Round Table Parys – making a come back for the community

Over 50 young men gathered at Legends Pub on Tuesday 21 November for the first social meeting of the Parys 88 Round Table.
First Chartered in 1962, the Parys 88 Table seeks to bring young men from the Parys area together to make a difference in their community. By way of projects and fundraisers, the Table aims to improve the lives of those in need through active, hands-on effort.
Although not yet an official Table meeting, there was an impressive turnout, thanks to the efforts of other Tables in the Southern Transvaal/Northern Orange Free State (STNOFS) area, who used the opportunity to hold a ‘mass raid’.
A mass raid is an annual event where members of all the area’s Tables get together in a less formal gathering to catch up and network.
The STNOFS chairman, Mr Schalk le Roux, chaired the meeting, which was also attended by the Free State and Gauteng area chairmen, Thinus Kotze and Louwrens Lombard respectively.
The national vice-president, Mr Sean Trautmann represented the national executive for Round Table Southern Africa (RTSA), and a special video message was also sent through by the president, Mr Andrew Lea.
The Parys 88 Table has been dormant for a number of years but a new group of men have come together to get it up and running again.
Leading the drive, are Franco Kruger and Jacques ‘Silverfox’ Visagie. Mr Visagie has represented Round Table at a local, area and national level, and was awarded the ‘International Tabler of the Year’ accolade at the Round Table International AGM in Nepal in 2016.
There are already a number of young men who hope to be the first crop of Parys 88 Tablers and they all thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and fun of the social meeting. After the formalities of the meeting, the prospective Parys 88 Tablers had a chance to meet members from other areas who shared advice and support.
Franco Kruger said, ‘Our first unofficial mass raid was a great success. With the support of  RTSA and the STNOFS area, Parys can grow from strength to strength, make a change and touch lives.’
Round Table is open to gentlemen between the ages of 18 and 40 and anyone who would like to join can contact Franco Kruger by email at rtparys88@gmail.com