Wine auction turned into a glittering Bootleggers Ball

The annual Letaba Rotary fundraising event is usually just a wine auction, but this time it was combined with a glittering Bootleggers Ball at the Warriors Barn in Magoebaskloof.

Over a hundred guests, dressed in high 1920’s fashion, attended the Ball and R44 000 was raised with the wine auction, steered by MC Maurice Stander from Haenertsburg Rotary Club.

The funds were raised for the Tzaneen Care Centre, run by Dave Protter.

All three Rotary tiers were represented. The older members were the Rotarians with their president, Rudi Viljoen. The 20-30 year age group, known as Rotoracts, was represented by Rudi’s son, Ruan Viljoen. The Interacters are school children and were represented by their deputy, Kim Maritz from Merensky High School.

The Interacters, all from Merensky High, helped the Rotarians set up for the event and also served as waiters.

Arthur Servé, Rotary exchange student at Merensky from Brussels in Belgium, had arrived in South Africa two only days earlier. He coped admirably with helping the other Interacters.

Some of the companies represented were BB Motors, Discovery, Momentum, Miami Canners, Hotel @ Tzaneen and BMK Electronics.

Rene Viljoen, Rudi’s wife, did most of the catering, which consisted of a three course meal with a variety of choices. Hendra Gous from Blomskuur in Tzaneen provided the flowers and the impressive long cylindrical vases for the tables.

The Barn was festooned with balloons and huge posters on the walls from that era, including Greta Garbo and Marlon Brandon in The Godfather.

Dave Protter said he runs the Crisis Centre in Boundary Street and a Safe House in Maritz Street. It takes R30 000 every month to keep these two establishments running. Retired elderly ladies knitted toys for the children and Dave said there was no greater comfort for a traumatised child than cuddling one of these knitted toys.

The Safe House could accommodate up to six people and has a fully stocked kitchen.

The stay is for a maximum of 48 hours while Dave and volunteers sort out the needs of the victims.

Volunteers were always welcome. Dave said he gave basic training and further training was given by an organisation in Pretoria. Volunteers were taught to empathise and they had to gain insight into their own emotions as volunteers can’t afford to get emotionally involved.

Dave said the biggest crisis in Tzaneen was drug addiction in the form of heroin, ecstasy and amphetamines. He believes that the crisis is fuelled by the anxiety of modern life, the ethical and moral breakdown of society, no discipline in schools and no compulsory military training that taught respect.

He also said that alcohol remained an ongoing crisis with cases of domestic violence often erupting after rugby matches, when drunken Tzaneen rugby supporters were physically abusive towards their spouses.

The meal was served between the eight wine auction lots because the Merensky learners had to return to school as they were in the throes of examinations.

Once business was concluded the glamorous guests let their hair down and danced the night away at this Bootleggers Ball that will now become a highlight on the annual Rotary calendar.