Round Table Nelspruit 49

Ngo – Association

Profile

Association Projects and Themes

The number of projects that have complete Association appeal are necessarily limited, but undoubtedly give the Association the opportunity to increase the Round Table public image and a conscious seeking out of suitable projects to be embarked upon by the whole Association (if at all possible) is a continuous duty upon the members of all Tables. Projects are intended to be of an obligatory nature and Themes voluntarily. In terms of the Constitution not more than one Association Project may be undertaken in a year. The principle function of the Community Services Convener, which is reported on elsewhere, is to examine and promote suitable Association projects, examples of which are National Sea Rescue Institute, Child Helpline, Welfare of Children and Wish Week. At the Association AGM in 1995 the members voted in favour of ARTSA adopting children as a long term alignment and many projects adopted at all levels of the Association are linked to improving the plight
of children.

Table Projects

It is the duty of every Tabler to be awake to the possibilities for his Table to be of service to the community and to propose to his Table the acceptance of a project of which he has become aware. The most rewarding service or fund-raising projects are those in which all members of Table are able to, and do in fact participate. A great deal of fellowship is derived by Tablers and what better means is there of really getting to know your fellow Tablers than by working shoulder to shoulder on some satisfying project. Table should ensure that proposed projects are thoroughly investigated and then accepted or rejected in general meeting. Once accepted it becomes obligatory for every Tabler to give his fullest possible participation to the project, whether he personally was in favour of acceptance or not. The ideal Table Project is one which will allow each individual member to undertake his share of the work in the company of his fellow Tablers, in such a spirit of team work and cheerfulness that the work becomes synonymous with pleasure. The project should not be over-ambitious relative to the Tables strength and the size of the community nor should it be of such long duration that both Tablers and the community lose their initial enthusiasm. All Tables should ensure that all members of their prospective communities are able to participate in their projects.

The Owen Frye International Fellowship Fund

When Owen Frye was still a member of the Port Elizabeth Round Table he visited Europe and attended an Annual Meeting of Round Table International. Both at the meeting and in the course of his travels he made innumerable Table contacts that he found to be immensely valuable as a means of clearing away misunderstandings and promoting International Goodwill. Owen, shocked at the misconceptions about South Africa, stated at the Half Yearly Association Council Meeting held in Oudtshoom in 1958 that he felt that the only way to clear up these misconceptions was to bring overseas visitors to South Africa to see for themselves. He offered to donate an annual sum of R100.00 to the Association of Round Table of Southern Africa, and in 1959 the Association constituted the Owen Frye International Fellowship Fund. It was in the same year that the World Council was reconstituted and that ARTSA became a founder member.