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Rotary's main objective is service - in the community, in the workplace and around the globe. The 1.2 million Rotarians who make up more than 34,00 Rotary Clubs in nearly every country in the world share a dedication to the ideal of Serve Above Self.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Club visit from the District Governor

District Governor Martin's visit
The Rustenburg Rotary Club members had the privilege to become acquainted and spend some time with District Governor Martin, District Governor Ann Christina Forsyth-Thompson and PGPR Mark Doyle during their recent club visit.  
The first stop was Rusoord Old Age Home where our esteemed visitors got showed around the newly renovated dining room which was done by Rustenburg Rotary Club and friends. Also on the premises is a current club project in process, a Wall of Remembrance and garden.  Money raised from the plaques purchased will be going to the old age home.







 Next stop was at Topologo Hospice in Phokeng where Bishop Kevin and General Manager Steve were in discussion with DG Martin and DGPR Mark about a ROTARY FAMILY HEALTH DAY.  More will be revealed soon, stay “tuned in”.






Wildforlife, Rustenburg’s only animal rehabilitation centre was next on the list. Although the sun was very hot (38 degrees) and it was almost lunch time the party of Rotarians were eager to learn more from Dr. Schouwstra and Adri, the resident falconer, about the running of the shelter and the history of the animals. The newly completed irrigation system witch was done by Rustenburg Rotary and 3 engineering students, were showed off to the guest. The next step is a gardening project which will benefit the animals as well as the workers.





The last visit was to the club’s pride and joy, Bessies Care Centre. The club is in the process of renovating the bathrooms with the sponsorship of Elikulu Granite Works.  Although all Rotarians are regularly exposed to disabled children one could see that our visitors were a bit teary-eyed when they got introduced to some of the little fellows.



The visit was rounded off with a evening function with the Kloof Rotary Club. It was a pleasure spending time with our leaders and hope to see them soon.

President Elsa, DG Matin, DGA Christina, President Sibusiso & partner Jane


Monday 19 November 2012

Vocational Service Outing to Boston Dry Cleaners

LAUNDRY -  the never ending story

Members of the Rustenburg Rotary Club were recently treated to a delicious lunch and a tour by  old friends of the club, Josh De Sousa and his beautiful wife Grace, owners of Boston Dry Cleaners.

Rotarian's - Dr Alan & Dr Joosby giving a second opinion
Boston Dry Cleaners is one of the many long established businesses of Rustenburg. Josh took over the ownership in the 70’s and grew from humble beginnings to an empire. Today Boston Dry Cleaners service most of the hospitality industry in and around Rustenburg as well as the many depots all over the district.
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) otherwise known as “perc”. It is used to clean delicate fabrics that cannot withstand the rough and tumble of a washing machine and dryers.
The ancient Romans used ammonia (from urine) and fuller’s earth to launder their woollen togas. Fullonicae were very prominent facilities, with at least one in every major town of any notability. These laundries obtained urine from farm animals or from special pots situated at public latrines. The industry was so profitable that fuller’s guilds were an important political constituency and the government taxed the collection of urine. I can only wonder if they adhere to the four-way-test.
Modern dry cleaning uses non-water-based solvents to remove soil and strains from clothes. The potential for using petroleum-based solvents such as gasoline and kerosene was discovered in the mid-19th century by French dye-works owner Jean Baptiste Jolly, who noticed that his tablecloth become cleaner after his maid spilled kerosene on it. He subsequently developed a service cleaning people’s clothes in this manner which became known as “nettoyage รก sec” – i.e., dry cleaning.

Josh De Sousa, owner of Boston Dry Cleaners and a much appreciated friend of Rustenburg Rotary Club


Josh showed us the all powerful dry-cleaning machines which is a combination of a domestic washing machine and clothes dryer with capacity of between 10 – 40kg. The solvent temperature is maintained at 30 degrees Celsius.  
Garments are checked for foreign objects which might damage textiles. Some textiles dyes are “loose” and will shed dye during the solvent immersion. These will not be included in a load along with lighter-colour textiles. Not all stains can be removed by dry-cleaning it and needs to be treated with spotting solvents, sometimes by steam jet or by soaking in special stain-remover liquids before garments are washed or dry cleaned.





Needless to say, the Rotarians were absolutely amazed at all this and the informative way Josh and his staff were presenting it. What a great vocational activity, thank you Josh, you and your staff are excellent examples of the Rotary Code Of Conduct and a true friend.


Just hanging - Dr Joosby & Johan

Laundry - 3 x times cleaner with Elsa, Wilma & Gaylen

Sunday 11 November 2012

Rustenburg Rotary Donates Forty Thousand Rands

Rustenburg Rotary Club donated R40 000 to Thusanang Centre with money raised from the annual Marico Mountain Bike Race.
The Rustenburg Rotary club recently handed over a cheque of R40 000 to Santa Van Bart, founder member of the Thusanang Centre during DGPR Mark Doyle's club visit. The Centre is based in Groot Marico, one of the poorest areas in our country but known for their warm hospitality and the memories of Charles Hermann Bosman, who is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s top short-story writers.
This community project started in 1993 in Groot Marico with only 10 pre-school children in an old garage and slowly grew into a well run creche, after school care and adult education centre. Seventy two children are currently in their care. There is a soup kitchen which supplies the children with a daily meal, often the only food that these kids have.
Thusanang centre also provides unemployed women with skills training.  Beautiful handcrafted products are made for the purpose of generating an income. Their pride and joy is a permaculture garden project, which is self maintained and sustainable.
Rustenburg Rotary Club became involved 5 years ago when their famous annual mountain bike race was introduced to the area with kind assistance from Impala Platinum Ltd, Xstrata and various other sponsors. Proceeds of this event gets ploughed back into the Groot Marico community and the club's wheelchair project.
Santa Van Bart, Chris De Bruyn and Ronnie Schild the "backbone" of the  annual Rustenburg Rotary Club's Marico Mountain Bike Race
The Rotarian's are calling on the public for donations, like toys, books, vegetable seeds and any food to help  the children of Thusanang.  For more information phone Santa at 083 272 2958 or Ronnie Schild from Rotary at 082 655 4053.

Mark Doyle, District Governors Personal Representative, President Elsa Doubell, Santa Van Bart from Thusanang Centre and  Ronnie Schild, PAG.







Tuesday 2 October 2012

National Braai Day - Rustenburg Rotary Style

Heritage Day, 24 September, is a public holiday on which South Africans across the spectrum are encouraged to celebrate their cultural heritage and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belongs to its entire people.

The Rustenburg Rotarians used this as a Fellowship opportunity and got together at the Kgaswane Game reserve for the National Braai Day. This 5 300 ha reserve  is situated above the town of Rustenburg across a varied habitat of quartzite mountain peaks and vleis on the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg.

The reserve hosts a population of over 800 antelope, including klipspringer, grey duiker, bushbuck, kudu, oribi, mountain reedbuck, impala, red hartebeest, zebra, springbok, steenbok, sable antelope and waterbuck.
 
Boerewors inspection by a Yorky



The Mullers - Andre taking five (of whatever is going)


Physiotherapy session at ground level

Sandy - So this is what fellowship is all about

Wow great Boerie Roll

New Rotarian Jessica with husband Ryan

show me again aunty Genny












  






Sunday 23 September 2012

Rustenburg Rotarians goes WILD FOR LIFE with the animals

RUSTENBURG ANIMAL REHABILITATION CENTRE


Well known Veterinarian, Dr. Tjitske Schouwstra and Falconer, Adri Du Toit were the guest speakers at the Rustenburg Rotary Club’s weekly meeting last Tuesday.  Adri’s Peregrine Falcon stole the show and Rotarians had the privilege to get acquainted with this amazing bird.



Rotary meeting with more than just one bird

Dr Schouwstra and Adri are both part of Rustenburg Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre which was established in 2005 to help indigenous wildlife. What started as a hobby has now turned into a full rehabilitation centre where they treat, rehabilitate and relocate birds of prey, jackal, genets, caracal and other wildlife. 

Caring for orphaned and injured wildlife is both a time consuming and specialised field. Rehabilitation of some animals may take months or even years as many need to be placed in family groups. Others may take a long time to recover from injuries. Therefore special facilities are required in order to accommodate them and their specific needs.




Doc at the rehabilitation centre


Dr Schouwstra said that it is their duty to treat, rehabilitate and release indigenous wildlife, while at the same time, create a greater awareness of conservation within the community and particularly, within our schools. They provide educational programs for schools, farm workers, and the general public.
You can read more about them at: http://www.wildforlife.co.za  or add them as a friend on Facebook, see: Wildforlife Rustenburg


 

VOCATIONAL PROJECT AT THE RUSTENBURG REHABILITATION CENTRE

 Three engineering students, Mitchell Kyle, Richard Kitching and Jamie Kerr, all from the University of Pretoria approached Rustenburg Rotary Club to help them identify a worthwhile community project which they had to do during their July break. Because they all shared a passion for animals they decided to go into a joint venture to extend the animal rehabilitation's  irrigation system.  The estimated value of the project came to R12 000 which most of it came in the form of sponsorship from various businesses in Rustenburg and good old fashioned elbow grease from the lads.



Rotarian Piet Smit with the students



The centre is still has many needs, please feel free to contact Dr. Schouwstra directly at Aran Veterinary in Rustenburg.


Sunday 12 August 2012

Allan Heyl - Motivational Speaker


ALLAN HEYL - THE LAST SURVIVING MEMBER OF THE

STANDER GANG TO HELP RUSTENBURG ROTARY CLUB WITH A FUND RAISER


Rustenburg residents will have the opportunity to hear Allan Heyl, the last surviving member of the Stander gang of bank robbers. Treat yourself and your staff, friends and family to the most inspiring and memorable talk you are likely to hear. The function will be held on  on Friday 7 September 2012 at the Hellenic Hall.

Most countries have criminals or criminal events that capture the public’s imagination, sometimes positively, but usually negatively.  Some that come to mind are Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Ronald Briggs and the Great Train Robbery, Jack the Ripper, and so on.  We all have heard of these people and the crimes they perpetrated. In South Africa, it was what the media called the Stander Gang that caused newspaper sales to soar.  The public couldn’t get enough information (or speculation) about the gang and its exploits, and even today there are many South Africans who wish that the gang had got away with its daring exploits. 

The gang was named after its leader, Andrรฉ Stander, son of a senior officer in the Correctional Services, Major-General Frans Stander. Apparently his success in the police force didn’t meet all his needs, probably both emotional and financial.  So he took up robbing banks as a hobby.  On his days off from his police job, he would fly to Durban, don a disguise, rent or steal a car at the airport, and go and rob a bank or building society.  When he finished he would drive back to the airport, fly back to Johannesburg, and become a policeman again.

As is so often the case, he became overconfident and boasted to one of his close friends about what he was doing. The friend reported the comments, and the police set up surveillance.  Sure enough, after flying into Johannesburg from a heist in Durban, he was apprehended with money, disguises, and a firearm in his luggage.  He was found guilty on 15 of 28 charges of bank robbery and sentenced to an effective 17 years in a maximum-security prison. 

While in prison, Stander met and befriended two other bank robbers, Patrick Lee McCall and Allan Heyl.  In August 1983, Stander and McCall, with several other prisoners, were scheduled to meet with a physiotherapist.  While in the waiting room, Stander and McCall overpowered their guards and the poor physiotherapist and escaped. About two months later, Stander and McCall returned to the prison and sprung Heyl from the maximum-security facility.  Then the fun began. 

Over the next three months, what became called the Stander Gang, robbed at will.  They raided a gun shop and took an arsenal of weapons.  In the two months from mid-November 1983 to mid-January 1984, the gang robbed twenty banks, sometimes four in a day.  Each time they robbed a bank, the newspapers splashed their deeds all over the front page, and the public cheered.  They saw Stander as a modern day Robin Hood, a gentleman robber – although there is no evidence he did anything charitable with the money.

Stander realized that time was running short and arranged to buy a yacht in Cape Town in which the three could sail to the United States.  Stander flew to the States on a false passport to finalize details. The day after he left, apparently based on information offered by some of the escort agency girls, the police surrounded one of the safe houses.  After a mighty gun battle, McCall was killed.  Heyl, who was elsewhere that evening, then fled the country and went to ground in Greece, on the island of Hydra.

Stander, after some silly dealings with a Mustang got recognised by the dealer who reported it to the Fort Lauderdale police. That same evening they surrounded Sander’s apartment and when he showed up, they confronted him. He tried to wrestle with one of the policemen, whose shotgun went off, fatally wounding Stander

As for Allan Heyl, he left Hydra for England, where he pulled a small heist.  Eventually a confidence trickster he had befriended turned him into the police.  He was arrested at a house in Surrey.  In May 1985, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.  When he was released, he was extradited to South Africa where he received an additional sentence from which he was paroled in 2005.  And guess what?  He is now a motivational speaker!

Rustenburg Rotary Club has invited Allan to share the profound lessons he learned on his incredible journey on a slippery slope of moral deprivation that culminated in him serving more than 27 years in prison both here and in the U.K. Hear firsthand how poor self-image undermines our thought process and how dangerously and easily a cycle of negative thinking can entrap us in a debilitating spiral of moral degeneration. His story is overwhelming one of hope and ultimate redemption.

Tickets are available from the Rotarians.  Tables of 10 at R1500 per table or R150 pp. which will include light snacks.  A cash bar will be available.  Profits from this function will be used to buy wheelchairs, which  will be distributed to the community in and around Rustenburg.  More than two hundred wheelchairs were handed out in the last eighteen months.  
Please contact the following people for tickets and reservations: Gaylen  at  082 780 1052 or Elsa at 083 493 5911

Tuesday 31 July 2012

RUSTENBURG ROTARY - MARICO MTB CLASSIC 2012

The Marico Mountain Bike Classic will take place this Saturday, 4 August 2012. The event will once again start at the Bosman Feesterrein and will follow the same route as last year.

Groot Marico is one of the poorest communities in South Africa. All monies will go towards community upliftment and empowerment. Some of the money raised from previous races has been used towards a care-centre for pre-school children.  Another project, which was made possible because of the funds raised, was obtaining much-needed wheelchairs.


Four distances of 23, 41, 51, and 61 km's on dirt, jeep and single track including an extreme technical terrain with lots of loose rock and shale with one portage of 200m.  Total ascent is about 1400km. The 51 km distance promise to give an added thrill of a technical downhill, three additional water crossings and another technical uphill, while eliminating the steep portage out of Doringkloof. The organisers believe that this route will add a lot of value to the riders who hated the very tough and technical section up and down Doringkloof. This distance will be rideable for the technically skilled and fit mountain biker. The entry fee will be same as the 61km route. race fees from R50 - R150.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to be part of this exciting mountain bike race. Bring the whole family along for a day out in the country in this small village almost forgotten by time but kept alive through the colourful stories by Herman Charles Bosman. Food and refreshment will be on sale.


Your support will help the Rustenburg Rotarians to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than yourselves.




Information and entries can be done on line: http://www.entryonline.com/ Contact Chris De Bruyn for any enquiries at: iti31424@mweb.co.za or cell: 082 823 3815.




Saturday 21 July 2012

RUSTENBURG ROTARY making life a bit more comfortable on Nelson Mandela International Day.

On Wednesday the 18 July the  "Power-Pack Girls" from the club took a trailer filled with beds, mattresses, jerseys & beanies to a care centre and an old age home in Phokeng. The first stop was at the newly build care centre of Agnes. A warm hearted lady who dedicates her life to the vulnerable children in her neighbourhood. Approximately 70 kids get a meal from her on a daily basis.


Pres. Elsa, Suan, Gaylen, Wilma and young resident from the centre
AGNES'S CARE CENTRE



Girl Power !!!

Agnes's Care centre will be able to give shelter to 20 abused  children.


KUTLWANONG ( JD ESTERHUIZEN) OLD AGE HOME
This establishment was buzzing from all the Mandela Goodwill. Various organisations and businesses were busy dishing out from tracksuits to a brand new TV. The Rustenburg Rotary Club's donation of new beds were welcomed by Sister Maria who informed us that some of the old beds were ready for replacements.



A happy resident enquiring about the activities




TIME FOR SOME FELLOWSHIP


 and now for that cuppa coffee






Thursday 19 July 2012

MARICO MOUNTAIN BIKE CLASSIC 2012

Event date:  4 August 2012
Province:  North West
Venue:  Bosman Terrain, Groot Marico
Online start date: 05 June 2012
Online end date:  01 August 2012
Online Website:  http://www.entrytime.com/
Contacts:  Ronnie Schild @ 082 655 4053 & Chris De Bruyn @ 082 823 3815

Race Fees & Starting Times:
61 km   R150   09h00
51 km   R150   09h15
41 km   R100   09h25
23  km  R 50    09h30

Groot Marico is situated less then two hours from Gauteng on the N4 West, close to the Botswana border. Distance from Pretoria is less then 200km.  It is a small village forgotten by time, but with some of the best technical riding in South Africa. If you want to get a feel for the area you can read all the Marico stories by Herman Charles Bosman, or visit the website: http://www.marico.co.za/

Help Rustenburg Rotary Club to help those less fortunate than ourselves.


Wednesday 18 July 2012

President Elsa Doubell's Induction

President Elsa's year kicked off with a glamorous function on the 3rd July 2012.

Past President Arjan Schaap handed over the chains of office and thanked the members for the wonderful projects that were completed during the last Rotary year. He singled out the annual Marico Mountain Bike race which raised more than R100 000 and the award winning project, Bessie's Care Centre which, with the assistance of Impala Platinum, Precrete Nozala, Sebetsa Trading and various other minor sponsors managed to do improvements and supply an activity centre for the disabled children with the estimated value of R400 000.  He also thanked everybody who assisted with the many functions which was held for the elderly and Dr Alan Visser who for the fourteenth year drove the flu-injection project. Seven hundred senior citizens benefited from this project. Wilma Lig was awarded with the "Rotarian Of The Year" trophy.

In President Elsa acceptance speech she quoted “In my short term as a Rotarian you have raised me up to more than I can be and my duty to you is, to raise you up...to more than you can be...."


Words of wisdom, hope and motivation from the new President

President Elsa, PAG Ronnie Schild, PAG Wilma Lig,
GSE team member Jaque Poggenpoel, AG Cheryl Phillips,
Club Runner & AG Mgezi Mazibuko








Monday 9 July 2012

Weclome To Our Blog

Welcome to the Rustenburg Rotary Club's Blog


Rustenburg Rotary welcomes the new Rotary year, full of things that have never been and this, our blog page, is a first for us.

Our team for the year ahead is:
  • President: Elsa Doubell
  • President Elect & Director - Club Services: Neels Botha
  • Secretary: Suan Mulder
  • Assistant : Gaylen Choelo
  • Treasurers: Hilko Von Zwietering &  Christo Pretorius
  • Public Relations: Wilma Lig
  • Director - International / New Generations: Arjan Schaap & Lizelle Keyter
  • Director - Vocational: Alan Visser
  • Director - Community Service: Joao Amorim
  • Fellowship: Ronnie Schild
  • Master Seargant: Mannie Winterbach