From the Pen of the President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

Hot off the Press!! Announced today!! 2023-24 presidential theme, Create Hope in the World. Looking forward to that – but let’s spend the next 6 month’s Imagining Rotary!!

January is Vocational Service month – Vocational Service focuses on:

- Adherence to and promotion of the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including fair treatment of employers, employees, associates, competitors, and the public.

- The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, not just those that are pursued by Rotarians.

- The contribution of your vocational talents to solving the problems of society and meeting the needs of the community.

 

Our Exchange Student Emma leaves for Germany this week and we wish her safe travels, wonderful experiences and happy times. We look forward to hearing from her.

 

We got the sad news of James Byrne’s passing this week and we will be honouring his memory at our meeting on 20^th January.

 

Hope 2023 is a great year for all of you – let’s get back to work and get our projects back on track.

Have a good week and do not give up on those resolutions too soon!!

 

   Ann Hope-Bailie

Last Friday....

... was the first club meeting for 2023, and as a number of members are still not back from their well-deserved breaks it was a very relaxed social meeting where those members attending where given the opportunity to share what they had gotten up to during the Rotary break.

The Ramble editor-at-large attended the meeting via Zoom from Stanford in the Cape. Sybille has relocated to the Cape, and will in future be participating remotely. 

It was quite interesting to take part from a distance, particularly because it was a social meeting without a fixed agenda where everyone was just shooting the breeze and most of the time it was fairly easy to follow the conversations in the room.

Sybille gave a brief account of her 13 day, 2000 km  road trip that she undertook with her niece, which took her to Gaberone in Botswana to Kimberley, then Aliwal North, visiting with friend on her beautifully green farm in the Karoo, finally down to the sea at St. Francis Bay, on to Barrydale via the Outeniqua Pass, Oudtshoorn and Route 62 and arriving in Stanford at her nephew's lodge in time for Christmas.

On the other side of the world Lorenzo spent a cold and snowy Christmas in Denmark. A few days before Christmas both his daughters contracted Covid and had to isolate, so it was the first time in many years that Lorenzo spent Christmas alone with his wife.

Mike and Louise Honnet recently returned from a trip Down Under to visit their children in Brisbane, who they had not seen in three years. He reports that the Brisbane CBD is very compact alongside a river (or creek as it is called in Australia) but that the rest of the city is very spread out; most houses are built of wood on stilts because of occasional floods and also for airflow as it gets hot and humid there. They spent a few days at he lovely beach resort of Noosa which is a 2 hour drive north of Brisbane.

Mike was amazed at the weird and wonderful birdlife all around them, like the kookaburra.

President Ann and John spent Christmas with her children in the Cape and spent 4 luxurious days at the Frog Mountain Getaway in Swellendam, and her highlight there was a woodfired hot tub.

Pam Donaldson went fly fishing  in KZN with her brother but remarked that they had torrential rains and temperatures that did not go much above 12 degrees.

Lyn Collocott  had much better weather in Kenton-on-Sea and told us that the Rotary Club there had managed to raise R500 000 for the NSRI with a very successful fundraising event.

Les Short was only a hop, skip and a jump from there in Cannon Rocks and also commented on sunny skies.

Tutty and his wife went bundu-bashing through the Eastern Cape to accompany their grandson who was taking part in a rowing competition on the Cowie River.

Two members who had clearly not gone away were Charmaine Leesman and Anne Padmore. They both work in Pretoria and are only ever able to attend meetings online, so it was a huge pleasure to have them attend Friday's meeting in person. For their efforts they were rewarded with cup cakes that Ann had brought to celebrate her birthday.

This Friday....

...we welcome guest speaker Mark Fruhauf, CEO of Upcycle Foundation.

The Upcycle Foundation focuses on the upliftment of the youth and the impoverished. Through their programs they help turn the people they engage with into entrepreneurs, who help us clean up our planet by working with "waste" generated by business an individuals alike.

At Upcycle they believe in the inherent value of all humans and things.

The Madiba Buggy Initiative, the Anns bring Christmas Cheer and letters of thanks for donations made on behalf of the Vocational Awards recipients....

From the Pen of the President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

I said a Christmas Prayer for you, because the Season’s near,

I did not ask for riches, but for gifts so much more dear.

I asked for Joyful gatherings with your friends and family all around,

And for Carols to inspire you with their old familiar sound.

I asked for quiet moments in your heart on Christmas morn,

For a Special time to celebrate the Saviour who was born.

I asked for friends to send their best so you might know they care.

I asked for Peace and Love and Hope and I know God heard my Prayer.

 

My best wishes to you all.

Ann

 

Last Friday.....

....Costa Qually was given the opportunity to share his journey with an initiative that has changed the lives of desperate cerebral palsy children and their carers forever.

If cerebral palsied children are not seated correctly, they cannot eat or speak properly. Their muscles are unhindered to shorten into a pattern of spasticity and their little bodies become twisted and "stuck". Wrists and ankles dislocate spontaneously from abnormal spasm and they live in terrible pain. 

Socially, they are often put on the floor and only ever see feet while those around them are making eye contact with one another. 

Older children are heavy and are often left at home when the family goes out.

About 10 years ago Marilyn Bassin began renovating used specialized wheelchairs for profoundly cerebral palsied children. She needed spares from the suppliers but they were often unaffordable.

 Tutty Faber introduced Marilyn to Rotary and Jerry Bernardo immediately volunteered to make tray tables and foot plates for baby size buggies. Sadly Jerry was called to higher service shortly before he would have attended the first outreach which took Marilyn and her team of volunteers to Thohoyandou, Limpopo in November 2021.

A buggy given as early as possible in a CP child's life is the best gift one can give. A new buggy costs R22 000,  this initiative renovates for R4 200.

Since that first Outreach the Rotary Club of Rosebank and also the Anns have been integral in assisting with the refurbishment and transport of the wheelchairs, blanket collection and e-pap donation and taking part in the three further Outreaches to Dundee and Ladysmith KZN, Alice and Fort Beaufort - Eastern Cape and Eshowe and Nkandla KZN.

Costa finished off his presentation with some very profound words:

The Rosebank Rotary Anns bringing Christmas Cheer...

The Rotary Anns of Rosebank have been busy spreading some Christmas cheer to those less fortunate. A group of Anns recently visited Gerald Fitzpatrick House and Nursing Home in Bertrams. There are 79 ladies resident there in various types of accommodation, including Frail Care. The Anns gave a tea party and distributed gift bags which included foodstuffs, clothing, toiletries, as well as household items for the “independent” residents. We also had a raffle, having given each lady a ticket – prizes were costume jewellery and table linen. The morning went very well and the residents were most appreciative.

Another recent project was our annual donation of baby hampers to Rahima Moosa Mother and Baby Hospital. These are given to mothers of the first baby boy and baby girl born on Christmas Day and also on New Year’s Day, as well as any other mothers and babies whom the staff feel are needy and deserving. The hampers include baby clothes, toiletries, blankets and soft toys. Once again the gifts were well received in these particularly challenging times.

Letters of Thanks from our Vocational Service Award Recipients....

From Ruth Stubbs...

Dear Ann,

 

I trust that you are well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the Rotary Vocational Service Award which I received this time last week.

Other than being an honour, it is also extremely humbling.

 

The work I do for the Paige Project within communities reflects not only what we as an NPO believe in but what each of us, as individuals within the NPO believe in.

I am privileged to work for the most phenomenal men whose tireless efforts in raising funds so that we can continue to do the work we do in itself is inspiring.

 

The award therefore was accepted on their behalf too because as a team we strive to improve the lives of children with disabilities within the communities we serve.

 

Many thanks once again.

Warm regards,

Ruth

 

This was the last edition of the Ramble for 2022......

See you all again at the first meeting on the 6th of January, either in person or on Zoom.

It will be a social meeting.

Another Induction, "My Story" , A School Award and a Christmas Party to ring out the year....

 From the Pen of the President.....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

Thank you to those who were able to join our year end function on Saturday evening - a wonderful, intimate, fun evening.  We were able to present Marilyn, our special guest, with money for a Madiba Buggy - money raised at our skittles evening. 

The year is drawing to a close, one meeting left, an important informative account of our association with Boikanyo.  

I was lucky enough to be part of the ribbon cutting of the new Rotary centre at JCCI on Friday. We are lucky to have it close by. It has a great view of the city skyline and promises to be a good venue for both District, Club and private functions. 

It is a hectic time of the year so please take care.

Ann

Last Friday.....

... the Gremlins were at work and sadly our Zoom attendees had a less than satisfactory meeting as they reported that the noise levels were such that they were unable to follow much of the proceedings, which is a pity, as we had the great pleasure of inducting a further member into the club as well as member Michelle von Benecke's sharing her life journey with us.

Brigid Booth has been diligently attending meetings for the past month or so and was excited to finally be inducted into the Rotary Club of Rosebank, where it is her fervent wish to make a difference.

For 20 years she has been carrying this little card with her and it clearly made a profound impact on her life. No doubt Rotary will be the vehicle to channel her energies.

Both Brigid's sons Nicholas and Jonathan attended the induction and are they are visibly proud of their dynamo mom.

It was then Michelle von Benecke's turn to allow us a sneak-peak of her life journey.

Born and bred in Pretoria, she studied at Stellenbosch and lived in London on a gap year, but  she adamantly maintains that she would not want to live anywhere else in the world but vibrant Johannesburg.

Because of her talent as a budding artist her parents sent her to the  Pro Arte School in Pretoria, but sadly she lost both of them in a tragic car accident when she was 15, after which she then lived with her aunt in Bedfordview. 

She studied mechanical engineering as the only girl at Stellenbosch University where she also headed up the student council.

After her initial studies she headed for the bright lights of London for a gap year and then did industrial engineering followed by a MBA.

She loved her first challenging job at SAB, where she worked in a male dominated field and although she is not a beer drinker per se she did achieve a diploma in beer and wine tasting.

Her career then catapulted her into the world of banking, starting off with Capital One, which was bought out by Nedbank, she did a stint at Standard Bank where she set up the credit card analytics department, consulted for various banks and even worked for a manganese mine in Hotazell.

She is now back with Nedbank in a very specialized IT department that deals with global payments and is considered a specialist in everything Forex.

Michelle is divorced and her two daughters and two dogs balance her life.

Michelle and her daughters are clearly very creative and many of their joint past times involve painting, baking and attending weekly concerts of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

And despite Michelle's exhausting agenda she also finds time to teach maths after hours and volunteer her time to the St. Columba's Presbyterian Church Outreach.

AG Jean presents a Youth Committee School Award...

Last Monday the Youth Chair of our Club AG Jean Bernardo attended the annual awards ceremony at the Esperanza Primary School in Newlands where a young Grade 7 scholar Nontabeko Dube received a Rotary school award for outstanding scholarship, sportsmanship, fellowship and leadership.

Jean was blown away by the dedication of the teachers and the enthusiasm of all the young learners who walked away with multiple awards. It is a testament that there is a future worth striving for in this country.

Jingles All the Way....

.... After the whirlwind year that was 2022 everyone needed some hearty Christmas Cheer which gracious hosts Ann and John Hope Bailie offered us in spades.

Ann had promised that if Tutty attended the party she would take a plunge into her pool. That did not quite happen, but she did dip her toe...

It was fellowship at it's best with great food and lots of laughs. All guests received a beautiful plant - a Blood Leaf - generously gifted by Charlotte and James Croswell.

And thankfully the weather gods looked upon a kindly and gave a wonderfully warm and mellow evening.

This Friday....

...Our last meeting for 2022.

 Costa Qually will take us on a tour to the Midlands where he was part of an Outreach which supplied 29 severely handicapped  cerebral palsy children with the gift of mobility.

A Social Meeting, Skittles Fundraising and Fellowship and a successful Norwood Spar Food Drive....

 From the Pen of the President.....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

We had a lovely chatty, loud social meeting on Friday and I am sorry that it is not as much fun for those online – it does show us up as a group with vastly different ideas and ways of doing things – we should celebrate these differences. What a pleasure!! We have 6 new members for the first 6 months of the year!!

If you have read Rotary Africa for December, you will have read this: “…..donating to The Rotary Foundation is one of the most intelligent decisions you can make. You know that your gift will align with those values you hold dear and that it will be administered by your fellow Rotarians, who share those values. It is quite an understatement to say that in giving to Rotary, we also receive. ……” visiting Rotary Foundation projects around the world shows that the gift we get in return is priceless.

I did point out that we need to think with some speed about President and officers for the forthcoming year. There are clubs in the district that seem to successfully share the presidency between 2 or 3 members so that, for people who are working, it is not a burden they are hesitant to take on. We could do something similar?? Send me your thoughts.

This is a hectic time of year for a lot of people, the mere thought of holidays coming up, and being ready, puts people into panic mode. We have just 2 meetings left and the prospect of seeing each other on the 3^rd as well for a relaxing time of fellowship – I did say if Lorenzo shows up I will jump into the swimming pool (think I am safe on that one) – I may have said something similar about Tutty and his wife coming!!

Jennifer Jones asks each of us to “Imagine, a world that deserves our best where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”

Keep it together…

Ann

 

Last Friday...

As it was the end of the month it heralded our usual social meeting, and after a few brief announcements the Zoom attendees signed off and the Wanderers lot enjoyed the pizza and the fellowship that goes with it.

However, Fellowship continued that evening when our Queen of Fundraising Sonja Hood organized a festive skittles evening where we managed to raise a healthy R6 900, which will go towards funding our projects.

The theme was decidedly festive as we were told to wear our best Christmas headgear.

 There were once again wonderful raffle prizes to be won and ticket sales exceeded all our expectations.

The competition was fierce between the green and the red team and judging by the noise levels and the laughter everyone had a marvelous time.

Generosity abounds at the second Food Drive at Norwood Spar...

On Saturday and Sunday the the Rosebank Rotary volunteers were once again astounded by the generosity awarded us by the Norwood Spar patrons when asked to add a non-perishable food item to their trolley which will go towards giving some much needed Christmas cheer to persons less fortunate than us.

Lyn Collocott reports: "The two people who made the most impression on me at Norwood yesterday: The worker who bought a drink and gave me his R4.70 change on the way out.

And the man who had no cash on him, disliked shopping and said to me: 'Grab a trolley, come into the shop, buy R300 worth of groceries and meet me at the entrance to the check-out tills and I'll pay with my card."

This Friday....

Will be the pen-ultimate meeting for 2022 and we will be inducting our 6th new member for the year, Brigid Booth. She has attended numerous meetings and is very excited to be officially welcomed into the Rosebank Rotary family. Her father was a Rotarian in Durban and her mother was a Rotary Ann, so Brigid is very familiar with what Rotary stands for.

Michelle von Benecke will also be given the opportunity of sharing her story with us. Looking forward to seeing you either in person or online. 

Our fifth induction for the year, a brief business meeting, Emma, our Rotary student pays us a visit and see who the Rotary Anns Club 100 winners are....

From the Pen of the President....

Dear Rotarians and friends,

 

Rotary’s online Learning Center launched in 2012. It started with a few interactive courses about a new grant model and has grown to hold almost a thousand courses in 23 languages. Its e-learning modules offer a convenient way to take courses when you want to and where you want to. Here are five reasons to encourage club members to visit the Learning Center:

1. To continue developing their professional skills. Members can create an individualized program of courses so they can practice their skills together and offer each other feedback. Create a list of favorite courses for your club for quick reference.
2. To learn about Rotary programs and policies. Members can build on what they already know and deepen their understanding.
3. To easily track their progress. Members can review all the courses they’ve taken by date. Check which courses they’ve completed and easily continue where they stopped in others.
4. To earn certificates and badges. Members earn a certificate of completion for every course they finish. Points and badges earned are posted on a leader board where they can compare progress with that of others in their district, zone, and around the world.
5. To upload materials for others. Learning topics allow you to share resources. Members participate in discussions and ask questions of others as they learn together.

To begin, go to rotary.org/learn and sign in to your My Rotary account.

 

Try it, if you have not done it before – you may just get hooked!!

Enjoy!!

 

Ann

 

 

Last Friday...

.... we kicked off the monthly business meeting with our 5th induction for the year.

Achillefs Chiotis has been attending meetings regularly as a visitor for quite some time and although he had not yet become a member he had nonetheless graciously volunteered his time at our Norwood Spar "Festive Cheer"  food collection last month.

Achillefs was born and raised in Stylida, Greece.

Achillefs is a teacher by profession, and has 36 years of teaching experience in his homeland as well as the Middle East and Africa. He became a permanent resident in South Africa in 2016 and  now owns “Easy Greek”, a company that provides online Greek language lessons, facilitates Foreign Investment in Greece, Translation services, Greek Dancing, Greek Cuisine, and Document Sourcing in Greece and Cyprus.

He is married to Dimitra Kriara and lives in Boksburg.

He is particularly interested in the environment and community service.

We wish Achillefs many happy years of Service and Fellowship with his new found Rotary family.

We were also delighted by the visit of our Exchange Student Emma Jordaan, member Michelle von Benecke's daughter, who arrived proudly dressed in her Rotary blazer.

Despite being in the midst of school exams she still managed to find the time to bake the most delectable biscuits which a number of our members had ordered from her.

Emma is an entrepreneur in the making.

The proceeds from her cookie sales are going towards her imminent trip to Germany and if anyone would like to support her endevours, please contact Michelle on 084 624 634 to place your orders.

This Friday....

Join us for our monthly Social Meeting at Wanderers or on Zoom.

The last one was great fun, because the Zoom attendees had a chance to socialize online, and hopefully did not feel too deprived at having missed out on the pizza.

Then....

Even if you are not attending in person, you are still able to contribute to this fundraising initiative by purchasing raffle tickets before the event or bringing a packet of marshmallows to Friday's meeting and Sybille will ensure that our fundraising Chair will receive them, who will pass them on to Stephan Ferreira who is planning the Mother of all Christmas parties for the 1200 odd children from Durban Deep, who he feeds tirelessly every Saturday come rain or shine.

Poet Ellen Tsidi Lugube - Maponga introduces her books and an Outreach to KZN giving the gift of Mobility....

From the Pen of the President....

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

As RI President Jennifer Jones leads Rotary's official delegation to COP27 in Egypt, Rotarians are expanding their work and leading their communities in responsible stewardship of our planet, on which we all depend. There are so many resources available through Rotary, joining the ESRAG action group for example is a great start. I get the feeling that if we do nothing else, we should concentrate on the environment – there are lists of 100’s of ways each person can make a small difference in their own homes.

 

We have had so much beautiful rain – I hesitate to say ‘enough for now”. Take a walk in a green park, get stuck into your garden or pot plants and ENJOY the green, the sun and our lovely fresh air!!

Till next week.

 

 Ann Hope-Bailie

Last Friday...

...our Club was privileged to welcome self published poet and author Ellen Tsitsi Lugube-Maponga to the meeting, where she had the opportunity to introduce her two books Dear Self  - Feelings and Faith as well as Generations  -  For the Young, by the Old.

Ellen is originally from Zimbabwe and is married with two children. 

The subject matter of her talk dealt with regret. However, her take on regret is that it is not necessarily negative as it can be viewed as good mistakes that teach us lessons; they allow us to make better decisions based on our reflections. Looking back allows us to see what we value.

A few people can say they have no regrets. This does not mean they have none, at times it is because they are at peace with the decisions. Let us embrace the things we regret because they make us progress.

Life really is worth living amid all the good and not so good. When we establish the things we value we must now spend more time with intention to cherish them. Ellen understands the beauty and importance of living having experienced terrible abuse that led her to attempt to end her life. 

It is the little things around us prove to us that there is so much to be grateful for outside of ourselves. 

And further afield last weekend....

....Team Rotary, consisting of Costa Qually, Jean Bernardo, Sybille Essmann and Shirley Eustace accompanied Marilyn Bassin of Boikanyo and Vocational Services Awardee Ruth Stubbs of the Paige Foundation into rural Kwa Zulu Natal to fit 28 severely handicapped cerebral palsy children with much needed specialized wheel chairs. Two dedicated young comm serv Occupational Therapists from the Eshowe District Hospital and Nkandla Hospital, Savannah and Daniella, who singlehandedly run the OT departments, had hand-picked the children who they thought would benefit the most from this gift of mobility. Not only would it change the lives of these children, but also that of their mothers or "gogos" who care for them with great love and patience. Most children arrived on their mom's backs or in their arms, but left with huge smiles and a custom fitted set of wheels.

Every mother was also issued with 20kg of e-pap and a blanket. Shirley Eustace gave them instructions about the nutritional value of this wonder foodstuff and how to prepare it.

This Friday....

....Please join us either in person or via Zoom for the last Business meeting of the year.

 

Guest Speaker and Author Chriss Zas, the Cookie Challenge and Save the Date to Jingle and Mingle...

From the Pen of the President... 

Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

Two points – the first one:

Jennifer Jones’ message in the most recent Rotary Africa was something I would like to reiterate.

“Not too long ago, Rotary members were expected to perform our acts of service quietly. I understood and appreciated the thought behind that - humility is a wonderful trait and we should continue to nurture it in other ways. But keeping Rotary to ourselves has a cost. And by sharing our Rotary moments, we are being generous with others and giving them an opportunity to understand the impact of Rotary. It brings to mind that wonderful aphorism: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” So how do we make people feel Rotary? The best way is to share our Rotary moments. We have all had them - when the ordinary collides with the intention to create something extraordinary.”

Share your Rotary moments! At meetings, on the WhatsApp, on Facebook, with your families and friends.

 

The second one: You wanted a member directory – I still only have half of the information!! Only 56% of members have an email address on My Rotary – which means that those who have not updated their data on My Rotary do not get any correspondence from Rotary. Are we all serious??

 

‘Rainy days and Mondays’… they do tend to get one down, especially when they come on the same day!!

Hope you are having a good day.

Ann

Last Friday...

...We had a record number of Zoom attendees who wished to listen to our guest speaker and author Christian Zasalua, who goes by the pen name Chriss Zas. He  wished to introduce and tell us a little bit more about a book he wrote and published in 2019 - Labyrinth.

Chris was born and educated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he came to South Africa 10 years ago to study electrical engineering, but writing has always been is primary passion.

His book deals with leadership, confidence and unity (or lack thereof) on the African continent and hence the title of the book Labyrinth meaning  "an intricate combination of paths and passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit"

Chriss wanted to share the message of his book with us as he feels that Rotary's values are the embodiment of leadership, confidence and unity.

The Biscuit Challenge....

Also, last Friday member Michelle von Benecke brought bags of delectable cookies for us to sample, which her daughter Emma had baked, to the meeting at Wanderers,.

Emma has been chosen as a Rotary Exchange student and she will be heading off to the little-known town of Weisswasser, situated in the Eastern part of Germany, close to the Polish border and about 2 hours away from Berlin in the first week of January next year. 

 Emma has been baking up a storm and she has been selling her biscuits in order to assist with her Exchange next year. Sales have been brisk, and with great generosity she has donated R2 400 to the Club which will be added to our RI Polio contribution.

One must bear in mind that she has done this while preparing for her Matric exams.

Good luck Emma, you will make your mom and your Rotary family very proud.

Emma is taking orders at  R40 a bag for:

Oats Crunchies

Melting Moments

Shortbread

Chocolate Brownies

Iced Sugar Cookies

Jolly Jammers

and last but not least

Peanut Butter Cookies.

You are welcome to  place your orders with Michelle on 084 624 1634.

This Friday...

...we welcome another exciting guest speaker - Ellen Tsitsi Lugube-Maponga.

Save the Date....