The Baobab Club

News

Jill Attfield / 2005-11-07 13:39:20

Last week saw the beginning of a new club, named after the famous Baobab tree, where people with South African and Zimbabwean connections now living on the southern Costa Blanca met up for the first time.

It was the idea of friends Jean, who was born in Cape Town and Ted, born in Johannesburg when they realised that there seemed to be clubs for everyone in the area, everyone that is except the South Africans! So they decided to see if they could get enough people interested. Interested, they certainly were and fifty four people became friends and members at the first meeting, which was held at Sacko's Bar on El Limonar.

Jean with her husband Graham and Ted with his wife Elaine eagerly met everyone and 'labeled' them with name and either place of birth or the place they lived in South Africa. They also asked that the 'new friends' mingled for ten minutes or so and then moved on to speak to someone else. Just in case they got engrossed in chatting and forgot to move, Jean reminded them, by calling out 'all change.'

Jean and Ted stood up and welcomed everyone, officially introduced themselves and Jean admitted that the "response had been over whelming." Ted's comment was simply "I'm dead chuffed."

Members of the new club are from various areas in South Africa, like Julie who lived in Johannesburg and Durban for twenty three years and now resides in Cabo Roig and Belgium couple Monique and Jan, who lived in Pretoria for sixteen years and have now settled in La Marina where they run a garden centre. Their garden centre is also named after the Baobab tree. Brian Lucas told us that he was born in the U.K. but as a young lad moved to Kenya and then attended college in Rhodesia. Cecile was born in Cape Town and later moved to Ecuador and is from an original South African family whose ancestors she has traced back to 1730. Linda left Botswana in 1992, moved to Scotland and then four years ago moved to Spain. Gill and Roy from Umtali in Rhodesia left during 1977 and as well as having family here in Spain, they still have family in Zimbabwe.

Pauline, originally from Bulawayo, but now living in Pilar de la Horarada, was a bit upset as she and her family could not get to the meeting sooner and many of the other members had already left and she had missed out on the group photo. Pauline left Bulawayo during 1979 when her family moved to the U.K. and just two months ago, along with her husband Graham and children Victoria and Michael moved to Spain. Everyone who was still around gathered together for another photo shoot so that Pauline and her family could make their mark and be recorded as present at the first ever meeting.

The Baobab Club will meet regularly the second Saturday of the month, at Sacko's at the time of 1.30pm, the next meeting being scheduled for this coming Saturday 12th November. Instead of a December meeting a meal has been arranged in a restaurant in Torrevieja, but sadly more people wanted to attend than the restaurant could cater for.

For further details on the club please ring Jean on 966 784 735 or Ted on 966 709 881.

Jean told us that Anna and Toni were the first people to make contact but Jean has been unable to reach or contact them since and asks that they get in touch.

Ted and Jean also thanked the 'Leader' for their help in getting the club started.