There's a new energy in Rotary of recent, District Governor Riana Pretorius of the Rotary Club of Pretoria Capital said in her address to the club during the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn held at the National School of the Arts in Braamfontein on Wednesday.
"I find such a good vibe at the moment. It's as if everybody is suddenly waking up after Covid."
"There's a new energy for projects, many in new directions such as tackling environmental issues, developing entrepreneurs and others."
She emphasised the value of training in Rotary, the importance of paying your dues, of the Rotary Foundation and of sustainability in projects. With regard to sustainability she pleaded for the establishment of economic hubs in townships. "We meed to show that we can work together. Rotary can play a huge role here."
She said not enough members attend training sessions such as PETS (training for Presidents-elect and club officers), pointing out that ordinary members are also allowed to attend these as well as courses on global and district grants. Not enough people do the myriad online courses available on the My Rotary website either. Members should follow these and revisit them regularly, as the organisation changes every year.
After a stirring organ recital by an NSA pupil, the focus moved to the seedling farm run by Frolinah Malaza and Mpho Mphatse of Lemang Fresh Table, who explained to DG Riana what they're doing, how they're doing it (both seem to have become accomplished seedling farmers) and what their aims are going forward in terms of the sustainability of the project.
Frolinah, who also addressed New Dawn at the previous meeting at Parkview Golf Club, said then that they had increased production from 16 000 seedlings to 60 000 seedlings a month and explained that they accept orders for seedlings, plant the seeds and have them ready for delivery according to the orders.
They also sell surplus produce at markets and have been in a position to donate seedlings.
Frolinah said their next step is to supply schools in the Braamfontein area close to the NSA with seedlings and advice on how to plant them and tend to them, to overcome the logistical problems of transporting the seedlings over long distances.
The two entrepreneurs agreed that they now need a proper business plan to map out the way forward and Glen Meyer has indicated that he's willing to help them do this.
Glen also handed over a whole sack full of moringa seeds, a so-called superfood rich in vitamins and antioxidants worth about R1600 that had been donated to Lemang Fresh Table, much to the delight of Frolinah. These seeds are apparently quite easy to grow and thrive even in poor soil,
Moringa trees grow all over the world and are found in most provinces in South Africa, most commonly in Limpopo and the seeds, leaves and bark have been used in traditional medicine for centuries.
The next stop on the way to the monthly board meeting, was at the Izwe Lethemka Day Centre in Soweto where Donate a Loo have installed toilets for the children and staff.
A bus full of New Dawners left the NSA bound for Lebo's Backpackers for the board meeting and visited the day care centre on the way there, where they were met by Helene Bramwell, fellow club member and founder of Donate a Loo, one of the beneficiaries of the Golf Day last month, and IPP Julian Nagy.
This is a project close to the DG's heart as she has pledged to help 120 schools with decent ablution facilities in honour of Rotary International's 120th birthday in February next year.
The DG told the club that apart from support from our own district, D9400, many other Rotary bodies have become involved in this effort, amongst them D9370, the district that includes the Western Cape, the UK-Southern Africa Inter-Country Committee and Rotary International itself.
"How can you have dignity, whether you're male or female, if you have to 'go' in the veld," she said.
Fundraising: With a number of late payments now in, the total income from the Golf Day has risen to R150 000, making it a new record. Well done, everyone!
If there's still anybody who doesn't know why we're so proud of our club, read through President Mbali's excellent Club Overview 2023 powerpoint presentation to the DG. It covers a lot of ground on our most important efforts and yet somehow only scratches the surface of all the myriad efforts big and small that New Dawners get involved in. It was emailed to all members.
A Thought for the Week: Leap, and the net will appear. - John Burroughs (1837 - 1921)
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