The Sheppie Pride - February 2013

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8TH EDITION - FEBRUARY 2013

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he highlight for February was the Midmar Mile. Our club’s 7 swimmers all finished and we are so proud of them.

There was a nice group of Sheppie Lions at the event and they were all given work to do which kept them out of mischief. We also donated the wheelchair to a very deserving and grateful recipient. In the evenings it was social time for everyone.

We all plan to do the same next year.

We also celebrated Valentines Day at the Port Shepstone Country Club on the 14th. It was a very enjoyable evening and so well attended. Sally’s food is always enjoyed.

We i n v i t e d a n e v e n t s company to give us a presentation to possibly revamp the Lions Show. They

came up with some good ideas, however, none vastly different to what we have already been doing so it appears that we are on the right track. Some small changes will be made to the format. We have also ordered and paid for our new Show Mascot, Melvin The Lion. That is going to be very exciting and Lion David de Jong has volunteered to wear the outfit. I hope he is fit. We have a lot of work planned for him and Mr Lion – We are still deciding on a name for our “LION”. We are also hoping to arrange a large corporate sponsor so please keep your fingers crossed.

I am happy to say that our regular charities all received their share of help from the club and again I must say it is just so rewarding to give to these charities who are always so grateful.

We have had some new roadside signs made and they should be going up soon to replace the old tatty ones.

Visitors to the coast will see clearly that we are alive and

active in the area.

Bingo went off very well as usual. Thank you to all the drivers who transport the oldies who love their Bingo afternoon so much. Also thank you top the ladies who supply snacks for that day.

The Flower Foundation cooking is back in full swing after the break and double cooking for the festive period. Thank you ladies for cooking. 80 meals x 2 is quite a mission but they seem to do it with such ease.

This months report is shorter fpossibly because its a shorter month. So until next month take care everyone and thank you to all our Lions and Lion Ladies for your ongoing dedication..

Jean Masson Club President

March 2013 2nd : CANSA Shave-A-Thon - Shelly Centre 2nd : Charter Dinner - Umthunzi Boutique Hotel, Umtentweni 7th : Ladies Meeting - Lions’ Den 8th : 2012 Leadership Retreat Follow Up Meeting - Lions’ Den 14th : Directors Meeting - Lions’ Den 16th : Lions Bingo - Lions’ Den 21st : 2013 Lions Show Committee Meeting - Lions’ Den 28th : Club Meeting - Lions’ Den

ROLL A FOLD

April 2013 4th : Ladies Meeting - Lions’ Den 11th : Directors Meeting - Lions’ Den 18th : 2013 Lions Show Committee Meeting - Lions’ Den 25th : Club Meeting - Lions’ Den 26th : Outdoor Expo at the Pont / Harley Davidson - Africa Bike Week 27th : Lions Bingo - Lions’ Den Birthdays : March : 3rd : Port Shepstone Lions Club 10th : Denis Meyer 11th : Inge Wank 17th : Clayton Curnow April :

Many thanks to Lion Johann Du Plessis for sponsoring new Club signs which are situated at the entrance to Oslo Beach, Umtentweni Interchange and the Port Shepstone side of the Umzimkulu bridge.

2nd : Lyn Curnow 11th : Yvonne Rodda 26th : Kevin Ross 29th : Karin Warman

Charles Wallis, Clayton Curnow, Nico De Jong, Alastair Warman. Gary Vogt and Bondi Horsley with Inika Curnow in front

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group of Sheppie Lions, Lion Ladies swimmers and supporters participated in and camped at the Midmar Mile event in Howick during the weekend of 9th & 10th February.

The Lions' team consisted of Lions Alastair Warman, Gary Vogt, Clayton Curnow, Nico De Jong and Charles Wallis and Lion Ladies Bondi Horsley and Inika Curnow. Although approximately half the swimmers lost their time chips in the water, The Sheppie Lions team managed to record their times with Lion Lady Bondi Horsley recording the best time of 30 minutes, closely followed by Lion Lady Inika Curnow. Lion Gary Vogt swam the event in 41 munities followed by Alastair Warman (42 Minutes), Charles Wallis (43 minutes), Nico De Jong (47 minutes) and Clayton Curnow (56 minutes). The participating Lions were very happy with their performance considering the fact that they did very little training.

Lion President Jean Masson, Lions Andre Beneke, Kevin Ross, Hilton Horsley and Lion Ladies Helen De Jong, Jacqui Ridden, Gayle Wallis, Jenny Vogt, Myrna Masson and Anita Hulley also attended to support the team and assist with some of the event related tasks. Lions members were responsible for handing out towels and T-Shirts to the almost 17000 swimmers who participated - a task that kept them very busy for long hours. Lion President Jean Masson also utilised his boat to run swimmers to the start.

During the 1st day's prize giving ceremony, Lion President Jean addressed the large crowd and officially handed over a wheel chair to delighted paraplegic Adri Visser on behalf of the Club.

The Sheppie Lions and Ladies had a wonderful weekend at the Midmar Mile and have vowed to return next year with an even bigger team of participants and supporters.

A delighted Adri Visser receiving her wheel chair from Lion President Jean Masson and Vice President Andre Beneke in front of thousands of swimmers and spectators.

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Nicky Gray finished first, while Pat Butcher, at only 15 years of age, won the women's event.

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outh Africa's Midmar Mile – the world's largest open water swim – was swum for the first time in 1974 when three friends, Mike Arbuthnot, Dick Park and Brian Glover, unable to compete in the Buffalo Mile in East London because of petrol restrictions, decided to stage a race in KwaZuluNatal.

One hundred and fifty-three competitors entered the first event, with the youngest swimmer being 10 years old. Victory went to Trevor Strydom, with Owen Ryan and Martin Godfrey finishing second and third.

1981: entries top 3 000 In 1981, the number of entries leapt again, topping the 3 000 mark. This led to a new format at the start, with swimmers divided into groups according to age. There was also a reduction in the time allowed to complete the race, down by 10 minutes to 50 minutes.

The following year more categories were added as entries again topped the 3 000 mark.

1983: drought strikes - In 1983 the Midmar Dam was hit by a devastating drought and was only 43% full for the Mile.

Entries in 1984 had fallen below 3 000, but in 1985 they increased once more.

1987: Entries topped 3 500 in 1987.

1987 : Entries are almost 4 000.

1975: first women's entries A year after the first event, in 1975, the first women's entries were received, but were viewed as unofficial. Debbie McLaren was the first women's winner.

In the same year, Wayne Riddin, now the convenor of the Midmar Mile and coach of the powerful Seals Swimming Club, as well as a a former national coach, won the men's event, smashing the record by over three minutes.

In 1976, with the size of the entry growing quickly, a time limit of one hour was imposed for the swim. Six hundred and thirty-four swimmers started the race, which was once again dominated by Riddin.

1977: top swimmers take notice The following year the number of entries topped 1 000 for the first time as many top swimmers gave the race their attention.

Springbok Paul Blackbeard won, with two-time winner Riddin relegated to fourth. Riddin's attempt to claim a third win come up short again in 1978 when Jacques Marais claimed victory.

The number of entrants leapt to 2 500 in 1980, prompting organisers to raise the question of qualification requirements for 1981. Marais, like Riddin, fell short in his attempt to win the Mile for a third time.

The 4 000-entry mark was topped for the first time as the Midmar Mile entered the nineties.

1994 had seen entries topping the 5 000 mark for the first time. In 1995, with entries soaring by over 1 000 more, Ryk Neethling took advantage of the lower level of the dam to set the fastest time ever over the course.

Neethling would have been a good bet to become the first three-time men's winner in 1996, but chose instead to concentrate on the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

In 1997 almost 8 000 swimmers completed the race.

The Midmar Mile turned 25 in 1998, and for the first time an international star won the event. Germany's Jorg Hoffman, a former world champion over 400 metres and 1 500 metres, powered to victory in the secondfastest time in the race's history.

1999: Over 10 000 swimmers finished the Midmar Mile for the first time in the race's history.

An amazing feat was accomplished by the Storm brothers in the men's event, with Carl claiming second, Anton seventh and Brad ninth.

Victory in 2000 went to Terence Parkin, who edged out previous winner Gareth Fowler for

the win after a tight, tough tussle. Parkin went on that year to win silver in the 200 metres breaststroke at the Olympic Games in Sydney.

2001: The hat-trick hoodoo on the men's race was finally broken when Ryk Neethling became the first man to win the Midmar Mile three times. Defending champion Parkin pushed him hard, but Neethling finally managed the win by five seconds over his Olympic teammate.

2003: 16 050 entries 2004 brought yet another record entry, this time 16 124.

2007 : For the first time ever, poor weather conditions led to the cancellation of the race.

Guiness Book of World Records In 2009, the organisers decided it was time that the Midmar Mile received official recognition as the world's largest open water swimming event, and contacted the Guinness Book of World Records to make this happen.

The tough economic conditions experienced around the world meant the rate of entries was slow until a lastminute spurt lifted the number to about 16 000. The 13 755 finishers secured a place for the Midmar Mile in the Guinness Book of World Records, along with the 3 110 finishers – the most yet – in a single event.

2012 With Midmar Dam looking spectacular at 100 percent full, and the dam wall overflowing, another very successful event took place in 2012.

2013 The Midmar Mile celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013 with another massive entry. Event founder, Mike "Buthy" Arbuthnot, swam two miles to take his tally to 80 miles at the age of 80, while Gail Bristow, an unofficial entrant when women were not allowed in the first year of the event, swam the Midmar Mile for a 39th year. Limbless American open water swimmer Craig Dietz stole the show by swimming a mile on Saturday and a second on Sunday.

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raditionally the Port Shepstone Lions celebrate Valentine's Day with a special dinner treat for their hard working Lion Ladies. This year was no exception. The Lions and their Ladies converged on the Port Shepstone Country Club on the evening of February 14th and were treated to a superb three course meal, courtesy of Sally Hefer. The venue was beautifully decorated by Lion Lady President Myrna Masson. Great fellowship was enjoyed by all who attended.

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The “Boffins” : Dave Baker, Alister Love, Geoff Smith, Gary Baker and Kenny Rolfe with Irene Love seated in front.

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n Wednesday 20th February, two teams from the Port Shepstone Lions participated in the Umtentweni Bowling Club's Quiz night.

Lions Team A ended up winning the Quiz whilst Team B, initially joint runner up with the Woman's Institute, were knocked into third spot after losing a sudden death round. Much of Team A’s success was attributed to Lion Gary Baker’s superb knowledge of music from a bygone era (the age is showing GB!)

The “B Team” : Andre Beneke, Alister Warman and Denis Meyer with Rob Harley, Barry Van Der Veen and Mervin Curnow seated in front.

The evening was, once again very enjoyable and the Bowling Club managed to raise a considerable amount of money.

On Saturday 23rd February, Sheppie Lions hosted another successful Lions Bingo session.

Senior citizens were transported to and the Lions’ Den by various Lion members and treated to delicious refreshments.

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n 26th February we received the very sad news that ex-Lion JJ Steyn was called to Higher Service. JJ Resigned from the Port Shepstone Lions Club a few years ago due to ill health and has finally succumbed to his illness. Out thoughts and prayers are with his family.

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LION PIETER VAN NIEKERK Married to : Joey Children : Three Occupation : Retired Tanner Been a Lion since : 1993 Sponsored by : Lion Melcus Nel (Wellington Lions Club 410A) Greatest Lionistic Achievement : During Presidential year received 3 Multiple District awards Hobbies : Woodwork, Gardening.

Bad Habits : Swearing & (CENSORED) Your philosophy on life : Be God fearing and Live every day to its fullest

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LION JOHANN DU PLESSIS Married to : Petra Children : Two Occupation : Business Owner - Roll A Fold Been a Lion since : 1998 Sponsored by : Lion Paul Brauteseth Greatest Lionistic Achievement : Club President Hobbies : Golfing & watching any sport.

Bad Habits : Smoking & (CENSORED) Your philosophy on life : Be true to yourself and others and you will reap the rewards

LION PETER MC KILLEN Married to : Elsie Children : Paul and Kerry Occupation : High School Principal Been a Lion since : I have been a Lion since 1989 after serving for 17 years in various Round Tables.

Sponsored by : Lion Rob Bing Greatest Lionistic Achievement : Awarded a Melvin Jones Fellowship during 2004 and if I recall correctly the fact that I ran the Leadership Retreat project successfully for 10 years may have had something to do with it, among other things.

Hobbies : Travelling to new places, historical literature and reading of a wide genre, running (more like hobbling now!), watching the sports that I used to be able to coach and play and repairing the garden after my dogs destroy it.

Bad Habits : None!

Your philosophy on life : To make the best use of the time left to me to do the things that I really enjoy doing while I am still able to do them.

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outh Coast Lions are Roaring With Pride

Those who were into “nubile young things” sashayed down to the Uvongo Town Hall for a musical show which offered loads of variety.

“Roaring Lions” was an event of fun, sing along songs spiced with top class performances from some very talented artists.

The Show took place from Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th April and, judging by the laughter that filled the hall on all three nights, all who attended thoroughly enjoyed the performances.

“Roaring Lions” was produced, directed and even starred Lions - the Club and not the pride variety - who hailed from Port Shepstone, Hibberdene and Ramsgate.

Proceeds from the concert went to many charities that the service clubs assist.

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President : Jean Masson Immediate Past President : Kevin Ross 1st Vice President : Andre Beneke 2nd Vice President : Bruce Plumbley 3rd Vice President : Kevin Ross Secretary : Dale Mc Garry Treasurer : Richard Borradaile Membership : Andre Beneke Public Relations : Denis Meyer 2nd Year Director : Barry Van Der Veen 2nd Year Director : Nico De Jong 1st Year Director : Gary Vogt 1st Year Director : Alastair Warman Tailtwister : Kelvin Hulley Lion Tamer : Kevin Ross Lion Ladies President : Myrna Masson Lion Ladies Secretary : Jacqui Ridden Lion Ladies Treasurer : Jane Massey Newsletter Editor : PDG Denis Meyer email : pro@sheppielions.co.za Web Site : www.sheppielions.co.za

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n 26th February a group of 16 Sheppie Lions raided the Business Meeting of the Shelly Beach Lions Club. The Sheppie Lions were the first official visitors to Shelly Lions’ new Club House which is situated in what was once a farm house at Izotsha Memorial Park. The fellowship during and after the meeting was superb and the visitors were treated to a delicious fish braai and salads after the meeting. Both Clubs are planning to run a combined project in the near future.

Club Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/PortShepst oneLionsClub Club Postal Address : P O Box 509 Port Shepstone 4240 Club Street Address : Lions’ Den Ambleside Road, Umtentweni

Sheppie Lions President Jean Masson receiving a friendship banner from Shelly Beach Lions President Ismael De Pinho

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n 11th February, Lion Barry Van Der Veen celebrated his 50th Birthday at a gathering of friends and fellow Lions held at 3rd Avenue Pub in Umtentweni. We wish him many more years of health and prosperity.

(Photo left : Lion Barry with Jacqui Ridden, her daughter Skye and son Troy at the party

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