The Companions of Kenya inaugural White Cross Ball was held in Nairobi Kenya on the 13th of April 2024, to raise funds for our Lords the sick and the poor of Kenya. As someone termed the evening, our annual ‘fun raiser’ – The aim was to party with a purpose and that’s exactly what everyone did. Afrika House, the boutique hotel in Karen, Nairobi, was the venue. It was the most perfect blend of modern look, with old world feel. The ideal venue for the Ancient Order of Malta to meet the modernity of design and African art.
The evening started with cocktails on the third floor terrace and then the guests moved downstairs to be seated, where the gentlemen picked a table number from the Knights bowl and the Ladies drew from the Dames bowl. The guests were allocated a table at random, ensuring that everyone on your table was new! And the conversations started to flow. The raffle and the auction were a great success, with amazing safaris, bush balloon rides, a case of fine wine and some incredible Kenyan art kept everyone engaged. After coffee the guests were ushered down to the world-famous Companions of Kenya duck race course!
Guests were encouraged to buy a duck, and if their duck won they would get a percentage of the pot. Under starters orders, the competition was steep…James Pond, David Peckham, Peking Tom and Duck Norris were all keen favourites. George Mattock was the Duckmeister and kept the crowd entertained with his banter – To ensure the ducks remained highly focused on the finishing line the ‘duck shooers’, including Georges grandmother, maintained their momentum.
The Welfare Committee excelled on the night, Nwando Dike, Adam Camenzuli and Harriet Mattock all contributed many hours to a superb evening. And thanks to Peter Holmes A’ Court from Africa house for his hospitality and to Louisa Melville for her amazing energy to organise and raise prizes for the raffle
The Companions of Kenya Treasurer, Adam Camenzuli declared the event had raised an amazing Kes 854, 865, however just before we closed the book, an anonymous donor (and Companion Of Kenya) came in and topped up the pot to Kes 1, 000, 000. This money went 100% to cover the costs taking our Hospital Pilgrims and the medical team, to Lourdes this year with some left over for additional projects.
