Sunday, 21 February 2010

Mark Cresswell is inducted, Solar Water Heating and visitors from Morningside.

Welcome, Mark Cresswell, to our Club. Mark is our first engineer! Unlike most Rotary Club's in Johannesburg who have lots of them.

He is a "minerals engineer" and this is what he has to say about it!

It's a very small branch of the engineering profession, often confused
with Metallurgy or Chemical Engineering with which it forms a triangular
matrix of subjects. I consider myself lucky to have been educated at a
traditional "Mining School" where we formed a joint department with Mining Engineering at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College. These departments have nearly all been closed down in the first world although they're still the model in places like Chile or China, as a result of an amalgamation with adjacent subject departments unfortunately due to declining numbers. The subjects of my profession are now generally taught as a third year elective in either the Metallurgy, Chemical Engineering or even Materials departments (or combination of all three as is the case rather bizarrely at Wits). This has unfortunately resulted in a divorce from the Mining Engineering department with the
effect that our younger process engineer recruits come into our company with no innate interest or appreciation of minerals and mining geology which I think adds a richness to the understanding of the plants we build, which Chemical engineers with their powders and gases cannot begin to relate to.

So when people ask me what I do and I say "Minerals Engineering" or
"Minerals Processing", the simplest way to understand it is to say that
Chemical Engineers design plants to process chemicals and I do exactly
the same but process minerals extracted by mining engineers.


Our guest speaker was Dylan Tudor-Jones who spoke to us on solar water heating. It was an excellent talk and really made us think about the possibilities of solar water heating where some of our projects are concerned such as the 5 C's, or Woodside Sanctuary. Let's hope that Dylan or one of his colleagues joins us so that we can seriously look at the possibilities of Solar Water Heating on a scale that could go beyond the bounds of our Club.


We also had some visitors from Morningside Club enjoying our breakfast.

Some what different from the luxury of the CCJ!

The Rotary Club of Northcliffe are about to receive their 20 000th wheelchair for distribution and they are having a party to commemorate it! Here's a copy of the letter and their invitation. As we have been able to use wheelchairs from the project we should be represented. Please come back to me.

The President,

Rotary Club of New Dawn,

Dear Peter,

Northcliff / Rushmoor Wheelchair Project: Celebration Banquet.

It is with pleasure that I attach an invitation to you and the members of your Club to join us at a celebratory banquet to acknowledge the arrival of wheelchair number 20 000, sent to us by our project partners the Rotary Club of Rushmoor, District1140, England.

I acknowledge the assistance which we have received from your Club in distributing wheelchairs to the needy in your particular area. In fact the involvement of many Rotary Clubs, such as yours, around the country has been a significant factor in the success of the project. As I am sure is known to you the project has been running for many years and we view the procurement and dispatch of this number of wheelchairs by the Rotary Club of Rushmoor as an exceptional achievement worthy of a very special acknowledgement and celebration.

I am also delighted to inform you that the President of the Rushmoor Club and several members of that Club are flying out to join us at the function

.I trust that I will be able to welcome you and members of your Club at the function.

Yours in Rotary,

John Turner

President 2009/2010


You are invited to join us in a celebration dinner to mark the arrival of the 20 000th
wheelchair donated by the Rotary Club of Rushmoor(UK) to the Rotary Club of Northcilff
(Johannesburg).
Date
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Time
6:30 for 7:00pm
Venue
Rand Club, Loveday Street, Johannesburg.
(Secure parking available)
Dress
Black tie/formal
Price
R220 per person

RSVP by 8 March 2010

Our Speaker this week is our member Hugh Rix. He runs the Woodside Sanctuary and he is so reticent about it's needs and what it actually does that it is a delight to have him to speak. He is a Charter Member of our Club and he has never asked for anything for Woodside. Here's what he has to say about himself!


I was born and bought up in Lesotho where my family owned a number of trading stations in the very remote southern part of the country. My schooling took place at Saint Andrews in Bloemfontein and I graduated with an arts degree from the University of

Natal in Durban, I spent a post graduate year at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. Worked for Ford Motor Company for a short while until I joined the

British Mining Group Rio Tinto where I spent my entire working career. For Rio Tinto I worked at Swakopmund in Namibia and Phalaborwa in the Northern Province but spent most of my time at Head Office in Johannesburg where I became a Director. Was heavily involved in all the

Company’s CSI Activities. On Retirement joined Woodside

Sanctuary which I have now run for a number of years. Am married with two grown up children one a teacher the other working in radio andTV,

JUST BECAUSE

Just because I don't look like you

Doesn't mean that I don't see what goes on around me

Just because I don't talk like you

Doesn't mean that I have nothing to say

Because heart to heart and eye for eye

We all laugh and we all cry

And in our souls we all want to fly

So accept that I'm different and I'll do the same for you

Because in my world, you're pretty different too

And just because I don't move like you

Doesn't mean that I can't be moved

by what is around me

And just because I don't think like you

Doesn't mean that I don't think at all

Because heart to heart and eye for eye

We all laugh and we all cry

And in our souls we all want to fly

So accept that I'm different and

I'll do the same for you

Because in my world, yo

u're pretty different too

All that I ask of you

Accept that we're different...

Just because

Just

because

And finally an email from a twin club, the Rotary Club of Paarl:

To Peter James Smith

Johannesburg New Dawn Rotary Club

From Walter Finlayson.

Rotary Club Paarl.

Hello Peter,

Thank you for your interest in supporting our Annual Wine Auction.

This year it will be held on Saturday 4th September at The Rhebokskloof Venue starting at 7 p.m. The event comprises of the sale of + - 80 – 90 wine lot’s from the top producers in the

Cape. Many collectors items will be on sale i.e. presentation boxes, magnums ,jeroboam’s etc.

There is a break for Dinner from 8.30.p.m. to 9.15.p.m. during which top class entertainers will perform,


After dinner the auction of the balance + - 50% of the wines will continue. The art & jewellery supplied by local artists, is sold on a silent auction.


All in all we look forward to our eighth Auction with great hope!

Your idea of a link with your club at the same time, possibly hosting a function & an audio visual link-up so that your guests can participate, would add a huge interest to this event.


The idea of the link- up will have to be worked out by the IT experts. We will investigate the logistics from our side.


Look forward to any suggestion you may have…


Regards,

Walter

Monday, 15 February 2010

Solar Power, Thailand & Soccer in Mozambique

It appears that Morningside maybe raiding us on Wednesday. Don't open fire until you see the whites of their eyes!

Our Guest speaker this week is Dylan Tudor-Jones.

After matriculating from Parktown Boys High School, Dylan started his carrier working under his late father, with an apprenticeship in the solar heat factory from 1994 – 1996. His core activities entailed the manufacture and assembly of flat plate solar collectors. He then progressed to installation work and by 1999 was assisting in project co-ordination, management and commercial solar water heating system design.

Dylan left the country at this point to spend time traveling in Europe and Asia and also worked in London to gain international experience in large scale hot water reticulation systems and space heating applications.

In 2001, he returned to SA and took over solar heat as Managing Member.

Dylan has co-authored the solar water heating sub-section of the SA Plumbers Handbook. His passion for renewable energy, sustainable living and energy efficiency has led to Dylan being invited to speak at various events, some of which include;

  • Sustainability in the Built Environment - Architectural Course in Pretoria
  • Economic and Environmental Benefits of Solar Water Heating - Architectural Students
  • Domestic Use of Energy Conference – Co Author of a paper on solar water heating
  • Sustainability Development Conference for Chamber of Mines – Mining industry
  • Energy Efficiency Road Show – Mining Industry
  • Various Breakfast Presentations – Eco Forum & Interior Decorators
  • Intro to Solar Water Heating for Plumbers – Interbuild Expo
  • South African Energy Efficiency Conference – Co Author of a paper on ‘Guaranteed Solar Results’
  • Mineral & Energy Education & Training Institute – Regular speaker on Solar Water Heating
  • World Trade Organization (Geneva) – Reducing trade barriers for renewable energy products
  • ISES Solar World Congress 2009 – Presented a paper on the business case for ‘fee for service’ commercial solar water heating contracts in SA

Dylan is a member of the SABS technical committee working on the various solar water heating related standards. He was invited to advise on technical issues for the Eskom solar water heating advisory board prior to the launch of the Eskom SWH Rebate Programme, he consults regularly with the Eskom SWH feasibility study group and has been invited to represent the SWH industry as part of the NERT SWH task team.


Last week we had a double bill. Christopher Thompson, Chairman of the District New Generations Committee, brought Apicha Lertphorncharoen, an exchange student from Thailand as part of his promotion of Student Exchange. Apicha said he was known as Charlie! An entertaining young man. We hung our banner on one of the many things stuck to his blazer!

And then a presentation by the University Sports Dept on their Soccer Project in Mozambique by Sampah & Neave. How they have literally helped build a community in the middle of nowhere.

Walter Finlayson is the Projects Director of our twin club, the Rotary Club of Paarl. They are having their annual Wine Auction in September and we will be part of it. It means that working together we will be able to not only raise funds for our own club but also assist them in raising more than they would usually.

I have added their website to our list of links.

Don't forget to let Mike Vink know numbers for your attendance at the Social Function with the North India GSE Team Tuesday 2nd March at 7,00pm.


Monday, 8 February 2010

Medical Kits and an Exchange Student


Here's Lucille handing out the Medical Kits. She's also been busy training people from each Shelter in their use and how records should be kept. The Club will maintain the kits. The next assistance to the Shelters will be a "mobile" library and Paul Kasango & I collected the bookshelves for the first one at the weekend. Congratulations, Linda, on getting so much coverage in the local press. The Rosebank-Killarney Gazette was just one of the newspapers that covered the occasion.

We have postponed the Lecture at UJ until April simply because of Discon on the 12th March. If the lecture had been held on the 11th many Rotarians would have been unable to attend. I'm just waiting to hear the new date from Steven Friedman.

Graham & Joan Donet and Mike & Linda Vink are on the waiting list for Discon. I hope they make it!

Christopher Thompson is our guest this week. He is currently District Chairman of New Generations and he is bringing Apicha Lertphorncharoen, a 17 year-old exchange student from Thailand who is being hosted by Randburg Club and is attending Ferndale High School.


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