Ian Sutherland on his book Featherstream

Guest Speaker Ian Sutherland

Date                Thursday 13 February 2020

Time                12 noon for 12h30

Venue              Blockhouse Kitchen, Constantia Uitsig

Our first get together in 2020 promises to be thoroughly enjoyable.  Chatting to Ian Sutherland our guest speaker whets the appetite to hear more… His book Featherstone is a really good read. Couldn’t put it down…

THE AUTHOR

Ian Sutherland graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from UCT in 2016. Featherstream is his debut novel, and two romantic thrillers are in advanced stages of production. He has been shortlisted for the 2018 Short Sharp Stories Award and previously placed second and fourth in the annual SA Writers College short story competition.

Ian’s work has appeared in publications as diverse as the Anthology of South African Short Stories and Engineering News. Originally qualifying as an engineer, Ian later earned an MBA from Columbia University and has worked in management consulting and banking in New York and Sydney. He currently lives and works in Cape Town and enjoys traveling, surfing, cycling and dancing the tango.

 THE BOOK

Featherstream is a romantic suspense novel set at the southernmost tip of Africa during the Second World War. The novel’s landscape ranges from the remote fynbos plains of Agulhas in the Southern Cape through the Moravian hamlet of Elim to Cape Town. Based on extensive historical research, it explores the deep ideological tensions in South Africa between supporters of the pro-war government of General Jan Smuts and those of Dr Daniel Malan’s Purified National Party, through the striving of a young woman to reconcile her own loyalties (divided between her country, family and new-found love) and break free of an overbearing father.

 Please telephone Sandy on 021 685 8016  or email sandybailey@telkomsa.net to book or for more information.

It's a West Coast Wander at the December Luncheon

Thursday Club December Luncheon

Launching

At Kelvin Grove on Tuesday 3 December at 12 noon for 12h30

Guest Speaker is Georgia East

It’s our year-end and what a year we've had;  explored many avenues and met some lovely people along the way. All reasons to celebrate. The Pavilion is a lovely private room at the historic Kelvin Grove Club. 

The lovely Georgia East will be with us as our guest speaker.  

She has written West Coast Wander a stunning exploration of our beautiful West Coast with some delicious recipes to go with some spots you have never even heard of…. Bianca Coleman interviewed Georgia, an extract of her interview below….:

Exploring this wildly beautiful coastline and the people that call it home, West Coast Wander takes readers on a culinary caper from Yzerfontein to Doringbaai, documenting each delicious detour. As for trendy Paternoster? Hmmm, not so much, according to this forthright author.

“You can see the West Coast with two very separate kinds of eyes,” says East. “You can go in and see it on a one-dimensional level – fishing houses, fishing boats, a little bit grubby, a little bit rundown, not always pretty. Or you can go in and see it as a place where it’s not easy to live –weather conditions are harsh, no green, no trees, it’s not that aesthetically pleasing.

(You can see the whole interview on Daily Maverick)

The menu:

Ballotine of turkey

 Glazed Sweet Potatoes, blanched sultanas, apricots, roasted apple

 Crumbled Feta on Cranberry sauce

Mince pies and Coffee/Tea

Kelvin White/Red Wine

A vegetarian option is available with the same vegetables and sauce plus a vegetarian protein.

If you have a problem with Turkey and don’t want the vegetarian option please let us know so that we can arrange an alternative for you.

The cost of the function is R360 which includes venue hire, food, wine and service.

Please call 021 685 8016 or email sandybailey@telkomsa.net  to let us know if you will be attending as well as any dietary requirements you would like.

The Dragon Lady

Historical fiction based on the life of Lady Virginia Courtauld

During great social change in 1930s Britain and 1950s Rhodesia

 At Buitenverwachting Restaurant on Friday 18^th October

12 noon for 12h30

The guest speaker is Louisa Treger, author of The Dragon Lady a classical violinist who subsequently turned to literature, earning a Ph.D. in English at University College, London, where she focused on early-twentieth-century women’s writing. Louisa’s first novel, The Lodger was published in 2014. She lives in London with her husband, children and dog. She will be introducing us to her latest exciting novel.

The Book

Opening with the shooting of Lady Virginia Courtauld in her tranquil garden in 1950s Rhodesia, The Dragon Lady tells Ginnie's extraordinary story so-called for the exotic tattoo snaking up her leg. From the glamorous Italian Riviera of the roaring twenties to sultry, segregated Rhodesia in the fifties, the narrative spans enormous cultural and social change. Lady Virginia Courtauld was a boundary-breaking, extremely colourful and unconventional character who rejected the submissive role woman were expected to play.

Subtly blending fact and fiction this novel keeps the reader guessing from the outset, who shot the Dragon Lady and why.

A gourmet meal created by Edgar Osojnik especially for Thursday Club promises to be delicious and will be accompanied by Buitenverwachting’s exquisite wines.

The price per ticket is R495 which includes service and wine. For more information or to book please telephone Sandy on 021 685 8016 or by email sandybailey@telkkomsa.net.

PLEASE NOTE THIS LUNCHEON TAKES PLACE ON FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER

Occasionally we change from a Thursday to another day to accommodate a special speaker.

The Bosasa Billions - James Brent Styan

“A timely, thorough account of the Bosasa saga. The chronicle of the transition from

freedom fighters to unscrupulous state captors is astonishing.”

– PIETER-LOUIS MYBURGH, AUTHOR OF GANGSTER STATE

Venue:             The Pavilion, Kelvin Grove

Date:               Thursday 3^rd October 2019

Time:               10h00 for 10h30

Speaker:          James Brent Styan

Guest Speaker James Brent Styan is the best-selling author of Heartbreaker - Christian Barnard and the first heart transplant and Steinhoff: Inside SA’s Biggest Corporate Crash both of which Thursday Club launched.  If you were lucky enough to be with us for these two events you will remember that James Brent Styan is one of the best speakers we have ever had the pleasure of hosting.  He is with us to tell us more about his recently launched book The Bosasa Billions which has been flying off the shelves and is into its second print run.

A NEW CHAPTER IN STATE CAPTURE: THE CULT OF BOSASA

With South Africans still reeling from the revelations of state capture, the next bombshell hit the country: Bosasa – grand-scale corruption that had cost taxpayers billions.

Whistle-blower Angelo Agrizzi and Bosasa boss Gavin Watson soon became household names while gripping testimony before the Zondo commission held the public in thrall: little black books, elaborate bribes and walk-in vaults.

When President Cyril Ramaphosa – the man tasked with reforming the country – became entangled in the web himself, it sparked a political firestorm that threatened to engulf his presidency.

In The Bosasa Billions, best-selling author James-Brent Styan and co-writer Paul Vecchiatto tell the story of how one company hijacked the state to establish an extensive tender network stretching right to the top of the ANC government.

Watson’s employees likened the workings of his company to that of a cult. Ultimately, however, Bosasa was not in the business of saving souls. It was selling them.

 

James Brent Styan

Authors

James-Brent Styan, the former financial and parliamentary journalist is the best-selling author of Steinhoff: Inside SA’s Biggest Corporate Crash.

Paul Vecchiatto has more than 16 years’ experience as a parliamentary correspondent for several publications and wire services.

Venue

The Pavilion has always been enjoyed by members and Kelvin Grove will be serving a brunch which sounds fabulous. A glass of bubbly will start proceedings. The price per person is R330 which includes service and venue hire.

For more information please either call Sandy on 021 685 8016 or email.sandybailey@telkomsa.net 

We look forward to this one and I am sure the morning will be thoroughly enjoyed by all.

.

The Stellenbosch Mafia - Inside the Billionaires' Club

Launching

Buitenverwachting Restaurant, Thursday 5^th September

Guest speaker PIETER DU TOIT is a political journalist and has held senior positions at a number of Afrikaans titles, including political correspondent and news editor at Die Beeld in Johannesburg. In 2017 he was appointed Editor of Huffington Post South Africa. He has covered politics for more than a decade. His first book Enemy of The People was a best seller.

THE BOOK

About 50km outside of Cape Town lies the beautiful town of Stellenbosch, nestled against vineyards and blue mountains that stretch to the sky. Some of South Africa’s wealthiest individuals: all male, all Afrikaans live here – and all very, very rich; Johann Rupert, Jannie Mouton, Markus Jooste and Christo Weise, to name a few.

Julius Malema refers to them scathingly as ‘The Stellenbosch Mafia’, the very worst example of white monopoly capital.  But who really are these mega-wealthy individuals, and what influence do they exert not only on Stellenbosch but more broadly on South African society?

Author Pieter du Toit begins by exploring the roots of Stellenbosch, one of the wealthiest towns in South Africa and arguably the cradle of Afrikanerdom. This is the birthplace of apartheid leaders, intellectuals, newspaper empires and more.

He then closely examines this ‘club’ of billionaires. Who are they and, crucially, how are they connected? What network of boardroom membership, alliances, and family connections exists? Who are the ‘old guard’ and who are the ‘inkommers’, and what about the youngsters desperate to make their mark? He looks at the collapse of Steinhoff: what went wrong, and whether there are other companies at risk of a similar fate. He examines the control these men have over cultural life, including pulling the strings in South Africa rugby.

NITTY GRITTY

We return to the beautiful Buitenverwachting Restaurant for this luncheon. A superb 2-course luncheon with Amuse Bouche and Petit Fours including wines will cost you R495.

For more information or to book please telephone  021 685 8016 or email sandybailey@telkomsa.net. 

Launching - Blood on Her Hands

Guest Speaker Tanya Farber i

introduces her latest book

Where:       The Blockhouse at Constantia Uitsig

When:        Thursday 15 August

Time:          12 noon for 12:30

Award-winning journalist Tanya Farber who currently writes for The Sunday Times brings to life lesser-known details of famous female murderers, in an accessible imaginative style. She combines storytelling

with research drawn from psychology to explain female deviancy.

Murder has always fascinated us, and when women are the masterminds, the intrigue flows exponentially. Not only are female murderers much rarer than male killers, but their crimes usually also involve a more sophisticated type of plotting.

In Blood on her hands, award-winning journalist Tanya Farber investigates the lives, minds and motivations of some of South  Africa’s most notorious female murderers, from the poisonous nurse, Daisy de Melker to the privileged but deeply disturbed Najwa Petersen, the mysterious Joey Harhoff who died before revealing where the bodies of her victims (including her own niece) were. Farber sets each case against the backdrop of the different eras and regions of 20th and early 21st century South Africa the women operated in. Her writing style is lighter than the subject matter might suggest and Blood on Her Hands will keep you reading until late at night... probably with your light on.

The women featured also include Dina Rodrigues, Phoenix Racing Cloud Theron, Marlene Lehnberg, Chane van Heerden and Celiwe Mbokazi.

The luncheon will be at The Blockhouse on Constantia Uitsig Wine Farm, a new venue for us.  A fabulous 3-course luncheon created by Chef Brad Ball including Constantia Uitsig wines and service will cost R390 per person.  We will return to Buitenverwachting when Edgar re-opens for the September luncheon.

Please get in touch either to book or for more information 021 685 8016 

or sandybailey@telkomsa.net.

A Headmaster's Story - Bill Schroder

Launching

‘There will only be one boss in my Pretoria Boys High memory – Wise, calm and a mentor to us all.’

John Smit – former Springbok captain

Thursday 18th July – 12 noon for 12h30

The Grill Room, Kelvin Grove

Guest Speaker Bill Schroder

Here is a teacher who has left an indelible mark on thousands of pupils, from Cape Town to Pretoria. It’s a fabulous and inspirational book.

Bill Schroder is the stuff of which teaching legends are made. Strict, yet kind and tolerant, he blended a magic mix of care and discipline to bring out the best in his pupils.

In A Headmaster’s Story, Bill shares the story of his life, offering many insights into the challenges and rewards of teaching. He describes how he was a natural leader, and that helping young people realise their potential was his life’s calling.

Bill also charts how his teaching philosophy developed as he taught at and led a variety of schools, including SACS, Western Province Prep, Rondebosch Boys’, Westerford, Rhodes High, Pinelands High in Cape Town and York High in George.

When he was appointed the head of Pretoria Boys High in 1990, Bill took on the challenge of leading one of the country’s top state schools and soon earned the undying admiration of pupils, parents, staff and Old Boys alike. At the end of a long and distinguished career, he did not rest on his laurels but went back into the fray, helping to mentor a struggling township high school.

The Grill Room is one of the nicest rooms at Kelvin especially for a luncheon such as ours.

A 2-course luncheon will cost you R350.

Please contact Sandy either on email or telephone 021 685 8016 to book or for any other information you require.