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In 1960 the
American meteorologist Edward Lorenz was examining weather patterns
and came to the conclusion that "if a butterfly flaps its wings in
Beijing in March then by August hurricane patterns in the Atlantic
will be completely different" (from the original would-be forecast).
We often fail to
appreciate that our actions, no matter how small, have a rippling
effect on others and in our own lives we can look back at the
crossroads where a slight deviation ultimately had massive
consequences. I can reflect on many, perhaps the most
significant was my involvement with rugby publications in the
sixties which took me to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand
with the British Lions and gave me the idea to form the Friendship
Foundation to promote friendship between the people of the old
Commonwealth. In the last forty-two years we have arranged
over a million reunions to these countries and each individual trip
you make has that butterfly effect contributing to the wages of the
ground staff, the airline crews, the economy of the country you
visit, all of which provide individuals right down the line with
some sustenance, but mainly a greater understanding between peoples.
We have members in
their nineties travelling thousands of miles to visit their loved
ones. I will be 82 in a couple of months time but I happily
visit South Africa, Australia and New Zealand every year on pleasure
and on business. My parents seemed old at seventy and my
grandparents were very old at 65. Let us open our eyes and
recognise what a wonderful era we are living in, in spite of the
credit squeeze, a few shortages and limitations. I never miss
a day without counting my blessings. If each one of us brought
a little sunshine into someone else's life, what a massive impact
that would have. The "butterfly" effect.
I hope our office
at Friendship House is able to bring a little joy into your life,
whether it is by winning our monthly lottery of two air tickets and
a thousand pounds spending money with VIP lounges etc., or offer you
some very special goodies such as our flights to South Africa and
returning by ship, departing Cape Town on 07 March 2011. We
have managed to get a few more cabins and the package is available
at amazingly good value. Over recent years quite a number of
our members have booked their flight direct with the airlines but in
the last few months there has been a recognition that if the airline
failed or if any other problem occurs, such as strikes or volcanic
ash clouds, there is no-one to turn to after booking on-line.
Whereas, Friendship House is there not only to help you with the
best possible price but also to be there in a time of need.
Regards.
STUART WEAVING
Founder &
International President
PS: Keep your membership up to date that we might help you in many
ways, especially with our serious Accident Emergency Travel Benefit,
if such a need occurs.
Click here to read
extracts of the speech made by Stuart Weaving at the Friendship
Associations fortieth anniversary banquet
Click here for "Ambassador of Friendship" by
Frederick Cleary,
Foreign editor “The Star” Johannesburg
Click here for extracts from a speech made by Stuart Weaving, Office of the Order of Good
Hope, at Sandton Sun, 4 November 2004, to celebrate forty years connection
with South Africa |
