Club History

Site Under Construction

The Rotary Club of Colesberg began because a Rotarian came to work on the Gariep Dam in the mid 1960s. He missed the fellowship he had become used to, so he collected some like-minded colleagues, a few businessmen and farmers from Colesberg, and the Rotary Club of Colesberg was chartered on 3rd September 1966, with the support of the Rotary clubs of De Aar and Cradock - a new club is always sponsored by an existing club. The first president was M. van Niekerk and there were 26 members, who met every week for lunch at the Central Hotel, now the Colesberg Lodge.

Over the years the club has been involved in a variety of activities, ranging from the provision of an incubator for the local hospital, building a swimming pool and a bridge over the sloot, to soap box derbies down the main street, braais for senior citizens at the Red Cross / Kiepersol home, Christmas gatherings for the senior citizens of Lowryville, equipment for pre-schools and crèches in Kuyasa, ride and tie horse races, dances, concerts, weekends at the Dam, and much, much more.

Rotary has brought many visitors to the Colesberg area. Several exchange students and many Group Study Exchange teams from Canada, the USA, England, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Australia, have spent time here learning about South Africa and sharing information about their countries. The club for many years hosted the Rotary Youth Exchange orientation weekend for students going to other countries, the Group Study Exchange final selection weekend, and more recently, the Presidents and Officers Elect annual training seminars. All these fill not a few guest houses at otherwise quiet times of the year. In the last four years we have in fact filled the whole town several times by hosting the Ulysses and Harley Davidson motor bike rallies, and the bikers will be here again this year in May and September.

We have obtained a matching grant to help provide bakkies for Umthombo Wolwasi School. 

Office Bearers.

Year President Secretary Treasurer
1996-67 A M van Niekerk    
1967-68 C Sprong    
1968-69 A M van Niekerk    
1969-70 G Wyrley-Birch    
1970-71 Alex Robertson    
1971-72 John Greathead    
1972-73 Billy de Wet    
1973-74 Desmond Collier    
1974-75 John Greathead    
1975-76 Ton Spykers    
1976-77 Dave Marais    
1977-78 Alex Robertson    
1978-79 Joe Nugent    
1979-80 Johnny Johnson    
1980-81 Herbert van Zyl    
1981-82 Bill Rose    
1982-83 Peter Pyke Jack Collier  
1983-84 Jack Collier    
1984-85 John Greathead    
1985-86 Johan Maritz Roben van Zijl  
1986-87 Roben van Zijl    
1987-88 Desmond Collier Jack Collier  
1988-89 Jack Collier    
1989-90 Roben van Zijl    
1990-91 Clive Patterson    
1991-92 Johan Maritz    
1992-93 John Greathead Roben van Zijl  
1993-94 Roben van Zijl    
1994-95 Roben van Zijl    
1995-96 Gay Best    
1996-97 Rhona Scheun    
1997-98 Eileen Mowat Jacky Ramsay  
1998-99 Jacky Ramsay Dave Duffy Roben van Zijl
1999-00 Dave Duffy Trevor Norval Jack Collier
2000-01 Trevor Norval Margaret van Zijl Jack Collier
2001-02 Margaret van Zijl Jack Collier Dave Duffy
2002-03 Jack Collier Hanlie Rodrigues Dave Duffy
2003-04 Jack Collier Hanlie Rodrigues Dave Duffy
2004-05 Hanlie Rodrigues Roben van Zijl Jacky Ramsay
2005-06 Hanlie Rodrigues Estelle Jacobs Roben van Zijl
2006-07 Dave Duffy Estelle Jacobs Roben van Zijl
2007-08 Dave Duffy Tony Wild Roben van Zijl
2007-08 Jacky Ramsay Tony Wild Dave Duffy

Home Site