History of the Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch
Early in 1985, the late Patrick Evans-Watt, a Past-President of the Rotary Club of Rondebosch, was given the task of forming a new club. After considerable discussion and with the agreement of the National Botanical Gardens of South Africa, the name Kirstenbosch was chosen with the Disa being selected as the Club’s emblem. The first edition of the Club Bulletin, the Disa Digest, appeared on 6 May 1985, and our Club was admitted to the membership of Rotary International on 7 May 1985. The Club met on Monday evenings at the Fairmead Hotel in Rondebosch. The Charter Dinner was held at the Fairmead Hotel on 10 June 1985 with 23 of the 26 Charter members plus 50 visiting Rotarians and Anns from 15 Clubs attending. The DG then was the late Ernie Bettesworth, and the President of our sponsor Club, Rondebosch, was PDG Michael Johnson.
The Charter President, Patrick Evans-Watt donated the Fellowship “Bokkie” to the Club which was to rotate among members each month, the member in possession being requested to invite three other members and their Anns to a “get-together” to stimulate fellowship and get to know one another better. Bokkie was eventually lost by one of our members, and subsequently replaced by “Monty”, the Fellowship Mongoose, which was made and presented to the Club by Ruth Browne in 1999. Monty unfortunately did not circulate as planned and was returned to Ruth Browne in 2010.
First Exchange Student
The first Youth Exchange Student was Laurel Lowes from Courtland, New York State, who arrived here in August 1985. The Club has supported this project annually. The Club’s first Christmas party was an excellent supper at the Jonkershuis at Groot Constantia after a cellar tour and wine tasting.
At the end of February 1986 the Club had to leave the Fairmead Hotel, and has since then, met at the Oasis Restaurant at the Old Mutual in Pinelands (March – June 1986), The Penny Farthing bar/lounge at the Royal Standard Hotel in Mowbray (July – October 1986), the Kaffee Haus Restaurant at the Riverside Centre, Rondebosch (November 1986 – March 1993), the Josephine Mill in Newlands (April 1993 – July 1994) before moving to Kelvin Grove Club, where we are still meeting. The Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch was the first Rotary Club to meet at Kelvin.
The Club celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner at Kelvin Grove Club on Monday 26 July 2010 attended by 60 Rotarians, partners, former members, DG Shan Biesman-Simons, PDG Mike Saxby and Eve, and AG Mike Walwyn and Sheila. Congratulatory messages were received from PDG Michael Johnson and Carla Evans-Watt, widow of Patrick Evans-Watt.
First Merit Awarded
The first Merit award presented by the Club in 1986 was given to Dr Ailie Key for the work she performed with the physically handicapped. At a Club meeting on 12 January 1987, the Club overwhelmingly supported female membership of the Club. The Club’s first lady Rotarian, Dr Krisela Steyn was inducted in August 1990, and has since then had five lady Presidents. In April 1987 the Club hosted its first GSE Team, who came from District 757 Virginia. In 1999 Past President Vyv Deacon was selected as GSE Team Leader to District 9920 New Zealand and Fiji.
On District level, Past-President Richard Browne has served as Chairman of the Youth Exchange Committee as well as arranging registration of Clubs as Public Benefit Organizations. Rtn Di Rigotti and Past-President Kay du Toit have served on the Youth Exchange Committee. Past-President Graham Buchholtz served as the co-ordinator of the Centennial Conference Committee as well as on the District Rotartact Committee and District Finance Committee. Past-President Paul Faure has served on both the PR Committee and the Literacy Committee while Past-President Adre Smit serves on the DG Nominating Committee. Past-President Vyv Deacon has served as chairman of both the Literacy and GSE Committees, the District Trainer, an Assistant Governor for three years and has been Chairman of the District Services Projects Committee. He becomes the club’s first District Governor in July 2013. In 2006, he was awarded the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, an honour previously bestowed on PP Patrick Evans-Watt in 1979.
The Paul Harris Fellowships Award
The recipients of Paul Harris Fellowships awarded by this Club are: Dr Alan McMahon (Head of the Cape Town Emergency Services Centre), Yvonne Bowker, PP Peter Price, Dr Oscar Wolheim, Rusty Evans (then deputy Director-General of Foreign Affairs), Frank van der Velde, Patricia van der Velde, Louis de Waal (Cable Way Company), Dr Barry Smith (organist St George’s Cathedral), Sister Marina Lawrence (Maryland Adult Education Centre), Fr Ralph de Haan, Dr Wayne Smith (Metro Rescue Services), Prof Brian Huntley (National Botanical Institute), Jan van Eck, PP Alan Collins, PP Kay Bergh, PP Vyv Deacon, PP Paul Faure, Erica Faure, PP Richard Browne, Ruth Browne, PP Graham Buchholtz, PP Adre Smit, Rtn Klaus Bubenzer, Rtn Dai Davies, Rtn Bob Harvey, Rtn Lynn Veldhuizen and PP Paul Stohrer.
In November 1987, the Club sponsored an Interact Club at Maitland Holy Cross Convent, but this Interact Club no longer exists. Our Club is also the sponsor of Interact Clubs at Windsor High (closed in 2008), Rustenburg Girls’ High (1999) and Rondebosch Boys’ High (1999), as well as the Earlyact Club at Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School (2010) and Oakhurst Girls Primary (2011).