An Evening at Adega do Monge

Quite an evening!  The food was good and the company became increasingly loud and sung with gusto!  We stood whilst Bert, Marja & Jankees sang the Dutch National Anthem to commemorate Queen Beatrix' Birthday the next day.  Graham recited Albert and the Lion.  Other songs were sung and we all left wondering when the next 5th Wednesday would be. (It's in July).

Magaliesberg Train Trip, Monday 27th April

It really was a strange sight, hundreds of people waiting on Maraisburg Station platform on a public holiday morning.  We all received a food parcel for the trip wrapped up in a checked handkerchief that included two little bottles of sparkling wine.  Here are Claudine & Edward Storbeck clutching their food parcels and Caleb and Joshua at the same time.  The more wine was consumed the more sociable the trip became.  Here's Don bartering cheese for more wine!.

Our engine was named Susan and happily puffed away to Magaliesberg Station without incident.  

We arrived at about 11,00 and some of us scoured the village for something of value without success other than Claudine who was seen busy shopping for clothes for the family. 

 

A welcome break from the Jumping Castle!

Lunch at the hotel was basic but satisfying in that strange way that these things are.  I would never have slightly caramelised pumpkin at home but I really enjoy it in these situations.

Don bought a book to present to the DG after every club had signed a section of it.

 

No comment on the book but as you may know Don & Arthur are buying a flat on the Houghton/Norwood border.  

This teaset is the ideal house-warming present for them.

On the way back Susan proved to be

 unreliable and we were stranded outside

 Krugersdorp until 4 diesels arrived to tow us back.  The delay was compounded by Susan's bearings overheating so that they had to be greased at Krugersdorp before we could continue. 

 We eventually arrived over 3 hours late but even those with children didn't seem to mind. 

President's Note

What a pleasure it is, this month, to just have to write a message to the members of the club and send it off to be inserted in our new blog – The Rising Sun.  Any of you who have ever tried to do a newsletter, or any such publication, in MS Word will know what a trial that can be so thank you Peter for creating the blog and for keeping it up to date.  I encourage everyone to feel free to make submissions for inclusion.

I am writing this on the eve of our 4^th democratic elections and what a vibe….  Jacob Zuma buoyed by his charges being dropped and Helen Zille by her award from JHB Rotary Club!!  Even Julius gets a mention as Chicken Man!

On the 6^th May, we will be holding our first new member induction.  This is a very significant event and I would ask that we all do our best to ensure we attend and welcome the newcomers – Joan Donet & Tracey Matube.  (Claudine, I trust you have the tiaras ready!)  We are doing very well with our membership efforts so please keep up the good work.  It would be a great start to Peter’s year if his first duty as president was to induct some new members. 

The District 9300 Assembly is being held on Saturday 23^rd May.  This is an important and worthwhile event and an opportunity for us all to meet other Rotarians & find out more about the organisation.  At this event, the incoming DG Beth Thomas will discuss her plans for the coming year and there will be workshops and focus groups on a variety of projects and programmes.

As this Rotary year winds down, I can already feel the excitement of the new year building in the wings. Projects we talk about now will happen in the new year – the GSE team from the Philippines, possible involvement in youth exchange, fund raising projects, wheelchair projects, etc.  and from now on also, the incoming board members will be attending board meetings so as to facilitate a seamless transfer in July – a great idea that I believe we should continue.

The first accounts have been sent out and it would be much appreciated if you would submit your subs timeously as we have a few accounts to pay. 

Regards

Don

Thanks Don for this link to the Susan Boyle video.....Wonderful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

In to the Breech- Jean-Michel Kayumba!

After our speaker cancelled at the last minute, Jean-Michel leaped into the breech to talk about tuberculosis and his recent participation in a conference in Brazil on the subject.

He is particularly interested in the use of medical methods that are appropriate in a Third World environment and that is what made his talk so interesting. You don't need an ultra-violet light if you have the sun and that's free!

Thanks Jean-Michel for a fascinating talk.

Whilst on the subject of health, here are some exercise for Rotarians particularly interested in raising their fitness level.

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side with a 2,5kg potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.
Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.


Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 5kg potato bags.
Then try 10kg potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 20kg potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.
(I'm at this level.)


After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

The Blog, PETS and other things...

You will notice that I have added some videos that may relate the our club... Also web links, not only to the RI website and the District one but also to websites that are related to members. If I have missed anyone out just feed me the link and I'll add it. If there is anything else you feel might be fun to have on the blog just let me know.

PETS (President Elect Training Seminar) was held at Benoni Country Club on Saturday 4th March. Registration was at 7,30am but it did mean that we didn't have to spend all day there. There was lunch but you could leave before that if you wanted to. There were presentations by the chairs of various District Committees and our incoming DG Beth Thomas had obviously impressed upon all of them that they only had 5 minutes! Some over-ran but not drastically!

Beth set the tone for a relaxed informal but informative seminar right from the word go and so it proved to be. The most important aspects of the Seminar from my point of view were:

• that we had been selected as one of the host clubs for the GSE Team from the Philippines 30th October to 28th November
  
• the emphasis on Water & Sanitation that is an RI theme for the new Rotary year fits in well with the skills that we have in the club and we must give it some thought when we discuss projects and fund raising





• Two of the girls from Mcauley House School who spoke to us a couple of weeks ago gave a presentation on Interact. They asked me if we couldn't sponsor a Rotaract Club for them after they turn 18 and have left school. I said that of course we would






• The District Conference takes up one day of a cruise from Friday 12th - Monday 15th March 2010 to Mozambique Island on the Sinfonia. The Conference costs are R250 per head and the cruise costs range from R2 651 to R4 478 per person sharing - quickly booked a cheap inside cabin..even that is posher than steerage on Union Castle!





• District Assembly, Sat 23rd May, is important to attend, especially for incoming Board Members, as there are break-away sessions that specifically relate to your functions within the club. Please diarise.

PETS was well run and informative. I must admit that I am not a natural conformist when it comes to these things and can generally think up 101 reasons why I don't need to be there. In fact I do need to be there.

Wednesday 29th April. We had such fun eating Portuguese last time that we thought we'd do it again but this time at Adega do Monge, 32 Roberts Ave, Kensington. This is the original restaurant and is nothing to do with the franchise. Jorge Cruz has promised us a great meal for R160 per head. Book with me before Monday 27th April.

Professor Lorna Jacklin our Speaker on Wednesday 8th April

Professor Lorna Jacklin from the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences recently won the 2008 Shoprite Checkers/SABC 2 Woman of the Year Award in the category of health.
Jacklin has dedicated her life and in particular her medical career to improving the lives of children with physical disabilities or abuse. She has acted as an Ombudsman for these children who do not fit into mainline education and struggle to fulfill their potential as they are not given the educational opportunities they need and are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated.
Lack of early or appropriate education rob these children of a fair chance in life if not treated as it eventually translates into developmental problems which in turn bring social problems as children grow up into adults who cannot function independently and are anti-social in their behaviour.

Jacklin holds the position of the Principal Consultant Paediatrician with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand and consults to the Paediatric Department of the Johannesburg Hospital. Using her knowledge and capabilities in the mental health medical field, she has made a difference in the lives of thousands of children acting as medical consultant to the Neuro-developmental Clinic at the Johannesburg Hospital and various other clinics and initiatives in support of children with mental health problems.
In her work in the Neuro-developmental Clinic she has been able to track the changing profile of autism as ever increasing numbers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are brought to her for assessment and medical support. This is extremely valuable work in the face of an international crisis of growing numbers of children with autism. She is ensuring that South African data is being collected and scrutinised as to whether our children are following the pattern presenting in the US and UK.
She is one of the founder members and previous chairperson of the Wits Paediatric fund, an organisation run as a University project to raise funds for the children’s wards and out-patient clinics at Chris Hani Baragwanath, Coronation and Johannesburg Hospitals. She started the Toy Library for patients and children with disabilities at Baragwanath Hospital in 1985. It is still in existence and has been replicated.
She is a founder member of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children which was launched in 1986. As there are no affordable pre-school and educational services for blind or autistic children in Johannesburg she also founded the Children’s Disability Centre in 1986.

Professor Jacklin was one of three Wits finalists in the 2008 Shoprite Checkers Woman of the Year Awards. Dr Janet Poole, one of the country’s leading specialists in the field of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology; and Prof. Claire Penn from the Wits School of Speech Pathology and Audiology and an internationally acknowledged scientist were also finalists.





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New Dawn Charter Dinner, 21st February, 2009

It really was a fun evening and every speech was short and to the point so all the formalities were over by 10,15pm!

Here's how we appeared in the newsletter of our Sponsor Club, the Rotary Club of Morningside with District Governor Trevor Nienaber and our Charter President Don Lindsay flanking Adele Thomas, President of Morningside Club.

The picture below is all the Charter Members with President Don clutching the Charter.

Our Charter Members are:

Arthur Begley

Allan Beuthin

Lucille Blumberg

Lyn Collocott

Graham Donet

Eleanor Hough

Peter James-Smith

Paul Kasango

Jean-Michel Kayumba

Don Lindsay

Kenneth Malmqvist

Sue Peiser

Alison Pope

Hugh Rix

Jankees Sligcher

Claudine Storbeck

Ben Tonkin

Linda Vink

Michael Vink

Ian Widdop.