This Week - Project Meeting majoring on Retina SA

These are our two guests this week to talk on Retina SA.  Claudette has been our guest before but Linsay is new to us and will talk on Retina SA's fund raising activities with which we might liked to be involved.

Claudette Medefindt, National Secretary and Head of Science

Claudette has been involved with the Retina Patient   Movement since 1980. She heads the patient support division and is a trained peer counsellor.  She lectures on IRD extensively and is the Deputy President of Retina International. Claudette has Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Linsay Engelbrecht

 Linsay was diagnosed in 2206 with a sight condition - Stargardt. A rare genetic eye disease where fatty material builds up on the macula, the small part of the retina needed for central vision. Currently there is no cure. Linsay embraces life and makes the most of every opportunity, she chooses to inspire instead of being held back! She is a very family orientated individual and enjoys the outdoors.  Linsay Engelbrecht is many things: a successful businesswoman, a proud mom, and a para-athlete

Linsay successfully co-founded Big Brand

Novelties, a leading badge and branding specialist.

She is responsible for Operations, Human

Resources, Marketing & Merchandising.

Para-athlete

At 23, she was diagnosed with a rare eye disorder

called Stargardt Macular Degeneration, leaving her with only 10% central vision.

Despite her condition she chose to embrace life and ran the Comrades Marathon in 2018 & 2019.

She was introduced to Triathlons in 2020 and never looked back.  Linsay has won 5 South African Para Triathlons and has been placed in the top 10 for World & Commonwealth Triathlons.                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Last Week

We had a fascinating talk on beer brewing and production by Dave Standing, former Brewing Consultant to South African Breweries.  Unfortunately we ran out of time for many questions but I think it would be a good idea to have him back at some stage to talk about different beers and obviously to answer the questions!

Next Week

Captain Stefan Bulow will be updating us on the MV Aghulas Project.  I am sure you will remember that last time he spoke to us the project was stalled by the inability of the minister to approve the sale of the vessel to enable it to be converted for scientific and seamanship training purposes.  There was the fear that the Aghulas might deteriorate to such an extent that the project would no longer be feasible.  Now everything has worked out and the project is now at full steam ahead.

International - India
  

Chartered on Feb 19, 1974, the Rotary Club of Neemuch, RID 3040 (Madhya Pradesh), celebrated its golden ­jubilee where RI director Raju ­Subramanian ­dedicated an ­ophthalmology mobile clinic to ­Nethralaya, a local ­eyecare hospital, as part of ­Project Aapka Chashma Aapke Dwar (receive your spectacles at your ­doorstep). This global grant ­initiative,  partnered with RC ­Memphis, RID 6800, and costing ₹41 lakh, will conduct eye ­screening camps and ­provide  spectacles free of cost in remote rural regions of Madhya Pradesh.

RI Director Raju Subramanian with DG Ritu Grover (L), DGN Sushil Malhotra (R) and PDG Darshan Gandhi (fourth from R) at the inauguration of the mobile eye clinic.

Over the past five decades the club has undertaken numerous services including establishing a community centre, equipment bank, food centre for the poor, and a public rest house. “Apart from providing mobility aids for the disabled, and sponsoring corrective surgeries, our club is actively promoting eye and organ donation through awareness camps,” says club member PDG ­Darshan Gandhi.