This Week: Dickon Jayes - Launching an e-Commerce Gas Business in Postpandemic Mzansi

 

This promises to be an interesting talk by Dickon as he was for many years involved in distribution of print media, including the Mail & Guardian.  Why gas?  Is the first question that comes to mind as it's very different from his previous occupation and it is also a product that needs to be handled with care.  It's also an industry which is very competitive and there is lots of potential for fraud.

Last Week

It was a productive meeting as we discussed the SWOT analysis of the club's strengths and weaknesses....predominantly the weaknesses!

It was felt that in general, we were addressing them, especially in terms of succession planning and the involvement of new members. Older members are stepping back from the positions they have held for a longtime and encouraging younger members to to take over.  The major concern was looking at fundraising as new projects arise and demands on our resources increase.   There was considerable discussion and Ron Smith talked about the work that was being done on the creation of Clan McCando as a potential fund raiser separate from the club but for it's benefit.  More to follow!

Next Week

Charles Hopkins, Cellarmaster at De Grendel will be our speaker.  I remember De Grendel well when it was the home of Sir De Villiers Graaff's Merino Sheep and Holsteiner Cattle. Charles is the person who has created an award winning wine estate from the word go.  I will say more about him and De Grendel next week.

International - India

The Rotary Club of Bombay Seacoast staged a concert and high tea reception in May for about 150 veterans injured on duty and their families. Club members tapped their connections with local celebrities, among them the MC, Neeta Mirchandani, the wife of club member and singer Vijay

Mirchandani. “The jawans (soldiers) participated with full joy and excitement as several kept dancing and clapping to the music, with the families of many joining in toward the end,” says Sampath Iyengar, a past club president. “Some of the jawans seated on chairs or in wheelchairs participated as a mark of solidarity, their chairs lifted by their fellow jawans who still had strength in their arms, love in their hearts, and deep empathy for their fellow ex-soldiers without limbs.”