Our Business is getting better every day in - Orion Group

OrionStar
It’s happening!
GROUP
The following Service Providers will be the preferred suppliers for 2009/ 2010:
1) Boabab (Hotel)
2) Datafin (IT/ Finance)
3) Hospitalio (Hotel)
4) OBS (General)
5) PCS (General)
6) Prostaff (General)
7) RecruitFin (Finance)
RecruitIT (IT)
RecruitMI (Sales)
8) Vision Placements (General)
9) Khulisa Connection (General)
10) I-recruit (General)
11) Hotelstaff – Nelspruit (General)
12) Mpumalanga Personnel (Hotel)
13) Network Hotel Consultancy (Hotel)
14) Competitive Advantage
Management (General)
15) Accountants on Call (Finance)
16) The People Connection (General)
17) Network Finance (Finance)
OCTOBER 2009 NEWSLETTER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
•Annual Recruitment Breakfast 1
•Birthday Celebration 2
•From Our Mentor 3
•Message from the CEO 3
•Social Responsibility 4
• The Sky is not the Limit 5
• Spring Day Promenade 5
•Red Hot Ferrari 6
•Chef’s Corner 6
•Orion News 7
• Star Colleagues 7
•Feedback 8
•Birthdays 8
Orion’s Annual Recruitment Breakfast was
held on the 30th of September.
Human Capital hosted the event that
took place at the Devonshire hotel.
This breakfast gave us the opportunity
to meet the representatives from the
prospective recruitment agencies for our
preferred supplier list for the next year.
Antoinette Gmeiner opened the breakfast
with a welcome message after which
each of the prospective agencies had the
opportunity to introduce themselves.
After being informed on our recruitment
process, the agencies also had a chance to
ask any relevant questions. By that time
everyone’s mouths were watering from the
aroma of freshly prepared breakfast that
filled the air.
With the formalities out of the way,
we could all relax and enjoy the
delicious meal. All in all, the event
was a great success and we look
forward to doing the same next year.
Thank you to all the staff at
Devonshire who contributed to
making the breakfast a success and
ensured that everything ran smoothly!
Linda Vermaak
Human Capital Manager
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za
1

Vascos held another birthday
lunch as a token of appreciation
for hard work and commitment
to the group. Our staff were
excited to have the Friday
afternoon at work replaced
with a delicious lunch and the
opportunity to chat with
their colleagues and
Mr Gmeiner.
In addition, this was a memorable
and potentially last birthday
lunch at Vascos as a result of
its evolvement into a
pizzeria during
October.
Egor A. Oussov
(Executive Assistant
- Franz Gmeiner)
2
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za

“Lost his marbles” you
might think, if I suggest that what and
how you think determines your reality.
You might still believe that there is a
reality out there that is independent
of one’s opinion or
thoughts. Here are
two reasons why
you might have to
review your opinion.
Firstly, your brain works
at an incredible speed.
Nano seconds would be
a relevant time-unit if
you think of the speed of
your thoughts in your brain.
Your brain, however, is designed to
interpret information and for you to have
a sense of meaning and understanding,
rather than perpetual confusion.
This process of your brain to organize
information (some researchers refer to
this as the “stories we tell ourselves”)
happens so very quickly that by the time
you become “aware” or “register,” your
brain has already done the job on your
behalf and has put a spin on “reality”.
This means that reality is maybe more
your reality than it is an “independent”
reality.
Secondly, if you think that you need to
attack, it is because you have identified
the cues to do so. But have you not had
the experience that sometimes you
attack, and afterwards you realise it
was a mistake? You misinterpreted the
We are in the final stretch towards the
end of the 2009 calendar year.
This has been a challenging year so far
for most of us. The economic recession
has cost many staff reductions and
company closures.
Many companies failed to pay their
workers’ salaries and closed their doors
without notice.
Prices are always increasing and this
places a huge burden on most families.
The AIDS pandemic is still taking its toll
and many of our loved ones are passing
away daily. The political scenario in
event or person and because of the
misinterpretation your behavior was
a mistake? Have you also noticed how
two people can use the same information
and come to different conclusions?
Typically the argument then is about
who is right,
rather than considering
it is two different interpretations
which might equally be true?
Here is the downside of this incredible
ability of our brain: we tend to believe bad
news (i.e. a tendency to see only the
negative or worst aspects of all things and
to expect only bad or unpleasant things
to happen) a lot quicker and for a longer
time than we do good news. We would
rather believe the bad news, and act as if
that is the whole and only truth.
It becomes easier to be a “bad news
person” if you have previously used this
mindset and have prevented things from
going wrong. Having selected a mindset,
and operating from it and getting certain
results because of it, reinforces the way of
thinking to the point where it is easy to
decide “that’s the way the world is” or
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Zimbabwe is causing major havoc in
South Africa because we are taking in
the refugees from that country. This is
also a huge burden on our medical
service, schools, roads and housing to
name a few.At such time one wonders
where all this will lead to.
At Orion we are always working hard to
make things better. We are asking each
staff member to find new and creative
ways to find a BETTER WAY to do the
same thing.
We are asking each staff member to
ensure that OUR BUSINESS IS GETTING
BETTER EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY.
“that’s the way people are.” Again, a negative
(“bad news”) mindset seems to need less
convincing and has more “stickiness”.
What bad news you believe will determine
your behavior. Bad news mindsets tend to
take less risks, or smaller risks. They are
much more cautious and expect more
frequently that things will go
wrong, sometimes to the
point where they cannot
even make a decision to
start something because
in their mind it is
already doomed to failure.
This fear of things going wrong is a malicious
thought virus. These people forget that
things can be fixed. Or that you can think
ahead and do contingency planning using a
“when-if”-problem solving approach. Even if
you cannot anticipate correctly how things
go wrong, people who have the confidence
and a positive mind-set are better equipped
to “fix” things than are the bad news people.
Am I suggesting that you should get rose
tinted glasses and fool yourself about the
good news? Absolutely not! I am suggesting
this: is there any other way that you can
think about the situation or the person?
Have a good one! Can I tell another story
rather than a bad news
story with its thought
viruses? Then, go check
it out and test the other
stories before jumping
Armand Kruger to conclusions.
I have noticed over the years, and this
is borne out by research that the success
of a business is largely due to the efforts
of staff together with the guidance of
management.
As a result of our team coaching
interventions many of our teams are still
very productive and work together very
well. This cohesiveness has to be
extended to the remaining teams.
We are now asking
of all our staff and
management to put
together their
collective energy and
creativity to ensure
“IT’S HAPPENING!”
Franz Gmeiner
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za 3

GM TEAM
The GM’s Team have been collecting old
blankets and pillows from the hotels to give to
the charity of the month, The Salvation Army
Fairlands Children’s Home based in Linden.
Dino Urbani, Cathie Bester, Astrid Dressler
and Andrea Thornton-Dibb made the
donation to the home on behalf of the whole
team of General Managers.
PIGGS PEAK
This home provides residential care for
both girls and boys, and exists to provide a
secure, caring and loving home environment
within the children’s need for healing past
hurts, and where hope for the future is
encouraged and nurtured.
The Fairlands Children’s Home looks after
60 children aged between 3 and 18, many
of whom come from broken homes or
are abused and exposed to violence. All of
these children have suffered emotional
trauma and need a loving and caring
environment in which to live.
THE GM TEAM
OFM - A thank you from Caring Angels
The Libutfo team kept up
their involvement with the local
community by donating matresses
and blankets and by fixing doors
to keep the cold at bay.
Painting our Pre-School -
Sponsors having Fun!
Special Thanks to Melody, her
daughter and the Orion Group
for bringing Joy into our lives!
We would like to thank you for bringing joy into
our lives by having a fun day with us at Coronation
Estate.The children enjoyed the jumping castle
very much and are already asking when you are
coming again.All the residents enjoyed the braai
and the hot dogs - our pre-school looks brand
new and we get compliments all over, thanks to
you and the Orion Staff.
Willie,“Caring Angels.”
Enjoying the Sunshine -
Having a Braai and Hot Dogs!
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmm!
Playing Taxi...
4
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za

PIGGS PEAK
Helicopters whisked in and
landed on the bowling greens
at Piggs Peak at yet another
fun-filled poker weekend.
According to the team, they
are living the theme of a
previous year’s annual
strategic conference...
“WE ARE THE
CHAMPIONS!”
Spring Day at the Promenade Centre this year was a
colourful affair with flower flair. Shoppers could have their
pictures taken in a variety of “face in the Hole” displays
while balloon artists entertained the crowds with balloon
creations to suit the occasion.
- Vanda Lutz, Centre Management
Spring Day at Promenade
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za 5

This thrilling super car
is stunning! It’s beautiful,
smart and probably the
best around.The Finance
Department is building
its brand around the
Ferrari and wants to
be smart and probably
the best around.
The Finance
Department’s
mission statement,
“TO MEASURE AND
REPORT THE FINANCIAL
AND CASHFLOW
PERFORMANCE OF
THE ORION GROUP
EFFICIENTLY” says it all.
Working in collaboration
with other departments, the
Finance Department will
continuously develop better systems
to monitor, share, and track financial
information throughout the organization.
The systems put in place, which are
continuously improved on, will help us
achieve our mission.
THE PERFOMANCE OF THIS RED HOT
SPORTS CAR IS PHENOMENAL,WITH A
SPEED OF 0-100KM/H IN FOUR (4)
SECONDS! FERRARI WILL ALWAYS BE
CONSIDERED AN EXOTIC CAR AS IT
SCORES A NEAR PERFECT SCORE FOR
RELIABILITY, BUILD QUALITY AND A
TOP SPEED OF 314KM/HR. FERRARI,
HAS BECOME A SYMBOL NOT ONLY
WE ARE NOT REAL CAR ENTHUSIASTS, BUT WE
JUST HAPPEN TO ADMIRE THIS BRAND SO MUCH
THAT WE ARE GOING TO EMULATE IT.
OF SPORTINESS AND INNOVATION, BUT
ALSO OF EXCLUSIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP
AND GREAT REFINEMENT. JUST LIKE
THE FERRARI,WE ARE GOING TO BE
NEAR PERFECT, RELIABLE, PRODUCING
QUALITY FINANCIAL INFORMATION IN
A TIMELY REFINED AND VALUE ADDED
MANNER.
The Finance Department aims to drive
greater efficiency in organizational financial
processes, maintain ledgers with accuracy
and provide invaluable insight through
innovative reporting on Orion’s financial
status.We endeavor to reduce errors and
turnaround time to an absolute minimum,
thereby making the
entire Finance
Department more
efficient.
The Department
recognizes that
appropriate
financial information is
critical for the successful
management of any business;
hence we will continuously
improve our systems to
accomplish this objective.
By creating a team that
realizes its full potential
through diligence, loyalty,
commitment and teamwork,
the Finance Department will
undoubtedly create a lot of
value.
We are in partnership in
achieving ORION VISION
‘1T50’, and believe that
enhanced operational
efficiency will result in
meaningful cost savings.
The Finance Department
always wants to look beyond
the horizon and prepare for
the future, guided by the
Group’s visionary leadership.
THE FINANCE
DEPARTMENT WILL
MAKE IT HAPPEN!
The Executive Chef at Safari
Lodge is presenting refreshingly
new ideas in the kitchen - his
signature dish for the month is
a Pistachio crusted rack of lamb,
served on a sweet potato tarte
tatin with a green bean bundle,
butternut skewer and berry
juice.
This is now a challenge for all
the other Exec Chefs in the
Group! Well done to T. J. Strauss!
6
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za

Lesotho
It’s with great pleasure that we
welcome a full and thriving
team to our
Lesotho
Hotels.
Both Katse
Lodge and
Mohale Lodge
have recently
introduced
new General
Managers in
the form of
Gary and Delia
Blenner-Hassett
at Mohale
Lodge, and
Ian Williams at
Katse Lodge,
as well as
a Financial
Controller
initially from Head Office -
Sakkie Scheepers.
Gary and Delia are originally
from Safari Lodge in Rustenburg,
and Ian is from Cape Town, so
we are sure that the adjustment
to Lesotho life has been an
interesting one. Gary and
Delia have already experienced a
Lesotho thunderstorm, and all
the challenges that go along with
it – power outages, and very few
candles available at the
shop!
Even with all
these “challenges”,
the team is already
doing a fantastic
job and plans
to revamp the
Lesotho units
are already well
underway.
This refurbishment,
in conjunction
with LHDA
(Lesotho Highlands
Development
Authority), should
boost both Mohale
and Katse to
excellent 3 star Hotel status,
which has been the vision
from the very beginning.
We wish the Lesotho team
all the best!
Dino Urbani
(Hotel Operations Manager)
Katse Village Walk
Although it may sound like it, Katse Village Walk is not
the name of a local shopping mall but rather the name
given to a new tourism initiative at Orion Katse Lodge in
Lesotho.
Three local unemployed
young adults
Mamajeremane Motse,
Teboho Lalane, Ikaneng
Khethisa will take lodge
guests for a walk and
taste of village life, letting
them have a close up
view of Basotho culture
and cuisine.The initiative
provides a training and
tourism experience for
the three and some
income for them as well
as the local villagers. It is
promoted by brochures
and information sheets
printed by the hotel and
guest liaison training is
provided by the hotel HR
department.
Some of the first guests to experience this tour were
Raymond and Tika Tay both doctors from Singapore who
are on a 4 month tour of Southern Africa.The couple
ended up taking 3 hours to complete the tour and ended
up with a drink in the local shebeen! “Definitely a
highlight of our tour – and to think we nearly skipped
Lesotho!” was Raymond’s comment after the tour. Ian
Williams, GM of Katse Lodge added “We are pleased
to be part of this initiative as it forms part of our
commitment to be involved with the local community.
Also, the tour encouraged our guests to stay a day
longer – which will always make any hotelier happy!”
Star Colleagues
Devonshire Hotel
Martin Nkosi – Front Office Supervisor,
proudly showing off his well deserved
Star Colleague Award which he earned
by consistently being helpful, friendly,
enthusiastic and a team player.
Lillian Mgulwa – Room Attendant
Schamalindie Collins – Executive
Housekeeper
Junior Ngobeni – Room Attendant.
Lillian and Junior proudly showing off
their Star Colleague awards, and
Schamalindie was rewarded for the
implementation of a Better Way.
Safari Lodge
Sam Rakgafela
receives his
certificate and
prize voucher
for consistently
providing guests
with excellent customer care in The
Coach Restaurant at Orion Safari Lodge.
He has also been commended for 'walking
the extra mile' by showing guests the newly
upgraded conference facilities, which resulted
in additional business.
Willem Viviers (GM)
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za 7

SAFARI LODGE
Dear Maryke,
We would just like to thank you for the
beautiful surprise we received at the
coach when Sam (waiter) brought us
our desert.
The happy anniversary which was
decorated on the plate with chocolate
was so, so special. It meant so much
to us and you really did make our night
more memorable.
Thank you to you and your staff at
Orion Safari Lodge that went the extra
mile to make it all the more wonderful.
We will never forget this.
Thank you again.
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Iwona & Mr. Glen Bals
DEVONSHIRE HOTEL
FIKILE MZINYANE 3
LONG XU 23
ZAKHELE NGOBESE 27
ALFONS RATHJE 30
HEAD OFFICE
DINO URBANI 19
CATHEINE BESTER 20
OBS
ANTOINETTE GMEINER 19
SPAR TOPS
PRIVILEGDE NKOSI 9
MARGARET LAMBANI 10
WENDY WOOD SPAR
NANDISWA SOMDAKAZI 15
NTOMBETHEMBA KLAAS 25
KARIN MARAIS-VAN VUUREN 16
SAFARI LODGE
RUTH LEBOTSE 2
DIANA MMUTLANE 4
LENAH SENQHI 5
COMPUTER KENOSI 6
THE GROUP CEO
RE: APPRECIATION
This letter serves to Convey the
appreciation of SADTU North
West about the hospitality of the
hotel management and staff on
the conference we held on 21 - 23
August 2009.
For the first time in many years
since SADTU has been dealing
with Orion hotel, the hospitality
was extremely dignifying, enjoyable
and appreciated by the delegates
of SADTU.
We thank the leaderships displayed
by the general manager in particular.
We look forward to having such a
good relationship with Orion Hotel
Yours sincerely,
Provincial Secretary
T.B. Setswambung
GODFREY MOILWA 6
CORNELIUS VON BENECKE 11
OLGA KGOBOKWE 15
ROSS JURGENS 18
THABO SEPOTOKELE 20
GABOREKWE MABOANE 25
INNOCENTIA TRAMPA 27
LYDIA SENNE 27
GRACE NTSHABELE 30
MOHALE LODGE
ELLAH PHASUMANE 25
MOUNT-AUX-SOURCES
JULIA NKABINDE 1
GOODNESS MIYA 5
NOBUHLE ZULU 5
PHILANI MADONSELA 15
DEIDRE EDWARDS 16
GLYNN BAILIE 23
NTOMBIKAYISE SHABALALA 23
MAFIFIYELA DLAMINI 26
SAMSON MLABA 29
PROMENADE HOTEL
NAVY MOLISE 7
AGNES MALULEKA 11
PIGGS PEAK HOTEL
GCINA MDLULI 2
PENELOPE NKAMBULE 4
SIPHO MSIBI 9
JULIET DLAMINI 10
SIMILE SIBANDZE 14
PETROS MOTSA 24
OFM
NCEDO PANDLIWE 2
PRECIOUS MLOMBO 18
BUYISWA KHOZA 21
AARON MASHEGO 22
SIPHO MAGAGULA 23
PIGGS PEAK
Hi Jenny,
We stayed at the Piggs Peak Hotel
from the 23rd - 25th of September.
Just to let you know that we really
enjoyed every minute of it.The Hotel
felt just like home. My teenage kids felt
so free and safe.
The room was so neat and comfortable
with the most beautiful view.
My teenage kids had so much fun using
the facilities, the putt-putt, snooker and
so on.
Everything is so well kept.The staff
was so friendly and accommodating,
especially in the restaurant.We are
Jewish and could not eat meat or
chicken and they understood us
and helped us out.
It really felt like home away from home.
Thank you and we look forward to one
day going back there again. It was
definitely one of our good holidays as
a family.
Lea Hadad
----------------------------------
Hi Jenny,
What a wonderful weekend away!
The tranquil, serene atmosphere
makes the difference.The in-house
friendliness really does “IT” for me.
Commendation to the staff.
It was nice to be entertained by real
professionals. Regardless of having
had the opportunity to be chosen
for a weekend away, we will revisit this
establishment soon.We recommend
the Orion Piggs Peak Hotel & Casino
to all!
Thank you once again,
Kindest Regards,
Toni & Mienie
SONTO MATSHIDZA 24
MUSA NDWANDWE 25
JIMMY KHUMALO 28
SIZWE MKHIZE 29
ORION REAL ESTATE
KARIN MARAIS-VAN VUUREN 16
WARTBURG HOTEL
MICHAEL MKHIZE 7
SIKHONONGETASI MDLALOSE 14
KATSE LODGE
VIOLET LIKOTSI 18
TATELLO MOFOKENG 26
MOSALA 27
8
Our Business is getting better every day in every way.
www.oriongroup.co.za