Rotary D1090 GSE visit to South Africa D9320

Pick n Pay - Bethlehem

2009-11-19T16:52:00.002Z

My final vocational day took me along to the local Pick n Pay in Bethlehem to meet with the manager Werner Kleinhans. I was given a tour of the whole operation covering all the selling support areas, which gave me the chance to ask lots of questions and also gave me a chance to let the team know that all the usual retailers gripes are universal and we all have more or less the same challenges around the supply chain, availability, merchandising, operations and customer service facing us each and every day!

South African supermarket retail traditionally sees the majority of fresh food being prepared or manufactured on site, with a full complement of butchers, fishmongers, bakers, confectioners and chefs on site in each and every supermarket. Something that is not as common in the big brand supermarkets in the UK where we buy in the majority of our products ready for sale, with the exception of products such as part baked bread and rotisserie chickens for example!

Pick n Pay are one of the big food retailers in South Africa who are moving towards a more cost effective and streamlined operation that will see them adopting practices similar to those of UK supermarkets. This is a big change for them to adopt and they are working hard to ensure that they are doing this in a not only a cost effective way, but a way that will limit the impact on local labour, by minimising the impact on the reduction and centralisation of the specialist roles mentioned above.

Ready meals and convenience food are a small but rapidly increasing sector of the food market in SA. What currently only represents about 15 lines on the shelves of the Bethlehem PnP (over 500+ lines in an average Waitrose back home) is an area that SA consumers are being introduced to slowly but surely.

It has been fantastic to spend such quality time with so many retail colleagues during my stay here in South Africa. It truly is an experience that money can't buy! I am sat here typing away, feeling extremely privileged, as the memories of the last 4 weeks run through my mind!

I have learnt many things about retail, most importantly I have been reminded of how there are just 2 key achievements for a retailer - availability and customer service! If one achieves just these 2 (with a lot of hard work and intermediate steps in between I must add) then a retailer will be a happy and contented and profitable retailer.

I have learnt new ways of doing things, different ways of doing things, more effective ways of doing things and most of all I have been reminded why I love working in retail!

My thanks go out to all the Rotarians in the UK for making this trip possible, all the Rotarians in SA for making my vocational days possible, and all the retailers who have given up their precious time at this busy time of the year to ensure that I got the most from my experiences.

Natasha

Bethlehem - Take 2

2009-11-19T15:24:00.005Z

Wednesday 18th November

Wednesday morning saw us all completing our final vocational day for the trip!!

We will keep you all updated as usual on our individual experiences very soon!

We then all met for lunch at a local retirement facility, Sonskyn Service centre (Sunshine in English) where residents are offered sheltered housing in return for R 70 a month (State pension being R 90 a month!) For this there is one hot meal available at Lunch Monday to Friday, with the addition of a pudding on Wednesdays. Residents then prepare the rest of there meals themselves in self contained bedrooms (about 6 to a cottage) then sharing a communal toilet and shower room. The Bethlehem Rotary club support the home with not just funding for equipment and facilities but just as importantly companionship and friendship as many of the residents are either without family or many miles away from their loved ones.

It was a fantastic opportunity for us to meet with many of the residents and join them for lunch and pudding (it was a Wednesday after all!) giving us the chance to be tested on our Afrikaans and make more friends! It was interesting to hear the stories of the residents and the events that have led them to living in the facility. We were truly welcomed as ever!

Wednesday afternoon was spent in the home of Tess & Hannes who were kind enough to light a fire (the weather has been more reminiscent of home than SA!) and keep us fed and watered long enough to start work on out presentation for the conference this Saturday.

The time then came to head off to our final Rotary club meeting and presentation, and in true SA style we where greeted with a spit braai (an in-door braai - as the rain didn't let off for nearly 6 hours!) The Rotary club of Bethlehem had taken the opportunity of the get together to invite along prospective members to give them an insight into not only the work of Rotary International but also all the local projects that they support fantastically well with their 15 members. It was a lovely evening and our thanks go to all the members of Bethlehem Club for an wonderful evening.

The weather was a slight improvement on Thursday morning, as the team were taken to a local project 'Eden'. The project, run and founded by Pastor Dicky Maritz and his wife Jakkie, provides sheltered housing for abandoned and abused children and abused women. The project also provides community based education, prevention and restoration on an international basis concerning alcohol, drugs and behavioral abuse. The project started in Bethlehem in 1996 and now houses and caters for 89 individuals ranging from new born to adult. Rotary have been involved in this inspirational project for many years now through monetary and clothing donations. The project runs entirely without a budget, but from 1996 the local community has managed to contribute towards the running and up keep of the shelter and work hard to ensure its continued existence.

The morning continued with a team visit to Clarens. A village that for many decades has attracted many artists and craftsmen with its beautiful and inspirational scenery as the backdrop. (Think old English village crossed with the mountains of Switzerland). It was fantastic to spend time there viewing the various shops and art galleries.

After a sumptuous lunch of spaghetti bolognase courtesy of Bruce and Winnie, we all clubbed together some money to gather some provisions for the Golden Gate Hospice and hit the local Pick n Pay for a supermarket sweep style trolley fill - with requests for apples and toilet paper we shopped wisely and managed to add maize flour, fruit drinks, eggs and jam to the trolley. After our mental maths let us down! we also managed to add a huge watermelon to the list to ensure we spent every penny! We were then able to deliver the shopping to the children at the day care centre, their newly opened building officially opened 2 weeks ago. It was a fantastic and brightly coloured building funded by the local Round Tablers with a huge contribution from a Round Table club in Holland. The Dutch Tablers have a keen eye for fundraising - on a recent visit they saw the potential in the beautiful bead work created by the ladies of the hospice craft co operative and ordered beaded spectacle holders, which were shipped back to Holland to be sold in aid of the hospice. From those simple spectacle holders they funded the new new day care centre! What a fantastic achievement.

The Hospice takes care of people living with life limiting diseases and their families, irrespective of financial position. A valuable community project that aims to enhance the quality of life, provide dignity in death and support in bereavement.

With financing from the local community and PEPFAR, the hospice is able to provide palliative and residential care for patients suffering a range of life shortening illnesses. Historically, the patients cared for by the hospice were cancer suffers, but the HIV/AIDS pandemic has seen this shift to the majority of patients suffering from HIV/AIDS. The hospice also has a huge community outreach programme for all ages supporting them in all manner of ways including education, micro finance, health and nutritional support, craft cooperatives, bereavement counselling - the list goes on!

The next few hours will be spent packing for the penultimate time as we leave bright and early at 6am tomorrow morning for Durban! The wind is blowing here yet again.....the locals insist that the bad weather is very unusual for Bethlehem! However, we have just had reports that passengers out on the boat today have been hauled up inside with sea sickness, as the boat has spent the last 2 days battling high winds and ridiculously big waves! Apparently the high winds are due to a cyclone heading to SA from Madagascar! The boat is suddenly seeming a little less appealing!

Well here goes! We are going to be stocking up on sea sickness tablets in the morning!

See you all on the other side!

Bon Voyage!

Steff & Natasha

Team Leader Monday 16 November - Tuesday 17th November

2009-11-18T08:44:00.004Z

Upon arrival in Bethlehem we were met, as we have become accustomed to, by friendly and welcoming Rotarians and after leaving luggage at Tess and Hannes Heymans' house were taken to Lions Rock sanctuary. This was established to provide a better environment for Lions held in dreadful conditions in Romanian Zoos. Whilst their keepers tried their best to look after the animals, financial difficulties impacted on their care. Although the animals at Lions Rock do not have the area to roam in, that you would see in some of the Game Reserves, the care and attention that they enjoy is impressive and a significant improvement on their previous surroundings. After the odd drink with our Rotarian party (well it would be rude to say no!!) we left to meet our new individual Rotarian hosts and each enjoyed dinner and more hospitality at their homes.

Tuesday 17th November

This was a cultural day with our first visit being the Basothu Cultural Village situated about 25km from the world renowned Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The village depicts the architectural and life style of Basutho from as early as the 16th Century to the present day.
The guided tour started with the announcement of our arrival to the Chief as it was traditional that any visitors to the villages could not enter without the Chief's awareness and agreement. We were then offered to take traditional beer with the Chief as a sign of his friendship but in Basotho culture, it was always men first and ladies second. Whilst an interesting experience, I am not sure that it will be an export product for South Africa! However it was possibly the only occasion that I have seen Mike refuse a beer on the trip.
Our guide then took us to the various houses and were introduced to the Chief's three wives who in traditional Basotho culture offered us various foods as a sign of their hospitality. It was interesting to see how the change in lifestyle/culture altered as a result of the influence of the missionaries and European settlers.
Upon leaving the village we had a scenic drive(is anywhere not scenic here) and temporarily stopped at Little Switzerland which is an upmarket Hotel/Restaurant with fabulous views and numerous sporting activities. Sarah, ever being the adventurous sportsperson, could not resist the trampoline and wood obstacle course whilst the rest of us enjoyed the peace and splendour.
We then proceeded to the Drakensburg Pumped Storage Scheme in the picturesque mountains of the Northern Drakensberg of KwaZula-Natal. The scheme is a joint venture between Eskom(South Africa's electricity utility) and the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs. This Hydro electric power station is situated 156 metres below ground level and is capable of generating 1,000MW of electricity for the National Grid at peak times. Other than the dam wall, lift shaft buildings and transmission lines, all installations are underground. The station uses water from the reservoirs to power the huge turbines and then in off peak periods, the water is then pumped back up to start the procedure all over again. Our visit underground to see the technology at work was most impressive, although it was just as well that we had not enjoyed the usual South African hospitality beforehand, as we were subjected to a breath test!! Fortunately we all passed which amazed most of us.
Whilst we spent some time in the afternoon catching up with the blog and Conference Presentation (Geoff spent most of the time logged onto his office!) we had a "little hospitality" by being taken to the Bethlehem Club which was built in 1915 and previously known as the British Club during their tenure. We were very honoured as the Club rules stipulate "no ladies" but the Club President waived this rule, thus meaning that Sarah and Natasha did not have to enjoy a coke and crisps in the car waiting for us outside. I believe that word of their impact had clearly reached Bethlehem beforehand.
Our thanks to David and Brian for all their efforts in escorting us during the day and to the Rotarian's and others that we met in the Club for their hospitality.
Mike and I were rather late in returning to our hosts Bruce and Win, who were nevertheless their usual charming self and at the time of writing this on Wednesday morning, are still providing us with breakfast. The team are out on their own vocational visits and interesting comments will follow. This evening we will be presenting to the Rotary Club and a braai is proposed although at the time of writing this, it's RAINING!!! I believe that they are getting us used to the weather upon our return to the UK next week.

Woolworths-Bloem

2009-11-17T15:00:00.002Z

I was kindly hosted for the day by the manager of the Cafe at Woolworths in the Waterfront Mall, the largest of 3 Wooloworths in Bloemfontein. The store has a large fashion offer, a reduced home offer and a full size food market (think M&S). Since opening the store has struggled to meet projected targets, so the manager spends much of his time struggling to merchandise a space that is fours times the size of it sales quota. Changes in leases i the new year will see the amalgamation of the 2 larger home and food stores into one larger full offer Woolworths.

Frikkie Jones has been working for Tribecca, who have the contract for all Woolworths Cafe's, for 3 years and it was a pleasure to spend the day with someone who was so passionate about customer service and customer experience, and to meet his team who worked really hard to support each other and to ensure that their customers received the Woolworths service!

It was interesting to compare the third party catering agreement, and the resulting service available to customers with our in house offer at Waitrose back in the UK.

I spent the afternoon with a friend of Frikkie's, the manager of Coco C, Limpy, and yet again it was fantastic to talk about how the hospitality industry and retail (Limpy is ex Woolworths) compare in SA and the UK.

Coco C is a the first of 3 beautiful 5 star restaurants, with amazing decor, amazing design, an amazing view over the waterfront and a menu to match. It was so kind of the both of them to take time out of their day to meet with me! It also gave me the opportunity to sing the praises of the GSE exchange programme with 2 potential new team members for a future District 9320 trip!

The following day it was arranged for me to visit the third but most profitable Woolworths in Bloem. It consisted of just a food offer, but on entering the store it was apparent that not only was it very well managed, but also well shopped by customers. Although I was only able to spend 45 minutes with the manager due to restrictions from their Central office, it was yet another chance to get an insight into the mind of a passionate retailer here in SA.

ER24: Paramedic Rapid Response Car - Michael Bradfield

2009-11-17T14:40:00.002Z

At 7am I was dropped off at Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic and after a quick (accidental) walk through ICU found my way to the ER24 offices, where I met Paramedic Rohan Steyn. He gave me a quick tour of the hospital, which included visiting a couple of patients that he had previously treated and brought in. In London, due to the size of the area we cover (in population density, if not geography) and number of hospitals we go to, it is rare that we get to follow up on patients we meet and it was interesting to see how the care had progressed from the Emergency Department. We then met some of the ER24 ambulance crews and had the obligatory cup of coffee in the crew room, and I will repeat my remark here that I made about the metro service in Queenstown, I felt very much at home. Having previously been out with a state-funded service that had less equipment and less trained staff, it was a marked contrast here where Paramedics having a greater number of skills and use of drugs than we do in the UK (boring technical details available by request). Rohan took me for a drive around town and we went in search of something unhealthy to eat for breakfast. It was a relatively quiet morning which gave us time to compare and contrast the differences between the way in which the NHS works and how EMS functions in South Africa. ER24 is a private service, but will still respond to any calls and treat and convey patients irrespective of their ability to pay. Those with insurance will opt to be taken to one of the private hospitals, those without will be taken to the state hospital and the costs are written off. ER24 work closely with the state services here, in particular providing Paramedic support to their crews when required. During the course of the day we attended a range of medical and trauma calls and I got to meet crews from other services, the police, doctors and nurses, many of whom had some connection to the UK and were keen to chat.

I was told that to really see how EMS works in South Africa, I needed to be out on a weekend night. After some negotiation with the powers-that-be and courtesy of my kind hosts Wolf and Muriel (who gave me a spare key and an assurance they would not wait up) I was able to return to work with Rohan on Friday night, after we had given our team presentation. Just after 11pm we headed back out and I got to see Bloem at night. Word of my presence had spread and when we met the police flying squad at a petrol station they kindly offered to keep us informed of any calls they were attending. Rather than coming through a 999-type system, calls are picked up from a range of sources, including other ambulance services, the police, breakdown tow-trucks for car accidents (often on scene before anyone else) as well as direct calls. After much coffee and chasing calls around town I got home at 4.30am and had really enjoyed all the exposure I had to calls in the town and the level of enthusiasm I encountered.

Thanks to everyone who let me get involved and get in the way and I still blame the different type of cannulae used here rather than my clumsiness for getting blood on the passenger seat of a car during an extrication, but at least I got it in...national pride and all that. It was great to work with ER 24 in Bloemfontein and I am looking forward to going out with them again in Bethlehem.

Bloeming Lovely!! - S, S M & N

2009-11-17T13:30:00.006Z

Pres. Brand Street

View from Naval Hill

Wednesday 11th November

We left Lesotho and our hosts to run the gauntlet of crossing the border back into South Africa. there were no problematic encounters and everyone arrived back in SA in one piece. We were then met by Ezanne Leach and Allan Dickens at the half way point and transported in to Bloem where we were taken straight to Oliewenhuis, a beautiful estate built in 1941 by the British. It now houses an art museum and there are sculptures galore scattered around the grounds. Tash and Sarah fell in love with some of the art and it was our first purchase of the trip! The curator of the art gallery was the father of the artist and we are now proud owners of signed prints!

After a fantastic lunch at Oliewenhuis, we were taken to Naval Hill from which we had a panoramic view of the city. From there, we went into the centre of Bloem where we were met by Mr Du Preez who gave us a 2 hour input and guided tour of the 2 most historic streets in Bloem, President Brand St and St George's St - the latter was the first street in Bloem and one which is built next to the fountain which gives Bloemfontein (Flower Fountain) its name.

Day 1 in Bloem ended with dinner at our hosts' houses.

Thursday 12th November - Vocational Day - see updates from team members.

Thursday was a special day for Mike as it was his 30th birthday. Ezanne & Herman did a fantabulous job of staging a surprise birthday dinner for Mike, starting with champagne, a 3 course meal and ending with Herman's dreaded Springboks!! A night not to be forgotten!

Friday 13th November - Vocational Day - see updates from team members.

After Sarah's visit to the One Stop Centre/ Child Justice Centre, she was lucky enough to be taken by Alan to Lebone Land, an orphanage for children affected and/or infected by HIV/ AIDS, run by Avril and Willem, on behalf of AIDS Mission Outreach Trust. Over the last 12 years, this amazing couple have devoted their lives to providing a loving, caring environment to children left behind after the death of their parents. What started as one house catering for 15 children has grown into almost a village with its own bakery, vegetable plots, school and workshop. It was an incredible experience, one that was enhanced by the modesty of both Avril and Willem.

If anyone is interested in finding out more, please go to www.lebonehouse.com.

Friday evening saw another of our entertaining and legendary presentations to the newly merged clubs of Bloem and Raadzaal. Herman provided the food yet again with one of his spit braais - a whole sheep suspended above the coals. An enjoyable evening was had by all!

Saturday 14th November started at 0830 at the local Boeremark (Farmers Market) at Langenhovenpark, where we spent a couple of hours wandering around the stalls, testing the local produce and seeing some of the local crafts. Mike managed to get a lie-in after a 0430 finish with the ambulance service and met us at Bains Game Lodge where we spent the next 24 hours relaxing - our first time off in 3 weeks!

Our hosts met us on Sunday afternoon and we spent the rest of the evening with our hosts, saying goodbye and packing for on onward journey to Bethlehem on Monday.

Our wholehearted thanks go out to the Rotarians in Bloem for their superb hospitality and we will look forward to seeing David and Judy on the boat!

Monday 16th November - we left Bloem and travelled 2 hours to the town of Ficksburg where we were handed over to our final hosts, the Bethlehem Rotarians. Instead of rushing off to Bethlehem, we were pleasantly surprised to have a spur of the moment lunch with the Ficksburg Rotarians, during which we gave them an abbreviated version of our presentation and answered their questions. It will be a real pleasure to see some of them again on the boat next weekend.

Our adventure continues in Bethlehem...updates to follow!

Policing in Bloemfontein - Sarah Poolman

2009-11-15T20:09:00.004Z

Despite Ezanne's concerted efforts over the last few months to organise 2 days at the main police station in Bloem for me, my vocational visit didn't exactly go to plan with the police in Bloem cancelling 15 minutes before i was due to arrive on Thursday morning! They had obviously heard about me before my arrival!

Undeterred by this setback, Ezanne and Alan used other sources to sneak me into a more suburban police station and i ended up taking up a few hours of Superintendent Bennie Van Den Heever's (Station Commander - a very busy man) day at Bayswater Police Station. This actually turned out to be very useful and provided me with an insight into SAPS at a more strategic level. Bennie commanded his own police station of about 100 officers and staff in a very nice part of Bloem, but one that is a target for burglars and autocrime offenders. He is accountable directly to the Provincial Commissioner and is one of 109 Station Commanders throughout the Free State. We discussed the hierarchy and the freedom with which he was allowed to manage his police station. The systems in place for managing crime and priorities mirror those in UK, with a daily management meeting at a local level, before catching up with the other police stations in the vicinity to share intelligence etc. We also discussed openly other more controversial subject matters such as access to firearms, the alleged shoot to kill policy and affirmative action in the police service.

Coming from only one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, it was quite incredible to gain an insight and some understanding of how the South African Police Service, a national police service covering a hugely diverse area both geographically and culturally, functions and delivers at local, regional and national levels. As this may be the future of the police service in the UK, it was interesting to witness this first hand. My thanks go out to Bennie and Alan for arranging this for me.

On Friday, I was taken to meet Insp Annel Pretorius who works at the One Stop Centre for Children in Conflict with the Law. This centre brings together under one roof all of the different agencies involved with children who come in to contact with the judicial system - police, social workers, probation, attorneys, magistrates. The purpose of this centre is to protect children's rights and to reduce reoffending amongst juveniles by exploring diversionary activities, rather than convicting them and leaving them with a criminal record. All arrested juveniles are taken immediately to this centre, where they are then initially screened by social workers to establish the root cause of their offending, their personal circumstances and any mitigating factors that the magistrate may want to take into account when deciding whether the individual is suitable for diversionary activities(only where they have taken responsibility for their acts) , or whether the case needs to be referred to a criminal court or a children's court (similar to a family court) if it is a question of welfare/neglect or issues over appropriate guardianship.

Last year, this centre was recognised by the United Nations for its work in safeguarding children's rights, something that the centre is quite rightly very proud of. I met the resident attorney, clerk, prosecution, probation officer and the magistrate himself, a Louw Schoeman. He gave me the lowdown on the judicial system in South Africa and how he had played a part in the creation of this One Stop Centre in 1996. There are only two such centres in the whole of South Africa (the other is in Port Elizabeth) and the government here has decided to roll out this pilot all over the country as of April 2010 as part of the Children's Justice Bill. Louw has promised to send me more information on the work at the centre - which i will be glad to receive if i can ever get my email to work!!

Everyone I spoke to at the One Stop Centre was so positive about the work they were doing there and Marga, the attorney, stated that she would never leave to work elsewhere. It was clear that they were all dedicated to working together and improving the situation that many of the very poor children find themselves in. It really was partnership working at its very best ... refreshing and enlightening!

So, despite the initial problems with my vocational days, thanks to the work of Alan i was able to make the best of my time in Bloem and actually learnt a great deal in the areas of command, strategy and partnership working, some of which i will take back to the UK.

Team Leader Geoff Poland

2009-11-15T13:40:00.005Z

May I firstly start by thanking the Rotary Club of Maseru for hosting us and for the very warm welcome that we received from Bloemfontein Rotary Club which for those of you that have either been reading the blog or have had the opportunity of experiencing South African hospitality, will recognize is truly exceptional.

Upon arrival in "Bloom" we were given a tour by President Alan Dickens and Ezanne Leach and a wonderful opportunity to view the whole of the City from Naval Hill. There can be few Cities in the World where you can see a 360 degree vista of the town. The initial impressions were certainly backed up by the hospitality and effort that has gone into our visit. This is even more remarkable given the considerable changes to our programme that the Club and Ezanne had made at my request at short notice. Thank you all, this was much appreciated by the team.

I spent Thursday with Richard Marston, a stockbroker and club member and we spent an interesting day contrasting the differences and in many cases the similarities between the UK and South Africa. Whilst this may be awfully boring to non financials it showed the opportunities facing South African Corporates, many of which have listings on both the Johannesburg and other Stock Exchange. Richard even gave me some"buy recommendations" and these are available(for a small fee of course!!)

We carried on our discussion over lunch at a restaurant at a new shopping development called Waterside and whilst the overall idea reminded me of the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading, it was rather warmer sitting outside than at home!

I later discovered that Natasha was doing her vocational visit in one of the stores within the development and was also being regally entertained to lunch in an even better venue than mine.

On driving me back to my hosts Richard gave me a tour of some of the residential areas and in common with other areas that we have seen, there are some truly wonderful houses with pools tennis court etc. On enquiring with Richard of the prices, he thought that the largest house we saw would sell for about 2-3 million Rand. Seems a lot but if you use say 10Rand to the Pound that would buy a semi detached in Reading! Thanks Richard for your courtesy and a most interesting day.

Friday was spent with Jannie de Wit who is a financial adviser with Absa(part of the Barclays Group) and Jimmie Fouie who is a banker. I sat in on a meeting that Jannie had arranged with a client of his that ran a Wimpey Franchise, the meeting mainly to discuss the clients will arrangements and Dread Disease cover. Yes I know the latter sounds awful and no, it was not given that name because of my attendance. I pointed out to both that in the UK we call it Critical Illness cover, which whilst still sounding slightly off-putting is I think less intimidating.

We went back to the Bank to pick up Jimmie and then travelled to Tromsburg to visit a farmer that Absa had lent 5million Rand to purchase another farm. He now has 20,000 hectares, some 7000 sheep and the income from the wool alone produces income of 1.6million Rand per annum. Whilst there they were shearing the sheep for which the shearers are paid 5Rand per animal. They suggested I have a go but declined as I don't think Rotary's Insurance would cover my incompetence at harming the animal as opposed to actually shearing. However as I was later to discover most of the discussion was in Afrikaans, so I couldn't interfere with the rates being charged(perhaps just as well).

Lunch was taken in a small town prior to our next meeting and consisted of a coke and a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. See how bankers have had to cut back post the credit crunch!! We then travelled to see two brothers who had also received the Banks agreement for a facility of 4.5million Rand to bid at auction for another farm. Whilst the meeting was also conducted in Afrikaans the brothers were quite keen to sell me their farm for sterling! It didn't take me too long to decline their kind offer.

It was a long but very enjoyable and interesting day and my thanks to both Jannie and Jimmie for allowing me to join them.

Saturday started with a tour of the local farmers market which was well supported and gave me an opportunity of helping the local economy, although what it will do to my luggage allowance is another matter. Perhaps I could save 5 kilos by leaving my camcorder although that will deny me the opportunity of leaving it to a museum .

The afternoon was spent on another vocational "visit" to Bloom Golf Course with Herman Leach and two friends. Great afternoon but the only thing that can be said of my play was a 40 foot putt for a birdie.Unfortunately it is not recorded on video. However it was a surreal experience to almost have to have a caddie whilst playing and thus someone to give you every club and clean your ball! However some things are the same the world over and the usual amount of time was spent at the 19th. My thanks to Herm for organizing this vocational course.

Although the team have a free day tomorrow before leaving for Bethlehem, considerable thanks go to The Rotary Club of Bloomfontein and our individual hosts for a truly memorable stay.

Vocational Visit – Grey College, Bloemfontein. The Team.

2009-11-15T13:28:00.000Z

On Friday Morning the team had the privilege of been shown round the impressive facilities of the historical Grey College. The headmaster, Mr Volsteed, took us on a personal tour through the extensive grounds and teaching facilities which gave us a brief insight into the history of the college and the part it plays in educating South African youth yet instilling in them the importance of previous scholars and their contributions. Educational systems in South Africa and the UK were discussed with Mr Volsteed as the tour continued and the museum provided us with an indication of how proud the college is of it’s past whilst also looking towards the future.

Grey College is the oldest school north of the Gariep River and third oldest in South Africa. The school was officially opened in January 1859 after the then Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir George Grey, visited the new Republic of the Orange Free State and donated a sum of money towards the establishment of an institution for higher education.
Grey College has produced more than 90 National players in Rugby, Athletics, Swimming, Squash, Rowing, Soccer, Cricket, Hockey, Diving, Cycling and Fencing. This alone shows the elite nature of Grey College and their commitment towards producing well rounded individuals who are not only academically well equipment but ones who can adjust themselves under all circumstances at all times. For further information please visit www.gc.co.za

Vocational Visit – Free State Sports Science Institute, Bloemfontein. Steffan Thomas

2009-11-15T13:24:00.005Z

Sports Rehabilitation @ FSSSI

Free State Sports Science Institute Weights Room

The Free State Sports Science Institute (FSSSI) has been operational for over four years now and services the needs of provincial sports athletes. The FSSSI is government funded, whilst also working in close conjunction with sports federations to contribute towards the running costs. This intuitive facility provides a free service to these athletes to test, train, condition, and in many cases rehabilitate them to help them achieve their sporting goals and aspirations.

The FSSSI is managed by Jan du Toit whilst the day to day running of the facility is overseen by 5 sports scientists, a biokineticist’s and an additional 3 personal trainers that specialize in specific sports to guide athletes through their conditioning. The FSSSI can be classed as a multi sport facility as during my two days there I observed, interacted and tested athletes from a wide range of sports varying from tennis, table tennis and sprinters to footballers (soccer as they call it), volleyball players and some extremely well built 17 year old rugby players!
The facility was a pleasant surprise, as it was such a well equipped facility that was free to athletes, is funded through the government and sports federation collaboration with staff that are elite in their field and are committed to the athlete’s future.

The head Sports Scientist Sondja, gave up her valuable time over the two days to plan me out a program to enable me to expose my self to a range of different training techniques, injury rehabilitation, advanced testing procedures and team meetings which involved discussing possible chances for improvement in the facility through the introduction of new training/rehabilitation procedures.

During my time at FSSSI I was made to feel part of the team and was integrated into the daily routines of the sports scientists and trainers whilst Hannelia, FSSSI’s biokineticist, also went out of her way to involve me in a hamstring and rotator cuff injury analysis and specific rehabilitation training program. Hannelia also involved me in the gait analysis of several athletes which was undertaken in the institutes ‘blue’ room. Literally a dark blue room which had advanced equipment to analyse body movements (biomechanics) and athletes gait (their walking pattern) through the use of pin pointing areas on the athletes body and then asking them to mimic performances whilst cameras and a specifically designed computer program analysed the movements. Two procedures that I was both intrigued and challenged to be a part of.

As the days moved on, they even had confidence in me to ask for my opinions during team meetings. One meeting in particular discussed the introduction of new training/rehabilitation procedures such as training athletes with Ozone Therapy. A therapy procedure which was quoted as being “Supercharged Oxygen” and was administered through limb bagging or booting, ozone gas sauna’s or autohemotherapy (intravenous injections). A therapy which claims to increase the amount of oxygen the athlete’s body receives, but in my opinion was just an advanced form of blood doping. A view that was also shared with the Sports Scientists throughout the team discussion. It was comforting to know we shared the same views.

The two days I spent at the FSSSI, gave me chance to experience the passion South Africa has towards committing top quality testing, training, rehabilitation and conditioning to up coming athletes. The staff showed professionalism towards developing and conditioning new young talent that others can learn from and is something that I will take back with me to England.
For further information please see:
www.srsa.gov.za/PageMaster.asp?ID=93

Our time in Lesotho

2009-11-11T19:46:00.004Z

Rondavels

Mohale Dam

The Lesotho Hat

Apologies if this is a little out of date, but we have been without internet access in Lesotho for 5 days...so here goes for a long update! Hope you're ready!

Friday 6th November
Having left our comfort blankets in Queenstown, we travelled across the border in to Lesotho, to their capital Maseru where new challenges and an initial culture shock awaited us! This began with a confrontation at the border between Sarah and a South African Police Officer who decided that she wanted to fight him! Fortunately, the gun strapped across his chest was enough to persuade her not to pursue this! Although the team were very supportive, 50 metres behind her.... waiting for Geoff to persuade the officials to let him through.

We were warmly greeted at Mimmos/ Maseru Club by our hosts, the Rotary Club of Maseru, a fantastically diverse group of people from a range of different backgrounds - a contrast to previous clubs we had visited in South Africa. We were happy to get an early night after the long day travelling.

Saturday 7th November
Another early start in preparation for our first glance at what it actually meant to be in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, with a trip in to the mountains to Mohale Dam. The journey alone was interesting with Tash, Sarah and Steff wedged in the back of the car, whilst Rotarian Jack navigated the significant number of hairpin bends as we ascended the mountain. Steff managed to burn off some of the calories (meat) he has consumed over the last 2 weeks with this strenuous core stability muscle exercise!!

The views were stunning and we had a glimpse of rural life in Lesotho with the rondavels and self sufficient farming community. Mohale Dam was quite a sight and had had a significant impact on the local community with villages being resettled and graves relocated in order to make way for this project which is fundamental for the economic stability of Lesotho - they sell water to South Africa! On the way back to Maseru, Jack kept us entertained with a DVD of the best of Lesotho music and dance - further enquiries to be made in person to any member of the GSE team.

In the evening, Rotarian Jack hosted a splendid braai at his house with everyone contributing a dish - we certainly didn't go hungry!

Sunday 8th November
President Puleng and Rotarian Robert kindly took us out to one of the projects that Rotary are involved in. It was a school in the rural area outside of Maseru where there is no sanitation and as a result of Rotary support, the building of toilet and changing facilities for the 500 children that go there is now well under way. We were all a little surprised by the state of the classrooms and the general maintenance of the school, but the consolation is that children do have access to education.

We then headed over to the saving grace of the nation of Lesotho, Thaba Basiu (Mountain of the Night). There are a number of stories as to why and how this flat-topped hill got its name, but one revolves around the battle between the Basutos and the British who were unable to conquer this hill and hence, the King Moshoeshoe was able to maintain control of his kingdom. Beneath Thaba Basiu, there is a reconstructed Basuto village which is soon to be opened to tourists - one of the staff members at this village was able to give us a very interesting insight into traditional village life.

The day finished with a visit to Morija Museum and King Letsie III's private residence.

Monday 9th November
Rotarians Wanda and Kal took us to another project, called 'God's Love' orphanage, in which Rotary is heavily involved. We met Neo, the lady that runs the orphanage, which consists of 6 rooms including the kitchen, an unusable bathroom, and bedrooms and caters for 30 children aged between 0 months and 15 years old. All of us were touched by the children we met there. Tash managed to get many smiles on their faces with her camera work. Mike and Steff immediately took a shine to a gorgeous little girl called Palassa, approx 3 years old with crazy hair and a beautiful smile, whilst Sarah bumped into a little 14 month old boy crawling across the floor who at one week old was left for dead in a pig sty. Geoff met a very bright young guy who had just done very well in his school exams and was captain of the school football team. Thankfully, as a result of the work at this orphanage, all of these kids are now able to enjoy life and have some kind of future to look forward to.

The morning ended with a visit to a weaving workshop before we returned to Maseru for lunch. In the afternoon, Rotarian Kelebone organised for us to take a tour around Lesotho Flour Mill, where Mike almost had an opportunity to use his first aid skills as a worker had chopped off 2 of his fingers! To end the day, we joined Kelebone at the Lotti Brick Factory where he is MD.

Tuesday 10th November
Vocational Day - each team member to provide an update.

In the evening, it was time to give our presentation again to members from both of the clubs in Maseru, Rotary Clubs of Maseru and Maluti. It went down well again and was followed by some intriguing questions!!

Out & About with the Lesotho Mounted Police Service - Sarah Poolman

2009-11-11T18:53:00.003Z

I was not expecting to be able to get out with the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, so when Kellebone told me that I would be spending the day with them in Maseru, i was both intrigued and excited.

I started the day at the Police Headquarters in the centre of Maseru, where I met Insp Thosa, a female officer specialising in child abuse and domestic violence, and a trooper who worked on the Diamonds and Drugs Squad. I was interested in knowing about crime generally in Lesotho and the priorities for the LMPS, so we spent some time talking about the key issues that they are facing. They provided some recent crime statistics for me, some of which prove to be very interesting reading. Between July and September 2009, there have been 55 armed robberies, 28 murders, 435 burglaries in Maseru Urban area alone - the city is made up of 300,000 population. This gives an indication of the challenge that this small country is facing in terms of crime and, as i was about to find out, the challenge is even greater considering the resources and technology that the LMPS has available to it.

In addition to the above challenges, there are also significant problems around child abuse, neglect and abandonment, human trafficking and theft of livestock which then often leads to vigilantism and contributes to the number of murders.

Before leaving HQ, i was able to talk to detectives in 'Alien Control' (Immigration) and Fraud. The detectives in the fraud dept were tearing their hair out over ATM fraud, which was a big issue in the UK a number of years ago and i was able to advise them on how we had worked with the banks on reducing this type of crime and how our forensic teams had assisted us with detecting some of these crimes. This was before I was advised that their forensic dept consisted of one small office down the corridor!

Having shared some of the our common experiences, i went to Maseru Central Police Station, a dilapidated building, constructed by the British and still with the trademark blue light outside the front door. There i witnessed the provision for victims of child abuse and domestic violence and was thankful for the huge progress made in the UK in this area over the last decade. There was no furniture, no equipment and i was left wondering how conducive this environment was to the type of incidents and abuse they were dealing with on a daily basis.

I then left the city to experience policing out in the rural areas and headed out to the HQ for the Maseru Rural district. There i met the Senior Superintendent Seturumane and we discussed his priorities and his strategies for tackling them. He referred to the LMPS Strategic Plan 2009-12. Having been involved in the Strategic Plan for Thames Valley Police 2008-11, i was keen to have a look at theirs. Amongst the normal themes of reduction of crime, detection of offences and apprehension of offenders, a key priority for the LMPS was to reduce the prevalence of HIV. I naively asked how the police could assist in reducing HIV throughout Lesotho, only to be told that it was within the LMPS that this issue had to be tackled. They now have education and counselling sessions for police officers in an effort to raise awareness of this disease, break down some of the myths and curtail its spread. The fact that this is a key priority for the LMPS demonstrates the extent of the problem around HIV and AIDS in this part of the world.

The Senior Superintendent was honest with me about the problems facing Lesotho, so much so that i thought the list would never end. He was very proud to tell me about a pilot that had been set up called Community Policing, consisting of community consultation, providing greater accessibility and visibility which is similar to neighbourhood policing in the UK. However, due to lack of resources and infrastructure, they have not been able to implement this across the country and when i asked how long it would take to implement, thinking maybe 2-3 years, i was told, maybe 10-15 years, reminding me that i was in Africa! We often laugh about 'Africa Time', but when it comes to core services to the community, it no longer seems so amusing.

Finally, i was able to visit one of the orphanages with Insp Nepo where abandoned children or orphans are taken. The Lesotho Child Counselling Trust with sponsorship from a number of companies was a good example of what can be achieved to assist these children, but it could only house 18 children and it was full. Insp Nepo told me that the majority of the orphanages are now full and that by December, there would be a severe shortage of places for these children. We discussed the provisions in the UK and the use of foster parents, but unfortunately, there just isn't the money to support such a system here in Lesotho.

Despite all of the problems, the police officers seemed to be committed to what they were doing and always had smiles on their faces, indicative of the resilience of this small country. It was yet again an eye opener, and my thanks go out to those people who made it possible and who were so honest with me. I wish the LMPS all the luck in achieving its strategic plan!

Vocational Visit – Kick 4 Life, Lesotho.Steffan Thomas

2009-11-11T17:53:00.002Z

What a small world! I travel half way across the planet, and get introduced to a very passionate man who is one of the founders of Kick 4 Life Project in Lesotho….and find that our paths have crossed on a previous occasion at Southampton Football Club 10 years ago. Not only that, but I also find out that his wife, who was also working on the project, comes from the same home town as me! They must breed passionate people on the south coast, as that’s exactly the feeling I got from Peter Fleming about the Kick 4 life Project!

The project was founded in 2005 by brothers Peter and Steve Fleming and they have since focused their efforts in Lesotho in southern Africa. The K4L project delivers a range of program’s focused on tackling HIV by providing sports-based health education, voluntary testing, life-skills development and support into education and employment. With Lesotho having the third highest HIV prevalence in the world and where hundreds of thousands of children have been orphaned by the disease, K4L is stepping up to the plate and linking sport, interaction and education.

After spending the time with Peter, it became apparent to me that this was a project that could literately change lives through education and awareness. High profile names such as Fabio Capello, David Beckham and Prince Harry have all stepped forward to show their support and involved themselves in more than just observing, with all of them taking an active role to promote the project. Peter and his colleagues took me through the specially designed curriculum that encompassed key messages that would education people about the stigma of HIV, the risks associated with HIV and abstinence whilst also building in other valuable life messages such as social skills, handling peer pressure, decision making & consequences and basic social values. It is a curriculum that really opened my eyes as to how sport and interaction can be used to deliver a simple message, but with maximum impact.

To put the project into perspective, take a look over the follow facts:
Through the project, more than 6,000 have been tested for HIV so far and more than 250 have been referred to live saving treatment. 98.5% of those found to be HIV+ at K4L are now on ARV treatment or receiving relevant health care. The K4L project has a gender involvement ratio of 51% men to 49% women.
Facts that I found inspiring in the fight against HIV and AIDS and facts that made me realise that sport can be used in more ways than we care to imagine and can truly have the potential to save lives. Peter and his brother Steve (who I hope to set up a meeting with on my return to the UK) have showed me that a simple idea can be embraced by the smallest of countries, the biggest of stars, the youngest people and be successful, meaningful and impact on some of the worlds most disadvantaged people.

Many thanks to Peter for his time and thanks to Meg (you know who you are) for setting up the opportunity for me.For more information visit - www.kick4life.org

2009-11-06T08:19:00.002Z

Geoff Poland Team Leader

For those who know of my high level computer skills the fact that I have managed to get this far is incredible. So thanks to Steff for giving me an idiots guide to blogging.

Whilst the team may be thinking that my vocational visits have only been with my host Paul Strutt to Queenstown Golf Club!! (although we have visited the club house but purely of course for meeting local business people) I was very honoured to spend an hour and a half with Mzwabantu Dapula the Executive Mayor of Lukhanji which is the province which covers Quuesnstown.

The Mayor is very different to the UK in that he is a paid official and has greater Executive power than his UK counterpart. He explained the difficulties facing the province, which is principally unemployment and some of the ideas that he has for resolving the issue.

In addition to the Mayor Paul has taken me to various businesses and as is symptomic with South Africa everybody is very warm and welcoming.

DG Terry the team are working superbly and giving a great impact on everyone that they meet.
My thanks to Bruce and all his colleagues for your superb hospitality, your warmth will stay with us all for ever. Au revoiur, I am sure that some of us will be back

Eastern Cape Medical & Rescue Service - Michael Bradfield

2009-11-05T22:04:00.008Z

After Steffan was dropped off at Queen's College, our host Bruce took me to meet with the head of the Municpal Services in Queenstown. His associate Ricardo then took me to see the local Fire Department, which covers a huge area, the next nearest service being in East London. Queenstown have wholetime day crews and, in common with many rural parts of the UK (much of the Thames Valley included), have a retained section who cover nights and additional crews. We then headed to see the Emergency Planning department and on to the State Ambulance Service. I was met by Alex, the Operations Manager, who took me on a tour of the existing station and then out to the site of their newly built station, which was very impressive and would be the envy of many services in the UK. After an extensive meet-and-greet of various people with epaulettes far more impressive than mine (much like visiting the LAS headquarters in Waterloo, where I feel very unimportant) I was handed over to an ambulance crew, with whom I would spend the rest of the day.

After a brief introduction we had our first call, and made our way some distance out of Queenstown to a remote location for a patient experiencing shortness of breath. En route we discussed the similarities and differences between South Africa and UK ambulance services. The density of population in London, the small geographical area, the resources, training of staff, levels of equipment and speed of response were all of interest. To me, it was not the differences between our services, but rather the similarities that became apparent. As we had sat in the crew room before our first call, the TV on with no-one really watching it, laughing, joking and complaining, it could have been any ambulance station in the world. So too en route to the call, we discussed the inappropriate calls we had attended, how ambulances are treated like taxis and I think we realised our own problems were far from unique to our own countries.

Once we arrived at our destination we were met by our escort party who took us down to the small ramshackle hut where our patient was waiting. We looked for an entrance, but found only a small gap in the fencing, through which we had to climb. Our attendant remarked that it had best not be a stretcher case, for there was no easy way to carry someone out to the ambulance. How often much the same remark has been made in small blocks of flats in cities across the UK.

I followed the crew into the hut and watched as they set about taking a history and assessing the patient's condition. He had experienced some sort of allergic reaction from an unknown cause and once the crew had determined that he was stable, he (thankfully) declared himself fit to walk to the ambulance.

Once on board, I was handed the keys and told I could drive for the rest of the shift. Opportunities to drive an ambulance in the Eastern Cape do not present themselves often, so I gladly accepted and did my best to provide a smooth journey to the Frontier Hospital in Queenstown, where we handed over our patient in Casualty. We then were allocated some local transfers from a clinic in the township and while en route were asked to attend a small boy who had a suspected fractured arm. We arrived at the clinic to find our original patient had left, but were given another instead since we were there (could never happen in the UK...honest) and then made our way to the little boy who had been playing a little too rough. It was close to the shabeen the GSE team had visited the previous day and we were again met at the end of the road and directed to the patient, a small lad nursing an arm that was not quite the right shape. Amid the very impoverished and run-down setting, the crew chatted away in the back of the ambulance, laughing with the child and his mother and made me feel that if we had transported the ambulance and its contents to anywhere in the UK it would not have been out of place. There is something unique about pre-hospital care in that irrespective of the location or the patient, the focus is solely on helping someone in distress, making best use of the resources available and it was a real pleasure to watch the crew work. It would seem patronising to say I was impressed, for they are doing what we are all trained to do, to a greater or lesser degree, but I felt there was a common thread between us which it is perhaps easy to take for granted when going about my day-to-day work in the UK and it was so easy to fit into their way of working. No fancy vacuum splints here, but an excellent job was made of assessing and immobilising the limb using a frac-pac and a bandage. With a full ambulance, we made our way back to Frontier.

Once we had disposed of our patients to the appropriate departments and exchanged banter with the Casualty staff (something along the lines of "he's from London...no, not East London: London, England"), it was decided we were in need of a "shop stop" and it was necessary for me to have a 'fat cake' - the staple of the hard-working ambulance professional. I then proceeded under careful direction to the centre of town where we stopped and made our way to a nearby food shop to place our order. As is the tradition of any emergency services personnel worldwide, as soon you order any kind of hot food, a call will come in. Already prepared for this eventuality, my highly experienced crew had paid in advance and arranged to collect the order after this priority 1 call. And so we set off with lights and sirens to the post office for a collapsed male. Only speaking English I cannot say exactly what remarks were made about my emergency driving, but there was a very animated conversation and several bouts of laughter, usually co-inciding with my cornering late and at considerable speed, en route. A request was made subsequently to see my driving licence, under the pretext of comparing it with a South African version, but I am inclined to think some sort of wager had been placed as to whether I had one. Fortunately our patient was in a fit state to walk to the ambulance and after assessment was taken back to Frontier and we then resumed our food run, this time with success. After another emergency call which proved to be a no trace (am I actually back in the UK with better weather?) we then returned to station to enjoy our lunch (it seems not, because we made it back and ate it undisturbed - Waterloo kindly take note).

It was not long before we were sent out to the Zwartwater clinic in a remote area some 40 - 50km from Queenstown to transfer a boy to the Frontier. This rather routine-sounding job took a more complicated turn when the road up into the mountain disintegrated to the extent it became impassable, despite my best attempts to take the bumpy track at some speed. With a smaller vehicle stranded up ahead we had to wait for a local farmer to arrive with his Massey Ferguson and tow us up the hill. After two abortive attempts involving a steel cable that would not stay tied, we finally made it through, although from the smell of the clutch I should think the workshops will be giving the ambulance a once-over before too long. Hopefully I will be back in the UK by then and I shall deny all knowledge.

The heroic farmer refused any offer of compensation other than wanting some paper he could use to roll cigarettes and after much shaking of hands and smiles we continued on our way. After we collected our patient and took an alternative route back to Queenstown it was time to clean the ambulance inside and out in preparation for the night crew, which, in the best traditions of ambulance comradeship, I supervised closely from a safe distance.

My sincere thanks to all the staff at Eastern Cape Queenstown, in particular those who had to put up with me for the day. You are all very welcome in London to see what real traffic is like (sheep crossing don't really count). It has been a real privilege spending the day with you and while it may be true that the UK public health services have more resources, the staff in Queenstown were a pleasure to work alongside and I wish them all the very best doing a difficult job in difficult circumstances.

Educational Visits - Steffan Thomas

2009-11-05T21:11:00.006Z

University of Fort Hare, Alice, SA.Queens College, Queenstown, SAThe Archive Museum, Queens College, Queenstown , SACricket Practice, Queens College Style.

Educational Visits - Steffan Thomas

2009-11-05T21:09:00.001Z

It was an early start with an exciting and promising visit to the famous and history steeped Queens College in Queenstown.

The college, in its 151st year, is an extraordinary place that links old traditional schooling values with up-to-date technology, high quality teaching and an excellent and ever expanding sports program. The day was spent touring the grounds, drinking in the history, discussing variations in discipline, teaching methods, funding & cultural values and the possibilities of exchanges visits for both students and lecturers. My host, and excellent guide Hayden, made me feel most welcome as we started the day with a tour of the Queens College Museum. An archive of achievements, success and history which truly made me feel I was walking in the steps of legendary scholars and sportsmen’s. The walls were adorned with memorabilia from sporting occasions, both past and present which gave me an understanding of how proud Queens College was of it previous victories and the legacy present students were leaving. The feeling of importance hit home when Hayden presented me with a Queens College tie, something that not many people can claim to own and a gift which rendered me speechless (and that’s saying something with me).

The morning continued with tours of the grounds and facilities that Queens College had to offer, which varied from classrooms, to presentation halls, to the kitchen, to the dormitories and then finally the extensive sporting facilities. Many of which would rival some of the UK’s professional sporting facilities. During the morning, Hayden and I discussed the schooling and educational systems in South Africa whilst sharing the highs and lows of student achievements. Currently the students in South Africa are studying for their Matrics (end of year exams - GCSE equivalent) so there was plenty to discuss in regards to the strategies the school adopted to maximize achievement. Many that are similar to those in the UK system and a few that were new to me.

As the discussion continued it was interesting to share the different disciplinary actions used, not just between the UK and SA, but also in different areas of SA, as these seemed to vary according to fees the students/parents may be paying for education and the strength of heir archery in supporting teachers and facilitators at ground level.

As the morning drew to a close, Hayden suggested I join him for lunch in the main hall, so I quickly used the excuse of lunch at Queens College, to make a quick change into a suit, so I could show off my new tie. The lunch of steak and rice (no wonder South African Sports legends are so well built if they are getting steak for lunch!!) was served in a hall with the company of 100 hundred students, grade 8, 9 and 10. This is an experience I won’t forget in a hurry!

The afternoon led me to the cricket ground where I had the privilege of getting involved in a coaching session with the inspirational Ralph Cullahan and David Osborn. Two people that will truly stick in my memory, as their passion for the development of youth cricket was something that was clear and obvious for all to see. Ralph’s use of video recording of bowling and batting techniques to analysis the student’s movements, helped to guide them to new goals. A new technique to Queens College Cricket but a valuable one as the students contributed, with Ralph, to their strengths and areas for development that could be immediately worked on in the nets. Ralph and David may be seeing us for a tour one day as exchange visits were again discussed at length.

Queens College and the people that took time out of their busy schedule to accommodate me, provided a view of a college that is steeped in history, exceptionally well managed and administrated, yet also has a human side to it with the passion and commitment shown to the sporting stars of tomorrow and the legends of yesterday. www.queenscollege.co.za

The Queens College experience built on my first educational visit to University of Fort Hare, Alice, where a long drive turned into an information swapping session with Alan Shaw, my host for the day. Sharing cultural and funding differences between the educational systems in the UK and SA was first on the agenda whilst comparing sporting stars and their impact on the youth of today followed. This information was built on at Fort Hare where Mia Hill, Director in Human Movements, guided me through the Higher Education systems and the expectations of students studying at the University. We shared thoughts on competitive sports and the importance of participation and not just elitism, and also the possibilities of an exchange program. Alan then gave me tour of the campus, showing me the sports facilities and sharing his development plans for the future. During an afternoon meeting with my host Margaret and her business partner, discussions turned to Worked Based Learning and the materials that could guide employers through qualifications, thus making it a productive and beneficial proposal for all. A day well spent in the educational environment with thoughts of possible future qualification delivery and comparison of current work ethics and practices.

Natasha - Jonathan Pepler

2009-11-05T20:40:00.007Z

I was priviledged enough to meet and spend the morning with Queenstown business man Jonathan Pepler today.

Jonathan is the owner/operator of Queenstown's Woolworths franchise (no relation to Woolworths in the UK...think M&S instead) located in the old centre of town known as the Hexagon.

It was fascinating to be able to talk to Jonathan about the benefits and challenges of being a franchise business in the shadow of a corporate brand.

Woolworths was founded in 1931 by Max Sonnenberg. His belief that success lies in providing customers with superior quality merchandise at reasonable prices has been instrumental in establishing Woolworths as one of South Africa’s leading retail chains – a benchmark for excellence and an icon of quality.

Woolworths core philosophy is underpinned by quality, offering customers consistently high quality merchandise at affordable prices and incorporating innovative developments across the business. Building lifetime relationships with customers remains critical to the business’ success, ensuring that they understand and meet these needs.

Today, Woolworths is a retail chain that extends throughout Africa and into the Middle East, trading through more than 300 stores.

A number of Woolworths stores (more than 150) are run on a franchise basis like Queenstown. Over a third of WW franchises are black-owned and WW are focusing on increasing that proportion.

Woolworths is committed to using its surplus products to help ease the burden of poverty in South Africa. Each year, Woolworths gives away R12 million’s worth of its clothes and R155 million of its surplus food to under privileged South Africans. These figures represent the costs to company, not the retail price of the items.

It was fantastic to meet with Jonothan and his team today, a big thank you goes out to the Rotarians for arranging this for me.

On the beat in Queenstown - by Sarah Poolman

2009-11-05T15:13:00.003Z

I began my day at 0800 with Rian and Eddie (both Inspectors) in the rapid response car, but, as in the UK, it was far too early for any action! The radio was very quiet, so we drove around the town, looking at the places where drug dealers ply their trade and I was able in interrogate the guys about their teams and what life was like as a police officer in Queenstown. I then went to the main base, where I saw some of the drugs and explosive dogs in training.

I then met up with Detective Inspector Steve Rheeders, a murder and armed robbery specialist. I had a fascinating day with him, reviewing some of the many murders he has dealt with over the last 12 years. The level of violence used in house break-ins was mind blowing and reminded me of how lucky we are in the UK. He showed me the scene of an armed robbery which ended in a car chase and shoot out between the police and the robbers which is going to trial soon.

I was introduced to Denise Wagner, Director at Queenstown Police Station and we discussed police salaries and the difference between the UK and RSA - we both agreed that cops are not paid enough!

I then went to the mortuary, run by the Dept of Health, and was given a guided tour. I saw the refrigerated room where bodies were kept pending post mortem. Amongst the others, there was a young man still fully clothed who had been brought in that morning as a result of a stab wound to the chest. There was also a freezer room for the unidentified bodies some of which had been there for 3 months. Apparently this is a common problem.

Steve Rheeders introduced me to the Area Commissioner, Mr Dlanjwa, and we compared notes on crime and policing in our two separate countries - he has asked me to come back and see him next year!

I was shown around the fingerprint unit by Inspector Dickinson who, as a police officer, goes to scenes of crime and gathers evidence. I was surprised to learn that suspects do not have their DNA taken as a matter of routine upon arrest or charge and therefore, it is very difficult to make comparisons with crime scene samples.

Steve did a great job of showing me around and giving me a insight into policing here - we didn't stop, not even for lunch and i am very grateful for the time this very busy man took out for me. The challenges Police Officers face here are similar to those in the UK, with alcohol-related assaults and drugs, but the level these officers work at is very different, symbolised by the weapons they carry and the ballistic vests they wear.

I'm now looking forward to my next vocational day in Bloemfontein!

2009-11-04T19:46:00.008Z

After a goodbye at the roadside in Cathcart, the Stutt Rotarians handed us over to our new hosts, the friendly faced Rotarians of Queenstown.

We were taken on a scenic route past the Waterdown Dam and through the town of Whittlesea, Steffan was lucky enough to get a personalised tour. (History lesson courtesy of Steff - An English settler, by the name Henry Parsons who settled in 1848 and named it after his birthplace).

After the tour, we arrived in Queenstown and were welcomed by our hosts. we then spent the afternoon being entertained by our hosts. Sarah was energetic enough to go horse riding for the first time in 20 years.

Tuesday saw us being taken up to Madeira Mountain to take in the view of Queenstown, followed by a rare sighting of a crash of 5 rhinos, rarely seen by the locals! Some of us were slightly scared when one of the rhinos blocked the road, turned to face us and started stomping the ground - Sarah, the brave police officer, was the first to run back to the car!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent being hosted by one of the Queenstown Rotarians who gave up his afternoon to show us the Queenstown countryside. There was another opportunity to see some of the wildlife, such as a large wild tortoise who got rather grumpy when we picked him up and a herd of zebra amongst a variety of buck.

It was time then for our official presentation to the Rotary Club, which seemed to go down quite well, with Mike putting on the charm as always and entertaining the audience with his wit and humour. I think that Bruce was very complimentary about us to Geoff, but Geoff is keeping this to himself! The Rotary Club had gone to lots of effort in decorating the tables with iconic symbols of South Africa, such as the cricket bat. We were then very well fed with Potjie (a kind of stew) and samp...very nutritious and filling!

On Wednesday, we drove out to visit Stephen Townley Bassett, an artist whose passion is Bushmen Rock Art. Steve has spent his life researching rock art, some of which dates back 27,000 years! He has discovered what Bushmen used as paint and now makes his own paint using ochre, charcoal and bird's faeces! It was a truly wonderful insight to this art which has been discovered all over South Africa and was a fantastic opportunity to meet someone so knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. Thanks to Farnie and Bruce for organising this.

In the afternoon, Mike, Steff, Tash and Sarah went with Quintin, Melinda and Farnie out to the township of Ezibeleni where we visited Isibindi, a safe park for up to 600 children of all ages. There we were given a guided tour of the centre, were allowed to participate in the music lesson (Mike has now become an expert on a giant xylophone!), play drums and watch the children sing and perform the HIV dance for us. We were met with wonderful smiles and laughter despite the incredible poverty that these children face on a daily basis. It was a both a heart wrenching and heart warming experience and reminded us of the huge challenges that South Africa still faces even now in the 21st century.

Thursday was our vocational day and each of us will be giving an update on what we got up to.

Photos

2009-11-02T07:09:00.002Z

For those interested in seeing our experiences in detail, our Picasaweb album can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/yj5pqcc

We will keep adding them as we go....

Stutterheim

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In true South African style, we were truly welcomed to Stutterheim by a group of friendly faced, yellow T-shirt clad Rotarians at Amabele Train Station, where we boarded the Kei Rail train to Butterworth. Our journey took us through some sensational scenery, reminiscent of the 'Wild West' from the movies, with cacti (aloe vera - the emblem of the border area of the Eastern Cape) dotted across the landscape. It gave us the opportunity to witness rural life in South Africa for the first time.

It was a relaxing journey with several of the Rotarians giving us an in depth history of the railway and the area. The ladies did a fabulous job of feeding and watering us for the entire journey.

We arrived in Butterworth to be greeted by melting tarmac on the platform which means we've all left our mark at Butterworth train station. From there, we headed back to 'Stutt' where we tasted South African rugby fever in the run up to the Currie Cup, Blue Bulls Vs Cheetahs. Our evening's entertainment was delayed until the match had finished - as all of the audience and cast were in the bar glued to the TV.

The local Round Tablers put on their annual 'Melodrama', a culmination of many evenings spent rehearsing in order to raise money for local charities (50,000 rand over 3 nights). The prize for the raffle was a sheep - and we were wondering whether we could get away with this as hand luggage or cargo!!

Whilst the others got a lie-in, Sarah and Natasha were lucky enough to get a tour of Stan Cawthorn's farm - 1100 hectares, 3000 sheep, lots of lambs, verbal cows and chickens!! It was a privilege to experience firsthand farming in South Africa and to hear Stan's passion for his land, ancestry and animals.

We all got together again for lunch - at 1300, it was
sunshine and 28c, by 1330, we were in the midst of a vicious hail storm, with hail stones as big as maltesers raining down on us! They were big enough to be used as ice cubes by the barman and it wasn't long before the golf course resembled a scene from a Christmas card - we can prove it!

We then gave a presentation to Stutt Rotarians and guests after which they put us through our paces with a number of challenging questions - Steff answered the majority of these on our behalf! Thanks Steff! Geoff answered the question on how the Rotary dictionaries were received at a local school like a true politician, somehow managing to make mention of Ricky Gervais, calligraphy, Whitley Wood (Reading), Henley Rowing Club and the Emmy awards into his answer! Quite a feat!

When the storms returned, we all headed home with lightning and thunder crackling above our heads!

We're off to Queenstown tomorrow, so would like to thank Stutterheim Rotarians for their generous hospitality and warm welcome and we look forward to seeing some of you again in a few weeks time.

East London Presentation

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Many thanks to the Rotarians of East London for hosting our presentation evening on Friday night where we were joined by members from the Rotary clubs of Gately, East London Sunrise, Gonubie and Arcadia. As we have found since our arrival the reception was very welcoming and a good evening was had by all.

There was no sign of Marius or his stopwatch, both of which were sorely missed and it is likely that he would have suggested we needed more time training as we managed to amply fill the time we had been given. Geoff was slightly upset as he was taken to the venue earlier than the planned start time to view the golf course - which made him 'green' with envy (his words). However, although the team adhered broadly to their planned talk, there was significant ad-libbing which gave the presentation a more spontaneous feel (for once, not all of it was directed at Geoff). Our hosts had a similar sense of humour and seemed to appreciate the jokes, some were even new to other members of the team and not heavily re-cycled. Banners were received by the team on behalf of our sponsoring clubs and we will be presenting these (along with the many others we will collect) upon our return.

We left East London on Saturday morning and bade a fond farewell to our very gracious hosts. We cannot thank them enough for such a wonderful start to our visit and their generous hospitality.

Just to rub it in!

2009-10-30T15:28:00.002Z

Sarah and Steff, 0600 Hrs, The Beach!

The First Few Days

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Day One

What a start!!

Over weight luggage (Geoff "I have a 1980's video camera the size of a baby hippo/walkabout ' Poland), an empty flight (Michael 'plenty of leg room for me thank you very much' Bradfield), about 3 hours sleep (combined), an electric shock (Sarah 'don't stand too close to the lions' cage' Poolman), a dead camera battery after 9 pictures (Steff ' have you ever used a charger?' Thomas) and a professional photographer to document our trip (Natasha 'David Bailey' Murray).

But what a welcome!!

Smiling faces, warm handshakes, fabulous food, great game drive and a beautiful braai.

Day Two involved an early start again with a visit to the Mercedes Benz factory to see the C Class being built. We were then whisked away to Isaiah 58, in Parkside, a home/school for orphans and abandoned children to see the inspirational work that Rotary are undertaking.

The experience then lead us to 'Workbench', a sheltered employment centre for people with mental and physical disabilities, where they are assembling re-hydration spoon packs, Helen Batting's brainchild. Please see web link.
http://www.spoonofhope.co.za/

From there we moved on to Duncan Village Day Centre, a health clinic that services a poverty stricken settlement, near to East London city centre. In the afternoon we were taken on a township tour of Duncan Village and Mdantsane, stopping off at Mrs Zamani's creche, the controversial Duncan Village memorial and a shebeen (an informal tavern in the settlements).The afternoon finished on a lively note when we witnessed a mini-van/taxi overturn due to a trainee's misjudgement and a car chase through a busy mall car park. Adventure all the way!!!

The day concluded with fantastic home hosting by a variety of Rotarians. Very enjoyable.

Day Three

Vocational Day! (and a 6am beach/swim excursion for Sarah and Steff - we have pictures to prove it). Geoff decided to merely take the dog for a walk with Helen Batting on the beach! He chose to ignore the opportunity of the dog-walking service. Mike was also up before six, although due to the enthusiasm of Hutch's two dogs (Chelsea and Delilah) rather than by choice.

Sarah - out on patrol with DI Rudi van Dyk, from the child abuse and rape division of SAPS
Michael -spending the day at Frere Hospital & Alderson Ambulance Service, East London
Steff - visit to University of Fort Hare, Alice to discuss educational funding and practices
Geoff - day with National Finance Brokers
Natasha - recovering with some retail therapy, whilst the rest of us did some work!

Natasha - I was privileged to spend the morning with Rotarian Gotz Van Westernhagen at the offices of his business, The V W Group. Gotz has spent the last 15 years building his retail business that now consists of many operations including 7 Spar Franchises, a US Import operation, manufacturing businesses (including his own diary that supplies his stores with milk and yoghurt) and a transport and distribution operation.

It was great to be able to to spend time with him talking about both the benefits and limitations of trading in South Africa and having the opportunity for 2 retailers to compare notes on the way each of us trade.

Gotz then handed me over to his right hand woman, Risna, who has many years retail experience working for 3 major SA retailers, who joined Gotz's team a couple of years ago as his HR and Training Manager.

We started with an in depth tour of the Gonubie store where I had the great opportunity to see not only the customer side of the business but to go behind the scenes and experience the back of house operation, which in comparison to the retail I am used to was extraordinary. In the UK, most retailers source goods that are ready for the customer. Very little "manufacturing" is done on individual retail sites. In the UK the products are either made by the business at a central location and then distributed out to individual stores or purchased from external suppliers and manufacturers as a finished product and then distributed to stores for re sale. Gotz's operation however sees the production of a huge % of fresh foods in each of his stores each and every day.

Each store has a scratch bakery meaning all bread based products (except the 12 or so pre packed sliced loaves) are all freshly baked from scratch by bakers every day. Confectioners spend each day preparing some fantastic cakes, bakes, tarts and treats from scratch each day.

The fresh offer also includes a huge range of cooked meals and accompaniments, all prepared fresh in store each day. A very large selection of salads and and puddings are also prepared fresh in store every day by trained staff.

Many factors contribute to the decline of this amount of fresh product being produced on site by UK retailers, including the cost of retail space, staff costs, training costs and equipment costs. The effective supply chains and distribution in the UK has also lead to the increase in centralised production locations.

I was given the opportunity to see many different retail offers depending on the suburb they were located in, ranging from stores that sell a large % of imported goods mainly from the US, supplying premium products with premium price tags all the way through the spectrum to stores that sold a large amount of bulk products - such as 10kg rice, 10kg sugar and flour and 10 litre vegetable oil, the staples foods of the Xhosa diet.

I had an absolutely fantastic day and I owe a huge thank you to Gotz, Risna and the team at all the Spars I visited for a thoroughly enjoyable and educational day.

The evening had more fun in store for us with our first presentation at East London Golf Club.

Three days in, fantastic people, very hospitable hosts, beautiful scenery, eye opening and emotional experiences and very little sleep. More of the same please!

Message received today from Lionel Heath GSE Chairman D9320

2009-10-29T17:46:00.004Z

Dear Mike

Our GSE Outgoing Chair, Andy Crowe, had to go to East London (exactly 300km) for business and so arranged it so that he could meet your team and do a short orientation with them.

His report was that they arrived safely, had a hectic first day and seemed to fit in well and be enjoying themselves. They apparently went on a game drive from the airport without even dropping their luggage with their hosts. I should think they slept well last night.

I have just met the Scots at Port Elizabeth airport. They also seemed in a good mood - I suppose in our wind we at least had some warm sun which they probably have not experienced lately.

Both GSE teams arrived with all their luggage which is encouraging. It does not always happen.

Check in Drama

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Much excitement at check-in as Geoff persuaded the check-in staff that their bags were really not overweight. Second photo shows Geoff after addressing the overweight problem - attempting to get upgrades!!!!

Farewell at London Heathrow

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The team had a star studded send off from London Heathrow in attendance Mrs Janet Poland and Mike Cannon, D1090 GSE Chair

Getting ready to go!

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Just to let everyone know that we are all prepped and in the midst of packing for our month away.

Only 3 days to go. Thanks for everyone's good wishes.

Hope you follow us on our journey through the blog!

See you in December.

The Team

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Welcome to the blog for the GSE South Africa Rotary trip 2009.