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MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT FRANC BENTLEY |
FRANC'S FABLES
Once again the Club has been privileged to be visited by the SOUNS team under the banner of Peach Tree City Rotary and Counterpane Interact and guests from KET.
Addo SANPARKS/Rose Show fellowship weekend undeniably was spring highlight and enjoyed by nine couples from our Rotary family along with Swiss volunteer, Brigitte Lehman, who is being hosted by John and Lesley.
Regrettably Barbara O’Hagan has resigned from our Club due to work commitments which have taken her to Cape Town. We welcome Damian Lahoud to the Rotary Club of Knysna and wish him fulfilment as he continues his wide-ranging Rotary path.
Les Lloyd continues to recover from his mishap and Hans Tollenaar is wished well as he is scheduled to have heart surgery early next month. Peter Martin is on the road to recovery, following a successful op, and is recuperating at his daughter’s home.
Well done Anns for promoting Annual Global Hand Washing Day on 15 October. This year’s focus fell largely on Grade 3 learners at seven local primary schools.
November is 2011/12 President Elect nomination month. Criteria are that the nominee should have spent two years as a board member and not have previously held the office of president.
Let’s keep in mind - at all times make respect for one another part of our daily lives.
Franc |
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The Rotary Club of Knysna Inducted another new member to the club. Damian Lahoud, a past Ambassadorial Scholar, was inducted on Tuesday, 19th October, by President Franc at the monthly business meeting.
This 24 year old Damian studied Applied Ethics at Linkoping University in Sweden for a year after he finished his B.Sc degree in Chemical Engineering Science in Potchefstroom. While Damian was at school at Knysna High, he was an Interactor for many years and served as Treasurer and President of the Interact Club.
He was also a Short Term Exchange Student to Turkey in 2003. He was involved in the scouts for 18 years and became a Springbok Scout.
The Rotary Club of Knysna welcomes Damian as a member. |
President Franc welcomes Damian to
the
Rotary club of Knysna |
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PP Les Lloyd celebrated his 90th birthday on 27 October. The Rotary Club of Knysna is very proud of its oldest member who joined Rotary in 1979 in Welkom. He served his club as president in the early 80’s. After retiring from his company, he and Peggy located to Knysna where he joined the Rotary Club in Knysna. |
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Les and Peggy with their children, grandchildren
and great grandson at the Yacht Club. |
Les and Peggy at the function held to
celebrate his 90th |
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On Sunday, 3 October, the Rotary Club of Knysna held a Mystery Car Rally finishing with a fellowship braai and picnic at Monk’s Caravan Park. Five cars, with four Rotarians in each, participated. The rally started with each team having to complete a Sudoku before receiving further instructions. The teams then set off to find varied items and historical facts about Knysna. All the cars were back in the set time.
The prize-giving followed with prizes donated by Santam Insurance. Everyone enjoyed the fellowship and lunch. Thank you to Ray Monk for the use of the Caravan Park.
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| Listening to the instructions |
Prizes to the lady’s team |
A smoky braai |
Cheers! |
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| THE ROTARY CLUB OF KNYSNA AND KNYSNA SPORTS SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT CYCLING PROGRESS |
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In 2007 15 training bikes were given to Knysna Sports School by Knysna Rotary Club, supplied by Pick 'n Pay Ascends Cycling Programme.
Knysna Rotary Club, together with a donation of R 50 000 from Claremont Rotary Club, 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 Knysna Rotary Club managed to get 12 more training bikes from the Pedal Power Association. Knysna Rotary Club then bought a container 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. As this programme teaches youngsters a very healthy sport and keeps them off the streets for many hours a week, it was felt by the Rotary Club of Knysna that they should be given all the support possible.
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| Colin Mathiesen, President Franc Bentley and PDG John Satchel with the seven new bicycles for the “A Team” in the Development Cycling programme |
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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. Knysna Sports 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 Knysna Club contributed R25 000 to purchase seven new, better quality bikes to be used by the "A Team".
PDG John Satchel |
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| PROJECT FEEDBACK #1 – SOLAR WATER HEATER FOR TSIBA EDEN CAMPUS |
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In June 2010, the Rotary Club of Knysna donated a solar heater system to the TSiBA Eden Campus in Karatara. As part of the students’ curriculum and in the context of learning practical entrepreneurial skills with a “green business” approach, the students are doing a green audit of the college’s energy consumption. Even though it is too early to have significant results, monthly electricity usage is being closely monitored. Some variables which have to be taken into account are seasonal consumption linked to weather and sun angles, and Eskom price hikes.
All other energy usage is also being monitored, including gas and water. The students’ showers now have flow regulators and students are trained to regulate their individual consumption by careful water usage. Since the start of the drought at the end of 2008, municipal water has not been used for the gardens. Currently 17 000 l of rainwater can be stored in water tanks. A reservoir to store overflow water from these tanks would be very useful to enable capturing more water from the large roof surface area.
The students are very active in recycling – by consciously reducing resources, composting, re-using items and separating their municipal garbage into black waste and green recyclables. Other aspects being monitored are paper usage and the campus’ carbon footprint from travelling.
The Rotary Clubs of Arlington Heights and Claremont are in the process of arranging a matching grant to supply the campus with a solar stove unit for their kitchen. Knysna Rotarians Alan Warne, Mike Smerdon and Derrick Ikin will help to monitor its installation and application.
More news on this at a later stage!
Rtn Barbara Ikin
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| GLOBAL HAND WASHING DAY 15 OCTOBER 2010 |
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| Happy Learners with clean hands |
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The simple, inexpensive, yet effective concept of keeping hands clean is one of the most fundamental steps that can be taken to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others
Research shows that children – the segment of society so often the most energetic, enthusiastic and open to new ideas – can also be powerful agents of behavioral change. Rotary Anns of Knysna once again promoted Annual Global Hand Washing Day on 15 October and this year the focus fell on Grade 3 learners at seven local Primary schools. Soap and educational flyers were provided and teachers enthusiastically included an effective hand washing demonstration.
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Rotary Anns and Teachers promoting Global
Hand Washing Day |
Happy Learners with clean hands |
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A group of 19 Rotarians, Rotary Anns and friends went to visit the Addo Rose Show.
The group stayed in the Addo Elephant National Park where much viewing of the different animals took place.
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Great fellowship and good food was enjoyed during breakfasts and suppers by everyone. Thanks to Ann’s President Penny and PP Francios Retief for the organization of the weekend.
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Knysna had another visit from Brenda Erickson (District Literacy Chairman, Peachtree Rotary Club, Georgia, USA) plus Rtn. Amy Matusek, her daughter Interact President Lacy Matusek, from Counterpane Montessori School, and Rachel Craig, Past Interact President at Counterpane School. The team from USA came to Cape Town for a 2-hour presentation at the Pan African Literacy Conference on the subject of SOUNS. The SOUNS Literacy programme has been implemented in a pilot project at more than 20 Educare Centres in the townships and rural areas around Knysna under the auspices of the Knysna Education Trust, which is an organisation that has been supported by Knysna Rotary Club with Matching Grants and other donations for many years. Sea Point Rotary Club is also supporting some SOUNS programmes at Educare Centres around the townships of Cape Town.
PP Brenda is the developer of the SOUNS Programme in USA, and the group who came with her work on the programme at her school, Counterpane. Brenda's husband, Norman Hough, a South African, also accompanied the group, mainly to photograph SOUNS in action. Annette Nelson, Educational Mentor from the KET, also participated in the presentation in Cape Town.
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The 2-hour presentation in Cape Town had time for actual demonstrations of how one sets about working with young children, from 1 year of age, and the presenters sat themselves on the floor to do so! Other than that, video footage was shown of the actual classes in action at local disadvantaged pre-schools, the first to be doing the programme in African languages, Afrikaans and Xhosa. It works very efficiently in any language, as most letters produce the same sound and there just have to be a few adaptations. The reason why the system has only been used in disadvantaged areas locally is that Rotary Clubs in Georgia, USA, sponsored sets of SOUNS for that purpose. KET now has sets for sale for other schools and individuals to purchase, if required.
Brenda's party and Annette, from KET, also had interviews with staff in the Western Cape Government, who want to start their own pilot programmes at other Educare Centres in the province, including Eden District Council. SOUNS is not only of interest to the Western Cape Education Department (who will monitor the progress of the 2 Grade R classes at Thembalitsha Primary and Chris Nissen Primary as the learners pass into higher grades of primary education) but also Social Development who supervise Daycare Centres for younger children in the province.
Disadvantaged learners have always struggled with Literacy at schools in the Western Cape, especially where there are no books in the home, and family members are semi-literate. This programme promises to change this problem in a short space of time, as it is appropriate for very young children, from 1 year of age, and the children are learning very fast, even reading writing on each others' T-shirts!!
President Franc and Penny and Gillian Carter home-hosted the USA group, and Penny and Joan Huskisson hosted evening fellowship suppers. Lesley arranged for the party to visit our own Knysna Montessori School, which, like Counterpane, also goes up to Grade 12. Trustees and staff of KET arranged other activities for the USA group, who also visited all the KET SOUNS projects in Knysna while they were here. Back again in March!!
PP Lesley Satchel |
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| The R1000-Project is spread over all communities. Two Rotarians gave their money to the lady teaching sewing at Correctional Services in Knysna. Only a few are chosen to learn this skill which can be used later. The men in the picture proudly modelled their own shirts and trousers which they keep especially for the day when they are discharged. |
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| ROTARACT DISTRICT PROJECT - 16 OCTOBER 2010
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| Knysna Rotaract Team - Sight seeing Cape Town |
Knysna Rotaract Potjie Team -
Pierre (Rotaract President), Brigitte and Damien |
Rotaract Boat Racing Team - Brigitte and Damien |
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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 |
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