of Manaus Sybille had the opportunity of going deep into the hot and humid  Amazonian jungle with its abundance of "critters".

To leave the Amazon and with that Brazil Sybille braved a 36 hour trip on a river taxi which took her from Manaus to the border town of Tabatinga, where she walked across the border to Leticia in Colombia from where she then flew on to the capital Bogota.

Fundraising and Fellowship...

Our fundraising queen Sonja Hood, knowing  how starved we all are for fellowship, and not to let a good opportunity for fundraising slip past, organized a fun evening of skittles at the Swiss Club in Vorna Valley. R120 bought you entrance to the function plus one raffle ticket to win either a booze hamper or a chocolate hamper. It goes without saying that many more raffle tickets were sold throughout the evening, and a healthy sum of money was raised.

Sybille was the lucky winner of the chocolate hamper.

Please keep our next BIG Fundraiser in mind, another exciting quiz evening taking place on the 25th of May at Parkview Golf Club.

This Friday....

...we welcome Helene Bramwell from Rotary Club New Dawn, who will expand on a project she is passionate about.

She will  present to us in person at Wanderers, and if you cannot make it in person, there will also be a Zoom link.

A quiet week for the Rotary Club of Rosebank, and an invitation to a skittles fundraiser at the Swiss Club on Friday the 4th March...

 From the Pen of the President....

The past week has demonstrated nature in some of its different guises. On Tuesday evening we had a magnificent sunset lasting nearly three quarters of an hour with the many clouds turning pink and then turning to a bright gold that slowly dulled until 19:15. Then on Friday we had a huge thunderstorm with hail that resulted in the Wanderers bowling greens being under a sheet of water and flooding in several areas. We can only be in awe of what nature can do.

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom (Socrates)

Last Friday...

... and also the last Friday of the month and therefore a social meeting was held at Wanderers, and if you weren't able to be there in person you unfortunately missed out on the Fellowship as it was decided that there would be no Zoom participation as it would not be very gratifying.

It was a small gathering, the pizza offering was tasty and the conversation was at times weighty, because of the tumultuous times we are living through, but James Croswell, our duty sergeant lightened the mood with some choice jokes and a raffle for a home grown succulent which was won by Lyn Collocott.

An unexpected Highveld thunderstorm meant that a few of us got thoroughly drenched while scampering for our cars.

Our contribution to the Rotary Day of Action did not go unnoticed....

An email received by Lyn from Shirley Tebbutt, a Blairgowrie resident and a champion for the Delta Park

Hi Lyn  and all the Rotary members

 

Wow, what a difference you are making to the sensory garden – it looks sooooo much better.

Are you planning to  put plants into the  raised pots?

Soon it will be a pleasure to walk through the garden again. Well done and many thanks.

 

I am about the to write the Delta Park Newsletter --- and all this will be in it. Can’t have people thinking

City Parks had done all this !!!

 

Cheers

Shirley

Last Thursday's edition of the Randburg Sun also showcased our activities with a lovely article and photos.

This Friday....

.... join us on Zoom when Sybille will take you on a virtual tour down the mighty Amazon River, a trip that she made in 2015.

Please join us on the evening of Friday 4th of March at 6:00 at the Swiss Club in Vorna Valley.

It is a fundraiser - R120.00, which also buys you 1 ticket into the Raffle.

Food and drinks are for your own cost.

It will be a wonderful evening of Fellowship and will also be for a good cause.

Please let Sonja Hood know if you would like to be part of the fun - 083 707 1055

The monthly business meeting, who won February's Club 100 draw, Highlands North Boys High School Interact Club's blood drive and a very successful Day of Action in the Delta...

From the Pen of the President...

“Tempus fugit” – time certainly is going by very quickly and I realise that I need to give attention to several of the tasks that I have planned but postponed. No doubt many of our members experience the same pressures. That is one of the reasons why I am so appreciative of those who gave of their precious weekend time to help clear some of the overgrown and weed infested garden area in Delta Park. A big thank you to all who assisted!

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

Be nicer than necessary to everyone you meet. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle  (Socrates) 

Last Friday....

.... was our monthly Business Meeting which was conducted via Zoom. As from next month the business meetings will be hybrid meetings.

David Craik from the Rotary Club of  Seven Oaks in the UK attended the Zoom meeting. He is no stranger to our club and has visited with us many times on his S.A. visits to his daughter, who lives in Johannesburg.  He receives our Ramble and enjoys reading about all our club activities. He mentioned that his club struggles to attract new members, and their numbers have sadly dwindled to seven. They collaborate with their local Round Table club on certain projects, as they too are down in numbers. 

President Costa announced that as from March going forward only the first meeting of the month shall be on Zoom, thereafter the second and third meetings will be hybrid meetings at Wanderers and also via Zoom, whereas the Social meeting at the end of each month will only be an in person meeting at Wanderers.

Costa mentioned his concern about the poor attendance of late and he and others will be touching base with those members who have been scarce to try and determine what the problem might be.

The announcement that Ann Hope-Bailie will be President Elect for the next Rotary year received a warm round of applause.

John Symons could not present his financial report in person as he was still recuperating from a cataract operation, but all is good.

Our almoner David Bradshaw reported that he had been in touch with Carol Lawrence, Bernard Neuhaus (who hopes to visit and give a talk soon) and Judy Powell. Roger Lloyd is slowly settling in and is planning a visit to the Rotary Club of Claremont. Chrispin is having endless problems with his asylum papers which is the reason we have not seen him at meetings.

In his capacity as Chair of membership David shared that he had prepared a proposal for consideration by the Board on membership which he should be able to present at next month's business meeting.

On the Youth front Jean Bernado reported back that our Interact Club at the Highlands Boys High School's community activities are once again gaining momentum. They had held a successful blood drive and would be inducting new members in two weeks time.

Sadly the Careers Day will have to be postponed to a later date, probably May.

The Youth Leadership weekend is being planned for October.

On publicity Ann Hope-Bailie reported that she updates the club's Facebook page at least twice a week, and it was agreed that this social media avenue was more valuable than our website, which has been dormant for a while now. The Rosebank Ramble is being read by the editors of Rotary Africa and District 9400 newsletter and also goes to many members of other Rotary clubs.

Ann would like to hold training sessions for new members with regards to online learning.

Sonja Hood, who chairs the fundraising committee, announced that we had secured two dates for the ever popular quiz evenings, namely Wednesday the 25th of May and the 26th of October at the Parkview Golf Club. 

Friday 4th March we are hosting a fellowship/ fundraising bowling evening at the Swiss Club in Midrand. Please let Sonja know if you would like to attend. Numbers are limited.

The Environmental committee has been hard at work organizing our club's contribution to Rotary's Day of Action taking place at the Delta Park Environmental Centre. The event was widely publicised on our Facebook page and  other Facebook groups.

Scroll down in this edition of the Rosebank Ramble to read all about it....

.

Blood Donations save lives....

..... and the young men of the Interact Club of the Highlands North Boys High School did their bit by hosting the first of four blood drives that they are planning for 2022.

AG Jean Bernardo rolled up her sleeve, extended her arm and gave a pint of her precious and rare A negative blood to the attending SANBS nurse. 

Making sure that Jean was well looked after are Interactors  Philani Mgquba and Arethbeng Mothapo, and also Mimi van Deventer, who teaches at the school and is the liaison officer for the Interact Club.

The Rotary Day of Action...

.... started off wet, cold and gloomy but we were determined to soldier on and not let the weather get the better of us. 

We had chosen Saturday the 19th of February to prematurely celebrate Rotary's birthday and there was never a question that our club contribution to the Rotary Day of Action would be of environmental importance. 

The resurrection of the Delta Park Waterwise and Sensory Garden was our mission and at 9:30, armed with spades, forks, rakes and trowels, our team of Rotarians (from Rosebank, Randburg and Morningside) as well as Anns and friends and family attacked this mammoth task head on.

Although we had sent in Kenneth the previous week to start clearing the black-jacks and weeds this is what we were faced with.

Liz Short, Penny Robinson, Su Mills and Debi Lieberthal took on the overgrown planters.

People of Action

We got our hands dirty....

.

 

....Filled bags and bags of garden refuse

....Documented our achievements

We made a difference and beyond that we had lots of fun! Thank you to all the volunteers who made this day happen.

This Friday.....

....we meet at Wanderers. Hope to see you there.

Remember, there will be no Zoom.