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.  

Launching For The People - Anelia Schutte

Guest Speaker Anelia Schutte

Luncheon at Buitenverwachting on Thursday 13 June at 12 noon for 12h30

Anelia Schutte grew up in Knysna, lives in London and is currently based in the United States. She will be in Cape Town for a short time to promote her book For the People.

It is an interesting Biography/Autobiography based on her life in Knysna...

Anele says:

“I never thought I had a book in me. Not until, while on a writing retreat, I started remembering the stories. Stories my parents had told me when I was growing up. Of riots. Of secret meetings. Of phones being tapped. Of my mother driving through barricades of armoured vehicles and burning cars to help the black people on the other side. Stories of how she stood up to the police for arresting and detaining honest people. And eventually left her job because my father didn’t want to raise me and my brothers alone.

Snippets of memories from a childhood I hadn’t thought about for twenty years.

I wanted to know more; to find out what had really happened in my hometown all those years before.

I put my job in London on hold, got on a plane and went back to Knysna to find the truth.

What I found was a story much bigger than my mother. It was a story of a whole community, black, white and brown, torn apart and brought together by apartheid.

For the People is that story.”

The Restaurant

We are hoping to sit on the Terrace overlooking the mountains and the beautiful vineyards at Buitenverwachting. Menu available on request  The price per person is R440 inclusive of wine and service.

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

Published by Jonathan Ball Publishers

Launching Crackerjack - Peter Church

Exciting local author Peter Church is to be the guest speaker at the Thursday Club's May luncheon to take place at Buitenverwachting Restaurant on Thursday 23 May, 12 Noon for 12h30...

He will be chatting about his edge of the seat, brand new, crime thriller Crackerjack.

Church is a family man and lives in Constantia with his wife and three children. Crackerjack is his third book.

THE BOOK

From Bantry Bay to Deep Cyber Crackerjack will keep you guessing; this page turning book takes you from when young, bright and sexy, Carla Vitale has been handpicked to run Supertech, Africa’s leading independent engineering firm… then, one Friday afternoon in Cape Town, her dream is shattered.

Her boss and mentor, Nial Townley, disappears, his luxury vehicle is found in a crevice at the bottom of Chapman’s Peak, and US$20 million is missing from Supertech’s overseas accounts.

Three months later the police still haven’t solved the riddle of either his death or the missing money. (See some reviews at the bottom of the invitation)

Menu not available as yet, but I can say with certainty that Chef Patron, Edgar Osojnik will be titillating our taste buds with an absolutely delicious lunch.

Crackerjack was released in the US to favourable reviews, such as the New York Journal of Books which commends Church's strong, believable characters. One of Church's other strengths is his ability to conjure a visual picture - from an icy midnight swim in the Atlantic to a high-speed drive down Ou Kaapse Weg. Crackerjack has a complex plot with unexpected twists and turns.

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

Gangster State - Pieter Louis Myburgh

Launching

Pieter Louis Myburgh Guest Speaker

at

The Grill Room, Kelvin Grove

Thursday 11^th April 2019 at 12 Noon for 12h30

Pieter-Louis Myburgh is an award-winning investigative journalist. He has done work on multibillion-rand contracts at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA); shady intelligence projects at the State Security Agency (SSA); and the #GuptaLeaks. He is the author of the bestselling The Republic of Gupta. Myburgh is a member of Scorpio, the Daily Maverick’s celebrated investigations team.

Members of the Thursday Club were lucky enough to meet him when he launched The Republic of Gupta a fascinating talk and book.

THE BOOK

Gangster State promises to be even more explosive.

In spite of Cyril Ramaphosa’s ‘new dawn’, there are powerful forces in the ruling party that risk losing everything if corruption and state capture finally do come to an end. At the centre of the old guard’s fightback efforts is Ace Magashule, a man viewed by some as South Africa’s most dangerous politician.

Investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh ventures deeper than ever before into Magashule’s murky dealings, from his time as a struggle activist in the 1980s to his powerful rule as premier of the Free State province for nearly a decade, and his rise to one of the ANC’s most influential positions.

.Gangster State is an unflinching examination of the ANC’s top leadership in the post– Jacob Zuma era, one that should lead readers to a disconcerting conclusion: When it comes to the forces of capture, South Africa is still far from safe.

We have all enjoyed Kelvin Grove in recent months. Edgar apologises, he is still too busy to accommodate a Club function. We will return as soon as he is able.

It is suggested that if you would like to attend this luncheon you call asap as we expect booking to be brisk. For further information or to book please either call 021 695 8016 or email sandybailey@telkomsa.net .

Zakes Mda Introduces his New Book

Launching

Zakes Mda – Guest Speaker

Thursday 7^th March at 12 noon for 12h30

The Grill Room at Kelvin Grove

We are privileged to have celebrated author Zakes Mda with us at our next get together. 

He was born in the Eastern Cape but spent his early childhood in Soweto, finishing his schooling in Lesotho.  He commutes between the USA, where he is Professor Emeritus at Ohio University, and South Africa, where he is Extraordinary Professor of English at the University of the Western Cape; a beekeeper in the Eastern Cape (running a project he established in 2000 with rural women), and a director of NeoZane, an animation film production company. He is also an Honorary Patron of the Market Theatre and the Jozi Book Fair.

He is a prolific writer of novels, plays, poems and articles for academic journals and newspapers. His writing has been translated into twenty languages. Mda is a recipient of South Africa’s Order of Ikhamanga.  In 2017 his novel Little Suns won the Barry Ronge Fiction Prize.

THE BOOK

Zakes Mda’s glorious new novel draws on the true history of ‘Farini’s Friendly Zulus’, men who were taken to Britain and then to America as performing curiosities. The novel opens in 1885 with the hero, Em-Pee, in wintry New York, contemplating with distaste the melodramatic ‘savage’

performance of ‘The Wild Zulu’, in stark contrast to his own true history, so little understood here: His Zulu colleagues call him Mpi, which has become Em-Pee to the English-speakers.’ His true name is not the only loss in this far, foreign country, and he is seen as little more than a freak show

act – though at least he is not kept in a cage like the beautiful Dinka Princess, with her gold-painted Papier-mâché crown, and a patchwork cape of Mink, Otter and Kodiak fur. For Em-Pee, it is love at first sight; though she is not free to love anyone back…

So begins one of Zakes Mda’s most striking stories, a short novel but one that packs a powerful punch and will stir up strong feeling in its depiction of terrible, real injustices and indignities, while at the same time also celebrating the vigour and ingenuity of the creative spirit, and the transformative power of love.

  

The cost per person is R350 which includes service and wine. Please either telephone 021 685 8016 or get in touch by email sandybailey@telkomsa.net or more information or to book.

A Fast-Paced, Relevant, Standalone Thriller - Launch

Launching

Guest Speakers            Author duo Michael Stanley

Where                          The Pavilion, Kelvin Grove

When                           Thursday 14 February

Time                            12 noon for 12h30

Yes, it’s a Valentine’s Day get-together.

The award writing team, Michael Stanley (Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip) will be with us to present their new book, a gripping crime thriller, set in South Africa against the underworld of wildlife poaching, in particular, the illegal trade of Rhino horn.

Michael and Stanley will share their experience of how co-authoring works as well as some quite gritty research in developing this novel.

The Authors

Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business. Their Detective Kubu series has been critically acclaimed and is an international bestseller, picking up multiple awards since first publication. Dead of Night marks a new departure for the duo.

The Book

Freelance journalist Crystal Nguyen heads to South Africa to research a feature on Rhino hunting… for National Geographic with devastating results.  Within a week she’s been hunting poachers, hunted by their bosses and then arrested in connection with a murder, she goes undercover in Vietnam trying to discover the truth before she’s exposed by the local mafia.  The South African authorities need to be convinced to take action before it’s too late both for the Rhino and for her. She has a powerful story to tell if she survives long enough to tell it…

Dead of Night is a stunning thriller which exposes one of the most vicious conflicts on the African continent . . .  you won’t be able to put down.

The Pavilion is a lovely room and parking is plentiful and safe.  The price for a two-course meal which includes wine and service is R350. 

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

This is what has been said about the book which has just had its UK launch.

‘A wonderful, original voice – McCall Smith with a dark edge

and even darker underbelly’

- Peter James

‘Under the African sun, Michael Stanley’s Detective Kubu investigates crimes

as dark as the darkest of Nordic Noir. Call it Sunshine Noir, if you will – a must

Read’

- Yrsa Sigurdardottir

‘Detective David ‘Kubu’ Bengu is a wonderful creation, complex and beguiling.

The exotic smells and sounds of Botswana fill the pages as well as the changes 

and struggles of a country brimming with modern technology yet fiercely clinging to

old traditions. Compelling and deceptively written...’

-New York Journal of Books

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