Rowers teiken Klein - Letaba Herald

PAGE 20 LETABA HERALD - Friday 22 May 2009 SUPPLEMENT
The face of dedication
PRESIDENT of Letaba Tzaneen Lions Club, Martin Fröise.
Remember the Lions
THE Letaba Tzaneen Lions Club has
supported many national initiatives,
but it is here in Letaba that the extent of
their work can truly be seen.
Just as any Lions club, the Letaba
Tzaneen Lions Club focus their resources
on any group of needy individuals,
irrespective of age, race of
creed.
They have supported old-age homes
just as much as crèches, the hungry
just as much as the blind, and schools
just as much as churches.
Beside lunches and dinners organised
for the elderly, Letaba Tzaneen
Lions dedicated decades to an annual
weekend outing for the aged. During
the 70s, 80s and 90s, and before it
became too expensive, the elderly
could spend a weekend at the Kruger
National Park.
All expenses were paid with money
collected by the club, for just this
purpose.
The Lions used to host a film showing
every three weeks for the Old Age
Home in the then Duiwelskloof (Modjadjiskloof).
After a very successful
Morning Market held at the Eiland in
1977, the Lions were able to present
the elderly with a 66cm colour television
set of their own, and also pay
their television licence for a year.
Until 2007, Matshwi Primary School
in Ga-Kgapane had no library. They
had an empty classroom and several
donated books. The Lions were informed
of this, and decided to jump in
and create the first library in Modjadji
with a service radius of 40km.
The library was completed, but the
school had no funds to pay for a
librarian. The Lions couldn't leave it
at that, and committed themselves to
paying the monthly salary for a permanent
librarian.
When Speel-‘n-Bietjie crèche in
Duiwelskloof needed a facelift in the
70s, Letaba Tzaneen Lions Club
didn't hesitate to work in conjunction
with the SAVF of Tzaneen and the then
Duiwelskloof Municipality to give the
crèche a makeover and make it a
Continue from p.19
This year they received the Best Club
of the Year Award for the 410B district.
The highest accolade to receive as a
Lion is the Melvin Jones Fellowship
Award, awarded to a Lion in recognition
of his or her exemplary humanitarian
work and contributions
made in their name to the Lions Club
International Foundation.
Over the years Letaba Tzaneen
pleasant haven for children once
again.
The Letaba Tzaneen Lions Club has
also paid much attention to the various
medical needs of the community.
This year marks Letaba Tzaneen
Lions Club’s 40th birthday, and since
its birth in 1969, has purchased various
medical equipment for hospitals in
and around Tzaneen.
When Duiwelskloof Hospital
needed a laparoscope in 1977 (a
device for internal gastric inspection),
the Lions decided to help. Although a
laparoscope at that time was a rare
commodity to have, and only used in
large hospitals, the Lions hosted a
Morning Market at the Eiland and in
Duiwelskloof, and a fishing competition
at the Merensky Dam, to buy this
piece of equipment.
In 1971, the Letaba Tzaneen Lions
hosted a Donkey Darby. A temporary
gambling licence was attained, local
donkey owners contracted, and a
derby, with the owners as jockeys,
hosted.
This was an extremely successful
fundraiser, and with the money, the
Letaba Tzaneen Lions were able to buy
an ambulance for the Tzaneen Hospital.
1980 saw Tzaneen's hospital in the
Memorial Hall in need of an oxygen
tent. The tent cost R2 200 at that time,
but the Letaba Tzaneen Lions managed
to raise enough money and
presented it to the District Superintendent,
Dr Chris Roets, at the end of
February that year.
Before the South African National
Blood Service established a branch in
Tzaneen, the Lions regularly coordinated
a temporary blood donation clinic
in Duiwelskloof. With SANBS
Tzaneen in place, the Lions still very
much support their cause, and regularly
invite them to be part of their
events.
The Letaba Tzaneen Lions also vaccinate
the elderly against flu free of
charge, and this year managed to
inoculate 100 individuals.
Lions Club has honoured the following
members with this prestigious award:
Helmut Hanaczeck, Phil Robinson Sr,
Schalk Robinson, Philip Robinson and
Martin Fröise, making Letaba Tzaneen
Lions Club quite exceptional.
2009 has been a very successful year
for the club so far.
They received the Scrapbook of the
Year Award and their work on Jerry 3
ensured them the President’s Object-
The Letaba Tzaneen Lions Club
manages several daily services, one of
which is the wheelchair and crutch
service. Individuals who temporarily
need a wheelchair or crutches can
collect them from the Lions, who only
ask for a donation to support this
service.
This year, the Lions also bought 12
disabled parking signs. With the help
of the traffic department, the Lions will
put these up at major parking areas
across town.
Any and all unauthorised vehicles
parked on these spaces will be towed,
thus providing a valuable service to
the community.
The club also use a portion of their
raised money to pay the medical bills
of those that can’t do so themselves.
This year, a resident of Tzaneen was
in a serious car accident. The club
assisted the gentleman with R5 000 to
help pay his medical bills, and the club
challenged the residents of Tzaneen to
assist him with more monetary support.
Another R5 000 was donated to save
a baby's life.
Today, the corner of Peace and
Skirving streets in Tzaneen might be
the place to buy a car, but in the 70s,
you went there to visit the Lions
Self-Service Nursery.
Plants were donated, and anyone
could visit the unattended nursery for a
bit of greenery.
The money for the purchase was left
in a box, and Tzaneeners were several
times commended for their honesty.
Some of the money raised by the
nursery was handed over to the then
mayor of Tzaneen, Col Viljoen, for
cancer research.
Besides helping on the local medical
scene, Letaba Tzaneen Lions Club has
also helped with national initiatives,
namely Operation Brightsight, the Eye
Bank, Flight-for-Life and Medic-Alert.
They have always been willing to
help those in medical need, and is
clearly continuing the legacy that was
already taking shape in the 70s.
It’s rewarding to be a Lion
ive Award.
Their growth made them the biggest
club in the 410B district, which consists
of Gauteng, North West,
Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Swaziland,
ensuring them the Best Membership
Growth Award.
They were named the Best Club of
the Year, and who knows what else
awaits them in the future.