Confucius Say: Become President!

It's not easy to be the voice of those who cannot always speak for themselves or when they do, are not really heard.
     This is a task that Omphitlhetse Mooki, assistant editor of The Star, has taken upon herself especially where young schoolgirls are concerned.
      With Independent Media, publisher of The Star and other newspapers as co-sponsor, she spearheads the Million Comforts campaign to provide schoolgirls with sanitary towels.

Omphitlhetse Mooki, assistant editor of The Star, spoke about the Million Comforts campaign
 to provide schoolgirls with sanitary towels  

      To enable her to do this, she and a group of committed friends climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and raised funds through sms pledges at R30 per sms.
    Last year they collected 6 million sanitary towels mainly for girls in rural districts, where the need is the highest and where girls often don't even have underwear.

Debbie and Greg Smith, just back from a trip to the USA where he went for training in designing golfing equipment, listen attentively with Jenine Coetzer in the background

     Debbie Smith offered to help put her in touch with Margaret Hirsch of the big electronic goods retailer, who runs a similar campaign.
     More details on the campaign were published in the Cape Times and can be found at: can be found at: http://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/drive-to-give-girls-sanitary-towels-1915323.
     There is no speaker for tomorrow's meeting, but Jankees has a surprise or two up his sleeve!

Club news
     Speaking of Debbie: she agreed at yesterday's board meeting to be secretary in Carol's year with a view to being president the following year. Debbie de Vries, who was to have taken on the role, has asked for a rain check due to work pressure.

Julian Nagy and Mike MacDonald at the meeting last week, looking as if they're contemplating the presidency!

     Debbie and Greg have been in the club for many years now, since May 2011 to be exact and she will make a fine president.
     Every year the search for a new president raises new challenges with many more people deflecting the responsibility than those who are prepared to consider it. If there is a strong core team in place who are willing to share the administrative work, then it is not such an onerous task and it is the duty of every member to at least consider taking on the challenge.

Steve du Plessis is back; back at meetings, back as a member of the club and back as a board member

     The work of the board as a whole did just get a whole lot easier when Steve du Plessis agreed to serve as club IT representative. Steve is in any case a board member because the position of executive secretary gives him the Internet access he needs to do his work on district and Rotary International levels.
     Steve was at PETS in Benoni on Saturday as IT go-to guy and will help Jankees and I to design the DG newsletter for Jankees. Jankees was one of the main presenters at PETS. Carol and I also attended and there we heard that an old friend of the club, Dave Bradshaw of the Rosebank Rotarians, is to be our AG in the coming Rotary year.

The board meeting was at Surbiton Ave this morning with from left Debbie Smith, DGE Jankees Sligcher, Steve du Plessis, Carol Stier and Frayne Mathijs. Paul Kasango and Joan Donet were absent

     Dates to remember: Carol Stier's induction will be on Friday, 30 June, venue still to be decided, but likely to be at one of the guest houses. The DG's visit is pencilled in for 19 July, but could change. The Golf Day will have to be early in October (6 or 13th) to allow for an early Christmas dinner to allow in turn for Debbie's daughter's wedding in South America on 11 November and our daughter Rudi's on 25 November. Talk about a knock-on effect!
     These dates, with the Christmas Dinner on 3 November, should all be finalized quite soon.
     Congratulations: To Nic Stier for winning R1500 at Mike MacDonald's Wanderers golf day. Also, of course to Mike for donating such a chunk of the proceeds to the club's fund for The Link Literacy Project. Our best wishes also go to PDG Francis Callard, who is turning a very sprightly 70 today.
     There are no club birthdays this month according to my records.
     The sad news was the passing of Graham Donet's father in KwaZulu Natal at the weekend. I have known the Donets since the late sixties and remember Cedric fondly. Our thoughts are with New Dawn Rotarians Graham, Joan and Sam and the rest of their family.
     A Thought for the Week: Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage. - Confucius (c.551-478BCE)