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NOTE: next meeting of the RWAF Trustees will be on the 19th January in West Lavington.

About

Rhodesians Worldwide

Rhodesia Worldwide Assistance Fund (R.W.A.F.).

Rhodesians Worldwide consists of three parts, the Rhodesians Worldwide Magazine, the Rhodesians Worldwide Assistance Fund (R.W.A.F.), and Rhodesians Worldwide Branches (R.W.), which are located in various countries around the world including, in the main, the U.K., South Africa, the USA and Australia.

Rhodesians Worldwide Magazine

This is a quarterly magazine produced by Chris and Annette Whitehead in Arizona, in the USA and mailed throughout the world. See 'Subscriptions/Donations'

Rhodesian Worldwide Branches (R.W.).

Branches are run by a committee, each of whom elects their own Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary. The Chairperson is responsible for convening committee meetings and to Liase with R.W.A.F. Trustees, the Treasurer for reporting financial information both to the committee and to the Assistance Fund Administrator, with the Secretary taking minutes of committee meetings. The committee organises regular branch meetings, generally monthly, but this will depend upon the size of the branch and its ‘catchment’ area. The objectives of these meetings are: To have an enjoyable day, meeting with people of the same background, who "Speak the same language" of Africa and understand its local customs To establish friendships for those recently arrived in the country and assist newcomers to settle down in a new, unknown environment. New members gain the knowledge that they are not alone in dealing with difficulties - there are friends to assist if required. To share our present day to day news in our new surroundings To ensure ongoing funds for R.W.A.F. All funds raised at branch meetings, over and above branch running costs, are donated to the R.W.A.F.

Branch meetings are a great social get-together and the committee works hard to provide some of the delicacies unique to Africa to reawaken your taste buds. Many branches now supply for example, Boerewors, Biltong, Castle, Sadza, and Koeksisters which can be ordered prior to or bought at the monthly meetings (see branch newsletter for details) and some branches hold stocks which can be ordered from committee members in between meetings when that craving for a braai is strong!.

Profits generated by the branch meetings are donated to Rhodesia Worldwide Assistance Fund (R.W.A.F.) to assist with the second function of the organisation. To this end thanks must be given to the members in supporting the sale of Branch supplies of Boerewors, Biltong, Castle etc.

Annual Events

In the UK, there are two main annual events where members can meet people from other venues. Bids are submitted by Branches to host these events so the locations have varied from England and Wales to Scotland. These events are run by the branch that submits the winning bid: July Braai. This is a camping weekend, with attendance's of 300 to 600. November Party, normally held in three to five star hotels, with attendance's of 100 to 250

Rhodesia Worldwide Assistance Fund shortened to R.W.A.F. throughout this WebSite).

Soon after the creation of Rhodesians Worldwide it was discovered that many of its members had financial problems. These were due to the minimal sums of money that could be extracted from Rhodesia at the time, and the rapidly deteriorating value of pensions being paid from the home country, coupled with the continual increase in the cost of living. RW decided to create the Rhodesians Worldwide Assistance Fund as the hub of the organisation with the Branches under R.W.A.F.’s umbrella.

During the latter part of 1989, R.W.A.F. set about creating a constitution, obtaining a charity number "registered Charity N0 802274", a licence for the annual raffle held at the November party and setting into motion the 1000 Club, and at a later date Gift Aid. This provided sufficient funds to assist members resident in the U.K who had temporary financial difficulties. Applications for assistance are usually made through branches, and each application is reviewed by the fund Trustees who meet quarterly and liase regularly throughout the year. The 1000 Club and the Branches provide the backbone of the fund, boosted by personal donations and additional income from R.W.A.F. controlled July and November events.

All that is left is to wish you a most enjoyable association with R.W. May your group of close friends expand at each meeting. And finally, PLEASE, support us by buying your Boerewors, Biltong, Castle etc from us, and whenever possible, by supporting branch meetings, raffles and National events.

(Thanks to Dan Coetzee for supplying the above information)