|
 |
FRANC'S FINAL FABLE
The year has passed by speedily –our recent Annual Fundraising Golf Weekend was successful and appreciation goes to Sesel and her hardworking team for their commitment.
Best wishes to President Elect Rob Clark and members of the new Board of Directors for the approaching Rotary year. May they ‘Reach Within to Embrace Humanity’.
I hope those present enjoyed the Induction Dinner and thanks to François, Rob P, John, Elwin and all those who assisted by performing various tasks on the programme. Appreciation to the Anns for table décor and especially to Knysna Golf Club for their fine hospitality and kind indulgence with constant changes in numbers attending
|
Roll up you sleeves this week which is run-up time to our largest income generating project, the Annual Cycle Tour. Much work needs doing which involves all members of the club with fellowship to be enjoyed while ‘getting the job done’.
My fellow Rotarians, thank you for the privilege allowed me of being your President for the past year. It has been a time Penny and I will always cherish. The club has achieved much over the past 12 months in assisting our local less fortunate society. I commend those who were willing to stand as Board Members and Portfolio Directors for their support in making this possible with the help of their enthusiastic committee members
To Rob and your team, good luck, have fun and I know you will be a great Rotary President!
Yours in Rotary Service
Franc |
| |
|
|
|
2011 THE ROTARY CLUB OF KNYSNA CHARITY GOLF WEEKEND |
|
Five golfers from Bredasdorp received certificates for participating in this Golf Weekend since 2002 with Peter Klews (on the left) and President Franc Bentley and Sesel Hartshorne. |
When after 100 mm of rain Friday morning dawned Pezula Championship Golf Course Staff rose to the challenge and by 11:00 the first players teed off in the 12th Annual Charity Weekend of the Rotary Club of Knysna.
Over 3 days 262 rounds of golf were played by local and visiting golfers. The largest group of 60 came from the Overberg region. Some 5 of them were part of the initial 16 whom, in 2002, the then president of the Rotary Club of Bredasdorp, Nico du Plessis, had persuaded to support RC Knysna’s effort to raise funds for their many projects in the greater Knysna area and enjoy some fellowship at the same time.
Saturday Knysna Golf Club hosted the event in glorious weather and prize giving was held in the magnificent new club house with the captain John Edwards doing the honours with wit and style including a most profitable auction. |
On Sunday the traditional shot gun start at the immaculate Simola Hotel Country Club Course would enable visitors to return home at a reasonable hour. Simola had generously agreed to make luxury accommodation available at budget rates and enabled partners to enjoy the world class Spa facilities at a considerable discount.
It has been a feature of the last few years that increasingly visiting golfers have brought their partners to enjoy the many other facets Knysna has to offer and Sesel Hartshorne, the main organizer, has catered for their needs.
Despite the harsh economic conditions in Knysna preliminary figures indicate that through sponsorships, donations (for details see below), green fees, raffles and auctions the Rotary Club of Knysna will benefit by some R 70 000.
By using the leverage of Matching Grants with Rotary Clubs in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, UK , USA and Rotary International the Rotary Club of Knysna is executing presently and has completed recently projects to the value of some R 950 000.
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Hi Sesel,
Firstly I’d like to thank you and all the Knysna Rotary Golf Committee members for a wonderful weekend at Simola, we had a great time and will definitely be back next year. We purchased the Simola voucher at the auction for R3200; I have made the payment and attached the payment confirmation.
Thank you again and regards
Etienne le Roux
........_o
......_\.\>,
....(_)/(_)
Good afternoon Sesel & Knysna Rotary club
We would like to thank Knysna Rotary club (and especially you) for a most enjoyable golf weekend.
We really enjoyed ourselves and relaxed in the surroundings and beautiful Knysna golf courses away from our daily (stress related jobs) activities.
The information and bookings went smoothly and we had (and heard) no complaints what so ever.
We were treated as Kings!
Please convey our sincere thanks to everybody behind the curtains preparing for our comfort during our weekend with Rotary.
From Francois and myself - thank you very much - we had a ball (and lost a few!!)
We hope to be back next year.
Best regards
|
|
|
| KNYSNA’S RED CROSS AND ROTARY JOIN HANDS |
|
Franc Bentley, President of the Rotary Club of Knysna, handed the keys to June Stabler, Branch Chair Person of Red Cross while the Red Cross volunteers, Delina Botha and Nick
Ainslee, and Rotarian Alan Warne looked on. |
President Franc Bentley, of the Rotary Club of Knysna, was delighted to hand the keys of the new Nissan Livina to June Stabler, chairperson of Knysna’s Red Cross Society, and Sister Delina Botha, after the society’s former car was damaged in a traffic accident.
The new car was made possible by the generous donation from the Rotary Club of Knysna, which made up the difference between the scrap value pay-out from the society’s pervious car and the cost of the new vehicle.
The Red Cross chose the vehicle for its considerable boot space, and the fold-down feature of the rear seats, giving additional load space for blankets, clothes and ration packs collected from Cape Town. The car will also be used to hand out these articles in time of need. The car will be fitted with a tow-bar to enable it to pull a trailer as well to be able to transport even more goods. |
|
|
| | |
|
|
| MORE BICYCLES FOR DEVELOPMENT CYCLING AND SAFE CYCLING |
|
PP Lesley Satchel and two cyclists from Knysna Sport School, admire the 20 new bicycles from Townes Osborn and from the Rotary Club of Knoxville UK. |
The Rotary Club of Knysna has supported the Development Cycling Program at the Knysna Sport School for the last five years.
In 2007, 15 training bikes were given to Knysna Sport School by the Rotary Club of Knysna supplied by Pick n Pay Ascends Cycling Programme.
The Knysna Club, together with a donation of R50 000 from the Rotary Club of Claremont, bought a trailer, a container to store the bikes, repair kits and built a wash bay to keep the bikes in a good, clean condition. Then in 2009 the Rotary Club of Knysna managed to get 12 more training bikes from the Pedal Power Association. A container was then purchased by the Club to store bikes at Rheenendal as part of the Knysna Sport School's outreach programme to bring sport into the lives of youngsters out of town. There are over 100 riders using these 27 bikes. They are used every single day by both boys and girls. It is interesting to note that not a single one of these bikes has ever been stolen, lost or damaged in all this time, and they are well maintained and serviced.
|
As this programme teaches youngsters a very healthy sport and keeps them off the streets for many hours a week, it is felt by the Rotary Club Knysna that they should give them all the support possible.
Knysna Sport School has an "A Team" of more experienced riders that does very well in race events around the Southern and Eastern Cape, and they needed better bikes. The Rotary Club of Knysna contributed R 25 000 to purchase 7 new, better quality bikes to be used by the "A Team".
Last week the Rotary Club received another 10 bikes for the Development Cycling Program from the Rotary Club of Knoxville. The cyclists are all looking forward to the upcoming Cycle Tour organised by the Rotary Club. |
|
| |
|
|
|
Trainers, boys and girls of the Safe Cycling Programme with
their new bicycles from Rotarian Townes Osborne, Knoxville, USA |
The Knysna Sports School has been running a Safe Cycling Programme at primary schools in the townships for the past 4 years, thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Knysna and a kind Rotarian sponsor of the kiddies’ bicycles in Knoxville Tennessee.
In 2010 eight children from the Brackenhill and Rheenendal Primary Schools participated in the Spur Kiddies’ Cycle Race on Leisure Island. They all had special t-shirts printed with the new Rotary Motto: Building Communities, Bridging Continents. On Sunday 4 July they must have been one of the first to display and depict the meaning of the motto in the new Rotary Year.
A group of young people from Knoxville USA, visited Knysna in 2010, and decided to raise money in Knoxville from a South African evening (with flags, vuvuzelas etc) to sponsor more bicycles and helmets for the Development Cycling Project at the Knysna Sports School. The money sent from them enabled the Rotary Club of Knysna to buy 10 more new bicycles and helmets for the cyclists in Knysna and Rheenendal, so the total number of available bicycles has now risen to 44. |
A Rotarian from Knoxville, Townes Osborne, has also sent money for the 5th successive year, for 10 young cyclists from the Safe Cycling Programme at local primary schools in the townships to receive new bicycles to ride in the Kiddies' Cycling Race during the Oyster Festival in July. Townes has never visited Knysna herself, but is immensely proud of "her" cyclists and the small new bicycles she is able to give them annually. The Safe Cycling Programme is also a successful partnership between the Knysna Sports School and the Rotary Club of Knysna. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
The Rotary Club of Knysna is very proud of the RYLA Course at Outward Bound for the Interactors of the six Knysna schools. The Club is also very proud of the 17 learners who attended this year and achieved the aims. The Interactors were selected and sponsored by the Rotary Club to go from 2 to 6 April.
The aim of the Outward Bound Course is to present a Youth Personal Development programme to help the participants grow and develop as individuals and help them realise their true potential.
The Course Objectives are Personal Development, Capacity Building, Exploring Diversity and Leadership. To achieve these objectives, the learners had to do hiking, camp craft, mini solo, food sort, abseil, group dynamics, trapeze, Jacob’s ladder and canoeing.
Learners from the six different schools with different background were put into mixed teams and had to work together to achieve their goals. At their report back at the Rotary Meeting, they admitted that they learned so much about themselves and from each other. They learned new activities and made new friends. They also learned that they could overcome their fears.
Instructor, Luyanda Ngondo wrote: “I loved seeing a mixed group like this interact and how respectful and appreciative of one another they were. They built relationships with one another and showed sincerity towards each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Some participants gave the following feedback:
“While I was at Outward Bound, I went through various experiences which I feel have taught me more about myself.” Nicola Harris
“You have to have faith in yourself and be very strong.” Nthabisang Sedibe.
The individual assessments were very positive and the Club is planning to send another deserving group of Interactors to the RYLA Course at Outward Bound.
|
| |
|
| ROTARY HELPS SAVING THE MANGROVE FORESTS ON THE ISLAND OF RINCA
|
|
| Louise Pannell wrote: |
| “On our recent escorted tour of Bali & Beyond, during our Bugi Schooner cruise of the islands, we visited the island of Rinca in the Komodo National Park - a World Heritage site. Before the National Park was proclaimed, the locals used to chop down the mangrove trees for firewood, depleting large areas of the mangrove forest. In an attempt to restore the mangrove forests, visitors are asked to sponsor the planting of red mangrove trees. James and I donated 100,000 Rupiah (approximately USD12) for a tree to be planted on behalf of the Rotary Clubs of Knysna and Medicine Hat Canada. We had Rotarians from both these Rotary Clubs on our tour.
This Komodo dragon was walking along the path right next to where we had planted the tree. We had to move out of the way to let it pass before we could take our photos of the tree.”
|
 The Komona dragon |
 James and Louise planting the Mangrove tree |
| |
|
|
|
| PRESIDENT ROB CLARK’S INDUCTION
|
|
 |
President Rob Clark (on the left) was inducted as the 50th president of the Rotary Club of Knysna on 24 June when President Franc Bentley handed over the Chain of Office and the Club Charter. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
May you have a wonderful Rotary Year with plenty of good fellowship, fun and successful projects that “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity”. |
 |
| |
|
| NEW ANN’S PRESIDENT, DORI
|
|
| Dori Waterston was inducted by Penny Bentley as the new Rotary Anns’ President for the year 2011-2012. |
 |
| |
|
| 100% ATTENDANCE AT ROTARY MEETINGS
|
|
 |
The following Rotarians received Certificates for 100% Attendance at Rotary meetings (from left to right) AG Mike Mills, PE Ina Thompson, PDG Elwin Thompson, President Franc Bentley and PP Peter Southey. Missing from the photograph are PP Ian Ballantine, PP Mendy Weiner and PP André Sandiford. |
| |
|
|
|
My sincere thanks to all the members of the Rotary Club of Knysna for all the support given to me during the reporting of the projects, fellowship events and fundraisers that filled the pages of the Newsletters over the last two years. Also my appreciation goes to Rotary Africa, our official Rotary publication, and our local newspapers for always being prepared to publish the articles and photographs. I have enjoyed telling the world about the many great things that our club does to uplift our community through “Service above Self”. My good wishes go to Dereck Wheeldon who will be taking over as the new Public Relations Director.
Ina Thompson
|
| |
|
|
|
|
President: Franc Bentley; Past President: Ian Ballantine;
Secretary: Graham Waterston; Treasurer: Adrian Auckland;
Club Administration: Rob Clark;
Service Projects: Alan Warne;
New Generations: Mendy Weiner;
Rotary Foundation: Peter Southey;
Public Relations: Ina Thompson;
Anns President: Penny Bentley
Venue for Tuesday Meetings: Yacht Club at the Knysna Waterfront at 12:30 for 13:00 |
|
|
