Rupert at Round Table helm
Some R200 000 was generated at last year's festival, which was channelled directly back into the community.
Rupert Niebuhr, the chairman of Margate Round Table, expects an eventful year ahead for the club and the community as a whole.
Originally from Vryheid, Rupert has a 17 year history with Round Table and joined Margate three years ago, where he was quickly appointed as the chairman.
Outside of Round Table, Rupert is an insurance broker and golf fanatic.
The organisation caters to men, aged between 18 and 40, where the purpose is to educate, grow and ultimately develop this demographic in a frequently moving society, or in their own words, ‘Adopt, Adapt, Improve’.
Dating back to England almost 100 years ago, Rupert embraces the local service organisation in a manner that accurately represents the Round Table culture: with the purpose of ‘building a nation’.
A meeting is held once a month where discussions focus on projects, charity and local support.
The Margate Round Table is involved in the South Coast community in a big way.
“The purpose is to enrich the community while having fun,” he added.
Rupert is eagerly anticipating the Oppi Kus Festival at the Douglas Mitchell Sports Club on July 5 and 6.
“The community can expect a spectacular line-up of amazing artists and a more dynamic food experience.
“The bar will also be well stocked,” he added jokingly.
Round Table works on a system of ‘man hours’, depicting the workload distributed among the club. As expected, the organising of an event on the scale of Oppi Kus is not a walk in the park. “You effectively need a new pair of shoes the next day,” he said.
Some R200 000 was generated at last year’s festival, which was channelled directly back into the community. This supports the club’s goal of promoting tourism and ultimately providing a ‘cash injection into the South Coast’s economy’.
The organisation relies on sponsorships from local businesses to organise such events, hence the rechannelling of the proceeds back into the same community. “We’re hesitant to donate money to organisations in the Western Cape, for example, as the events are sponsored by local businesses”.
Rupert asserts that the community can expect major support from Margate Round Table in the year/s ahead.
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