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NEWSLETTER July 2010 Introducing the Editorial Team A new group of energetic people have taken on the taskof creating the newsletter for CVWC and all loyalreaders. We hope to make the articles interesting,insightful, informative and above all fun to read. Ouraim is also to bring Camphill Village, West Coast to youthe reader; drawing you into this wonderful place weaffectionately call ‘the Village’.The editorial team consists of Christoph Jensen – longtime co-worker, farm manager, dairy manager andgroup home leader, Zuko Kili – group home leader,assistant baker; currently studying to be auxiliary socialworker, Tino Mukoka – group home leader andassistant baker, Lee Adams – group home leader,fantastic cook for monthly market and creative writingtherapy group leader and Lee Hansen – fundraiser.The newsletter will be brought out every month, andevery third month we will give you a more in-depthpublication with interviews and other interestinginformation. The monthly edition will be short andnewsy, something that will inform our readers ofcomings and goings in the Village, monthly Market dayinformation and short articles of interest.One of the things we value most is the input andfeedback from you our valued reader. We will requestof you to give comment on content and what you wouldlike us to tell you about Camphill in a future edition.Lee HansenWinter in Camphill....Sharp, snappy mist-shrouded mornings move onto mellow, meditative midday’s. Striking sunsetsin hues of orangey-ochre and purply-pink-on-blue give way to early grey evenings waiting tousher in the pitchy blackness of night.The fields in Camphill lie lush and fertile. Hereand there splashes of white and pink daisies andyellow sierangs peep through the green,flirtatiously catching the eye.Some trees are bare, bony but beautiful, othersparade their emerald finery for all to see andadmire...Lee Adams“I didn’t findmy job, my jobfound me”Greg Martin Buber and the World Cup Not even in my wildest dreams would I have imagined to link MartinBuber, that great (late) philosopher from Jerusalem, to the FootballWorld Cup. But a certain Dr. Michael O’Brien made the link in a letter tothe editor to The Cape Times newspaper on June 24th. No-one whowitnessed it can deny the elation and joy that accompanied this event inSouth Africa. People from whatever background celebrated together.Even the rivalry on the pitches was short-lived and outshone by themaking of friends from so many countries and nations. In short it was acelebration of humanity. South Africa claims to ‘own’ the cradle of(physical) humanity; I want to believe we are also rocking the cradle ofour common future humanity. I share this believe with Michael O’Brien:Martin Buber says that the true substance of civilisation is dialogue.Where there is real exchange, real heard speech and listening, realcommunication, there civilisation grows and spreads. … In war andconflict we turn from communicating to violence. A ‘cold war’ is abreakdown of dialogue – essentially grim speechlessness, or usingwords as weapons in propaganda. The only real, effective remedy to war,says Buber, is true communication, real dialogue. A time to talk is a timeto listen: between persons, between like and unlike groups, within ournation, as we are now experiencing at the World Cup. …Let us get toknow each other, visit each other’s homes, learn each other’s language,share each other’s joys, passions, pain and most of all, our commonhumanity.Michael O’Brien earlier in his letter makes reference to the OrlandoExperience. Before the World Cup the Orlando Stadium, in the middle ofSoweto, hosted the South African Rugby Final, ostensibly because theother stadiums could not be used because of the forthcoming WorldCup. The Rugby Final in 2010, for years a ‘white man’s game’ withmillions of supporters amongst the Afrikaaners made its firstappearance in the biggest ‘black’ township of South Africa. Hundredsand thousands of white supporters poured into Soweto to cheer on theirfavourite teams – but not only that: they celebrated before and after inthat township together with their compatriots, even staying in the Bead& Breakfast places on offer in Soweto. For many, many white SouthAfricans it was a first visit into Soweto – and they were welcomed withopen hearts and arms – only 20 years ago this would have beenregarded as a bad joke, or simply a nightmare … we certainly havemoved on.Christoph JensenGoodbye Malcolm......Goodbye to Malcolm Lamb whopassed away on17th June 2010.Malcolm was a gentle person whowill be missed by all in Groverhouse. Malcolm lived in CressetHouse and in Camphill Villagealtogether for 50 years.Moreabout him in the next newsletterSister Annie & MalcolmTill we meet again....John-Nicolas King, pictured below,will be leaving Camphill at the endof July. JNK, as we are used tocalling him, worked as DairyManager in 2008 and then movedto the Special Projects departmentin 2009 to date. He will spend 3weeks in England with familybefore he heads to Canada,Toronto to join his girlfriend MaryHanna. JNK says, “Being inCamphill has been a worthwhilechallenge. I will never forgetCamphill, and I will definitely visita nearby Camphill when I amoverseas. I also wish to pursue mycarpentry career there.” We wishyou everything of the best....John-Nicolas King Overall state of the Village A useful way of giving an overview of the Village is to think of it as a 45 year old. Some of thethings done in younger days are taking a toll on health and it has been necessary to visit adoctor or two. After thorough examination a number of ailments have been diagnosed andtreatment has begun for the most serious. It is still early days in the treatment but there aresigns that health is starting to improve. Provided the patient is disciplined and sticks to thetreatments prescribed, there is good reason to anticipate reasonable health in a year’s time.Stabilising FinancesThe “doctor” that we consulted about our financial health specialises in the finances of Non-Profit Organisations. They did a health check and found that ‘Looking pretty flabby! Wedetect a few significant problems and suggest you seek professional advice to understandand improve your systems. Diagnosis: Not terminal, but not too good either.’ We have notonly followed their recommendations but have also invested in training for the Junioraccountant, Marili Basson, all of which is making our finances significantly “less worse”. Thetimely provision of accurate financial information has been a vital contributor to theimprovements. The budget and the discipline of adhering to it, is becoming more a part ofthe life of Camphill. However, there is still a way to go.Finding appropriate governanceLast year we mentioned that we were being assisted by the Orion Organisation who workwith intellectually disabled in Atlantis. Their work with us has helped to create a better wayof making decisions and a better structure to manage what we do. We are implementingsound management practices with clear roles and responsibilities, a business plan andpolicies to guide our work. The first meeting of the Heads of Department took place on 30thApril 2009 and has been functioning constructively setting priorities, reporting on progressand troubleshooting where necessary. At the last AGM we showed a Business plan that washot off the press. The next stage is to make this a really living document that, along with thepolicies, becomes a “bible” guiding and inspiring us. CVWC owes a debt of gratitude to theOrion team for all their efforts. Thank you Orion!In this report there has been much emphasis on the management and administration. Whatis at the core of the Village is neither management nor administration but the quality of lifeof the residents, especially those with intellectual disability. The monthly newsletters give afeel of the lives of residents and the warmth of the welcome to visitors to the village tellseven more about how residents feel about their home.AppreciationThe Board wishes to formally thank the co-workers, employed staff and young co-workersfor their contribution to CVWC in the past year. Particular appreciation goes to Heads ofDepartments and Sandra Fowkes.Please let us know what you think of our newsletter! Send your comments to info@camphill.org.za withNewsletter in the subject line. We appreciate your input.Tel: +27 (0)21 5718600 Fax: +27 (0)21 572 2238 website: www.camphillwestcoast.org.za
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