PRESIDENT IAN’S MESSAGE

 Knysna Rotary Club continues to grow – our second matching grant of the new Rotary year was confirmed today by RI.

The first induction of the New Year was also done today and the members were happy to see a younger person being inducted – welcome to Gladman Pantsi – he is also the first Xhosa member to be inducted to our club. We hope this will set a trend of younger people joining the club.

Knysna Rotary flag continues to fly at district – John & Lesley S and Elwin & Ina T attended District meetings (Finance, Nominating, Advisory Council and District New Generations) over the weekend and Elwin will conduct the PRLS (Potential Rotary Leadership Seminar) over the weekend 5th & 6th Sept.

KNOW YOUR TOWN 2009

Fifteen Grade 9 learners, all members of the Interact Clubs from their high schools in Knysna, were recently selected by the Knysna Rotary Club to participate in a two-day Know Your Town experience.  Mendy Weiner, Chairman of the New Generations Committee, initiated and arranged the project.  He was assisted by Elwin Thompson and Lesley Satchel.

The first day began with attendance at the Town Council meeting in the Council Chambers.  They were officially welcomed by the speaker, and the Executive Mayor, Eleanor Bouw-Spies stopped proceedings on several occasions to address the young people and explain matters on the agenda.  She was impressed that they had all shown an interest in town affairs.

The next activity was attending the Magistrates Court, where they witnessed
two bail applications in the court of magistrate Ms Potgieter.  They were particularly interested in one of the cases where a 14 year-old had apparently been raped by the suspect in court.

After lunch the group was taken to the Water Works in Concordia and the Sewerage Works next to the Industrial Area by Mr Mopp, who explained in
detail all the processes involved in supplying a good water supply to Knysna.  They were also shown the impressive computerised system that monitors all
the facilities that provide a good water supply to the town.

The next morning the group attended an interactive presentation at the New Wing of Knysna Hospital with Dr Laurel Giddy, and this was greatly enjoyed by all the participants.
The next activity was at the Fire Station where Mr Wayne Spies showed them many different aspects of fire fighting, all the specific chemicals and equipment that need to be used in various types of fires.

The last visit was to Knysna Gaol, which was extremely interesting.  Mr Peterson, head of Correctional Services in Knysna, introduced the group to staff members, such as teachers, social workers, nurses, the head cook and his assistants.  The learners saw the solitary confinement cells, the larger cells, the classrooms, the pharmacy, the exercise areas, the hospital and the kitchens including the evening meal being cooked.  They were also allowed to speak to an inmate, who spoke about the experiences that led him his arrest some years ago.  Mr Pieterson explained that all inmates were encouraged to study up to Grade 12 within the gaol, and could even study by correspondence on a tertiary level if funding was available from their families.

The young people, from 5 different high schools in Knysna, were excellent ambassadors for their schools and showed a keen interest in all the activities.  Knysna Rotary Club would also like to thank the key people who went out of their way to make their  part of the programme interesting for our learners.  It was a most worthwhile two days.

INTERACT TRAINING SEMINAR

Seventeen Rotary Interact Club members from six different high schools attended a Training Seminar on Saturday, 22 August, at the Convention Centre at the beautiful Belvedere Manor. Past President Lesley Satchel organised a very interesting and entertaining program for the day. 

The Interactors from Oakhill, Knysna High School, Knysna Secondary School, Percy Mdala High School, Montessori and even as far as from Hoërskool
Sentraal in Beaufort West enjoyed the fellowship and training by members of
the Rotary Club of Knysna and listened with interest to the Guest Speaker, Dr Laurel Giddy.

Four teachers from the high schools in Knysna and ten Rotarians enjoyed the day with the youth. 

WASHING MACHINE FROM ROTARY

President Ian Ballantine, (middle) President of the Rotary Club of Knysna, handed a cheque to Mrs Kapp (left), the person responsible for the laundry at Epilepsy South Africa, for their new industrial washing machine, while Derrick Ikin, Director of Community Services, looks on.  Happy washing!

Some of the work has been done through partnerships with organizations such as the Hospital, Prisons and Forestry.
Provision of Skills Training, such as in Tourism and Agriculture is currently starting to expand and it is hoped more learnerships can be established wherever a need is found to help groups of people enter the job market more successfully, or else to become self sufficient through developed entrepreneurial skills. It is hoped to build up a strong link with Cape College in George, if this can be financed.
All the examinations and certification offered by the CLC are fully accredited, with the General Education and Training Certificate awarded at Level 4 (Grade 9) and full preparation at evening classes is given for the National Grade 12 examinations.
Some years back Rotary helped with putting up display boards when the Learning Centre moved to The Queen’s Warehouse on the corner of Grey Street and Waterfront Drive. The operation is now bursting at the seams and new premises are needed, but there is a happy irony in the fact that this historic old Knysna Building, which was once a gaol, is now a Center which offers the freedom that only education can truly provide.

WHAT IS THE KNYSNA ROTARY INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP TOUR PROJECT?
          
The Knysna Rotary International Friendship Tours project was started by the late Ron Bird in 1986.  James and Louise Pannell took over the organising of these tours in 1989 and they have been involved with the project ever since. It is one of the Knysna club’s oldest ongoing projects.  The object of these tours is to promote friendship and goodwill amongst Rotarians world-wide and to create a better understanding of different countries, their peoples and their cultures.

Thirty two Friendship Tours of Southern Africa have been organised. These tours have resulted in nearly 800 Rotarians and partners from 18 different countries visiting our country and Swaziland.  Unlike Rotary’s Friendship Exchange project, participants on these tours pay for all their accommodation and touring, with the exception of their stay in Knysna, where they have always been home hosted by Rotary families.

TEMBELITSHA PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION EQUIPMENT HANDOVER

The Rotary Club of Knysna is committed to promoting the education and development of learners in Knysna, from the preschool stage to the tertiary level.  This has been the policy of this Rotary Club for many years.

A very ambitious project, worth R130 000, was initiated and run by Past President Lesley Satchel.  The Rotary Club of Knysna teamed up with Reading Abbey Rotary Club in England, who partly provided funds for improvements at Tembelitsha School.  The following improvements were made:

During the past 12 months, the club has also built a classroom and a library at Ruigtevlei Primary School, and contributed for the second time to equipping the computer room at Knysna High School.  The Knysna Rotary Club partnered with the Rotary Club of Knoxville, Tennesee to finance the painting of 44 classrooms, the administration block and the toilet block at Knysna Secondary School.

The Rotary Club of Knysna sponsors six Interact Clubs at the high schools in Knysna, so that the local youth have the oppertunities to grow and develop through community service.  Interact members and Sea Cadets are able to attend leadership courses.  The club also supports Development Sport, especiallly cycling, at the Knysna Sports School.  19 Young people from Knysna have this year received bursaries for tertiary education in centres outside Knysna. 

MICROWAVES FOR CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

President Ian Ballantine and a few Rotarians visited the local Correctional Services Institution where they handed over three new microwave ovens for the staff to use to warm their food.  The group were taken on a very interesting and enlightening trip through the prison by Mr Nkosi, the head of the prison, Mr Pieterson and Mr Arries.  The cleanliness and general apperance of the prison and the co-operation and discipline of the inmates was impressive.  All found the visit most interesting.


CHILDREN’S ART EXHIBITION

A very succesful art exhibition was held in the Old Gaol with many of the paintings and drawings being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Knysna.