TORONTO
The first Toronto Rhodes Alumni Dinner/Dance was held on Sept 22nd,2011 and it attracted 38 Old Rhodians and their guests. Attendees praised the venue, ambience ,excellent 3 course meal and DJ music at Otello’s (a choice Wedding Events destination in Oakville ), as well as the popular “Reminiscing From The Podium”. A theme that emerges from the Podium each time we host an Alumni Event is that the Campus life at Rhodes was some of their best times of their lives. The Art of drinking (cheap wine and beer) at University was also a popular topic amongst Old Rhodians and their guests. The information supplied by the LEAP Guest Speaker was an interesting subject and if you have an interest see www.leapschool.org.za
In looking at future events ,attendees thought we should continue to host the Alumni Dinners, preferably on a Friday evening but keep the Dancing for special occasions, maybe once every 3 years. This year, because of the smaller attendance by Old Rhodians , we decided not to do formal Fund Raising for Rhodes. However if anybody is interested in donating to the University ,please see www.ru.ac.za and click on Annual Fund.
All told another annual “Fall “Alumni Dinner has come and gone; sadly we all a year older and the cooler Canadian weather is fast-approaching. A special thanks to all the guests who were able to attend and a big thank you to Eunice Son Kee for co-ordinating the Event, almost single-handedly.
If you have any suggestions to improve future Alumni events – we would like to hear from you. Take care and please stay in touch.
Regards
Gerry
Rhodes Alumni Co-ordinator for Toronto.
Alumni Dinner at the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga on Friday, October 15th 2010
A bunch of enthusiastic Old Rhodians, some with their partners gathered at the Port Credit Yacht club in Mississauga (just west of Toronto) on October 15, 2010 for yet another enjoyable and memorable Rhodes Alumni Dinner. The appreciative attendees were “in awe” listening to guest speaker and O.R. Robin Benger imparting his knowledge and experiences in his long and successful career in making documentary films in over 65 countries, including South Africa. We were treated to snippets on a big screen (thanks to Eunice and Raymond James) from Robin’s now famous SA documentary “Five Roads to Freedom” which was aired on Vision TV just before the start of the FIFA World cup soccer games.
In good Old Rhodian fashion, Robin also shared some of his “war” stories whilst at Rhodes- these included rugby, cricket, politics, and of course the beautiful young girls that were at Rhodes in the early Seventies. In recent years he admitted that he was far removed from thinking about his time at Rhodes but our invitation allowed him to “dig deep into his chest in the attic”- he admitted that his time at Rhodes was amongst his best times as a young adult.
Thank you Robin (and to your lovely actress wife Nicky Guadagni) for accepting our invite and contributing to a very special and thought provoking evening. Thank you also to all the attendees for supporting the event and making it our best ever Alumni Dinner in Toronto.
Regards,
Eunice for Gerry Son Kee
Past Events 2010
Rhodes Alumni Braai in Toronto
Sunday, July 18th 2010
We were blessed with a warm, sunny day and 52 people – (Old Rhodians, their family and friends), gathered for a memorable Rhodes Alumni Braai (BBQ) at Mario?s Farm (of „Florence Meat? fame) in Hornby, just North of Oakville, Ontario.
Everybody who registered for the event, showed - a testament to the popularity of our Alumni events in Toronto, and the reliability of our Alumni.
Guests started to arrive from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m., to the soothing music of the “SMOOTH JAZZ DUET” by DR. JAMES WHITE O.R (on clarinet) and SANDY MACDONALD (on guitar). Many old friendships were renewed, new ones forged as people got acquainted, in the first hour of meet and greet. At 2.00 p.m. a delicious “braai”/BBQ lunch was served up by Mario, our resident chef. Juicy boerewors, lamb kebabs, chicken breasts, roast potatoes grilled vegetables, bread rolls and green salad. Melktert (milk tart) and coffee rounded off a wonderful BBQ lunch. (Also, thanks to Felicity Lacey for adding her special fruitcake to the dessert table).
From 3.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. it was time for a bit of reminiscing - and the 2 themes which, proved very popular, were:
Life after Rhodes/Life in Canada…… pick from your Best Decade
A lot of hidden”gems” emerged from the podium (both humorous and serious). All participants had a favourite decade (many said their days at Rhodes), but felt that many of their decades were memorable ones, and all felt very blessed to be living in Canada.
From 4.00 pm. to 5.00 p.m., more good conversation and friendships ensued and more beer, wine and water consumed to the popular tunes played by our “SMOOTH JAZZ DUET.”
A Raffle draw was staged with the Grand prize being a Gourmet Basket of South African groceries from Florence Meats, and the guests generously donated $360, all of which will go to the Rhodes University Needy Student Fund.
Before people winded their weary way home, after a most satisfying, sociable and relaxing picnic, 14 couples completed a survey prepared by the organizers. Results are as follows:
Yes No
1. Venue – Great – Semi-rural farm setting 14 -
2. Type of Events (Pub Evening, Golf or Wine & Cheese) 12 2
3. Frequency of Events (2 Events/year – Braai and a Dinner) 12 2
4. Networking (Besides Social, also Business Networking) 10 4
5. Contact Details (O.K. to release contact details to Alumni) 14 -
6. Fund Raising and Donations (O.K. to raise Money for
Needy Students and Projects at Rhodes University) 14 -
Overall Comments: A great time was had by all !
Tributes and Thanks:
Alumni Co-Ordinators Gerry & Eunice Son Kee of Raymond James Ltd.
Smooth Jazz Duet Dr. James White (O.R.) and Sandy MacDonald
Florence Meat Supplies Mario Goriup and two sons, Tom and Damian
Raffle Prizes and Preparation Gerry, Eunice and Team member, Mary Richmond
A big thank you to all who attended and made this Rhodes Alumni Braai such a
resounding success.
Note: Based on the survey, (and with Eunice?s “blessing”), we will host a 3rd “Fall
Alumni Dinner at the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga on Friday, October 15th
2010 – please mark your calendars !!
Gerry Son Kee
Alumni Co-Ordinator for Toronto
Telephone (905) 891-5222
World Cup Finals
Old Rhodians Geologists Breakfast 2010
As many of you know, the recent 2010 PDAC(Mining Show)in Toronto attracted more than 25,000 visitors and miners from all over the world.
Please see below the 9 attendees who attended the recent O.R Geologist’s breakfast at the Royal York. Eric Cunningham remarked that the turn-out was disappointing this year (probably due to the Miners busy hustling at the show). However, the people who attended had a great time interacting both personally and professionally.
