The SAAHK Sevens Dinner was again a huge event on the South Africans-in-Hong Kong’s social calendar.
The guest speaker this time around was the former Springbok captain, Morne Du Plessis.
Unlike last year (we missed Huge Bladen’s address) Howzit-HongKong.com attended the grand affair at the Football Club.
Needless to say, a great time was had by all and treu to form (pun intended) we closed the evening’s ‘verrigtinge’ and were the last to leave the venue.
The BlitzBokke were again great sports and we made the following video clip of some (all?) of them interacting with the guests. (below)
Hopefully next year Bruce Fowler will assign us a ‘better’ table. (Other company excluded) Dawid Van der Sandt may be a well-connected cameraman… but he’s not the friendliest person around. Nuff said.
I have just returned from yet another delightful Sevens Dinner, organised by the Southern African Association in Hong Kong.
The guest speaker this year was former Springbok captain Morne Du Plessis who had the guests hanging onto his every word.
Morne recounted some of his experiences as the manager of the Springbok side who won the 1995 Rugby World Cup as well as his thoughts on the role of former President Nelson Mandela. I could be wrong but I seem to notice a glint in his eyes when he shared his excitement after meeting “his idol” Clint Eastwood. Eastwood, of course, produced the movie Invictus which is based on the 1995 RWC.
Morne’s visit to Hong Kong is two-pronged as he also brought along 10 kids from a Laureus Foundation-sponsored project. He also shared some of the projects that the Foundation is currently spearheading in South Africa. More about this initiative in another post.
I’m not going to recount bits of his speech here. Rather, I’m busy editing the clip I took and will post it on YouTube and on this page shortly.
In the meantime, here are some pics I Tweeted from the Dinner:
These 2 ladies parked themselves at the door and grabbed the Boys as they were leaving the Dinner. Branco Du Preez may be fleet-footed on the pitch, but this time around he couldn’t escape! (Pic: Via iPhone on Twitter/FaceBook)
Morne Du Plessis’ speech at the SAAHK Sevens Dinner:
As the SAAHK indeed represents the Southern African community in Hong Kong, Bruce Fowler, together with Gavin and Lyndsay Walker, have arranged a meet-and-greet with the Zimbabwe Sevens Team, affectionately known as The Cheetahs.
The event, open to all, will be held tomorrow night, Tuesday, the 22nd March at Nana Banana, 117 Lockhart Road, Wanchai from 6:30pm onwards.
There will also be a lucky draw and prizes include a rugby shirt signed by the team, a bottle of champagne, a hamper of South African food favourites donated by Gavin and Lyndsay Walker, a couple of bottles of wine by the Sheppard Brothers Ltd. and a bottle of wine by the SAAHK.
Tickets for the raffle will cost HK$100 per ticket.
If you haven’t been, this is where you can find Nana Banana
The Zimbabwe Cheetahs celebrate winning the Shield in George
Needless to say, the team is in town for this weekend’s Hong Kong Sevens where Zimbabwe will face Australia, Argentina and Canada in Pool F.
Bruce Fowler from the Southern African Association in Hong Kong (SAAHK) sent word that there are still a few seats available for this year’s Sevens Dinner.
Springbok legend and former captain Morne Du Plessis (pictured below) will be the guest-speaker at the Hong Kong Football Club event next week, while the Springbok Sevens team will again grace us with their presence.
While I didn’t attend last year when “the voice of rugby” Hugh Bladen was the guest-speaker, every other Sevens Dinner I have been to have been a special event.
Needless to say, many South Africans will be flying in from back home, so if you’re looking for something to do in Hong Kong next Wednesday evening… come join us at the Hong Kong Football Club.
Contact Bruce Fowler for more details.
bfowler@pacific.net.hk
Below are some images from previous Sevens Dinners:
Bruce Fowler from the South African Association in Hong Kong (SAAHK) mailed to say that the very first Imbizo (get-together) of the Association will be held at The Canny Man in Wan Chai.
He writes:
The Canny Man is in the basement of the Wharney Guang Dong Hotel, 51 – 73 Lockhart Road Wanchai, from 6:30 pm onwards on Wednesday, 16th February.
Please make every effort to join us for this first Imbizo of 2011 and we particularly welcome all newcomers to Hong Kong and to SAAHK.
The Canny Man’s full-size pool table (Pic: Mike Jansen)
You can also use the occasion to speak to Bruce about this year’s Sevens Dinner, where Springbok legend Morne Du Plessis will be the guest-speaker.
See you there…
Kevin McBarron from The Canny Man says:
Tell the taxi driver: ‘Whamy ji ding, lockhart doh, wanzai!’
The annual Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens is a big huge date on the calendars of South Africans who call Hong Kong their home or even home-away-from-home.
The Southern African Association of Hong Kong (SAAHK) plays a pivotal part in Sevens-week because they organise the annual SAAHK Sevens Dinner.
The popular event serves as the official welcome for the Springbok Sevens team to the SAR as well as providing Saffas in the City with an opportunity for a good-ol’ Op-skop!
Woop! Woop! Here come the green and gold train again!
Following high on the heels of previous Sevens Dinner speakers Kobus Wiese, Bob Skinstad, and Hugh Bladen, the Association today announced that the Springbok legend Morne Du Plessis has been confirmed as the guest-speaker at this year’s Dinner.
“We are pleased to announce that Morne du Plessis has accepted our invitation to speak at the Sevens Dinner 2011.” said the SAAHK’s Bruce Fowler.
“Morne is a rugby legend in SA and is often described as one of the Springbok’s most successful captains. Playing at number 8, his national career spanned ten years, five of which he was captain.
He was also the manager of the 1995 Springboks which won the famous 1995 Rugby World Cup final. He is the co-founder with Tim Noakes of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Cape Town and the co-founder of Bioenergetics of Exercise Research Unit of the University of Cape Town.
His father was also a Springbok captain, and to date, they are the only father-son combination to both captain the Springboks.
We feel truly honoured to have Morne in Hong Kong as our guest over the 2011 Sevens week and trust that this will enhance even more the success of our Sevens rugby dinner.”
The 2011 SAAHK Sevens Dinner takes place on Wednesday 23 March 2011 (6:30pm) at the Hong Kong Fotball Club in Happy Valley.
Bruce Fowler from the Southern African Association in Hong Kong (SAAHK) is inviting all Springbok rugby supporters in Hong Kong to watch Victor Matfield celebrate his 100th Rugby Test today (Saturday August 28, 2010).
The Blue Bulls’ Matfield will become only the third-ever Springbok Rugby player to achieve this milestone after John Smit last week (number 2) and Western Province’s Percy Montgomery (number 1).
The Springboks will play Australia in their penultimate Tri-Nations Test at Loftus Verfeld later today.
South Africans in Hong Kong are urged to head to the ironically Aussie-themed WoolooMooloo Restaurant in Central.
WoolooMooloo is also the workplace of Bruce’s girlfriend so needless to say happy hour prices will probably prevail. Just turn up will you?!
In an e-mail message inviting South Africans to the South African Association in Hong Kong’s group viewing of the Bafana Bafana vs. France at Wooloomooloo on Tuesday, Bruce Fowler cautions:
“Please note that vuvuzelas are banned inside Wooloo Mooloo.
Confined spaces are not the place to blow vuvuzelas,
Consideration needs to be given to the other guests of the restaurant.”
(No vuvuzelas please, we’re expat South Africans, and we’re inside! Pic: cnngo)
In a city with so many rules, we think Bruce has been living in Hong Kong too long! Where’s your gees, guys?!
During a protest gathering at the Legislative Council building in Central today, protesters blew their vuvuzelas outside the guarded building to register their dissatisfaction with the goings-on inside. Sadly, their vuvzelas were not branded. What a waste of a marketing opportunity!
Fear not Bruce and Wooloomooloo, Gandalf and the Middle Earth also have issues with the horn:
(Please take this article in the spirit of the World Cup. No malice is intended and no animals were hurt in the production!)
