Round Table offered the opportunity to take part in a trip to South Africa. This consisted of a pre-tour and the subsequent Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Drakensville. The following report provides an insight into Marc’s experiences on the trip.
Our trip began in Durban, where we were warmly welcomed at the airport by our South African Tabler friends Kevin McNamara and Lyod Millington (both RT Hilton 242). Together with other participants – from Germany Simon Stegelmair (RT Dillingen-Lauingen) together with his girlfriend Maya Kirchner, Simon Höhlrigel and Leon Männer (RT Schweinfurt) and from Austria Thomas Hutter and Sebastian Struber-Schweighofer (both RT Zell am See) – we embarked on a varied program.
We spent the first few days sightseeing in Durban and Ballito. In addition to a city tour and a visit to the Shark Stadium, the program included relaxing hours on the beach and an exuberant beach party. Crocodile World and the spontaneous “crashing” of an RT Durban 2 meeting also offered exciting insights and direct contact with the local Tabler community.
The trip then took us to St. Lucia, where two days of safari were on the program. We were able to see almost all of the Big Five in the wild – only the leopard remained hidden from us. Instead, we got to see a cheetah and I had my personal highlight encounter with a lion (I’ll be happy to tell you the story on request).
Another special moment was provided by hippos that suddenly appeared in the hotel garden during dinner and drank from the pool.
We continued to Hilton, where we visited Kevin’s farm and home and were able to experience South African hospitality at first hand at a joint barbecue with clay pigeon shooting. A subsequent clubhouse party at Hilton 242 with Tablers from the Drake area rounded off this section with an intensive international exchange.
The last item on the program of the trip was a visit to ARTSA in Drakensville and participation in the AGM. There, the social projects of Round Table South Africa were reported on and important topics were voted on at national level. At the same time, the focus was on community and exchange – for example at the welcome party, a diverse food tasting with specialties from all over South Africa and a round of golf together.
The gala evening on Saturday was the grand finale to an impressive trip. On Sunday, we set off on our journey home – with many new friendships, valuable impressions and the feeling of being part of a strong international network.
