FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) Issue 2013

Footprints Rotary Club of

Centurion

2013

ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION – MAKING A DIFFERENCE, CHANGING LIVES, HAVING FUN

IN THIS ISSUE

This edition of Footprints of the Rotary Club of Centurion highlights the activities and achievements of a happy, vibrant and healthy Rotary club during 2013, and I hope you enjoy reading through it and that it stimulates your interest in our projects and activities, and in our club.

The Rotary International theme for 2013/4 is “Engage Rotary. Change Lives”, and follows on from the “Peace” theme of the previous Rotary year. In line with this, my theme for the club for this year has been to “Make a difference. Have fun”. I am of the firm opinion that fellowship is the foundation of any successful club and its projects and activities. As volunteers in a service-orientated organisation like Rotary, a happy, friendly and vibrant atmosphere and spirit in the club is a key enabler to activating and leveraging our membership.

The many activities and projects highlighted in this edition bear out the commitment and enthusiasm of our club members and their partners and families, and of the many “Friends of Centurion Rotary” that willingly assist us. Well done to everyone! You really have made a difference in the lives of many people.

We have some exciting projects in the pipeline, some of which are mentioned in this edition, such as conversion of the containerised kitchen and

storage area at Tshwaraneng Day Care Centre in Mooiplaas informal settlement and other facility upgrades there, and extending the ablutions at the Doves Nest Childrens Shelter in Lyttelton.

We are also planning on building on the success of our inaugural youth conference last year, with the 2014 Youth Conference on 7 and 8 March 2014. With the theme of “Changing Lives – Touching Tomorrow”, and once again hosted by Cornwall Hill College, we are hoping to extend our reach in terms of additional schools, and at least double our attendance. With an enthusiastic team already hard at work, I am certain we will succeed, and the response so far is very encouraging.

We are also hoping to extend our reach into the younger generation of the greater Centurion community, particularly through the establishment of Interact and Rotaract Clubs. We also continue our involvement in the well-known Rotary Youth Exchange (YE) and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) programmes.

We have and encourage a diverse membership in our club. Should you (or someone you know) potentially be interested in Rotary and/or in joining our club, I would encourage you or them to contact me or our membership director (Bob Sienaert) – we would be delighted to provide you with more information and to potentially extend an invitation to meet us at a meeting or a project.

Rotary Centurion Peace Conference In March, the club held a peace conference for local learners hosted by Cornwall Hill College. Over 100 learners from different schools attended the conference, which was a resounding success!

Page 3

Philena Roof and Library Philena School has been a project of the club’s for years, and much has been done to assist them with extra facilities. This year we assisted in providing books and a roof to the library.

Page 9

Message from the President by Ian McKechnie

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 2

The Youth Exchange Program from Rotary has a long history internationally and locally. Our Club has always been very closely involved in this program.

This year we have four of our students going overseas on a six week exchange over the Christmas/New Year period. So, as you read this they are all in Europe (hopefully enjoying a good blanket of snow over the land).

Their exchange partners were hosted here in July/August. We had the pleasure of meeting all of them at our meetings.

Joric Moison, James Fraser’s partner, is from the Maastricht area in Holland, so that’s where James is presently. Maastricht is one of these anomalies of history, being part of the Netherlands but squeezed between Belgium in the West and Germany in the East. It makes travelling to neighbouring countries pretty easy.

A bit further East, Laura Van Der Haer went to what used to be East Germany and stays in the small town of Frankenberg (between Chemnitz and Dresden) with Patrizia Brandenstein. She too is less than a half hour drive from the border; the Czech border this time.

Paul-Reghard Grobler stays with his exchange partner Johannes Ungermann in the charming town of Osnabruck, which is more central in Germany.

Rebecca Patrick is in Kroepelshagen, part of the “Grootstad” Hamburg with her partner Louisa Diener.

When she returns she will be able to explain to us how public transport CAN work and why one doesn’t need a car in a town like Hamburg to go wherever one wants to, whenever one wants to. (Not that that has ever stopped a single German from buying a car).

We can only hope that they will all get snowed in (great fun, if you have nothing else to do), but mostly, we trust they will enjoy a traditional Northern European Christmas, so very different from a South African one. I think the weather has something to do with it…

As to the New Year festivities, I doubt that anyone will get bored. They know how to celebrate in Europe!

On the negative side, they will all return just in time to trundle of back to school and the dreaded matric year.

INTERESTED IN YOUTH EXCHANGE?

If you are interested in getting involved in the Rotary Youth Exchange programme, please give Bob a shout!

BOB SIENAERT

youthexchange@rotarycenturion.org.za

RYLA forms part of Rotary’s 6th Avenue of service and is grouped with Interact, Rotaract and Youth Exchange under the banner of Youth Services.

RYLA originated in Queensland Australia in 1959 and was created to highlight local youth activities in honour of a Royal Visit to the area. It was officially adopted by RI in 1971.

Through the constant belief of Rotarians in the potential of youth, RYLA has become an opportunity to help the next generation of leaders define themselves and expand their skills.

The main objectives of RYLA are as follows:

1. Develop leadership, citizenship and personal growth.

2. Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concerns for youth.

3. Provide an effective training experience. 4. Encourage leadership of youth by youth. 5. Recognise publically young people who

are rendering service to others. 6. Gain experience and exposure to a

variety of issues and people. 7. Meet active community leaders. 8. Learn valuable information, personal

and career skills 9. Have fun and build meaningful and

valuable friendships.

Candidate selection

In general candidates should demonstrate some leadership potential and in particular:

1. Demonstrate some leadership abilities. 2. Show a co-operative nature and

willingness to participate in a group.

Youth Exchange by Bob Sienaert

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards by Louis Greef

Four students from Olievenhoutbosch Secondary School attended RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) camp at the beginning of April and had an outstanding experience! They were sponsored on behalf of the Rotary Club of Centurion by one of our members, Marilyn Traugott. The students had attended the Rotary Centurion Peace Conference where they were inspired to attend RYLA. See page 3

for more information on the conference.

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 3

3. Show an awareness of current events and issues.

4. Show good communication skills with others.

5. Show reasonable performance at school. 6. Have enthusiasm for sharing new found

skills with others. 7. Show some willingness towards

community service.

RYLA Camps in D9400

Any Rotary Club or group of Clubs can run a RYLA Camp. There are 4 main criteria:

1. All Rotarians involved must sign an affidavit declaring they have never been guilty of any form of child abuse.

2. The organisers must be covered by adequate insurance.

3. Be able to supply adequate accommodation and meals.

4. Have a satisfactory program which will satisfy the District Committee.

Currently there are two main camps held in D9400 for youth. The one is a joint club project held in

Benoni and the other a more adventurous one held in Magoebaskloof at the Warriors facility.

The Magoebaskloof camp is a very intense program with a mix of Classroom based activities coupled with lots of outdoor activities and challenges which really test the ability of the students to cope and prosper. Classroom activities are based on the 4 Way Test and the 7 habits of mankind by Steven Covey.

What happens at RYLA camp?

1. On arrival students are divided into teams. Every effort is made to ensure an equal mix of cultural, ethnic and gender diversity.

2. Teams then have to create a name, theme song and banner.

3. Teams remain together for the entire camp.

4. Compete with the other teams at challenges and skill development activities.

5. Teams must organise a concert, build a camp under the Stars, prepare a meal and protect each other at all times.

6. All candidates who complete the program are given a certificate which is recognised at school.

The Rotary Club of Centurion had three candidates at this year’s Magoebaskloof Camp.

The first was Hatlane who won the draw at last year’s Peace Conference, she was fully sponsored by the Club.

The second was James, an outgoing exchange student.

Thuso was third, sponsored by Marilyn. Thuso has in fact attended two camps and done so well that he has been offered employment by Warriors for future RYLA camps.

The feedback from all of these participants was exceptional! All of them were full of praise for the program and would love to attend another camp. To date every student returning has held the same positive attitude which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the program is a good one, and one the Club should continue to support.

Rotary Centurion Peace Conference

by Felicity Jones

We live in a world where it is critical that we find answers on how to end the conflict in homes, schools and towns. It has never been more appropriate to sit together and search for answers than now.

This situation encouraged us to put together a peace conference encouraging our youth to participate in discussions enabling them to take away new ideas for ways to engage and work for Peace through Service.

Our first “Peace Conference” was held at Cornwall Hill College on the 1st and 2nd of 2 March 2013.

The Rotary “Peace Conference” was an initiative in line with 2012-13 Rotary International objective of Peace Through Service.

Our club’s objective was to create the opportunity for interaction and dialogue between learners of different economic and cultural backgrounds, regardless of community or religious background, to open doors of self-discovery and opportunity.

We succeeded in bringing together 108 learners, enabling friendships, mutual understanding, knowledge exchange and joint activities.

We encouraged active participation in various sessions, stimulating the learners to think for themselves, displaying ingenuity and initiative as an individual or as part of a team.

To give an example of a few; we had poems, music, skits, collages as well as numerous questions and debates on what peace means to them.

Our guest speaker, Dr Ryan Blumenthal - a forensic pathologist, spoke about conflict resolution through misdirection, and kindly donated a copy of his book to each learner.

A special thank you goes out to Cornwall Hill College for their continued support and the hosting of this conference.

We believe that this conference empowered the learners, encouraged new ideas and confidence to change their work.

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 4

OUT AND ABOUT

Blanket Drive Following on from the June blanket drive, the Rotary Club of Centurion distributed 417 blankets, valued at R20,850.00 to beneficiaries in the greater Centurion and Tshwane area.

Mandela Day 2013 On the 18th of July, members of the club joined Angels of Hope in distributing food to the needy at the Struben Street homeless shelter, as well as various other spots around Church Square and the surrounding areas.

FAST FACTS

44% of our club members are female

67% of our club members are under the age of 60

Rivoningo Rivoningo Care Centre, which opened in April 2005, is a hospice for homeless people living with a life-threatening illness and a care centre for older people living with psycho-social disabilities. Rivoningo has cared for more than 600 people since 2005. Many have improved their health due to the provision of regular food and medication, while others have died with dignity. Our vegetable garden is growing and growing… We sell what we don’t need to generate income for other needed items. You are welcome from Monday – Friday, 8am-4pm to come and buy, Rivoningo Care Centre, 281 Mosca Street, Pretoria. For further information please call: 012 328 5263

Gilead Gilead Community is a move-on facility with space for 20 people with psycho-social disabilities. It opened its doors in 2011 to 17 residents. Some of them have been able to obtain work and contribute to the costs of running the facility and others could move on. The main goal is to assist people with psycho-social disabilities in learning to live independently, and acquiring the ability to manage their own lives towards re-integration into society.

Feeling Welcomed Gilead is a pleasant dwelling for a person with a psycho-social disorder. The staff ensures a relaxed and homely atmosphere and every resident’s human dignity is respected. I was accepted at Gilead in August 2011 as a friend. Later I experienced a difficult personal life situation and my medication was inadequate to help me cope. Largely due to misunderstanding I couldn’t get the right treatment from the hospital and being mentally ill I harmed myself. I was then treated at Steve Biko psychiatric ward where a psychiatrist listened carefully to what I said. She added to my medication and with occupational therapy, soon my mental health improved. I was transferred to Weskoppies hospital and at discharge I was motivated to be useful again.

Staff members of Gilead visited me regularly while I was in hospital and helped me to recover. I was welcomed back with open hearts and no condemnation. I am grateful to God for receiving and being able to do all the things that makes life wonderful.

A Resident at Gilead

Community Housing

I am a young woman of 24 years and after spending time trying to understand what was wrong with me I finally found in Gilead that there is only one thing that heals every problem & that is: to love yourself more each day. My childhood was filled with aloneness, violence, including abuse. I was starved for love & affection & had no self esteem at all. I was unmercifully hard on myself because I interpreted lack of love & affection to mean I must be a bad person. I seemed locked up in a battle with myself, frequently resulted in a provocative behaviour that is now making people not to be in my company. My negative and fearful attitudes about myself penetrated every area of my life. I began to depend on self-harm & graduated from minor injuries to deep cuts that still carry the wounds even now. I needed a feeling of worth & I trembled at the thought of being laughed at, of failing, of being rejected so that’s where Gilead came to my rescue, they taught me that I must first consider the fact that I am a very special creation in their eyes as well as the eyes of the higher power. Gilead accepted me with my faults, my guilt and my shortcomings. They listened to my story and try to make my present life better to make the best of my future since they can’t undo my past, but I feel that they are erasing the past by giving me all the things I never had and I was longing for like the love they show to me, the acceptance that makes me love myself, and the ability to love others and mostly to accept myself as I am. Thank you Gilead for what you do to me and the others.

Boitshepo Malinga

INTERESTED IN GILEAD AND RIVONINGO?

For more information on Gilead and Rivoningo, please contact the Tshwane Leadership Foundation on the following details:

Article reprinted with permission from TLF

TSHWANE LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION www.tlf.org.za

+27 12 320 2123

Rivoningo and Gilead Courtesy of Tshwane Leadership Foundation & Doug Thistlewhite

Gilead Community is a move-on facility with space for 20 people with psycho-social disabilities. It opened

its doors in 2011 to 17 residents

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 5

What a pain in the nether regions of the human anatomy they can be.

Like this Rotary thing about “raiding” another Club.

After the Kyalami’s (or is that the “Kyalamiers”, or Kyalamites perhaps? No, that sounds too much like termites) raided us earlier in the year we had to retaliate.

The Swiss Club being their old hunting grounds it was agreed to raid them at the Swiss Club’s Kegelbahn.

I was all for the idea as I had Kegel-ed once before; that was during an extended business trip to Munich in Bavaria.

The office I was in had a tradition whereby the entire group went kegeln once a month. So I HAD to join.

And surprisingly, I found I was good at it.

I even beat the department’s boss hands down.

Till one the elder colleagues quietly explained to me that the office was always a much friendlier place the next day if the “Boss” won the kegel evening.

Being diplomatic, as I usually am (no sniggering please), I missed a few shots badly (zu viel bier was the explanation), the Boss won, and peace and happiness reigned for the duration of my visit.

Long story short, I was confident that I could repeat my performance at Kyalami and beat those guys at their own game.

Alas, when we got there, I found that the Swiss, though being recognized as a sub-species of Homo Bavariansi, have their own ideas about how games must be played.

Firstly the balls! They were enormous and weighted about 25Kilo each.

Obviously manufactured some centuries ago in ye goode olde England and obtained cheaply from very old surplus stock found at the Australian dockyards.

Cheapskates, that is what these Swiss are!

Then the rules! OMG, clearly designed to accommodate any amount of friendly cheating as there is no referee, each team has got to watch the other with hawk-eyes all the time.

Just you try to hawk-eye while the beer is flowing!

I now understand why the Rotary Four Way Test was only developed after Rotary was firmly established in Switzerland.

Is it the truth? (Well, ja wel nee, but it could be! Who would know for sure?)

Anyway, as it turned out there were more of us than of them so we had mixed teams (takes all the fun out of cheating) so no one really won.

I certainly didn’t.

Somehow in the intervening forty years or so it would seem I lost all my natural talent for Kegeln.

But whatever, a jolly good time was had by all of us!

Viva traditions!

PS: “Kegeln” is also called “Skittle” in Queens English, or “9 pin bowling” in Obamaland.

IRENE HOMES GARDEN FETE

The Homes Irene homes is a 103 year old residential home for mentally disabled adult ladies, and is also a day care centre for mentally disabled men and ladies.

The Fete The Club hosted a stand along with Angels of Hope and other friends, serving international sausages, soups, preserves and biryani to hungry patrons of the fete! It was a great success, with all our stock being consumed before the day was over! The club raised over R7,500.00 for the homes on the day.

Traditions a humorous take by Bob Sienaert

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 6

Our first annual Youth Conference with the theme “Peace” was held with great

success in March 2013 at Cornwall Hill College in Irene, Centurion, Gauteng.

108 learners from various schools attended with an overwhelmingly positive

response being received.

Feedback from Students

“It was incredible and life changing.”

“It was really amazing to be able to discuss and talk to different people.”

We expect to have 200+ learners attend the Youth Conference in 2014, with the

conference theme of “Changing Lives – Touching Tomorrow”.

Each school is invited to have 10 learners attend. The conference is offered free

of charge to learners to be able to have learners from all backgrounds attend,

and it stretches over a 2 day period. The conference’s objective is to create the

opportunity for interaction and dialogue between learners of different economic

and cultural backgrounds, regardless of their community or religious background.

The conference will create awareness of one another and break down pre-

conceived ideas and barriers to encourage our Country’s potential young

leaders.

The success of this conference lies in the support we get from Cornwall College,

their Social Responsibility Co-ordinator, Mrs Wendy Barrett, and her team of

willing student facilitators who

play a vital role in the

conference. We see this

conference going from

strength to strength and

expect that this it will be an

ongoing project for the Rotary

Club of Centurion.

Every fourth Thursday of every month, the Rotary

Club of Centurion hosts a speaker evening. The

evenings are hosted at Cherry Berry Café on Jean

avenue, or alternatively at the club's meeting place,

Irene Homes. The evenings cost under R100 to

attend, and include a light meal if at the café.

As diverse as the club members are, so are the

speakers, with topics such as wildlife conservation,

the South African education system, leadership

and life coaching, medical massage, and the

experiences of Rotarians taking part in

international programmes to name but a few.

To give more of an idea of the content of our

evenings, read on to find some more detailed

accounts of past evenings this year.

Fredrick Mamabolo

Inpower Development

A most dynamic speaker, Fredrick spoke to the

club and guests about leadership, particularly in

the context of South Africa, and the lessons we can

learn as South Africans. Fredrick runs various

programmes throughout Olievenhoutbosch and

other areas, focusing on the development of young

people and empowering them with knowledge.

Fredrick has sponsored many university entrants,

and is truly a leader and coach to behold!

Melissa Hoffman

OR Tambo International Airport

Melissa presented on the birdstrike avoidance

project currently in operation at OR Tambo

International, as well as touching on other airports.

She gave a very rich presentation, including videos

of two very happy canine colleagues chasing all

manner of birds out of the grass and away from the

runways!

Auriel Niemack

Rotary World Peace Fellowship

Auriel presented on her travels throughout Asia

and the topics of health security and global health

governance. A gripping presentation, with guests

and members alike taking in every word and

challenging with a vast array of questions around

her work, travels and thesis about the spread of

disease, and the socio-economic causes and

consequences thereof.

Sarah Howie

University of Pretoria

The quagmire of quality education in South Africa,

where are we in 2013? This was the question that

Sarah discussed in detail, highlighting many

incredible facts and points often overlooked by the

media. In her presentation she presented the latest

information about the status of South Africa’s

education within an international context and in

particular focused on the latest study that had been

released, namely the Progress in International

Reading Literacy Study.

Other speakers throughout the year included:

Ian McKechnie – Lightning Safety

Koos Herselman – Resilience Against Stress

Julie Filmer – Your Climb

Hans De Wit – Active Isolated Stretching

Dr Ryan Blumenthal – Mental Martial Arts

INTERESTED IN OUR SPEAKER EVENINGS?

Anyone interested in attending or speaking at a speaker evening is welcome to contact the club via our fellowship officer:

NEIL PATRICK

fellowship@rotarycenturion.org.za

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on our upcoming Youth Conference, please contact Kim at the below email address, or like our Facebook page listed below

youthconf@rotarycenturion.org.za

facebook.com/RotaryCenturionYouthConference

Speaker Evenings by Ross Saunders

Youth Conference 2014 by Kim Geyser

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 7

A few weeks beforehand at our weekly meeting, we were told about an interclub potjiekos competition. Our club President, Ian McKechnie, looked over to Ross Saunders and myself, and informed us that we’d have to put our money where our mouths were and enter a potjie in the competition. Apparently it is what is expected when the two of us discuss our most recent culinary experiments after every meeting. Neither us however had the faintest idea how to build a potjie.

The foundation of Rotary is to bring together people with diverse skills. Luckily for us, Louis Greeff – a veteran and winner of numerous potjiekos competitions – volunteered to join our team. In the weeks leading up to the event his experience proved valuable. He explained the finer points of a potjie, and tips and tricks learned the hard way. Ross and I exchanged text messages between meetings, discussed flavours and tried to figure out additional side dishes.

As the day drew closer it was announced that we would be entering a second team led by Jonathan Greengrass, a man who just smiled enigmatically when asked about their plans. Fortunately for us, Marilyn Traugott – a member of our club who splits her time between here and the States – joined our team as the lines for intra-club competition were drawn. She had never been to anything involving a potjie, but her inexperience made her the perfect “spy”.

The Saturday before the competition involved early morning trips to the Silverton Farmer’s Market for fresh ingredients and a visit to my grandmother to acquire some secret ones. Like most grandchildren I don’t visit her nearly enough and so when I realised she wasn’t doing anything the next day, I invited her along.

That is how I found myself standing outside a metal gate in La Montagne. After ringing the bell, I was greeted by Robin and Edith, who welcomed my grandmother and myself into their beautiful garden. Wheelbarrows with charcoal, along with umbrellas and a few chairs dotted the lawn. Being there first meant we could claim the far end of the garden and two wheelbarrows in the name of the Centurion Rotary Club.

Just as I was about to lose all hope, Jonathan arrived. He opened the back of his SUV, packed to

the brim with – as I learned while helping him unpack –every convenience you could ask for while camping. As we began to set up what resembled a portable kitchen, members from the other clubs began to arrive. Soon, more members of our club started trickling in, but still no one from our team.

My grandmother was happily chatting with my club mates and I was helping set up our little area when Ross and his wife Bonita arrived dressed to the nines as pirates. Suddenly I didn’t feel quite so silly in my similar garb. They brought everything for the salad they were building, but without Louis, we still didn’t have a pot to start the main course. As time

went by and more people representing clubs from over Pretoria arrived, the pressure began to mount. Marilyn arrived undercover – not dressed as a pirate – and began to move about the garden, sizing up the opposition. Some of the teams lit their fires and started their potjies … even Jonathan was busy browning the onions for their potjie.

A wave of relief flooded over me as Louis finally arrived, potjies and gazebos in tow. Quick teamwork saw us navigating the equipment through the already busy garden and then raising the gazebos while our charcoal was making coals. With that done, we could get down to why we were there: making a potjie.

Luckily I had prepared the meat, vegetables and “the cup of liquid and flavouring” the night before. No, the recipe for what went into “the cup of liquid and flavouring” is not available; suffice it to say it contained all kinds of tricks used by the cooks of our family. Having a veteran of the potjie such as Louis around calmed my nerves as I browned the meat and began to layer the rest of the ingredients as per his instructions. Halfway through I interrupted and unveiled my second secret ingredient, dried peaches I had stewed the night before. So a layer of plump stewed, yellow peaches formed one of the layers that were covered with a couple of cabbage leaves to seal the overstuffed pot. The lid perched precariously on top.

Marilyn returned with news from all over the garden and we realised we were up against some stiff competition. With the potjie assembled and cooking all we could do was wait and hope it would

turn out well. Time flew by as we enjoyed the fellowship of our Rotarians and before we knew it the contents of the potjie had settled and the lid sealed the goodness inside.

Around noon the organizers came by and asked if they could borrow the “Queen Mother”. I was baffled for a moment before realising they were referring to my grandmother. Apparently they wanted her to help judge since she was one of the non-Rotarians in attendance. If anyone was worried about favouritism, there would be none of that, my grandmother is one of the people who taught me to cook, knew what I could do and would not accept anything but my best.

This also meant that the half bottle of Old Brown Sherry that people were eyeing had to go into the potjie and we needed to start with our side dishes. Ross and Bonita lightly toasted some pine nuts for their salad, before Louis revealed his secret pap mixture and the two of us made a savoury pap with cheese, sweet corn and mushrooms.

One o’clock rolled by and the judges started making their rounds as we hastily assembled a table display with all the extra decorations we brought along. While the judges tasted the potjie of the team next to us, we lifted the potjie from the fire and gave it its first stir. It looked good. We experimented with putting the potjie on the table, but abandoned it when we remembered that it also contained another three kilograms of meat and assorted vegetables.

The judges stepped under our gazebo just as we finished dishing our meal: Mutton and Peaches Potjie, with savoury pap and watermelon salad. Paired with … rum and Coke. After they left we finally got to taste the result of our efforts and as a team we were pleased. We finished our samples and ventured out to taste everyone one else’s attempts. Starting with the interesting ones pointed

out by Marilyn.

All of them were incredible, especially a beer bread made by one of the clubs. Stuffed, we stumbled back to our little area, expecting to have seconds of our meal. Only to

be greeted by empty pots. Our dismay was short lived however as we all assembled on the patio for the prize giving. As the prizes were announced tension grew and we were overjoyed when we came second. Not bad for a team containing two guys who had never made a potjie and an American who until that day had no idea what a potjie was.

Potjie Cookoff by Chris Visser

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) Issue 2013

Receiving the Peace Fellowship was, and will

always be, an exceptional opportunity, not only to

represent Rotary while studying abroad, but to also

meet people from diverse walks of life who cared

about the same values as I do. Such values

transcend creed, colour and class, values of

peace, service above self, and doing good.

I spent 23 months abroad, studying, conducting

research and working in various internships all

centred around the Peace Fellowship. Sometimes

life would be so busy that I wouldn't be able to take

the time to reflect in those moments, about what I

was learning. I think that when one is in the garden

of the hurricane, or in the middle of a lot of bustling

activity, one can lack the necessary perspective to

see how far you have come in your journey. Time

and perhaps distance, or even calmness, can

provide that.

Toward the end of my time in Tokyo, and after my

return to Johannesburg, even as I write this, I kept

gaining (and continue to gain) perspective and

insights on my studies, research and experiences

during my Peace Fellowship.

Delivering a presentation to the Rotary club of

Centurion was an opportunity to share some of

these perspectives with Rotarians. It was a

wonderful opportunity to speak about my research

without the feeling I had when defending my thesis,

and to discuss the issues surrounding politics and

infectious disease with people who were curious

and passionate about solving such problems.

One of the other positive experiences I had from

speaking to the club was listening to the members

speak and discuss their own work and projects

within the club. The sense of community, helping

those who are in need, and of bridging barriers,

these are the values I saw in the club, and are

some of the values that one holds on to as a Peace

Fellow.

The beginning of July ushered in a new Rotary

year, along with a new club president. The first

order of business was the induction of our new

president, Ian McKechnie. On the 6th of July 2013,

members of the club and their partners dressed to

the nines to attend the induction held at the

Pretoria Country Club.

After welcoming drinks were served, everyone filed

into the beautifully decorated hall, an effort

championed by Brigitte and Irene. Once everyone

was seated, the evening was opened by Louis

Greef, followed by Jonathan Greengrass reciting

the Objects of Rotary.

Starters of biltong and avo salad arrived quickly,

and upon sampling the food, even the most ardent

of detractors to the menu choice were pleasantly

surprised! Once starters had settled, our outgoing

president, Clara Keil, gave a speech and handed

out various awards and recognitions to members.

For mains, a hearty beef and Guinness pie was

served, which for the short duration it was on the

plate, was truly a great meal for a mid-winter

evening. Post-mains, Clara inducted our new club

president, Ian McKechnie. After a short acceptance

speech, it was time for dessert of Amarula malva

pudding with custard.

Dessert being taken care of, it was time for our

Sergeant at Arms, Neil Patrick, to dish out the fines

for the evening. Our outgoing president, handed

out gifts to everyone present in a moving gesture at

the end her presidency. With that, the end of the

evening had been reached, and it was time for the

4 way test, recited by Ross Saunders.

A great fellowship followed, with much merriment

and laughter, the perfect way to usher in a new

Rotary year!

On the 23rd of August, members of the club

attended Espana 2013 at the Atterbury Theatre in

Pretoria. The dance show, presented by Helena

and Maria Lorca Montoya, was an emotional

production, presenting forms of Spanish dance

such as neo classical, regional and flamenco.

Members of the club, as well as family and friends,

filled up almost two rows in the packed theatre, and

were transported on a journey through dance.

A beautiful production and great fellowship were

the order of the evening!

INTERESTED IN FELLOWSHIP EVENTS?

Anyone interested in attending a fellowship evening or event, is welcome to contact the club via the following channels:

NEIL PATRICK

fellowship@rotarycenturion.org.za

FACEBOOK

facebook.com/RotaryCenturion

Attending Espana 2013 by Ross Saunders photos courtesy of Maria Lorca Montoya

Presenting to the Club by Auriel Niemack

Induction Dinner 2013 by Ross Saunders

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 9

Ian and Melonie McKechnie started a wine tasting

club in Irene in 2003 as a community-oriented

activity, and many fun evenings were had, and

friendships and wine knowledge (and particularly

appreciation) developed over the years at the

(generally, but not always) monthly tastings.

They say that absence (not abstinence) makes the

heart grow fonder. And so it was that after a 2 year

“sabbatical”, the “Best Little Wine Tasting Club in

Irene” came out of hibernation on 1 August 2013

just as winter ebbed away, in its new guise as a

fellowship and fundraising project of the Rotary

Club of Centurion.

Ian and Mel passed the baton onto the Rotary Club

of Centurion, who are now running the wine

tastings as a club project/activity. The funds raised

will be going into the Rotary Club’s funds to

support the Club and its activities and projects.

We aim to present tastings on the 1st Friday

evening in each month, at 19h15 for 19h30. The

venue is usually the main hall at Irene Homes. That

means we also get to support Irene Homes through

the hall rental.

So far in 2013 we have had three very successful

tasting evenings, being

Slanghoek Winery

An eclectic collection of wines from

various wineries, including Alvi’s Drift,

Howard Booysen, and others

Flagstone Winery

In addition to the very reasonable entrance

donation, we ask everyone to bring a plate of

snacks to share after the tasting, while chatting to

the presenter and other attendees. We have found

this to be a very successful and relaxed format, as

evidenced by the keen attendances and convivial

atmosphere that prevails.

Thanks to all for their support – we look forward to

more tastings and to your continued support in

2014.

Pet project of our past president Clara and well known to all Footprints readers.

For new readers: What and where is Philena?

Philena is a Middle School for 650 pupils in Olievenhoutbosch.

Being a “Temporary School” (in Government parlance meaning: A school that need be replaced within the next half century) it consists of some three dozen prefab structures put up in the open veldt.

Meanwhile, a new permanent school was built on the other side of the R55 and opened at the beginning of this year.

But as the new school was overfull already at opening, Philena continues to operate at full capacity. In fact, for the coming school-year Philena is well oversubscribed with some 850 pupils already registered.

And the worst is to come early January when hundreds of parents are expected to turn out to register their off-spring.

Where do they all come from?

Well, Tshwane Metro has made it clear that they want to close Mooiplaas settlement (as usual with no time frame specified), so all the children there have to trek to Olievenhoutbosch.

To add to the Headmaster’s woes, the school isn’t a Dual Language school, but a Triple language school (Sepedi, Setswana and isiZulu). Which is actually quite an improvement on the past where they had five languages before the new school opened.

We decided to provide the school with a much needed library. For this we obtained two 6m containers welded together to form a larger operating area and equipped these with shelves and some books.

Then came the rain season; the roof leaked.

Which is generally a situation non-conducive for a library’s wellbeing.

So we decided to add a roof to the library, which besides solving the rain seepage problem also cools down the building drastically.

As can be seen from the photos on the next page, the area has now been partially paved, thanks to other benefactors.

If we could only have the other half of the school paved, the place would look like what a real school should look like.

But back to the library, like all good institutions, by the time the building works were finished and the computer and software installed, there was preciously little money left for the furnishing, in this case, for books.

In come our Rotary friends from Berkhamsted Bulbourne in the UK. They kindly send us R 6,000 to purchase children’s books.

We decided on using the money to purchase books with the emphasis on early learners in their home languages of Tswana, Zulu and Pedi as only the older ones start learning English.

The future?

A lot can be done to improve that school, right here in the heart of our community.

It would be wonderful if the other half of the school class area could be paved as well, but that requires quite a bit of money.

This school has no hall or assembly facilities. If the now paved area could be covered by a roof structure, not only would the children have protection against sun and rain, but the area could be used as an assembly hall.

The school suffers from frequent water shortages. If the paved area could be covered, enough rainwater could be collected for storage.

Continued on the next page…

2013 Wine Tastings by Ian McKechnie

Philena Roof and Library by Bob Sienaert

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 10

Being built along the main roads, the area is noisy and dusty. We hope to be able to, early next year, provide the school with some 150+ trees to plant along the boundary. This should not only shield the school from the roads and windblown pollution but will also reduce the dust factor considerably.

As to the library…

Van Stones has just donated R 1,000 to purchase more books. Thanks guys!

Rotary Club of Berkhamsted Bulbourne has committed themselves to a further R 6,000 early next year for more books.

Introstat (Pty) Ltd donated much needed office software and input devices for the previously sponsored notebook computer

Should anyone have spare shelving for books. This would be most welcome.

Similarly, children’s books will always be welcome!

The library on opening day

Our fine volunteers offloading the new roof

Some assembly required!

Some of the volunteers

Preparing the materials

The roof nearing completion

The school playground

Recently paved area, perfect for an assembly

Classrooms and the unpaved area

Inside the library

More books

LOOKING TO HELP?

Anyone interested in assisting on the Philena School project (or any other project) is welcome to contact the club via the following channels:

ROSS SAUNDERS

pr@rotarycenturion.org.za

LEON JONES

projects@rotarycenturion.org.za

Philena In Pictures Contributions by Bob Sienaert, Sibylle Gussman, Leon Jones and others

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 11

The Rotary Club of Centurion is always happy to

accept new members. It strives to be the kind of

club that people wish to be a part of and is free of

discrimination of any kind.

Over the course of 2013, the club welcomed a few

new members, some of their experiences and

motives for joining have been shared in the below

paragraphs.

Ross Saunders

Over the years I have been involved in various

non-profit and charity groups and initiatives, many

of which were very specific and centred on a

specific need. For a while I had been looking for

something with a broader impact.

I had heard about Rotary when I was in school,

and was approached via Facebook by a high

school acquaintance regarding joining the Rotaract

club in my home town. Having moved away, I got

in touch with the Centurion Rotary club, in my

current area.

Almost immediately I felt right at home at the

meetings, and felt a connection to a lot of the

projects being embarked on by the club. I felt that

my skills in IT could be valuable to the club, and

after a short while found myself in charge of the

social media and PR!

I absolutely love it, the inclusion and the fellowship

of the club are amazing, and the potential excites

me! Here’s to 2014!

Sibylle Gussman

I joined Centurion Rotary Club earlier this year

after having been introduced to the club by our

current president, Ian McKechnie – a good friend in

our neighbourhood in Irene for a number of years.

The concept of Rotary was not new to me as I was

a Rotaract member in Germany (where I grew up)

for about 10 years, until the age of 30. Helping

people who are much less fortunate than us, trying

to build bridges across racial divides, and

fellowship between people, is close to my heart

and Rotary embodies all of that.

I am enjoying the Centurion Rotary Club

tremendously and promise to get more involved

‘hands-on’ once my husband and I have completed

our new house in Southdowns – the construction of

the latter unfortunately ‘ate’ a lot of my time this

year and will ‘eat’ much time for the another few

months in 2014, but thereafter I will be able to

contribute much more to the club and its causes.

Chris Visser

I was looking for a group to get involved in service projects ever since I turned thirty. A friend of mine recently joined the Centurion Rotary Club and after weighing up my options, I asked if I could join for a meeting.

After attending my first meeting with a group of devoted and passionate people, I came back. Soon I was there every week.

After a few months they asked me to join. In my short time up to then, I had learned much and been made to feel a part of my community through service. I was proud to accept their invitation.

More to come

In the coming Footprints editions, we will introduce more of our club members in this format, so stay tuned for more introductions!

Day Care Centre Tshwaranang is a day care centre located within the Mooiplaas informal settlement located behind Sunderland Ridge. Close on 50 children are looked after at the facility while their parents are working or out looking for work.

The facilities at Tshwaranang are limited, as there is no electricity or running water, with limited sanitation available. As a club, we are looking to support them and assist in upgrading the facilities.

The Container The club obtained a shipping container through the Rotary Humanitarian Centre, which was delivered as a donation by AG Transport.

The plan is to convert the container into a kitchen and storeroom in the first quarter of 2014. The club is looking for potential donations of the following:

Paint for rust proofing

Doors

Windows

Insulation

Whirlybirds

Kitchen Equipment Other things we are looking to assist with at the facilities are (but are not limited to):

Playground equipment

Repairing the classroom roof

Upgrading of existing facilities

LOOKING TO HELP?

Anyone interested in assisting on the Tshwaranang project (or any other project) is welcome to contact the club via the following channels:

ROSS SAUNDERS

pr@rotarycenturion.org.za

LEON JONES

projects@rotarycenturion.org.za

Why I Joined by Ross Saunders, Sibylle Gussman,

and Chris Visser

TSHWARANANG

Above Left - New members Chris and Sibylle being inducted over a laugh by our 2012/2013 president, Clara Keil Above - New member Madipuo being inducted

by our current president, Ian McKechnie

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 12

Yeeee-Ha! A great evening of dress up, fun, laughs and fundraising was held at the La Volta Dance Studio at Green Gables Centre, Hennopspark.

Our 2nd Barn Dance was a huge success with fun prizes and a lot of horsing around! Cowboy chow (chilli con carne) was served, and no one figured out who shot the sheriff!

Many of the “Wanted” suspects were able to get off the hook with a donation to club funds!

After dinner, we were treated to great entertainment and given line dancing lessons!

- Kim Geyser

In May 2013, the club gathered together for our annual club assembly. The assembly was held at Klipplaatz Bush Lodge, tucked away in the hills outside of Brits in the Northwest Province. The club gathered in the morning, bringing with them supplies and refreshments for the day.

After coffee and muffins, the club sat down to our under-lapa boardroom that had been set up, and went through the years’ accomplishments.

The aim of the club assembly is not only to review the past Rotary year, but also to strategise and plan ahead for the coming Rotary year.

Over the course of the day, the upcoming year was mapped out and nominations were taken for the upcoming officers. Fellowship events such as our ‘5th Thursday’ events (whereby we have a larger-than-usual social fellowship event in months containing five Thursdays) and various raids were planned.

After an impressive and productive session of planning, it was time to wrap up and take in the scenery and relax. Many members took this opportunity to go to their accommodation and freshen up for the evening’s revelry and meet up with spouses who were not taking part in the planning.

After sundown, fires were lit and drinks were served, with the club having one of our popular get-togethers. Great fun was had by all, with some members breaking out guitars and starting sing-a-longs while others gathered around the fire for a wide range of light hearted discussions.

Later in the evening, members retired to their luxury tented accommodation, and a well-deserved rest out in the wild was had by everyone in attendance!

DID YOU KNOW?

Rotary years run from July to June

Each Rotary year has a theme

The theme for the 2013/2014 year is “Engage Rotary, Change Lives”

The Rotary Club of Centurion was founded in 1986

Our club’s theme for 2013/2014 is “Make a Difference, Have Fun”

Clubs may ‘raid’ each other by attending each other’s meetings

Many events are not limited to members only, spouses and guests are most welcome!

If you wish to assist Rotary, but do not wish to be a member, you can always sign up as a ‘Friend of Rotary’

All projects by the club are achieved by voluntary contributions of time and effort

The Rotary Club of Centurion is a registered NPO

The Rotary Club of Centurion does not have minimum age requirements, all self-sufficient individuals are welcome to join!

INTERESTED IN FELLOWSHIP EVENTS?

For more information on our social events, please contact our fellowship officer, Neil Patrick:

fellowship@rotarycenturion.org.za

Club Assembly 2013 by Ross Saunders

Members of the club gather around our discussion table to review the

past year and plan the next

BARN DANCE 2013

FOOTPRINTS | ROTARY CLUB OF CENTURION (D9400) | Issue 2013 13

Footprints Rotary Club of

Centurion

The club meets Thursdays

18:45 for 19:00

Irene Homes 2 Albert Road, Irene

Centurion

www.rotarycenturion.org.za

Special Mentions The Rotary Club of Centurion would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for their support over the course of 2013.

La Volta Dance Studio

Van Stones

Hans and Clara Keil

Rotary Club of Berkhamsted Bulbourne

Introstat (Pty) Ltd

Hospitality Technology International (HTI)

Incredible Connection

Battica Design and Multimedia

AG Transport

D & M Projects

Irene Homes

Flagstone Wines

Slanghoek Wines

The distributors involved in our tastings

The exchange students and their families

Pretoria Country Club

Volunteers from the Peace Conference

Catherine Neville

Dischem

All our speakers

Cherry Berry Café

Klipplaatz Bush Lodge

SANGOTeCH

Arnold Netshambidi

Angels of Hope

Cornwall Hill College

Tshwane Leadership Foundation

TOMs Shoes

Sharol Naidoo

Microsoft

Tyron Bennett

Lusion Technologies

Centurion Mall

Dr Ryan Blumenthal

The Late PDG Joe Grey District 1160 (Ireland)

Sean Curtin

Lastly a special thank you to all our members, Rotarians from other clubs and countries, their families, and Friends of Rotary. We could not have made it through the year without you. We would also like to thank the many other donors of their time, resources, skills, professions and labour that have not been mentioned here.

2013 / 2014 Officers

President: Ian McKechnie

Secretary: Jonathan Greengrass

Treasurer: Louis Greeff

Foundation Officer: Clara Keil

Service Projects: Leon Jones

Membership: Bob Sienaert

Fellowship: Neil Patrick

Youth Service: Bob Sienaert & Louis Greeff

PR/Communications: Ross Saunders

Social Media/Webmaster: Ross Saunders

The Four Way Test

Of the things we think, say or do,

1. Is it the truth? 2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Get Involved Details for contacting the club or getting involved are listed below. The club meets weekly on Thursday evenings at Irene Homes in Albert Road, Irene, Centurion, between 19:00 and 20:30. Visitors are always welcome but are advised to contact us via the means below beforehand, should there be a change in venue for the meeting.

General enquiries – clubinfo@rotarycenturion.org.za Media enquiries – pr@rotarycenturion.org.za Facebook – facebook.com/rotarycenturion Website – www.rotarycenturion.org.za

Tel: +27 83 252 8811 (Ian) +27 74 104 7147 (Ross)

President – president@rotarycenturion.org.za Secretary – secretary@rotarycenturion.org.za Treasurer – treasurer@rotarycenturion.org.za Youth Conference – youthconf@rotarycenturion.org.za