Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

We wish all our loyal friends and blog supporters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Halloween 2013 Men's Meeting

Curiously, Halloween fell on a Thursday night this year, prompting a few of our members to dress up for the meeting. Meet Pirate Pete aka Marco Taljaard...

The dummy

A curious, old-fashioned tradition has resurfaced in Alex/Kenton 210 - when a Tabler's wife is pregnant, he wears a dummy for the duration of meetings till the baby is born. Still another few months till Chockkie Ling-Ling Gooseberry is born...

Come dine with me

Some photos from the whole Come Dine With Me experience some of our members and 41ers are putting themselves through (only three left to go)

Steak Evening!

With all the revamping going on at the RT210 Alex/Kenton clubhouse, it was decided to host a Steak Evening to show off what has been achieved so far.

About 80-odd members of the community and raiders from other Tables, namely Port Alfred 177; Zwartkops 195; J-bay/Humansdorp 252, attended the function.

The party lasted well into the early hours of the next morning. Great fun!

See the photos of the almost completed Clubhouse

2nd ASSCO Meeting in East London

What is 2nd ASSCO? Four times a year the Association Executive and all the Area Chairmen in the Association meet to discuss important issues and give feedback on our Areas and portfolios. The abbreviation of Association Council is ASSCO. The 1st ASSCO is held at ARTSA; the 2nd ASSCO at the venue of the next ARTSA; the 3rd ASSCO is normally hosted by the President’s home Club; and 4th ASSCO is held at the next ARTSA.

I travelled up to East London on Friday afternoon, and promptly hit five o’clock traffic. Truly amazing! Anyway, I finally arrived and checked into the Hotel Osner and then met up with all the others around the hotel bar. Once we had calmed our nerves with some liquid refreshments, we set off to the East London 1 clubhouse. They hosted us for supper and an amazing party afterwards which saw us dancing the night away (some of us using the bar counter for lack of floor space).

The next morning we enjoyed a good breakfast before heading into the meeting, where I was joined by the members of “Tourist 276” (see my report from Tri-Area) Eugene, Wayne and Fabrizio. They had managed to bring Hennie de Klerk from Port Alfred 177 along with them, and before long Johan Lindeque had made his way over town from the National Ladies Circle weekend too. After giving themselves far too many sergeant’s drinks, they made their way home, leaving me to sit out the rest of the day-long meeting. After the meeting ended, we all spent an hour or so catching our breath at the hotel bar, before we all headed over to Buccanneers for supper and our last night together.

So many friendships were formed, so many great ideas swopped and many a proud Area Chairman boasting of his Area and their achievements. Nice to be able to swop war-stories and plans ahead. I really punted the Area Conference in

November and as a result may have at least 6 Area Chairmen as well as the Association Exec coming through to attend in Port Elizabeth. It will be one Conference you won’t want to miss out on!

Tri-Area at Albert Falls

What is a Tri-Area? Well, it’s when three Areas (in this case Natal North Coast, Natal South Coast & Drakensberg) get together on one weekend at one venue and hold their Area

Conferences together. The attendance this time was around 264 people, and what a vibe!

The newly organised club of Tourist 276 (Eugene & Dee Catherine, Fabrizio Altichiero, Wayne & Leza Stevenson and myself) left Port Alfred at around 7.00am on Friday morning. After a stop in East London to collect dress-up clothes for the Ladies, and a near-miss with some falling masonry, we were off! Some words of wisdom: the end-of-the-month weekend Friday is not one to choose for travelling via the old Transkei. We saw everything from a hearse with an Emergency Exit, gravel sections on the N2 and drivers eating mielies, to bridges being built in the middle of Mthatha (really far away from the nearest water mass).

Anyway, we finally got there (12.5 hours later) in the metropolis of Albert Falls, which is about 20km from Pietermaritzburg. After losing our way in the reserve, we found the party at the Yacht Club (yes, amazingly, a Yacht Club) and soon found our party groove. When the clock struck 3am we decided to call it night.

The next day saw me opening the Natal North Coast Conference, followed by my handing over the striped jacket and qwagga show ensemble to their Area Chairman. Let’s just say that the jacket doesn’t fit… At least he is wearing the tie. We then toured around to visit the other two meetings before ending the afternoon with Gin & Tonics on the verandah at the Yacht Club. It was off to dress-up at the house, before we made our way to the main hall for the evening. And guess what? We won the competition for Best Dressed!

After getting into more comfortable clothes, we headed back to the Yacht Club to finish what we could of the bar tokens, but at R 20.00 for a double Captain and Coke you take a while! Eventually we succeeded in getting to bed just after midnight.

The drive back was a little less stressed but we still did it in 9.5 hours, with a slight headache. I can recommend that if ever you have the time, attend a Tri-Area. There are currently two: this one I attended as illustrated above, or the one which is a combined Bushveld, Gauteng & Mpumalanga Areas. And how it works is that each Area of the three in the arrangement has a turn to host so each year the conference moves venue.

On the move - the Social Cross' story

So there I was, resting fairly comfortably under the front seat of a white Polo, chatting up an empty Hunter's Dry bottle and some loose peanuts when all of a sudden I am grabbed and carried into Marco & Maryke's house - this I gathered from all the excited chatter around me. Since my re-sanding and re-varnishing operation a few weeks ago, I was rather excited to see my old friend, the book, again and wasted no time showing off my new curves and face.

Before I knew it, we were off again to that place I know so well in Kenton: Jeremiah's - turns out that I was held by Guillym but was now given to Marco over a few drinks and pizza. Nice one, chaps, be great if a little of that whiskey made it my way! After much discussion and passing around the table, I was whisked off back to Marco & Maryke's house where the smell of coffee told me that there was more afoot than a simple after-dinner cuppa.

How right I was! Before he even realised that he was being hoodwinked, I was passed over to Ockie. Now you would think that I would be one of the more desired trophies (I mean, have you seen that Social Pot - serious pot-belly alert!) but being passed to him seemed to make Ockie a little angry.

After much laughter and discussion, negotiation and giggles we all put into the boot of Alan's car and driven to the Volo for a night-cap. Yes, you guessed it. Another plot was afoot, and after some Amarula (fake dom-pedros as the kitchen had closed by then) and a round of Locomotion round the pub, I was safely ensconced once more in the confines of the white Polo, back in the position of Guillym.

What a night to remember! I even got to chat to that sexy rock hiding in the boot of the car again. 

Signing out,

The Social Cross

That sexy rock, Rocksy

  

Somerset East Road Trip

It all started on a Wednesday... I drove through to Port Elizabeth and collected the Immediate Past President, Guy Crichton and his wife Zelda and son Andrew.

Some on-board liquid refreshments made the journey shorter and we arrived home in time to refresh ourselves before the rest of the Club arrived for a braai. The whole gang was there, including Kowie from Worcester - great catching up again. Rather an excessive amount of wine was consumed before we all said our good-nights.

Thursday morning I took the Crichtons on a tour via our Clubhouse in Kenton, the Big Pineapple and Bathurst, before arriving in Grahamstown at the Altichiero's house. We all went down to the Grahamstown Arts Festival for the rest of the day, finishing up at the Rat and Parrot for supper. Delicious pizzas!

Friday morning, after a late start, we attacked the stalls again on the Village Green before catching up with the Port Alfred Tablers and Ryno from Grahamstown 11 at the Beer Tent. Sjoe, it was a long afternoon! We then all packed the cars, grabbed Jacques and Daleen too, and headed off to Somerset East. Friday night was one of those fast, hard and short parties where most people went home reasonably early. Much fun was had by all :-)

Saturday morning us men had our Conference meeting whilst the Ladies enjoyed some relaxation and pottery classes nearby on a farm. We met up again after lunch before finding the Men's Club in Somerset East for rugby viewing and snooker. The evening was a dress-up theme of Cowboys, and again the mood was fantastic with everyone dancing and enjoying themselves tremendously.

Sunday saw us catching some breakfast together before I headed back to PE with the Crichtons and then on home. What a weekend, what a road-trip, what fun!

Jacques and Daleen - Mr & Mrs Wobberley

Alan trying out the saddle

Brunch on the Beach

With the most beautiful weather we have had in a long time over a weekend, it was decided that we needed to do something about it. Alan organised a Brunch on the Beach, and we all set off to Middle Beach opposite the Clubhouse for some R&R on the beach.

Scramble eggs, crispy bacon, tomato & onion stew, fresh strawberries, crispy apples, mini Scotch pancakes, Champagne, orange juice, mango juice, a few beers, and fresh rolls - what a spread.

We have found it!!!

Little did Alex/Kenton know that when we raided some trophies from the Grahamstown 11 clubhouse last week, that we would be making history in the Eastern Province Area.

A long-lost trophy, rarely seen by even the most veteran of Tablers, has finally come to light. The Wink-Preston Trophy has finally come to light after more than a decade of hiding in the shadows.

At last!

Grahamstown 11 Raid

On Wednesday, 8th May, we travelled up to Grahamstown - Fabrizio, Jacques, Ockie, Guillym and myself. Eugene Catherine from Port Alfred 177 joined us - thanks, Huge!

A great meeting followed, with some fellowship and much banter in the meeting. We ALL managed to pace ourselves, which is more than can be said of others... :-)

We managed to raid back some of our stuff that Grahamstown 11 had raided over a year ago, as well as getting our own back by raiding some of theirs at the same time. As always, it was great travelling in a group and seeing the guys again.

Catch-up

Ever get that feeling that you can't seem to catch-up? The more you think about it, the worse it seems to get, and the longer you put it off the harder it seems.

Guillym and I travelled through to Cradock 37's meeting recently, and not only was the drive up and back enjoyable but we also got to meet some great Tablers. We were kindly home-hosted by Jacques van Newenhuys.

We managed to find Harry Potter's grave (at 12.05am!!!) in the graveyard, which is something else one can tick off the bucket list. Great fun as always!

Photo to follow.

Trophies galore!

Some of the trophies won and raided by Alex/Kenton 210 recently. Note the small wooden crosses we were donated as raiding trophies for each Club.

The big wheel is the Travel Wheel, the big horns The Steek-jou-dood Trophy, the toilet seat belongs to Adelaide 194, the Mullet Award belongs to Grahamstown 11, the Axe belongs to Port Alfred 177, the small shield is the Ladies Travel Shield, the pewter mug is the Middelburg PR Trophy, and the small wooden trophy belongs to Port Alfred 177.

Great stuff, chaps - we now still need to find our raft race trophies (Cradock 37 had them last) and the glass Albert O'Callaghan Trophy for Project of the Year (still with Kirkwood 78).

Visit to Middelburg 133

Armed with biltong, droe wors and "cold beverages", Guillym and I set out to Middelburg on Tuesday afternoon. A great drive up, with lots being chatted about and sights to see along the way.

Guillym overfilled his lighter before we left which did create issues for him as it leaked onto his skin, but a cold bottle soon numbed the area! We stopped at the Daggaboer's Farm Stall for a pit-stop...

Arrived in a very, very cold Middelburg, and were warmly greeted by Tommy, Gordon, Hansie and Rencia. Some great snacks and a good meeting followed after which we had a braai. Managed to drag ourselves off to bed at Hansie's house just before we turned into pumpkins!!!

Next morning, we all met at Gordon's Mom's coffee shop for breakfast and met Tommy's wife. Said our goodbyes and were on our way!

The trip back was punctuated by the occasional pit-stop again, and after a hilarious scene where I tried to over-take a parked truck on the highway (not realising we were stopped at a Stop/Go...) we got back just after 1pm. A great trip - thanks Guillym for joining me!!!

Diaz Old Age Home Braai

During Kenton Capers 2012 we were donated R 2,000 in Spar vouchers by Rosehill Spar in Port Alfred, and it was decided that we would use these for a braai at the Daiz Old Age Home in Alexandria. Marco was chosen as the convenor, and with his trusty side-kick Maryke, they made the preparations.

We all gathered in the courtyard at the Old Age Home, and all the residents were brought out to sit with us in the sun. It was wonderful to see them enjoying chatting to us, or just watching us as we worked and mingled. Maryke did her best to speak to everyone, and at times needed either a translator or a book to write what she was trying to say, but hats off to her!

We braai'd some chicken sosaties and boerewors, and I think between the smell of the braai and the great taste of the meat, the residents were in seventh heaven! The girls handed out chocolates to everyone as a small pudding snack, and we were all called into the Dining Room to be thanked.

There were heart-rending moments during the morning, but the great feeling one gets from giving is something which cannot be bought or explained. Well done Marco on a good project!

Visit to Thornhill 208

It was after the Easter weekend, I was feeling as though I had eaten enough Easter eggs to sink a battleship. I had worked all weekend and was needing a fresh injection of fun and couldn’t wait to get down to Thornhill for their business meeting. After a few phone calls, emails, sms’s and Whatsupp messages, it was arranged and the guys all arrived at my house in the pouring rain to leave their cars.

Adriaan (our Area Vice Chairman), Eugene (our Area PRO), my faithful side-kick Guillym and I all piled into the trusty Polo to make our epic voyage of discovery. After a brief stop at Prestons in Bushmans (where it appears I am getting a reputation of arriving to buy drinks with a car load of people dressed in quagga shoes and a striped jacket…) where we were greeted with open arms, we were off! The rain and wind were an irritant, but gave us a great opportunity to catch up in the car and chat.

As the only one in the car who had actually been to Thornhill (and I must confess it was not only a while ago, but I may have been “under the weather” at the time), I confidently drove us right up to the front door of the hotel. After some confusion (there were no vehicles out front) we saw Deon in the window of the bar and decided we were in fact at the right spot.

We were joined by Jannie and Johan from Zwartkops 195, and together with the guys from Thornhill 208 we enjoyed a good meeting. The best thing about travelling is seeing how other Clubs operate, and listening to their projects and ideas. Much fellowship and laughter followed, together with a fantastic supper.

After a lengthy goodbye, we managed to get ourselves back in the car and on our way, arriving at my house just before 1am. Thanks guys for a great evening and for the support!  It is always much appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving day

After a quick discussion in the morning, the Franz and Taljaard families decided to move house yesterday.

The Taljaard household was packed and moved from Port Alfred to Ocean Avenue, with their furniture and boxes being moved from the Industrial Area store.

The Franz household packed and moved from Ocean Avenue to Parker Road, and their furtniture was moved into the now emptied Industrial Area store.

A logistical nightmare for most but not for these interpid families, taking it in their stride and managing to complete all the moves before sundown. An impromptu housewarming party was held to celebrate at the Parker Road house - we were very limited on the booze front but managed to cope despite a certain mishap with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum!

Good time with great friends!

Not actual moving photo!

Raid to Adelaide 194!

It was all planned. On-board beverages, snacks, a borrowed car to ensure maximum space per square foot...

Jacques, Guillym and Alan all hopped into the Avanza and left Kenton at 5.00pm, or thereabouts. Arrived in Grahamstown and picked up Fabrizio and Ockie and we were off! After a necessary stop on Dikkopflats roadside, we arrived in Adelaide around 7.15pm.

Met by Hennie, Scott, Dassie and Chris from Adelaide 194, we joined their meeting at their clubhouse. With the food and beverages flowing, we enjoyed being able to listen to the way they run their meetings and projects, with many ideas being swopped and compared.

After the obligatory stop at the Midgley's Hotel after the meeting, we drove back (most slept...) and another visit is under the belt! We even managed to raid their Toilet Seat Trophy and Grahamstown 11's Mullet Award.

Good times!

Good-bye Michelle!

On Thursday night the Ladies all got together at the Goat Shed, near Kenton-on-Sea, to officially say good-bye to Michelle Pullen. Michelle's husband Richard became a 41'er this year, and it is a tradition in Alex/Kenton 210 for the Ladies to host a dinner to say good-bye.

A collage of photos and messages was handed over during the welcome by Daleen du Toit, after which Marliza Potgieter toasted Michelle in a speech.

The Ladies also gave Michelle her gift of a braclet with a small silver cross engraved with "proud 41'er x".

Raid on 195

Last night saw Jacques, Guillym and Alan driving to Port Elizabeth to visit the Round Table 195 Zwartkops meeting.

The on-board refreshments were a hit with the passengers, as was the brief stop at a fast-food outlet to ensure we were all sufficiently ready for anything that the sergeant could throw at us. After navigational issues in finding the Clubhouse (who knew there were so many identical streets in that area) we arrived in time to enjoy some fellowship before the meeting.

Unfortunately, two of the three trophies we were there to collect managed to find their way into the Round Table 208 Thornhill vehicle before we could grab them, but we will be getting them back on Alan's official visit next month.

A great meeting followed, with the Kenton guys yet again adding our own flavour to the proceedings, including reminding the guys of the finer points of Table etiquette...

A good drive back with some tunes (thanks to the mixed CDs we have finally added to the raiding vehicle) saw us in bed by 1am. Some of Daleen's travel sleepliness has worked it's magic on Jacques though, with our conversations often interrupted by his head-banging (we assume he kept waking himself up and it wasn't the music he was reacting to).

Area Chairman

This weekend in Thornhill saw Alan Malan from Alex/Kenton 210 being inducted as the Area Chairman for the Eastern Province Area.

Alan is a second-generation Tabler from the Club, with not only his father but also four uncles all having been members of 210, and continues the Club's great tradition of leading by example.

Alan is the fifth Area Chairman to come out of Alex/Kenton 210, with the Club also boasting a Past RTSA President and a Past WoCo President in it's history.

Seen here is Alan and Marliza Potgieter, 41'er Johan's wife.

Alex/Kenton 210 sweeps the board

This last weekend in Thornhill saw Alex/Kenton 210 winning most of the trophies on offer.

The Travel Wheel is a wooden wheel-shaped trophy, sporting a inner wooden spoke for each Club in the area. It is awarded to the Club with the most representation at the functions of the Area Conference, worked out over the distance travelled.

The Travel Shield is a wooden shield-shaped trophy, which is awarded to the Club with the most respresentation by the Ladies at the functions of the Area Conference, worked out over the distance travelled.

The Albert O'Callaghan Trophy is an engraved glass vase, which is awarded to the Club which convened the Area's Project of the Year - this was awarded to Alex/Kenton 210 for our Kenton Capers 2012.

The Middleburg Public Relations Award is a pewter mug on a wooden base, and is awarded to the Club with the best Public Relations during the year, combined with their PR presentation at the Conference.

The Steek-jou-dood Trophy is a set of Kudu horns on a wooden plaque which is awarded to the Club which wins the Inter-Club competition at the Area Conference.

The Slapgat Trophy is a wooden plaque with a buck-tail mounted on it, which is normally given to the Club which needs a performance boost, but was given to Alex/Kenton 210 with tongue-in-cheek and a pinch of salt.

Special mention was also made by the Area Secretary on the consistency of the minutes, as well as by the Area Trunk Tales Editor for the photos and editorial reports submitted.

All-in-all it was a fantastic weekend for Alex/Kenton 210!

Social Life

In Alex/Kenton 210 we have two floating social trophies, namely the Social Cross and the Social Pot.

The Social Cross is a wooden depiction of our logo, the Diaz Cross, and comes with a small leather-bound book in which a short story of how the recipient received and passed on the cross is written. There are many theories as to how the Social Cross must be moved, but the origins are far simpler - the need arose when the Club started for all the members to get to know one another better. The trophy was adopted to encourage Tablers to invite people they didn't know very well into their homes for a meal, and encouraged social fellowship in the Club.

The Cross these days can be moved at any function (from a cup of coffee, a quick beer at someone's house, a meal out, or a five-course dinner at your house) as long as you have the following mix: you, the Tabler you are giving the Cross to, the Tabler you got the Cross from, and a witness (and all their wives, girlfriends or partners).

The Social Pot is a galvinised black cooking pot on a wooden base, and is much less complicated. Again, the need arose in the early days of the Club for a social event to take place on a regular basis to encourage social growth, and each Member was designated a month of the year to hold a social event for the whole club, and provide food at the meetings held that month. These days we are a lot more active socially, but the Pot does seem to take it's time to move around. The meals at the meetings have been re-introduced and are a great hit!

Of course, with both these trophies it's not always disclosed when you are the recipient, with many a Tabler finding a hidden treasure in their cooler-box, wife's handbag or spare wheel space in the boot.

What's in a name?

A lot of people ask why some of our older banners and regalia, including the Chairman's Chain of Office, state Round Table 210 Alexandria, but we are now called Round Table 210 Alex/Kenton.

Two Clubs were initially started in 1976, namely a Kenton-on-Sea Club and an Alexandria Club. They went through all the motions of chartering their individual Clubs, had their meetings and even started projects. It was then decided that the Kenton members would all transfer to the Alexandria Club and Round Table 210 Alexandria was chartered.

The meetings took place in the back rooms of the old Alexandria Hotel, until a Clubhouse was leased from the Municipality on a 99-year lease on the Middle Beach Parking area in 1983. Unfortunately this lease was cancelled after 1994, after which a five-year lease renewable every five years was signed.

In 1987, it was decided that as most of the members of the Club were actually from Kenton-on-Sea, and seeing as how the Clubhouse was there, the Club approached The Association of Round Tables of Southern Africa and successfully had our name changed to Round Table 210 Alex/Kenton.

Our logo depicts the name change, as well as the Diaz Cross near Kwaaihoek.

Area Conference!

This weekend is the Area Conference in Thornhill (Loerie actually) and will see almost the whole club travelling down for the weekend.

An Area Conference serves three purposes: all the Chairmen and Exec Members get together to report back on their Club's activities and to plan for the next quarter; it's a great opportunity to travel to parts of the country you wouldn't normally; and it gives everyone a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

Alex/Kenton 210 has not always been a travelling club, but over the last few years we made an effort to travel together and stay together. The best friendships are made when you stay together!

This weekend is the Annual General Meeting, which finalises the past year and plans for the next. Marco Taljaard is also being inducted at the Meeting on Saturday.

Kenton Primary School Donation

Round Table 210 Alex/Kenton donated a desktop computer and two printers to the Kenton-on-Sea Primary School yesterday. This school is the life-blood of the community and is a very deserving recipient.

The Cruise

In honour of Este's birthday, she and Rudi hired the barge from the Sandbar Floating Restaurant on Saturday, and we headed up the Bushmans River.

It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the river can be, and the slow steady speed we were travelling at was perfect for catching up with friends, and meeting new ones. We went up as far as the Ghio Bridge, where the boat stopped, for those brave souls who wanted to, to swim. A slow return brought us back to the Sandbar just before the sun began to set, and it was then off to Este's parent's house for her Father's birthday celebrations. A wonderful day out!

Annual Raft Race

The Annual Raft Race takes place on the Saturday morning on the last weekend of January each year, and sees most of the Clubs in the Eastern Province Area travelling to Kenton-on-Sea to race their rafts down the river.

The race follows the tides, running either from the Kariega bridge to the Kariega slipway, or slipway to bridge. The rules are simple: no engines, no boats, and RT210 Alex/Kenton as the hosts may not win (not that we normally stand a chance...).

This year we had great fun building our amazing raft - the Stingray, and despite it's great potential, were pipped at the post! This project is an amazing "gees" builder, with everyone loving the experience, despite it all being over in about fifteen minutes.

New Buffalo Club Member

Last night at our meeting, Fabrizio inducted Marco into the esteemed Buffalo Club. Marco was rather worried about how this "induction" was going to happen, but the most challenging part was getting the handshake right (see photo).

Marco has decided that he is so excited about being inducted that he will have a tattoo done of the famous Buffalo head - I am afraid I don't have the courage to join that small group of Extreme Buffaloes!

New Beginnings

As with all good things, there must be a beginning and an end. The last year was amazing as regards projects and socials, but a new broom sweeps clean and we are all looking forward to a great new year ahead.

The new Chairman is Jacques van Wyk, and his council is as follows:
Vice Chairman - Rudi Franz
Secretary - Guillym Theron
Clubhouse Convenor - Ockie Goosen
Treasurer - Jacques van Wyk
Public & International Relations - Alan Malan

We have a whole list of exciting projects and plans for the year, and with all the enthusiasm and motivation at an all-time high, you can only expect great things from our small club.

A reminder of how to contact us:
Po Box 58, Kenton-on-Sea 6191 Republic of South Africa
alanlmalan@gmail.com

Till next time - cheers!

Alan