Taking The 5Cees By Surprise

A cheque of R25 000 is not to be sneezed at; and that was what Pastor Mike Sunker was surprised with on Saturday.
     This happened because a Johannesburg based company was looking for a worthy cause with which to celebrate Nelson Mandela's birthday.

It's a whopper! Delon Ryan (left) of MDS and Pastor Mike Sunker present the giant cheque

     A search of the Internet brought the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn's name up and the company, MDS Collivery, contacted the club. Paul Kasango and I went to visit them and the deal was struck.
     MDS, a web-based courier company, posted their target of R67 000 on Back-a-Buddy and although that target was not met, you can be sure the R25 582.66 plus clothes and other items from the 5Cees wish list (www.5cees.co.za) that was donated, will be put to good use.
     In accepting the cheque, Pastor Mike thanked MDS for selecting the 5Cees (Christ Church Christian Care Centre) as their beneficiary. He said they looked forward to a long partnership.
     MDS social media and marketing manager Lauren Dansky assured him it would be.

Spot the New Dawners ... centre stage is Paul, with Linda next to him, Jon peeking from behind and Sam to the right. With them are staffers from MDS

     Delon Ryan, National Business Manager of MDS, said the company had about 300 employees countrywide and had matched the money donated by their customers through Back-a-Buddy.
     He said the company saw the association with the 5Cees as the beginning of an ongoing relationship.
     Before the MDS contingent of about a dozen staff embers, plus a few children, arrived in Berea, Pastor Mike said the 5Cees would not be where it is without the help of Johannesburg New Dawn
     When the club's foundation officer Paul Kasango told him it was the good work the 5Cees was doing that gave the club "the fighting spirit" it needed to help, Sunker said it was a matter of "teamwork".
     "We can't do it by ourselves. We can only do it together," he said.
     At the moment the 5Cees is home to 50 children, some with HIV, some of them orphans, some from dysfunctional families and some from single parent families that cannot look after them.
     The home places much emphasis on educating the children and providing a stable home for them to live in.

Tanya Callow, customer care manager at MDS, chats to a schoolboy about his studies at the 5Cees on Saturday. She was there with her own son Joshua, who found that one of the boys had exactly the same duvet cover as him. Tanya expressed an interest in volunteering at the centre.

     

    

    The MDS contingent also had the opportunity to tour the 5Cees building, once an hotel on Louis Botha Avenue. They got to see the study centre, where the older children were working, and a couple of the dormitories where children were playing and preparing for lunch.
     The handing over of the cheque wasn't the only remarkable event of Saturday morning. During the recent blanket driveDebbie Smith was approached by a guy while she collected money for blankets. He wanted to know how he could help and went off on his way, never to be heard of again, or so we thought.
    Well, we thought wrong, because just as we were finishing up, along came an email saying that Coenraad Brönn had collected R14070 for a further 201 blankets. What a star!

The mysterious Coenraad Brönn hands over a blanket to Pastor Mike while Sam and Joan Donet look on

     Coenraad, who hails from Jeffrey's Bay in the Eastern Cape and Stellenbosch University, joined the handover party at the 5Cees on Saturday where Pastor Mike could thank him personally for their share of fifty blankets, which were handed out to the needy in Berea and Hillbrow.
     Coenraad then went to Woodside Sanctuary with Paul. Woodside also got 50 of his blankets. The balance were handed out to the homeless in Joubert Park last Monday as part of a Radio 2000 and Channel Africa initiative.
     That wraps up our blanket drive for the year, a most successful one thanks mainly to Sam Donet, who acted as club co-ordinator and made sure the funds were raised and the blankets got to their proper destination.
     With his fundraising skills (done mainly through his Facebook page) Coenraad would be an asset to any Rotary cub and now all we can hope for is that he likes getting up early on a Wednesday morning!

Joan donated two blankets she had crocheted herself, to Pastor Mike and
 his wife Renu, on Saturday. Here she is with Paul outside the 5Cees.

     As if that was not enough blankets for one week, Joan Donet also brought along two blankets that she had crocheted herself, and handed them over to Pastor Mike and his wife Renu, to say thank you for all the good work they are doing.
     More than 450 people are sleeping a bit warmer this week, the coldest of the winter, thanks to the generosity of ordinary people, and the organizational skills so typical of Rotary. Well done to everyone involved!
     Thanks to Carol and Linda for the extra reporting and photographs of Saturday's event.
     At the meeting last week we had Child Welfare South Africa on the breakfast menu and they gave some very interesting insights into the chronic problems of sexual exploitation of children and the very real danger of trafficking.

Dr Bennycharies Obayi, national operating officer of Child Welfare South Africa, New Dawn President Mike Vink, Mr Peter Cloete, national executive director of CWSA and foundation chair Paul Kasango of New Dawn after the Child Welfare talk

     Peter Cloete spoke about the SA Coalition For Our Children that was being set op between organizations such as CWSA and said they wanted very badly to partner Rotary in this effort. He himself is part of the Rotary family, and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
     He pointed out that South Africa has a state of the art Children's Act, but lacked in resources for proper implementation.
     Dates to remember: Don't let the cold put you off tomorrow and do come to the meeting. Even if it is a business meeting, we're being visited by two surprise guests.
     3 August: election day, and therefore no meeting. 17 August: DGs visit. 20 August: Club Assembly (new date). 30 September: Golf Day.
     A Thought for the Week:  What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803- 1882)

The Peace of Wild Things

Do port and cheese go together?
     It's an easy answer, and best answered by another question. Did Simon and Garfunkel make a good team? Or Tom & Jerry? How about Mac & Cheese, Ben & Jerry or Fish & Chips?
     On Friday night port and cheese went with large dollops of conviviality and fellowship.
     As usual the New Dawn tables were the rowdiest!

No sounds of silence from this table! From left, lifting their glasses, were the Marivates (Fana & Tumelo), Graham, Amina & Ronnie, Paul, Linda & Mike and Judy & Jankees

     The restaurant attached to the Cheese Gourmet can seat about 45 comfortably, according to Brian Dick, co-owner with his wife, Jo, who also doubled up as head chef for the evening. At 41 (from New Dawn, Rosebank and a table of friends of friends of Peter and Jean James-Smith) we made the cut and after a slow start, winemaker Mike Neebe started the formal tasting, first his new bottling of chenin blanc, named Abientem, then his red blend of grapes more traditionally used in port (called Machado, Portuguese for axe), followed by three tastings of his prize-winning ports.

Mike Neebe, winemaker and owner of Axe Hill, introduces his wine

     The first was Axe Hill's unique white port, made from Chenin Blanc grapes, with a rich, layered taste of ripe apricots, honey and hints of citrus, which was clearly a favorite of most of the people there. This was followed by a more traditional Cape Ruby and Cape Vintage (2008). Winners all.
     After the official tasting, accompanied by five or six unique South African cheeses from the shop next door, we were fed a bean cassoulet using Peter James Smith's Toulouse sausages.

The cheese man ... Brian Dick in conversation with Amina and Ronnie.

The sausage man ...Peter shares a moment with Fana and Graham

     There was a queue to buy Axe Hill wines, and cheese was sold in the shop next door as well.
     This was a fun party and well worth considering an annual repeat, but my sense is that we should try to turn it into a fundraising opportunity as well. Any suggestions will be welcome!

Here comes trouble! Jenine, Carol and Amina partying it up

Greg and Debbie show how to drink port

Paul in jovial mood with the Vinks

The star of the night ... with Jenine! Third bottle from the left is the Cape White port

Carol and Nic share a moment

Cheesy moment ... Steve and Greg buying cheese at the Cheese Gourmet

     Of course fun is not all that we do and on Monday, to celebrate Nelson Mandela's birthday, New Dawn made its presence felt at the Radio2000/Channel Africa event at Joubert Park.
     Linda and I dropped in just in time to hear Steve speak on behalf of the club (many thanks once again, Steve!)
     There was a great crowd and for once the park looked clean and tidy, as a big clean-up had been arranged before blankets and food was handed out This included 100 blankets from New Dawn.

Well represented at Joubert Park and dressed up to face the cold!

The New Dawn "Madiba" banner was prominent next to the blankets that Steve collected for us from Sesli

   Interestingly enough, on the way out Linda and I walked round the front of the Johannesburg Art Gallery building. Despite being closed on a Monday, a friendly staffer opened the security gate for us and we were able to go and have a quick look at paintings that I haven't seen for many years, like Picasso's Head of a Harlequin and the superb Gerard Sekoto collection.
     The speaker last week was again brilliant. Dr Jerome Loveland is one of the leading lights in Surgeons for Little Lives, a charity set up by state surgeons to perform sometimes impossible seeming operations on kids from families and communities who otherwise would never be able to afford it. Their slogan is understandably: For little people who need big operations.
     They perform 350-400 operations a month in often trying circumstances.
     It came as no surprise that he had Jenine in tears telling stories about the incredible work they've done.
     The speaker this week is Dr Benny Obayi, the national organizational oversight and monitoring co-ordinator of Child Welfare South Africa. He will be speaking on child welfare and trafficking.
     The following week will be a business meeting and a chance to catch up a bit after a hectic start to the year.
     Dates to diarise: Wednesday, 3 August is polling day, so there will be no meeting. The DG visits us on 17 August, the Club Assembly will be on 27 August and the Golf Day is on 30 September.
     A Thought for the Week: The following poem was given to me on one of my birthday cards and bears repeating. It is by Wendell Berry (1934-) and is titled The Peace of Wild Things:
     When despair for the world grows in me
     and I wake in the night at the least sound
     in fear of what my life or my children's lives may be,
     I go and lie down where the wood drake
     rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
     I come into the peace of wild things
     who do not tax their lives with forethought
     of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
     And I feel above me the day-blind stars
     waiting with their light. For a time
     I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

     

Saving SA One Job at a Time

It has become a truism that despite there being a shortage of skills in the workplace, especially on the higher levels, South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
     Thousands of kids don't even make it to Matric each year, but many of those who do, are still unsuited for the kind of jobs that are available.
     What can be done about this? A whole lot, according to Harambee.
     At the meeting last week Dianne Woodward of Harambee came to explain just what it is that they do.
     Diane is a dynamic speaker and held the members enthralled, despite a certain amount of chaos in the background, due to the fact that the chef hadn't arrived on time to make the breakfast!
     

Dianne Woodward from Harambee explains their work

     This go-getter organization started about five years ago and has already placed more than 25000 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in permanent jobs at nearly 250 companies with their Youth Employment Accelerator programme, where the aim is to "teach people the skills they need to operate in the work environment" rather than just teaching them work skills, according to Dianne.
     From start-up of just five corporates funding their efforts, Harambee now receives support from almost 250, and in turn provides them with candidates to fill jobs they otherwise had difficulty in filling with reliable, operational people.

Dianne Woodward explaining the ins and outs of the Youth Employment Accelerators programme

     A visit the the Harambee website (www.harambee.co.za) is worth a few minutes of your time, especially if you are an employer.
     A part of the Harambee experience is preparing their pupils for job interviews, and for this they need volunteer interviewers. They're 
     If you're interested in helping out, you can pitch up at the Harambee offices at 70 Fox Street, in the Johannesburg CBD, at 8.00 for 8.30 am this coming Saturday, 16th July. Contact Sam Donet for more details, or phone the support centre directly at 079 946 8557.
     Dianne is the first of many speakers with whom we're trying to make the meetings more interesting. It must've worked with her, because no fewer than 15 members pitched up last week!
     The speaker this week is Dr Jerome Loveland who will be talking about the charity Surgeons for Little Lives.
     The week after that (20th July) Dr Benny Obayi of Child Welfare South Africa will be speaking to us.

The Rotary Foundation continues to impress

     I was sent an interesting link to the website of CNBC in America by Greta Schuler. The news organization rated the Top 10 Charities Changing the World in 2015, and you'll all be glad to hear that The Rotary Foundation landed the 5th place, with a score of 96.31 out of a possible 100.
     The article reads thus:

     "This not-for-profit organization works to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace. Using Rotary Foundation grants, Rotary's 34,000 clubs across the globe develop and carry out sustainable humanitarian projects and provide scholarships and professional training opportunities.

     One of its biggest initiatives aims at eradicating polio through its PolioPlus program, launched in 1985. Since then, Rotary and its partners, including the World Health Organization and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have immunized more than 2.5 billion children, reducing the incidence of polio by 99 percent and eradicating it from all but three countries."

     That last sentence should, of course now read all but two countries.

     Heading the CNBC list is Direct Relief, a California based organization that provides emergency medical assistance with a score of 99.94, followed by MAP International (99.92), the Catholic Medical Mission Board (97.87) and the United Nations Foundation with 96.98 points.

Carol Stier shows off the new shirt

     At the meeting last week there was also time for a fashions show of sorts, as we set about choosing a club shirt. The chosen color was a pale blue (I'm sure the fashionistas will be able to find a more descriptive word) for both men and women and in long or short sleeve, as well as a 3/4 sleeve for the women. The pocket will have the Rotary wheel and the club name.

Some more shirt styles

     Those at the meeting put in their orders. Anybody else who wants to order, can contact Ryan from Leisure Brands on 082 652 9810. The shirts cost only R265. Please order, as they need to make at least 20 to warrant the discount we've been given.

     And finally: Please don't forget to let Carol know that you are coming to the Cheese Gourmet evening in Linden. 

     This is a unique opportunity to savor some of South Africa's best cheese, as well as some of the best port style wines, introduced by the winemaker from Axe Hill, Mike Neeve, himself. The take-up has been a bit slow so far, and we need many more bums on seats!

     It promises to be an evening of fun and fellowship. The cheese and port tasting will be followed by a meal of a "cheats' cassoulet" using Peter James-Smith's Toulouse sausages and Axe Hill wine.

A Thought for the Week: A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of. - Nelson Mandela (198 - 2013) 

A New Rotary Year Begins

I have been feeling strangely lazy this week after the exertions of Friday night, so the blog is going to consist of photographs from the Induction dinner, courtesy of Greta Schuler. A copy of the speech serves as a reminder of the direction the club is going.

TOP: Rudi Vink and Peet Kruger frame the festive table. BOTTOM: DGE Jankees Sligcher (the one with the mustache!) hands over the club Charter

Linda and the new president share a joke

Jankees and Ronnie Kasrils share a moment

Georgie Nagy and Frayne

The youth wing ... Sam and Rob with Kagiso Zwane

Steve, Debbie Nagy and Robyn Widdop listen to Julian

Jankees gave merit certificates and a gift to five members

Jankees and Judy

They new board: Debbie (membership), Carol (secretary), Joan (treasurer),
 Paul (Foundation), Jankees and Frayne (projects)

Jankees inducts Judy Symons as the newest member

Lucille Blumberg with Carin Holmes in the background

Practising what he preaches .. Paul did a whip-around for the Twickenham
Guest House staff for which they were very grateful 

Linda, Judy and Jankees

Ronnie brags about carrying Amina's suitcase!

Ian conducted the brag to great merriment, and a grand total of R1 900.
Here he strong-arms Julian into paying for Georgie's brag!

Ian fleeces the Smiths and Steve du Plessis

Paul, Frayne and Lucille also had their turn

Ian and Kagiso then sang Danny Boy, the first time Kagiso had ever
heard the song. Kagiso won

Graham Donet with Paul. Graham was the MC and had us in stitches

Linda, Ronnie and Judy

Past president Steve, now with the e-club, was looking
 sharp, even if Jenine couldn't make it

Nic Stier found a willing co-conspirator in Ronnie Kasrils, here with Amina

Address by President Mike Vink on his induction, 1 July 2015:

Thank you. All protocol observed, ladies and gentlemen welcome. Thank you, Jankees, for inducting me and for your kind words.

     It has been a pleasure serving with Jankees this past year. He’s managed to put the club on a better footing with his tireless – and often exhausting - efforts. He doesn’t like to sit still, or at least not when he’s without a glass in his hand. I served on his board during his previous presidency as well and speak from experience.

     As a matter of fact, I’ve served on the New Dawn board ever since Peter James-Smith’s presidency, back when Noah was building his Ark.

    I follow in the footsteps of eight presidents, each one of them a success in their own right. It has been a privilege.

     In that time, we grew from the original about twenty members all the way up to 37 and back again to 22.

     But it has been far more than just a change in numbers

     We all know there are people like Ian, Paul, Greg, Julian, even John and our newby Fana who are just dying to become president, and each of whom will do a damn good job of it, which is great for the club. We know that circumstances don’t allow for it just now for most of them, but be warned, excuses won’t hold forever.

     But there’s something else I feel I need to point out and that is that of the 8 presidents we’ve had so far, only two have been women. For the numerically challenged that translates into 25%.

     And of our present 22 members, no less than 14 are women, which is 64% of the club.

     It makes me wonder why the hell I’m the one standing here tonight!

     Come on girls, we know you can do it, you just need to show you’re willing!

     There are a few specific things I want us to focus on during my year, mainly fundraising and membership.

     We have a number of signature projects going and nothing prevents us from taking on more, except for the lack of resources, both human and financial.

     I feel the club is ready to grow again and district has set us a target of  growing to 25 members, or 3 more than we are at present. That should be achievable.

     Before we start daydreaming about all the wonderful projects we want to tackle, we need the money to realise them and as outgoing Treasurer I can tell you that we’re getting to the stage where we’re running out of money before we run out of those ideas.

     I’d like to dedicate the first club assembly in August to these two topics and how we can come up with practical solutions in both areas.

     My hope for the year is that we can keep our meetings as fun and interesting as they’ve been lately, and Carol is already working on a list of speakers, for instance, to achieve that.

     There’s a lot of other things we have to do, like focusing on youth initiatives within the organization, which includes the whole spectrum of short-term and long-term youth exchanges, the Rotary Youth Leadership Academies for schoolkids, and Interact and Rotaract clubs at school and university level.

     And we need to tell and keep on telling the Rotary story. We need to keep on reminding people about what an incredible organization we serve, an organization that can tackle a project to eradicate polio off the face of the earth and succeed, at the present to within two countries in the world.

    But we need to understand each other and the outside world needs to understand more about Rotary for us to reach out to a larger membership.

     I have always found the irritating use of acronyms in the organization to be alienating and it has become a bit of a pet hate. I hope you’ve noticed that I haven’t used a single one thus far.

     Just in the latest District Conference Directory there is a list of about 60 acronyms.

     I’m not alone in my obsession here. I came across a paragraph in a speech given at a training meeting for incoming District Governors a few years ago which says it all. Mark Kriebel, at that time Rotary International Training Leader and Rotary Public Image Coordinator, was giving a speech on speechmaking and told the incoming District governors:

     “As DGE, you’ll soon need to share (your) RIPE’s (Burton’s) goals with your PEs and AGs, with the help of the RID, PDGs, RCs, RRFCs, and RPICS.”

     Try to make sense of that.

     “One of the most deadly speaking habits we have as Rotarians,” he said, “is the use of acronyms.,”

     “You don’t want people who don’t know the language of Rotary to think that PETS is a gathering of domesticated animals. Call it what it is — presidents-elect training seminar — and avoid the other Rotaryisms.”

     Let’s let plain language carry a straightforward message across about our great organization.

     In conclusion I’d like to introduce the new board to you. Will the board members please come forward.

     They’re a mix of familiar faces, Jankees as Immediate Past President, Paul Kasango as Foundation officer, Joan Donet as Treasurer if she can prise the keys to the bank account from my grasp, and Frayne Mathijs, who will take charge of projects. The two new members are Carol Stier as secretary and Debbie Smith for Membership.

     I wish all of you a successful year.

     And just a final word. Although they’ll still be with us for a lot of the time, District Governor Elect Jankees and District Governor Elect Anns Judy Sligcher have embarked on a two-year journey that promises to be very exciting, although it is certain to be hard work. Their sacrifice brings honour to the club, for which we thank them.

Thank you

Thought for the week: Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass. - Confucius, philosopher and teacher (c. 551-478 BCE)

And Finally: Please remember that we have a speaker on Wednesday, Diane Woodward of Harambee, who will be speaking on youth employment.