1. A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Dear Friend
As I come to the end of my first year at Marsh, let me say it has been a steep learning curve, stressful, challenging and, at the same time, very peaceful, with a sense that this is God’s place for me at this time.
Marsh is an amazing organisation filled with potential and promise. Daily, it is heart-warming to see the very real difference our programmes make in the lives of the children and young people who have been placed in our care. None of this would be possible if it were not for the abundant good will and generosity of people like yourself. I am constantly aware of an ocean of support, material as well as spiritual and emotional, on which my staff and I sail as we interact with some very broken situations.
I hope that this newsletter will give you a glimpse of the exciting things that are happening at Marsh; should you wish to know more about any of our activities, please do not hesitate to contact me or to arrange to come and visit the Homes – we would be very happy to show you and to share with you more of what is happening.
From the children, staff and myself may I wish you a blessed Christmas and a fulfilling 2015.
Kind regards,
Kevin Needham
Principal
OUR HEARTFELT THANKS GO TO THE FOLLOWING DONORS & VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO MARSH IN 2014
 All those who sponsored Sean MMC Guigan and Neil Greying in the Sani2C
 Bill Botha
 C&E Harding Trust
 Cape of Good Hope District Child Care Desk
 Cape Town Gilbert and Sullivan Society
 Colin Tebbutt
 Commodore Hotel
 Debonairs
 Dieter Wilkow and Bettina Wilkow Schwarzer
 Gaynor Fisher
 Gift of the Givers
 Jane Lawrence
 Jesus is Love
 Leaf Capital
 The Luqin Family
 Madeleine Bezencon
 Margie De Jager
 Methodist Church of SA
 Pam Golding Properties
 Pick and Pay
 Prominent Paint, Mada Roux and friends
 Rotary Club of Claremont
 RTT
 Sandy Kuler
 The various Methodist WA’s
 Velocity Cars
 Woolworths
MARSH MEMORIAL HOMES
Annual Newsletter
December 2014

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THE YEAR THAT WAS - ROUND UP FROM THE HOUSES THOMAS HOUSE THOMSON HOUSE PICTON HOUSE
Thomas House is the first point of call for any girls admitted to Marsh between the ages of 5 to 12 years. The childcare workers try to teach the girls the fundamentals: right from wrong, discipline and routine, manners, respect and to want the best from themselves and their future, all whilst giving them all the love and support they have to give.
During 2014 Thomas House was home to 10 girls; some new ones arrived, some moved on, either to Thomson House or back to their families or to new families.
The year’s highlights have been the Annual Fete, where Thomas House ran the sweet stall and won 1st prize for the best décor! There was also the Annual Inter-Homes athletics, where all the girls had a great time and performed beautifully.
It was not always sunshine and roses, but we saw it through and the girls have worked hard this year, both academically and personally.
We look forward to a stellar 2015!
Have a blessed festive season.
Sonia & Susan
Thomas Childcare Workers
We are a house of girls aged between 13 and 16 years, 8 girls in 6 different schools that suit our educational needs. Even though we are all so different, we work well together and are really proud of our house. Of course there are challenges due to our different upbringings and skills, but we learn to accept each other’s differences and help each other to grow. We have been working on table manners, especially, and digging into God’s will for us and learning more and more.
This has been a busy year. We had two Grade 7 proms, where dresses were sponsored by Princess Projects and a teacher at Simon van der Stel School and the girls looked beautiful and had a wonderful time. We also had our athletics, sponsored by Future Champions, which was a great day out.
A big highlight was our annual fete, which the girls were particularly excited about because of the Game-a-thon, which they collected bears for and then people could win them as prizes. We made a bit over R5,000 this year with amazing volunteers and special help from Mada Roux and Gaynor Fisher.
Now as we reach the end of the year we reflect on the year gone by and, as a house, would like to thank everyone for sharing gifts of time, joy and peace with us and sending our best wishes for the festive season.
Lydia & Carmen
Thomson Childcare Workers
Picton House is home to our eldest young ladies, the ones finishing grade 11 and 12 and preparing to move out of Marsh and into adulthood.
2014 has been a challenging year, with many ups and downs. Two of our young ladies got involved in the National Association of Child & Youth Care Workers Youth Forum Western Cape and had the opportunity to go to Johannesburg for leadership skills training. Another two of our ladies have started working, one as a trainee hairdresser for Partners and the other at a store in Cape Town; they will be leaving us soon to pursue an independent life and we can only hope we have given them the skills to make the most of what life has to offer them.
In addition to this there have been Matric farewells, driving lessons and cupcakes galore at the annual fete, where Picton was in charge of the Tea Garden. There have been smiles and tears, accomplishments and disappointments and through it all we have triumphed.
May we wish everyone a peaceful and blessed festive season.
Phindi & June-Rose
Picton Childcare Workers
MADELEINE HOUSE PARKER HOUSE
Madeleine House houses our 8 young boys, aged between 5 and 12 years, which always provides for an interesting and eventful environment!
Parker House is usually home to boys between the ages of 13 and 16 years, but this year was a bit different. For various reasons we had some younger boys, who would usually be in Madeleine House, and some young men, who would usually be in Perth

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Of particular note is that In the latter part of this year we implemented an exciting new pilot programme to address certain behavioural aspects that needed attention. Thus far, the programme has shown significant positive changes in terms or respect, attitudes and behaviours.
We are working on a day-to-day points system, which gets processed at night. We sit with each individual and give them praise for what they have done well and also to explain to them why they did not gain a point, and offer possible suggestions in order for them to achieve the maximum amount of points. I find this system to be helpful as it allows us, as childcare workers, to take the time and explain various observations to the children, highlighting their strengths and most importantly, making them aware that we are present and vigilant. On a daily basis we give feedback to all role- players involved, discuss new approaches and possible changes to the programme.
The support from the team has been excellent and makes a world of difference and we look forward to 2015 kicking off on a very positive note.
Have a blessed and festive Christmas Season and a happy new year!
Jody & Ashley
Madeleine Childcare Workers
House. So basically, during 2014 Parker House functioned as a 3- in-1 house!
We kicked off 2014 on a very positive note, but aware of the possible challenges we may have to face, which, of course, we did. While we had some behaviour issues (as one does with boys of this age!) we also had special occasions, like one of our boys turning 21, one completing their school career at Rhodes High and another doing an 18-month upholstery course at a college in Gugulethu.
The Parker Boys felt they should lead by example by making participation in the annual athletics compulsory. Athletics was barely finished and it was time for the fete. Parker House ran the hamburger stall and, let me tell you, running a fast-food stall is not for the faint-hearted! We had good support and made over R3,500. How time flies; now exams are upon us and the next step will be getting the boys through this. Everybody is putting in extra time and hard work, but remember to make time for fun.
The Parker boys would like to thank everybody at Marsh and everybody else who played a part in making this an interesting year for us and take this opportunity to wish everybody a festive season and lots of success for the future.
Ali, Belinda & (lately) Mark 
Parker Childcare Workers
WHAT HAPPENED TO PERTH HOUSE?
Perth House historically houses our young men – boys aged 16 and older who are finishing their school careers and preparing to leave Marsh for good. However, in the last couple of years, and particularly during the Soccer World Cup, it has been used as a Guest House, with the aim of raising funds for Marsh. One of the more notable residents during this time was a soccer group from England (Coaching for Hope) who were in South Africa to coach soccer and find prospective soccer stars; in fact, one of our very own Marsh children went back with them.
We have readjusted our focus in 2014 as a Child and Youth Care Centre and, to this end, Perth House has been undergoing refurbishment with the aim of reopening it in January 2015, again a house for our older boys. We have struggled to find and appoint suitable Childcare Workers, but as soon as this happens Perth House will come online again.
FUNDRAISING FOR MARSH THE BOOKWORM
“When I get a little money I buy books – and if there’s any left over I buy food and clothes”
When I was asked to write a “brief” report on the book sales for the year I procrastinated for quite some time as I didn’t know where to start. So, let me start with the classic:

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That was the year, that was!!
By the end of March books sold from our Marsh book room had raised the grand sum of R200!
Then along came the annual Somerset Mall Charity Book Fair from Thursday 5th – Sunday 9th June, followed by the Cavendish Square Charity Book Sale from Thursday 28th – Sunday 31st August, at which we raised R14 405 and R14 300 respectively over each of the 4 days.
Caffeine is, indeed, a wonderful thing!! Without it I may not have got through the 42-hour stretch required by each of these events. They tell me there was quite a bit of rain at one stage – I can’t say I noticed!
The success of these sales relies on the assistance of all those volunteers who so kindly offer their time to do shifts – I could never have done it alone! Special mention must go to Madeleine Bezencon, who for years has tirelessly assisted me with sorting “the wheat from the chaff” in respect of the book donations, as well as assisting by doing shifts during the sales whenever possible. A special thank you must also go to those volunteers who travelled all the way to Somerset West to do a shift/s.
Whilst at Cavendish I was told about where we could take books for pulping, which meant we could at least get some income from those we are unable to sell, and this added another R3 365 to our “book coffers”.
However, more was to come – our fete on 1 November – and for the first time the books had a stall down on the field (9 tables in all) as opposed to selling from the book room. We broke all previous records by raising a whopping R12 121 in one morning!
Again special thanks must go to Madeleine, who not only assisted with the sorting of books, but who also did a full morning shift at the fete. We were so busy we didn’t even have time to go and buy a cold drink or a cup of coffee. Thanks also to those who so valiantly assisted by doing a shift (which usually turned into a longer shift than originally anticipated)! Your willingness to put in the extra time was very much appreciated.
And, as is the norm, that would have been the last book sale for the year, by which time I felt I had been eating, sleeping and dreaming books for weeks on end!
But with Rev Kev at the helm we are fast learning that there is no such thing as “the norm”. Due to contacts made at the book sales over the years, Marsh was invited to be one of 4 charities to take part in a “trial” charity book fair at St Paul’s church in Rondebosch from Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd November. The event had been arranged by a seasoned volunteer, Pat, from St George’s Cathedral Book Shop. We were the only charity invited who do not also run a shop in the community.
With very few books left over from the fete it was back to work at quite a pace to sort, price and categorise sufficient books in time for the sale (with Madeleine’s help of course). Gaynor and Glenda Bennett were kind enough to assist with a shift each over the weekend – thank you both! It was a lovely atmosphere in the church hall, and although relatively quiet as this was the first year they were trying out the new concept, we still managed to raise R3 886. St George’s and St Paul’s say they would like to do it again next year, after which they will decide whether or not to make it an annual event.
And so my diatribe comes to an end. The 2014 book sales (including DVD’s and CD’s which contributed towards our totals) brought in the grand total of R48 277, breaking all previous records.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a blessed Christmas and a very happy New Year, and please remember that any unwanted DVD’s, CD’s, records (vinyl), or books will be gratefully received by the Homes.
Sue Train
Admin Manager

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THE MARSH ANNUAL FETE
As one enters through the splendid stone entrance into the beautiful park-like setting, with the old and the modern buildings, including their very own chapel, one gets the sense of real community living. It is the ideal place where children can feel safe, be happy and be given loads of love. These are all things that these children have probably never experienced, things we take for granted on a daily basis.
Marsh Memorial is home to 60 children of various cultures and backgrounds. Having either suffered from abandonment, abuse or neglect, these children have been removed from their homes by the court, and placed in our care. Marsh provides a loving and safe home to these children. The ultimate goal is to reunite these children with their families, by working closely with both parties.
We receive a small state subsidy for each child; however this not nearly enough to cover our day to day costs of the home. Despite fund raising efforts by regular supporters of the community, our main fundraiser remains the annual fete.
Earlier this year a group of staff members and volunteers came together and formed the fete committee under the leadership of the principal, Kevin Needham. The committee met on a regular basis – ideas were shared and we would go away with specific tasks assigned to us and report back with solutions the following week. One never realizes how much work goes on behind the scenes in the months leading up to the event.
When one thinks of the word ‘fete’, it brings many things to mind – music, tombola, books, plants, tea garden, an endless variety of food stalls, cakes, preserves, white elephant, craft, cards, second hand furniture, clothes, cold drinks and not to mention endless games and entertainment for the children.
Finally the 1st November arrived and we awoke to a glorious day – our prayers were answered. From the very start as all the volunteers started to arrive, there was such a great vibe as the stall holders started to setup. It was lovely to see how much effort the stall holders had put into decorating their stalls, making them as eye-catching and festive as possible.
Fete goers started to arrive as early as 7.30am, coming from near and far afield. Trading started and there were queues of buyers trying to get the best possible bargains. There was such a fantastic vibe amongst not only the fete goers but also the stall holders. There were folk sitting in the tea garden being entertained by the various bands playing a variety of music. The children could be heard having great fun in the castle, there was face painting, jumping castles, tombola just to name a few games. Tractor rides were offered from the parking allotment to the main arena. Aromas from the different food stalls wafted through the air tempting those “taste buds”. It really was a fantastic day had by all.
The Marsh Memorial 2014 annual Fete was an absolute success - a total of 1 950 people attended the fete and a clear profit of R109 500.00 was raised!
We would like to thank all of our sponsors, volunteers and fete goers without whom this would have not been possible.
Have a look at all the photos taken at the fete on our acebook page and remember to “like” us while you are there!
See you all again next year!
God Bless you all.
Glenda Bennett
Marsh Supporter & Volunteer

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CYCLING FOR TEAM MARSH IN THE CAPE TOWN 2015 CYCLE TOUR
Many of us hold dreams of cycling for a good cause. We see friends or colleagues that have gone off on a great adventure and come back proud and excited to have met their personal challenge whilst fundraising for a charitable cause. Are you one of the many, that every year around March find yourself standing on the side of Edinburgh Drive, Blue Route or Suikerbossie cheering on the 36 000 cyclists tackling the gruelling 109km, having so much fun… and you think to yourself ‘next year I want to do that’…
Then cycling for Team MARSH is just the opportunity you have been waiting for!
Marsh Memorial Homes have secured a Team MARSH Charity Bond Group consisting of 30 entries into the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2015. We already have 20 fun loving, crazy folk who are challenging themselves to cycle 109km on Sunday, 8 March 2015 whilst helping Marsh Memorial Homes raise funds to continue providing a safe, loving, caring environment for the 60 children they look after.
HOWEVER, Team MARSH are specifically targeting and trying to raise funds towards the purchase of a Mini-Bus (a Toyota Quantum 14-Seater) to transport the children to various extra mural activities, which we believe is a current need at the home.
Each cyclist commits to raising a minimum of R3 000 (but challenged to raise far more than that), and in return they have the personal accomplishment of knowing that they are making their race count for more and that they are truly making a difference in the life of the children at March Memorial Homes.
The benefits of cycling for Team MARSH include your Guaranteed Entry; group members who qualify for an earlier start will still be seeded accordingly with the option to drop down to ride with their team mates; Special TEAM MARSH goody bag; a professionally designed TEAM MARSH cycle shirt and an invitation to a pre-race function at Marsh Memorial to meet the children that you will be cycling for!
And that’s not all folks! We have a wonderful prize hamper valued at over R5 000 to the cyclist who raises the most funds for Team MARSH.
A very BIG thank you to our fantastic sponsors, who have so kindly donated prizes, sponsored clothing and items for our goody bags. Donations and support from corporates, individuals and the community is very much appreciated.
If you are keen to cycle for this wonderful charitable cause and take up the challenge, then contact Lisa on fundraising@marshmemorial.org.za.
Not up for the challenge – no problem… we encourage you or anyone you know to support these 30 cyclists by making a donation towards their cause and helping them to raise the much needed funds for Marsh Memorial Homes. Contributions towards our fundraising goal can be paid into the following bank account: Marsh Memorial Homes, First National Bank, 50171126764, Rondebosch 201509, Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ, Ref: CYCLE Team MARSH.

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No matter how small, every little bit counts and enables us to reach our ultimate goal of raising funds towards the purchase of a Mini-bus (a Toyota Quantum 14-Seater) for the home.
Lisa Lawson
TEAM MARSH Co-ordinator
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR ESTATE A VOLUNTEER’S PERSPECTIVE ON MARSH
2014 has been a very interesting year, with so much progress made with Kevin at the helm. For the first time in a long time it feels to me like there is a vision and a purpose and the amount we have managed to accomplish this year has been amazing. You know that feeling you get when you reach a goal and can see things happening – we have a lot of that now and it is really good for the team’s morale to see these things and to get the recognition for a job well done and we could not have accomplished all of that without good leadership.
The first shake up of the year was the Principal moving back into the admin building from the “house across the way” and me getting an office there too. For 18 years my office was in the workshop near the lower field, so that was a big move for me, but has made managing and organising projects so much more efficient and easy.
We have spent about R700,000 on roofing alone this year – repairing, replacing and generally getting things up to scratch. Mainting the Marsh Estate is a costly affair! We have also managed to get the floors in the admin building refurbished and there have been some major repairs to the chapel and to Perth House, with a view to reopening it in January 2015 and thereby being able to accommodate another 10 children.
Another highlight this year has been getting the trees on the estate trimmed and the beautiful work done by Margie in the gardens.
All being said, I feel it has been a really successful year for Marsh and we look forward to all that 2015 will bring as there are big plans afoot.
Nazeem Adams
Estate Manager
Natalie & Jule joined the Marsh team three months and one month ago respectively. They are volunteers from Germany; Natalie is studying social work and Jule is taking a break from her job as a medical doctor. They will be with us until the early part of the new year (but we wish they could stay longer!). We asked them to tell us a little bit about their Marsh experience.
“From the first day we were integrated into the whole staff; everybody is very open, very friendly and made the beginning at Marsh Memorial Children´s Home very easy.
We are getting a very good insight into the daily work of everybody and becoming part of the daily routine; slowly but surely we are understanding the structure of a children´s home in South Africa. It is very impressive how Marsh Memorial generates a safe haven for more than 50 children from different backgrounds and different histories.
When the children come home from school we spend the afternoon with some of them. During that time we are confronted with various characters, which are sometimes a challenge for us! Nevertheless we learn a lot about ourselves and how we can manage difficult situations. Professional staff always supervise us and give us advice whenever it is needed.
We have also had the opportunity to join the family preservation team while visiting the families of the children; some of the circumstances where the children have come from have left us speechless.
We are very thankful that we got the chance to stay at Marsh Memorial. We never expected to be such a big part of a great team like Marsh. This experience also offers us the opportunity to visit South Africa not only from a professional, but also from a tourist perspective.”
Natalie & Jule
Volunteers

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MY SCHOOL MY VILLAGE MY PLANET
Marsh Memorial Homes joined the MySchool initiative in 2013. In December of that year we had 34 supporters who raised R725.73 for Marsh Homes. We currently stand at 73 supporters who have raised nearly R3,000 for Marsh in 2014.
If you are able to add Marsh to your MySchool beneficiary list, please do so – you can amend it easily online. Remember, you can add up to 3 beneficiaries and with every swipe at participating outlets you raise money for your selected charities. If you don’t already have a MySchool card, read more about it at www.myschool.co.za and sign up today!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
1. Editor
We would really like to publish a newsletter at least once a quarter during 2015 and are hoping that somebody might volunteer to edit the newsletter, draw together the material from staff and volunteers that we can put into the newsletter – it shouldn’t be a very big job.
2. Vergers
As you are no doubt aware, Marsh’s chapel is used often by outside people for weddings and funerals; in the past they have been left to their own devices for these services, which has taken a toll on equipment in the chapel, which has gone missing and been damaged. It has also meant that the chapel is left open for long periods of time, allowing birds to create havoc in the chapel and at times chapel users have failed to close windows or switch off lights, which can become a costly problem for Marsh.
We are looking to establish a small group of volunteer vergers who would be able to in attendance at services, not only to open windows and to manage the chapel, but also to operate the sound system and data projector. There would be a small stipend which we would require users of the chapel to pay.
If you are keen to be involved in either of these positions please contact Kevin at principal@marshmemorial.org.za or 021-689 9301.
A MESSAGE IN CLOSING
Dear Friends
I deem it a singular honour and privilege to be associated with this long overdue Newsletter for our Marsh Memorial Children’s Home.
Marsh Children’s Home has a proud record and history of offering a safe and secure space and environment for vulnerable children for more than a century. Many of those who had found a haven and home here over the years have moved on and taken their place in society as responsible citizens contributing to the building of their communities and even beyond. Their stories of having found a loving, caring and enabling community in Marsh are well documented and evident in their continued involvement in our home.

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There have been many transitional moments in the life of the Marsh Community, which originally was made possible through the generosity and vision of the Marsh family. Originally envisioned as a home for “white orphans” the home is now a haven to children of all races, cultures and hues from beyond the Cape Town Metro pole and the large majority of children in our care have been placed here having been regarded as children at risk. This brings with it many challenges not least amongst them the issues of physical and emotional abuse, neglect, drug usage and diversity of background. These however are met by a wonderful community of committed staff members who seeks to ensure the holistic development of the children through various multi – disciplinary programmes. Central to this is the ethos of the Christian Faith which undergirds the life of the Home. Since its very inception the Methodist Church of Southern Africa has had the task and responsibility of curatorship of the home and a number of Principals have been ordained Ministers including our present Principal Rev Kevin Needham.
The staff is supported by a well-qualified board of management, who volunteers their time and expertise in a range of fields in ensuring good governance for the home. They in turn are supported by a number of organisations, individuals and churches who volunteer different services to ensure that the children placed by various agencies at the home are given the best possible care for healing and development for their often fragile and broken lives.
The founding father of our new found nation South Africa and world icon, Nelson Mandela remarked that the soul of nation is determined by how it cares for its children. At Marsh we endeavour to offer the best care for our children as the most vulnerable amongst us and in so doing fulfil the command of Jesus not to allow any child to be hindered from experiencing all God had intended for them.
We offer our sincerest and deepest appreciation to all who are associated with the Marsh Community for their tireless support to its work and continue to invite others who seek to make a difference in the lives of others to join us so that together we make this world a better place for all of God’s children!
Kind Regards
Rev Michel W Hansrod
Chairperson of the Marsh Board of Management/District Bishop of the Methodist Church
MARSH MEMORIAL HOMES
16 Norton Way, Rondebosch, 7700
 P O Box 9, Rondebosch, 7701
 (021) 689 9301
 www.marshmemorial.org.za