Rotary recognises community heroes

Gathering to enjoy fellowship, the Benoni Rotary Club paid tribute to two community heroes during a meeting at Grid and Grill in Rynfield on February 27.

Entertaining those in attendance with her customary jokes, legal eagle and club president Annie Steijn said it is vital that Rotary highlight the sterling work done by individuals that benefit their neighbours.

“Members of our club, which is currently celebrating its 95th year of existence, form part of 1.4 million proud Rotarians around the world,” she said.

“It is a privilege to meet like-minded people who simply roll up their sleeves to get the work done. Therefore, it is a pleasure having Alison Etherington along with the team of Clean Projects and Anna Kaba of Farrarmere Gardens Nursery Centre in our midst.”

Steijn explained that since its inception at the start of 2023, Clean Projects has not only made a tangible difference in the appearance of Benoni’s suburbs, major intersections and public spaces but has inadvertently restored a sense of pride throughout the city.

Taking the podium, Etherington said Clean Projects’ success is attributable to the remarkable team which keeps the tractor wheels turning, the generous sponsors that ensure projects can continue unabated, and the volunteers who show up.

“When we started Clean Projects, we thought we would undertake targeted community clean-ups once in a while,” she said.

“We did not envision that within six months we would have a permanent team on the ground performing maintenance duties on all the areas we identified for restoration and beautification.”

She said that despite efforts to secure a memorandum of understanding from the Ekurhuleni metro, their vision of restoring Benoni to the jewel of the East Rand will continue.

“Given the large scale of deterioration, we admittedly tried to ‘fix’ everything as quickly as possible, and I believe we have made a huge impact,” said Etherington.

“Our vision for this year is to continue with focused maintenance in the areas where we have hosted mass clean-ups.

“We will also turn our attention to sustainable initiatives such as using soil removed from gullies and stormwater drains to produce compost, which can, in turn, be sold, thus generating an additional income stream for the NPO.”

Overwhelmed and emotional, Anna Kaba briefly took centre stage to say she was grateful for the recent unexpected visit from Steijn and past president Wilna Dixon.

“Noticing how many of our young community members needed access to quality foundation learning, which is also affordable, I decided to establish my school in 2010,” said Kaba.

“We have 74 children in our care daily, where they can learn and play. I am proud of what I have created and am honoured that organisations such as Rotary acknowledge what we’re doing.”

Etherington and Kabe received certificates of appreciation, with the assistant governor, Grace van Zyl, encouraging members to support local organisations making a lasting impact on the city and its residents.

With one last joke, Steijn thanked Rotarians and guests for their unwavering commitment to those they serve.

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