Mensa SA Chronicle October 2016

October 2016

THE CHRONICLE 2

Marketing Wrap

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Smart beneď€ ts

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70th Anniversary Celebrations

IN THIS ISSUE 1.

Letter from Editor

2.

Photocup winners

3.

National Gathering 2016

4.

Marketing matters

5.

Notice Inviting Nominations for

HELLO MENSANS

the International Election 2017

National Treasurer: Schalkwyk van der Merwe

I recently read somewhere that the world would be a more peaceful place if everyone loved each other like a dog loves its owner. Of course with a very cute picture of a dog! At this time in South Africa with the rising student action (#feesmustfall) we need to nd a tolerance for each other, from both sides of the table. I personally believe that if we took more time to listen to each other we might understand the others point of view and might be able to nd a win-win scenario. We each need to have the opportunity to have a voice but this should never be done in a way that is illegal or disrespectful.

National Marketing Ofcer: Lorraine Steyn marketing@mensa.org.za

Thank you to all who attended the National Gathering 2016 and for making it such a special event!

Webpage: www.mensa.org.za National Chairperson: Simone Deyzel-O'Brien chairperson@mensa.org.za

National Secretary: Cinzi Busi secretary@mensa.org.za National Admin Ofcer: Yvonne Steyn admin@mensa.org.za

Heidi Franck EDITOR chronicle@mensa.org.za

PHOTOCUP WINNERS We are pleased to announce that the 2 winning entries from South Africa were:

"No Cow was seriously injured during this event"

by Philip Marx

"Air Crash"

by Koos van Niekerk

These 2 entries have been submitted to the International PhotoCup judges. Good luck to Philip and Koos!

NATIONAL GATHERING 2016

Clear your calendars for next year, when the National Gathering is hosted by Mensa KZN who are already planning to make the 2017 NAG very special!

Pretoria put on a fabulous show this year for the National Gathering. The resort was out on the Hammanskraal rd, in a very picturesque area north east of Pretoria.

Well-appointed chalets were situated around a lake, with a bar and deck lakeside, and central conference rooms and the restaurant.

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Saturday was a busy day - there were group activities laid on that included laser-tag clay pigeon shooting, archery, air ri es and catapults! We also went on a game drive at sunset, with thunderous skies that threatened rain and were very dramatic.

Lots of opportunity to meet new people from all the regions and let our hair down.

The big event was the line dancing on Saturday evening. We dressed in our nest cowboy and cowgirl gear, and proceeded to learn how diďŹƒcult a fast line dance really is! Beverley, our Pretoria chairman and host extraordinaire, also wowed with some very fancy dance footwork. What a talented lady, and kudos to Beverley and her entire committee for a great event!

THE CHRONICLE OCTOBER 2016

MARKETING MATTERS October is World Intelligence Month, and to celebrate we are offering FREE testing in all our regions. Check the web calendar for the next test in your area, and please send this news on to friends and family that may want to join!

Mensa South Africa is looking for membership growth, and we encourage you to re-connect with some of Mensa's core bene ts such as networking in a group that you can relate to intellectually, attending the speaker evenings, and participating in the growing SIG scene in each region.

We're keeping fees down for 2017, with only a small 5% in ationary increase for June 2017. We'd also like to offer the easy payment option of debit orders to our members. We have found a debit order supplier that will charge us R2.48 per debit order, which is a minimal fee for a lot of convenience. It's actually less than cash deposit fees!

You'll have a web sign up for debit orders, that also includes an easy cancellation option. There will be no pressure on members to use debit orders if they don't want to, but we hope that for many people there'd be bene t in an automated annual facility :-) For many years, members have also been limited to receiving newsletters from only their registered region. We are pleased to announce that you can now ask to be signed up to any or all regions. This is great for neighbouring regions, where Jhb and Pretoria people often go to both regions' event, as do Cape Town and Winelands. You can email admin@mensa.org.za if you'd like to be added to more regions for newsletter purposes (just do identify yourself clearly, to make the registration process go smoothly).

SIGs are a big contributor to the value that members perceive from Mensa. Did you know that any member can start a SIG (special interest group)? We have

boardgame SIGs in most of the regions, social evenings, music appreciation, wine tasting, hiking, local attractions and youth events to choose from. Many of the SIGs use WhatsApp groups to communicate upcoming events, which works very well for keeping in touch.

Just put up your hand to offer an activity, and see who else likes what you like. You start by contacting one of your local committee members and asking them to publish your proposed SIG in the regional newsletter.

People can then contact you to join your SIG, and hey presto! You have a new circle of friends!

If you haven't joined a SIG evening yet, keep an eye on your local communication channels (newsletters or WhatsApp groups) for upcoming SIG events. There's lots happening, in every single region.

Lorraine Steyn Marketing Officer Mensa South Africa THE CHRONICLE OCTOBER 2016

NOTICE INVITING NOMINATIONS FOR THE

INTERNATIONAL ELECTION 2017 In accordance with Article X of the Constitution of Mensa, the International Election Committee (IEC) invites nominations for the following internationally elected offices:

INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR-ADMINISTRATION

INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR-DEVELOPMENT

INTERNATIONAL TREASURER Nomination by National Mensas

Requirements for nominees

National Mensa committees may nominate a candidate or a slate of candidates for any or all offices by submitting the name(s) of such candidate(s). A national Mensa group may nominate more than one individual for each office.

Nominations should be made on the National Mensa Committee nomination form available from the IEC. The identities of all nominating national Mensa groups shall be made public to all voters with the candidate material.

Each candidate must: 1) be a member in good standing as of the date of nomination and continue to remain a member in good standing throughout the election period until May 31st, 2017; 2) have not served in the post they are nominated for in the previous two consecutive terms; 3) submit written acceptance of his or her nomination (using the form available from

Nomination by members

the IEC);

Members may nominate a candidate or a slate of candidates for any or all offices by submitting: 1) the name(s) of such candidate(s); 2) a petition signed by at least 100 members who are in good standing as of January 1st, 2017;

4) state his or her willingness to serve if elected; and agree to abide by the rulings of the IEC and the International Ombudsman in the matter of complaints and con icts arising from the elections.

3) veri cation of such good standing.

Petition signatures must be submitted on a form, which can be obtained from the IEC.

All nominations including petitions and acceptances must be sent in hard copy or in scanned electronic copies to the MIL office in time to ensure its arrival no later than January 28th, 2017 at the following address:

Mensa International Ltd. Slate Barn Church Lane Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EL United Kingdom e-mail: mensainternational@mensa.org

Contact the IEC at iec-chair@mensa.org for all enquiries regarding the election including nomination forms.

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THE CHRONICLE OCTOBER 2016