Last update: Thursday, October 27, 2005

Sat. 16th July Depart from Dublin, via Paris.

Sun. 17th Great excitement as we meet Sharron Dinnie and hosts in Johannesburg Airport. Then off to host homes for a nap and freshen up, and meet for a lively Communion Service in St. Peter and Paul’s followed by supper.

Mon. 18th Gathered at the school at 9.00am and went on a visit to the local shanty town of Vukunzele which the school serves. This was quite an emotional experience for many. Scrawled on one of the shacks was “The Lord is my shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing”. Then back to the school building to start clearing and painting, and assessing what materials were needed. Teachers Lorraine, Linda, Clara and Sarah went off to the Education Dept. of the local university with a lecturer who is a member of Springs Parish. Lunch and Dinner at the Parish Centre.

Tue. 19th Arrive at school at 8.00am. Children back for the first day after holidays and we all joined in assembly in the open air. Continued painting. Work begun on a vegetable garden for the school. Curtains made and a generator hired as plans were made to build a lean to for the children’s lunch time. Knitting groups started with adults, and our teachers began liaising with the local teachers.

Wed. 20th We were joined by Brian and Grant Moriarty. Started painting floors of the school, work on lean-to continued, as did garden digging and wall painting. Some visited Marievale in the afternoon – a World heritage Site for birds. That evening the group went bowling and had a meal in Carnival City.

Thur. 21st Again school day began with assembly with great singing from the children. That morning we held a community Sports Day and about a dozen white children from a nearby school joined in. Some prepared the field while others continued painting and building, but all took part in the Sports. It was a great morning of fun for all, and there were prizes “for everyone in the audience” Most of the black children ran barefoot while the white children had runners – but were still beaten! That afternoon we visited CHANCE, an AIDS Orphanage in Springs run by a concerned couple. They have been registered for 90 beds but only get part funding from the Government. There were heart-rending scenes and many of the group were deeply touched by this visit. We made a donation from the group.

Then it was back to work at the school while Ted, Brian and Sharron went to a meeting with John Borritt, the owner of the site. This was Sharron’s first meeting with him after 4 years of trying. We found him extremely pleasant and co-operative and he agreed to sell 10 acres including the school and adjacent Methodist Church for ----- €6000! This was a tremendous breakthrough and it now opens up all kinds of possibilities. Sharron was over the moon. That night dinner was provided by the church choir.

Fri. 22nd Sharron’s birthday! What a way to spend it! Taking a break from work, the group visited the Lion Park on the far side of Jo’burg and saw lions, tigers giraffes. buck cheetahs and hyenas. After lunch at the Lion Park we took in a visit to East Rand Shopping Mall to give more time for work over the last days. On the return journey John Borritt rang to confirm the deal on the land. Dinner that night was hosted by parishioners Gill and Andy Edgar in their home and a slap up meal it was too.

Sat.23rd Time Out again for a visit to the Apartheid Museum and Soweto. These visits were arranged so that the wider context of South Africa could be appreciated. We didn’t want just to parachute into Springs and not see the bigger picture of what has happened and is happening in S. Africa. On the return journey we visited a very large settlement - Duduza – and joined them for a black service. What an experience! Liturgically it was very high, bells and smells, incense burning all the time, but what spontaneous singing and dancing. It had to be curtailed after 2 hours! Ted presented the church with a Celtic Cross and told them that Irish Anglicans are like sturdy oaks which don’t move while they were like willows. We could learn a lot!

Sun 24th Morning Service at 8.15am! Ted preached. We presented a large bog oak Celtic cross to St. Peter and St.Paul’s and Ted was presented with a green African stole. This was followed by a “potjie” in the church courtyard. A potjie is like a big pot for stewing and everyone had brunch. That evening Bryan Wilkinson and Roger White gave presentations about Dublin and Rathfarnham

Mon. 25th. Back to work at 8.00am with vim and vigour, and Monday and Tuesday were spent finishing off all the jobs – fencing the garden, painting murals and desks, repairing the leaking roof, putting in a ceiling in one of the classrooms, putting down floor tiles in the container classrooms. The children were given the two days off so that we could have full run of the school site, and we worked both days until dark, but got everything done. Monday night the group treated the hosts to a meal out in The Boma, a beautiful restaurant. Eat all you want for €6, drink all you want for €4! Of course we were all very moderate in our consumption of both!! But talk about rip-off Ireland!

Wed. 27th The children came back to their re-furbished school and their faces told us how much they liked what we had done. They were amazed! And it was a rather tearful farewell to a place we had come to love and children we had come to admire. That afternoon the group met in a very crowded and confused airport – there had been a strike – and now everyone was trying to get off on flights. However we all got our seats and took off for home.

We will be back!!