A Road Sign Pointing Towards Things to Come

This week sees the changing of the guard and while Carol gets ready to take the club reins after her induction at the dinner on Friday evening, I can go back to bean counting!
     Carol has quite literally shown the way we'll be going during her year by making sure the new road signs have been installed along Emmarentia Ave. in Parkview.

The team from Signco, a company with strong Rotary roots, put up one of the two signs
 along Emmarentia Ave. in Parkview

          Keep a look out for them when you drive to the Parkview Golf Club tomorrow morning. The two signs are both on the golf club side of the road, as there is a pavement on the opposite side of the road, the same reason a sign couldn't be placed on Wicklow Ave. coming down the hill towards the clubhouse.

Things change
     Of course it is not only the club that is in for change. Jankees Sligcher has jumped in boots (see photo below!) and all during his first weeks as District Governor and has been visiting clubs at a rate of knots, by all accounts.

Who said white men can't dance? Jankees proves the contrary doing a gumboot dance at Discon while bystanders look on gobsmacked! (PS: Don't try this at home!)

     He and Judy have so far been on their official DG visits close to home, but will soon have to take the road to visit clubs further afield. It's well to remember that District 9400 comprises clubs in Swaziland (5 clubs), Botswana (4) and Mozambique (3) along with the 67 in the northern parts of South Africa.

Jankees presents the banner with the official Rotary theme for IP Ian Riseley's year, Rotary Making a Difference, to incoming president Carol Stier and outgoing president Mike Vink

     The club meeting last week was one of his first official duties and he used the opportunity to hand over a banner for Rotary International President Ian Risely's year in office with the theme of Rotary Making a Difference.

Mike MacDonald and Paul Kasango reflect on all the changes going on at New Dawn

     The DG has also been attending as many inductions as he and Judy can manage, which, coupled with all the club visits, is no mean feat. It was educating to see them both sipping a glass of water at Lyn Collocott's induction as the new president of the Rotary Club of Rosebank last Friday evening.
     A solid contingent from New Dawn attended the induction of our previous AG: apart from the Sligchers, Linda and I were there, as were Paul and Susan Kasango and Carol and Nic Stier. Lyn is, of course, a former New Dawner, as is their outgoing president, Peter James-Smith and Hugh Rix!
     Lyn, our previous AG and Jean Bernardo from Rosebank, her predecessor as New Dawn AG, will be attending Carol's induction on Friday.
     It was a sobering thought that while we were inducting Lyn, the Parktown Excalibur club were having their so-called Last Supper also at the Bryanston Country Club before closing the club down.

Knysna fires
     I mentioned the lovely letter of thanks we received from the Knysna Rotary club at the meeting last week after it was announced at Discon the previous weekend that District 9400 had donated no less than R350 000 in cash as well as a lot of other stuff, to the relief efforts. That amounts to just less than R300 per Rotarian in the district, no mean feat.
     Hundreds of houses have been destroyed and cleaning up operations will be going on for years to come. It would be interesting to hear how many Vaalies have travelled to Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and adjoining towns this school holiday to see the damage for themselves.

Paul Kasango with a bakkie full of boxes for local recipients, leftovers from the Knysna disaster relief efforts

     Relief efforts sometimes become a victim of their own success and so it was with the Rotary Club of Potgietersrus, who collected so much clothing, blankets etc that the courier company who were transporting goods to Knysna, told them the warehouses were full and they should rather distribute their goods locally.
     Paul Kasango jumped at the chance and took 31 boxes off their hands for the Woodside Sanctuary and other local welfare recipients. Well done, Paul!

Discon revisited
     As mentioned last week, Discon was a huge success, with New Dawn being one of the best represented clubs.
     Not all the photographs made it onto the blog last week, so here follows a gallery of some more memorable moments at last Friday night's theme party.

Jenine shows why she's one of the bigger New Dawn party animals,
with Steve in the background

Amina Frense engages Andr'e Brandmuller from Middelburg in debate

Paul and Susan Kasango party the night away

Ching Chong Chinamen ... Linda and I lean towards the East

Jankees takes a break after his gumboot dance (see photo above). This wasn't the night when he and Judy sipped water!

     A Reminder: For those who haven't confirmed for Friday evening yet, or haven't paid, or both, please do so. Although cash is welcome on the evening, it's so much easier if payment (R250 each) is made before the time by EFT.
     It is a big moment for Carol, so please join us in making it a memorable occasion.
     There will be a three course meal, speeches and awards aplenty and wine is included. Please bring a bottle or two along in any case, or some of whatever you prefer drinking.
     A Thought for the Week: A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. - Winston Churchill (1874-1965)