VISITING ORION KATSE LODGE OUR PRESIDENT - Orion Group

OrionStar
HOTELS
OUR PRESIDENT
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
•Our President visiting
Orion Katse Lodge 1
•Celebrating Spring Day and
Secretary’s Day 2
•SA Consulting celebrates
Casual Day at Orion Hotel
Devonshire 4
•Cameroon Ladies Football Team
at Orion Safari Lodge 5
•From the Coaching Desk 6
•Orion Hotel Promenade
- Serious about Coaching 8
• Sales - On A Mission 9
•From the HC Desk
- Value of the Month 10
•Orion Star Colleagues and
Implemented Better Ways 11
• Rejuvenating the gift shop
at Coach House 12
•Birthdays 12
What a great honour for Orion Katse
Lodge to host this lunch for 150
dignitaries and a further 200 guests
in the remote Lesotho Highlands!
As most of you will know, Orion Katse
Lodge is one of the smaller units in the
Orion stable and it is certainly the most
remote, so it was an exciting challenge
to put together a formal luncheon for
the visit by the State President of South
Africa along with the Prime Minister of
Lesotho and various government
ministers from both countries.
It took a great
deal of planning
and preparation for
the day and it was
great to see all the
Orion colleagues pulling
together.The menu included a
request for an extensive buffet of
Basotho dishes and this, as well as
the preparations for the more
traditional buffet, meant that long
hours were put in. In fact, most of
the kitchen brigade worked through
the night before the function.
Thanks to the colleagues from
Orion Head Office who helped -
Mario Hirse Group Executive Chef
and Pieter Branken who swapped his
IT keyboard and served at the buffet.
The entourage arrived at Katse by
helicopter - 6 in total.After a tour
of Katse Dam, they were welcomed at
the lodge by traditional dancers and a
throng of ululating women, some
of the loudest were Katse staff!
The lunch was a great success with
compliments being given all round.
President Zuma was directed to the
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It’s happening!
SEPTEMBER 2010 NEWSLETTER
VISITING ORION KATSE LODGE
traditional Basotho buffet and commented:
“Now this is real food!”
“It was a great day for Orion and Katse
to host the State President and I am
extremely proud of all the staff who have
put in such a tremendous effort to ensure
the success of this function - every one of
them is an Orion Star!” said Ian Williams.
Ian Williams.
GM of Orion Katse Lodge.
1

CELEBRATING SPRING DAY COINCIDING WITH
SECRETARY’S DAY
2
The 1st of September, Spring Day, was long anticipated to be the day
for the warm weather to come and chase the winter season away.
Simultaneously, Orion secretaries had another day to celebrate
which felt like an official half-day public holiday for us.
Mr. Gmeiner invited us (Lea,Adelle, Nicole, Samantha and
Andrea) to the Rand Club to spoil us and thank us all, as well as
to show us a bit of history and glamour in the Johannesburg
CBD Rand Club.
When we returned to the office, Dino Urbani invited all of us to
go down to Bellisimos and finish our day there.
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Human Capital and OBS celebrated Spring
Day and also celebrated Secretary’s Day
with our very own secretary,Vasti Lessing.
Thanks for all your hard work Vasti, we
really appreciate you!
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3

4
It’s happening at the Orion Hotel
Devonshire. SA Consulting staff
were seen celebrating Casual Day
on the 3rd of September 2010
by treating themselves to a
delicious Full English Breakfast
in the Corner Restaurant.
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CAMEROON LADIES
FOOTBALL TEAM
AT ORION SAFARI LODGE
Her highness, Queen of the Royal Bafokeng tribe visited Orion Safari Lodge for lunch and
welcomed the Cameroon Team.
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5

6
FROM THE CO
General Management in
Team Coaching
Our GM Team took up the challenge in living the 13 behaviours.
They contributed to their own brand and credibility by burning
non-helpful behaviours and eagerly committing to more helpful
behaviours.
These are:
• Talk straight
• Demonstrate respect
• Right wrongs
• Create transparency
• Show loyalty
• Listen first
• Extend trust
• Deliver results
• Get better
• Confront reality
• Clarify expectations
• Practice accountability
• Keep commitments
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ACHING DESK
Merger Coaching
It’s happening at Magoebaskloof Hotel and
Coach House! Our two new teams attended
the second session of their Merger Integration
Coaching into the “ORION WAY”.
Both teams crafted a mission statement and
branded themselves as a team going forward
by crafting their shields and designing their
scorecards.Welcome to Orion Coaching!
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7

Orion Hotel Promenade
8
Serious about Coaching!
On the 19th of August 2010, the Orion
Hotel Promenade was fully booked with
a number of conferences.As it coincided
with the monthly Team Coaching, a
venue had to be provided for this
purpose.
With the fantastic Lowveld climate,
the perfect location was the garden
area opposite the Front entrance.
A complete conference style set up
was done in the shade of the huge
tree, which has been part of the
surrounds since days when the Orion
Hotel Promenade building was still
the official Nelspruit Town Hall.
As the hotel perimeter fence is in
the process of being extended, this
shaded area is now increasing the
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hotel’s offering in terms of venues
and conference breakaway facilities.
This will certainly be a welcome
addition.
With the additional space, the
secure parking facilities can now be
increased, and numerous other
opportunities come to mind.

Sales... on a Mission!
In the winter of 2010 just after the craze
of the World Cup, the Orion Sales Team
undertook a trip to the Kingdom of the
great King Shaka.
The sole mission:To conquer two
chiefs, McGrath and Blenner-Hasset.
The custodian of the mission was none
other than the great English General, Sir
Alridge. His troops exuded youthfulness,
vigour and a lust for power.
The bounty was the evergreen quest
for knowledge and for their future
endeavours in increasing the treasures
of their King and Ruler, King G.
The Lieutenant, a young eager fellow
known as Barry, found the trip daunting,
but was more than ready for the battle.
Lindsay, another new recruit who was
proving to be an asset in this platoon,
could not wait for battle. She would
wake up from time to time and ask “are
we there yet”, much to the annoyance
of the veterans of this escapade,
Sergeant Schoombie and the retiring
trooper Private Sam.
Any great trek would not be complete
without a chaperone to make sure
the troops are well behaved, as well
as to keep the morale high. Elaine
was the person that fulfilled this
paramount role.
The mountains were topped with snow
like icing on a cake. Upon reaching
McGrath’s domain the unit met with
Field Marshall Thomas. She treated the
troops to warm wine which signified
the hospitality of the host.“Sweet Willie”
Wilson, a trusted and reliable ally of
those parts, joined the party with one
of the Sergeant’s suppliers, Zandile.
A day of hard fighting was on the cards
at a battlefield aptly named “All Out
Adventures”.
The great adversary, a revered general
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Chris, gave our fighters the fight of their
lives.This was evidenced by the scars
on the chaperone and the screams
that would follow on the foofie slides
and swings. However, the troops
claimed victory and marched on to
invade Blenner-Hasset on the plains of
Wartburg.There a spread was prepared
for our conquering heroes and sheroes.
The victorious ensemble came back
with glee and knowledge to further
the missions of their Kingdom.
9

10
In the previous issue of Orion
Star, Human Capital had the
privilege of introducing the “A
Value per Month” initiative.As
previously stated, the purpose
of this initiative is to bring the
Orion Values to “life”, by
practically applying each one of
Orion’s core values to our daily
operations.
The Month October is “Treating
people with Dignity” month.
For the duration of this
month Orion colleagues are
encouraged to find ways to
noticeably live out this Value.
This value may be applied in
several ways e.g. Better Ways,
E-mail Signatures, Star Colleague
Awards, Competitions at Unit
Level, Newsletter Articles etc.
Any photos taken or articles
written depicting what your
specific unit has done this month
to bring this value to “life” must
please be submitted to HC.
Treating people with dignity
means treating people as
intelligent, thinking individuals
who are capable of making
unique contributions.
Whilst everyone needs to be
treated with dignity, colleagues
need to demonstrate additional
respect towards people in
positions more senior than their
own and to people older than
themselves.
Any colleague is welcome to
send their contribution to either
Antoinette Gmeiner (Director:
Organisational behaviour) or
Andre van der Merwe (Human
Capital Co-ordinator).The best
chosen input for this month
Orion colleagues TREAT PEOPLE WITH
DIGNITY when they:
• Respond in a timely manner to
communications and meet set deadlines
• Do not reprimand each other in public
•Avoid perceptions and damaging
rumours
• Refrain from using offensive language
towards internal and external customers
• Respect diverse opinions and cultures
•Greet internal and external customers
•Avoid offensive non-verbal gestures
•Adhere to professional etiquette
•Are patient with people who do not have
the same skills and abilities
•Are hard on performance but soft on
people
•Are on time for commitments
will be rewarded!
The Values and Ethics committee
will have a meeting during the
course of the month to discuss
any feedback received regarding
the value of the month.
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www.oriongroup.co.za
In the next issue of the Orion
Star we will be discussing our
third value, namely “Recognition”.
Have a productive month.
Regards,
The Human Capital Team

& Implemented Better Ways
Well done to all who received a “Star Colleague Award” and implemented “Better Ways”!!!
PIGGS PEAK
Executive Housekeeper (Piggs Peak), Francis
Bhembe, receives her certificate and her prize from
HR (Bongani Nhlabatsi) for being nominated as a
Star Colleague for the month of August 2010.
FINANCE
Preline Warambwa receives a
Star Colleague Award from
Coen Nolte
Annabella Kroukamp receives a
Star Colleague Award from
Coen Nolte
Saadiya Barnes receives a Star
Colleague Award from Coen
Nolte
Werner Verster receives a
Better Ways Certificate from
Coen Nolte
PROMENADE
Standing from left to right: Nelisiwe Shongwe; Nelly Nonyana;
Mtombisi Mthetwa; Rainet Nkuna;Willem Viviers
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DEVONSHIRE
Orion Hotel Devonshire Star Colleagues showing
off their Star Colleague Certificates. From left to
right: Eze Prince Oluikpe (Banqueting Waiter);
Zandile Mbatha (Banqueting Coordinator) and
Clive Nkomandzini (Handyman).
11

DEVONSHIRE HOTEL
LESEGO MABELENG 10
MARTIN NKOSI 10
ZANDILE MBATHA 13
JESSICA MAKARINGE 15
JOYCE MHKIZE 20
SIMON MOSIME 20
HEAD OFFICE
CHRISTINE VELDMAN 14
LINDSAY BRITZ 29
SAFARI
LYDIA MOLOPE 5
SILAS SENOSI 7
MONICCA SHALWANE 10
VICTOR MOTHANKE 15
VICTORIA SEJWE 15
FLORENCE SHALWANE 20
BENJAMIN MOENG 22
ADELINE MEKGOE 23
YOLANDE MEADES 23
MPHO SELAI 26
IAN PIENAAR 31
MONT-AUX-SOURCES
FELICIA MAPHALALA 7
PRIZAH NKABINI 10
GLORIA MIYA 19
STEVEN NJOKO 20
THOKOZANI HLATSHWAYO 25
LAURENCE MCGRATH 26
THINTA ZWANE 26
PROMENADE
NOMBULELO NGWENYAMA 3
LEZINDA FERREIRA 6
NONTOBEKO LUSENGA 10
SWAZILAND
BEATRICE MAHLALELA 3
NKOSINATHI MABUZA 8
THOKO MDLULI 8
JANE MKHONTA 24
LINDIWE DLAMINI 29
PATRICK MABILA 29
KATSE LODGE
CLEMENTINE MOHLABANE 2
ROSELYN JABARI 4
JUSTINAH KATSE 25
MOHALE LODGE
MONICA HLAELE 8
SILVIA CHELE 14
CLAUDIA MOTOLO 28
JACOB KHUTLANE 15
NTSOAKI MOSOEUNYANE 17
FRANCINA THEEPE 27
12
Rejuvenating the
Gift Shop at the Coach House
Upon visiting the Coach House Hotel, Gerhard and Chrissie Theron from Anchrizel
Interior, could not resist taking it upon themselves to give the Gift shop a breath
of life.
With the simple use of paint and a bit of creativity, a warm welcoming environment
was created which will even appeal to the most discerning shopper.
October Birthdays
WARTBURG
THUBELIHLE KHANIYILE 16
NOTHANDO BIYELA 29
OFM ADMIN
HESTER ROBERTSE 1
ANTONIO KYRIAZIS 9
ORION SECURITY SERVICES
THOLAKELE MFENGUZA 3
KAREL MATSIELA 6
KHULEKANI MYENI 8
ZUKO NCAPAI 9
HAMILTON LANGA 11
WILSON MAKHLIBELA 17
HAPPY SIMPE 26
FRANCE MALIGANA 27
OFM FINANCE
WERNER VERSTER 10
OBS
ANTOINETTE RAVENSCROFT 3
SANDRA PERKINS 12
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MAGOEBASKLOOF
TEBOGO RAMONYATHI 1
MALESELA LETSOALO 4
MATOME SEROTO 4
KOTSE HLONGWANE 5
MAPULA MAHLO 7
MOHALE RAMALEPE 14
TSAKANI MUKERI 24
JIGANA MBOWENI 28
THOMAS RAMONYATHI 27
COACH HOUSE
LOUIS JANSEN VAN VUUREN 2
MABUTLA MAAKE 2
BEVERLEY MARITZ 3
RAPHEFO MANAMELA 11
MABOKO MTHEMBI 17
JIKIJELA MGHONDZWENI 18
MUKHACANA MAPHOSA 24