Potchefstroom Rotary Club celebrates 75 years
Sharon Trautmann was inaugurated as the new president of the Potchefstroom Rotary Club at this Induction Dinner held at the Elgro Hotel.
Saturday 10 June 2023 was an auspicious day for the Potchefstroom Rotary Club which celebrated not only their 75th birthday, but also held an Induction Dinner for their new president.
Sharon Trautmann was inaugurated as the new president of the Potchefstroom Rotary Club at this Induction Dinner held at the Elgro Hotel.
The club was inaugurated on 10 June 1948.
The Master of Ceremonies, Rob Trautmann presented copies of the first year’s activities and the preamble read:
“We became a provisional club in March 1948 under the sponsorship of Roodepoort Maraisburg Rotary Club and our Charter No 6995 dated 10th June 1948 was presented by District Governor Straal Read, at the Charter Dinner held in the Queen’s Hotel on 26th June 1948.”
Back is Simon Pretorius, Ben Schuld, Theuns Truter, Theo van Niekerk, Rob Trautmann, Russell Walker, Sharon Trautmann, Jacques van Deventer and SW Rossouw. Front is Ray van Rensburg, Charl Labuschagne and Louwtjie van Rensburg.
The club was formed with 20 members with Colin Mc Innes as the Charter President and Derek Lane taking over later in the year.
Louwtjie van Rensburg, the outgoing President gave a summary of the year’s activities,
highlighting the Golf Day and his “Imagine” project. This project enabled Louwtjie, together with the Rotary Ann’s to collect over R40 000 that has been used to buy food parcels for distribution to the needy this winter.
The clothing and blanket projects together with the Christmas food parcels were also undertaken this past year.
Together with ES Le Grange School, Rotary built extensions to a workshop that is used to train students in mechanical repairs. Mr. Leonard Lemmer, a teacher at the school, and Rotarian SW Rossouw managed this project very successfully.
During the year, 70 wheelchairs were repaired and 13 new or reconditioned wheelchairs were handed out. Sharon Trautmann, the incoming President, thanked Louwtjie for his positive leadership and said that she would continue with his sterling work on the Imagine project.
Her theme for the coming year is “Create hope in the world”.
Together with her team she will strive to communicate the aims of Rotary International President Gordon McInally, for Rotary to create hope in the world by working for peace and mental wellbeing.
