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www.thevillagenews.co.za
26 June 2019
Rotary honours those who help make a difference T he weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Hermanus turned into an especially joyous occasion last Thursday evening when the club’s President, Ann Wright handed over a number of special awards.
First up were the ‘unsung heroes’ of the club, whose dedication and hard work behind the scenes are often overlooked, but without which the club would not be able to function. The recipients were Carl van Heerden, Frank Matthee and Lorraine Cain. The Rotary Hermanus Civic Award went to Mark Robson, Estelle van Graan and Lynne Powers of Cuckoo Tree, who was again responsible for the delicious dinner that was served. The prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award went to Past President Ian Wallace and Carolyn Martin of Creation for the extraordinary contribution they have made to humanitarian and educational programmes in Hermanus. And finally, the District 9350 Public Image Award was bestowed on The Village NEWS and Hermanus Times for their promotion of the various community services provided by the Rotary Club of Hermanus.
Carolyn Martin, who was the driving force behind the establishment of the Hemel-en-Aarde Pebbles Project, was praised by Ann as someone “who gets things done”. Realising that there was no facility for most of the pre-school children of farm labourers in the valley within 20 km from their homes and no transport to get to one, Carolyn arranged meetings with local farmers to gain support for her dream of establishing an ECD preschool and after-care centre for these children. When Anthony van Hoogstraten offered some of his farm buildings at Bergplaas for this purpose in 2016, she contacted The Pebbles Project, an educational trust and non-profit organisation in the Winelands and explained her vision for these children. They agreed to assist and after extensive renovations, an ECD centre was opened in a small farm building next to the main farm house, where the after-care facility is housed. The Pebbles Project Trust also provided resources and well-trained staff. With the facility up and running and providing a refuge for dozens of children who previously had no access to
education, it soon became apparent that the project was in need of additional classrooms to accommodate the growing number of children. Carolyn again approached the Rotary Club of Hermanus, which had already contributed to the acquisition of a bus to transport the children, to assist with the renovation and conversion of another farm building. At the awards ceremony, Carolyn thanked Ann and Past President, Ian Wallace for “immediately coming on board” and enabling her vision to become a reality through the support of a Global Grant from the Rotary Foundation. Thanks to the expertise of architect Andrew Finlayson, structural engineer Eward Grobler and the builder, Barry Coombe, the historical value of the derelict barn was preserved while turning it into three modern ECD classrooms. The building also houses a bathroom and an office, with a fully-equipped playground outside. “This project just goes to show what can be done if we don’t stop dreaming,” said Carolyn. - Hedda Mittner
What’s on at UNTIL 28 JUNE
Ann Wright, President of Hermanus Rotary (left) with Past President Ian Wallace and Carolyn Martin of Creation, who both received a Paul Harris Fellow award. BELOW: The renovated barn at Pebbles ECD Centre that now houses three additional classrooms.
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