Shelley Point News - August 2017

SHELLEY POINT NEWS

August 2017

A community newsletter dedicated to fostering a sense of community and the free flow of information at Shelley Point

FROM THE EDITOR increased signage to create awareness for visitors, the community board and a host of other improvements and innovations, all of which add up to making Shelley Point an extremely safe and uniquely beautiful place to live or visit.

FROM THE EDITOR:

Hi All Having recently been out of the country for a few weeks, I was overjoyed to see the transformation of the landscape from the drab brown when I left, to the verdant green when I returned. It made me realize once again that, as much as I enjoyed my holiday abroad, I was so pleased to be back in this very special place we call home.

So, if you are a homeowner who hasn't been here for some time, plan a visit soon and be prepared to be ‘blown-away’ by all the positive changes.

Have a great month!

Terry shelleypointnews@gmail.com

And, I must say that Shelley Point is looking particularly stunning at the moment. I think you will all agree that the collaborative efforts of the Trustees Committee, Estate Manager, Security Manager and Administrator have resulted in a superbly managed, well maintained and aesthetically pleasing housing estate. And this has been especially noticeable by non-permanent homeowners who have recently visited and have been astounded by all the positive changes they have encountered. Comments have been made about the golf course which is looking magnificent thanks to the efforts of Golf Data, the friendliness and positive attitudes of people living and working here and the progressive and forward-thinking mentality of the Executive Committee.

Visiting homeowners have highlighted several positive developments that they have observed, such as the more efficient security systems in operation, the fact that virtually all homes now have numbers on them, the presence of

PS Missing any previous issues? They are all available in the archives on the website www.sphoa.co.za MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN: My first six months in the “Shelley Point hot seat” have been immmensly exciting and rewarding for me. Despite having been involved in the Trustees Committee for a year prior to accepting the chairmanship, I did not fully comprehend the breadth or complexity of the issues I would need to deal with on a day to day basis. I have found the role a challenging but stimulating one which takes up 30 to 40 hours of my time in most weeks. I must say that I have developed enormous respect for my predecessors who had to do this job without the backup of a well staffed professional team such as the one I am blessed with.

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The trustees along with Norman and Lindy, Mias, Daniel and the ADT team have certainly made it much easier for me to focus on the strategic issues facing our community in the years ahead and the ongoing support and input I receive from all is critical and very much appreciated.

Status of Shelley Point Hotel: Keith has requested information about the status of the hotel as the future of this valuable property will obviously have a huge impact on Shelley Point Homeowners who would like to know how or when this issue will be resolved.

(Editor replies: To my knowledge the hotel is still up for sale and there are no prospective buyers in the pipeline. However, should this change, we will be sure to notify homeowners as soon as we receive any pertinent information.)

Building robust systems which will operate independently of specific personalities in the future is key to the long-term success of Shelley Point and that remains the goal of the Trustees Committee and management team for now (along with the effective and efficient management of the estate).

Notification to security of visitors: Dawn says that some residents are complaining about having to alert security whenever they are expecting visitors. She says and I quote…

‘For goodness sake, how long does it take one to send a quick SMS, email or phone call to notify security regarding prospective visitors?

Ten seconds? Twenty? A minute? Are people really that busy that they can't find the time to do something that is helping to control access of unknown people through the gates? I am all for it. The safer the estate, the happier we all are.’ (Editor replies: I couldn't agree more, Dawn!)

Obviously not everything we do receives universal support and acclaim and the detractors are very often quite vociferous.

However, we are firmly convinced that the overall direction is positive.

Cheers Ian Mac HOMEOWNERS HAVE THEIR SAY:

Steenbok Lamb: Johan sent in this lovely picture of a newborn steenbokkie taken on the golf course (we won’t ask Johan why he was in the rough instead of on the fairway). Johan reports that the following day the lamb was up and about and following its mother closely. A reminder of the privilege of living at Shelley Point.

Black Marlin – an unusual find: Kobus has sent this photo which he took of a Black Marlin (Istiompax indica) that washed up on the beach near the lighthouse. Why it is such an unusual sight is because all species of Marlin are typically only found in the tropical or subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans! To Kobus’s knowledge, this is the first time that such a fish has been seen here.

If there is perhaps someone who has more information pertaining to this very unusual occurrence, please let us know.

Steenbok lamb on the golf course

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give owners a clearer idea of the future and enable better planning of resources.

UPDATE FROM THE SHELLEY POINT TRUSTEES COMMITTEE: This is a relatively quiet time of the year at Shelley Point and there is not a great deal of exciting stuff to report.

SECURITY REPORT: (Chris Sivertsen) In June, we started the employee of the month scheme with ADT and we are pleased to announce that the winners for the month for June were Donovan Jacobs and Aviwe Fauli.

On Saturday night 3 June, one of our elderly residents phoned the control room and requested medical assistance and within a few minutes two officers responded to the client request. The client’s wife, 78 years old, had injured herself and was founded unconscious on the floor. The two officers assisted the client and his wife by immediately applying their basic first aid knowledge and then stayed with the client until the Paramedics arrived.

Well done officers - we are proud of you!

• The SPHOA debtors book remains of grave concern. Despite concerted efforts by all concerned, arrears remain unacceptably high. We now have three debt collection agencies working on the problem and the trustees along with the managing agent will continue to focus on this problem.

All members of the Association are strongly encouraged to bring their levy accounts up to date in order to avoid prosecution.

• As a result of objections raised by the HOA, the Saldanha Bay Municiplity has notified us of a significant reduction in municipal valuations of properties registered in the name of the SPHOA (This refers to private and public open spaces – not residences). The net effect of these revisions on our rates bill has not yet been calculated but is expected to result in substantial savings.

• The next full meeting of the Trustees Committee is scheduled for early August.

If anyone has an issue which needs to be raised at this meeting, they should do so by contacting either the HOA Office or one of the trustees by the end of July so that the issue can be either immediately resolved or added to the agenda for the trustees meeting.

Employees of the month Donovan Jacobs & Aviwe Fauli with the Site Manager Daniel Plaatjies (middle).

Early in the month, one resident reported that he had seen someone on the golf course apparently following a Steenbok with a rifle.

Excellent work by Daniel Plaatjies and his team quickly identified the persons as hotel staff trying to cull pigeons with a pellet gun.

Since it is illegal to discharge a pellet gun in a built-up area, the offenders were given a formal warning and criminal charges will be laid should this be repeated.

• The Estate Manager reports that maintenance plans are on track and that repairs and maintenance to boardwalks, roadsides and many other areas are on schedule.

Thank you to all those residents who continue to give us constructive criticism and feedback; it is only with your help that we can continue to improve.

• The estate management team is currently preparing a three-year financial plan, taking cognizance of the various issues we will facing over time. Hopefully, this will

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LEAPFROG PROPERTIES PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

LIFE AT SHELLEY POINT:

There are only a few months left for you to submit an entry for the Leapfrog Properties Photo of the Year Competition with a total of R1000 cash prizes up for grabs. All photos featured in the ‘Photo of the Month’ section of the newsletter will automatically qualify for entry into the competition.

recall that following our recent newsletter survey, one of the biggest requests from respondents was for information on the growth and development of property here at Shelley Point. As such, I have enlisted the help of Estate Manager, Norman Cowen, to provide readers with an updated status of building projects currently on the go. I have also requested additional information from local estate agents and will publish their insights and opinions once they have been received.

Shelley Point Property Facts: You may

The winning photo for the month is another beautiful one taken by Charmaine.

According to Norman, there are currently nine houses in the process of being built with an additional three scheduled to commence building very shortly. Plans for an additional five houses have been approved and signed off and construction will probably commence prior to year-end. The bulk of these properties are in the Shell Bay and Stompneus Bay sections.

To date, there have been a total of 1193 plots sold with only 182 unsold plots remaining. Of the sold properties, 76% of them are still vacant. A total of 82 properties are occupied by permanent residents and homeowners.

Britannia Bay at Sunset by Charmaine

SPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES: Monthly ‘Sundowners’ Get Together: Please note that due to the cold and (sometimes) wet weather at the moment, there will be no Sundowners during August.

The monthly social get together will resume once more in September.

Bridge: In addition to regular duplicate bridge held every Wednesday afternoon at the clubhouse, there are also monthly minitournaments as well as the annual Christmas Tournament which will be held at the end of the year. Players of all levels of ability are welcome to join the club. Contact details are available on the last page of the newsletter.

As a point of interest, average prices for houses and plots have shown a small but steady increase over the past year. Plots for sale at Shelley Point vary from R130,000 to R4 million with the bulk of them on the market for R300,000 to R600,000. Current market price for houses at Shelley Point vary from R1.3 million to R12 million with the bulk of them falling in the R2.5 to R3.2 million price bracket.

Update on feral cat situation: Residents have really been rallying around to assist with the feral cat situation. Last month, we indicated that Wesland Animal Clinic have offered greatly reduced rates for feral cats brought in for sterilization. (Please refer to the July 2017 issue for details.) As such, we have asked whether any of our homeowners or

Other sport sections: Unfortunately we have not received any reports from the golf, tennis or bowls sections

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permanent residents would pledge funds to help pay for these sterilization services. To date, we have a total of nearly R4000 pledged – a big thank you to Nicky Brouwer, Michele & Maurits Marnewick, Yvonne Collett, Gert Feldtmann and Ian Mackintosh, all of whom have donated monies so far to this very worthy cause.

some sections, disappeared.

has

now

completely

The photos clearly indicate how the sand shifted following the storm after the heavy seas and prevailing north winds caused the beach to disappear.

The photo below also shows how the heavy seas deposited a huge abundance of mussels.

Unfortunately, these became very smelly as the creatures decomposed within the shells.

As Don says, ‘We can't win! With the south wind, we get the fishmeal smell from the factories, while with the north wind, we get the smell of rotting mussels from the beach.’

Shelley Point is certainly unique, that's for sure!

If you would like to donate towards the feral cat cause, please let us know at shelleypointnews@gmail.com The amount can even be as small as R20 or R50 – every little bit will help towards our eventual goal of sterilizing all the Shelley Point ferals and preventing any further litters of kittens. Once you have pledged an amount, you can drop the cash off with Lindy at the office who will keep it in a specially marked envelope designated for the feral cat fund. Or alternatively, give it to me (Terry) and I will give you a receipt for the money and then deposit it with Lindy the following week. A record of funds received, funds spent and number of cats sterilized will be reported each month via the newsletter.

The mighty storm of 7 June

Heaps of mussel shells on Shell Bay

Water Restrictions and current rainfall: Please note that, despite recent rains, dams remain at critically low levels and as such, Level 4 restrictions still apply. Homeowners are not permitted to water their gardens with hoses or any form of irrigation. However, there are still several homeowners who have automatic sprinkler systems operating at various times during the night and sometimes, even during the day. Please ensure that these are switched off until further notice. Failure to do so may result in hefty penalties. Henri, who is monitoring rainfall here at Shelley Point, has reported a total of 17 mm of rainfall occurring over the last four weeks (15 June14July). This brings our total rainfall so far for 2017 to 46.5 mm.

Shell Bay before (bottom) and after (top) by Don

Non-resident homeowners will be very interested in the above series of photos taken

by Don Dick showing how the massive storm changed the landscape of the beach, which in

Restaurant Review by the Famished Foodies: Another suggestion to arise from

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recent newsletter survey was the need for a review of local eating establishments to assist both visiting homeowners and holiday visitors to Shelley Point. As such, we have enlisted the help of a couple who have agreed to review all the local restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaways according to various criteria. The couple who will be responsible for the monthly review have wished to remain anonymous. Please note however, that the reviews will be based on only one eating experience per establishment so reviews will be based on personal tastes and preferences of the reviewers and the quality of the food and the service on a given day and the reviews are intended as a guide only.

so they were very glad that they had decided to share.

The list of mains was also very extensive and varied from lighter, casual meals like burgers, hake & chips and pizzas to heavier meals like lamb shanks, barbecue spareribs, a selection of steaks, oxtail, shellfish and so on. Most of the ‘heavier’ mains were priced at around R200 with the lighter meals averaging around R120. Since it was lunchtime, the Foodies wanted something a bit lighter so Foodie One opted for a Sea Breeze Pizza which was topped with bacon, feta and caramelized onions. (R130). Foodie Two ordered a chicken and ham stack covered in cheese sauce and accompanied by fries on the side.

She proclaimed it to be a substantial portion which was delicious but added that it would have been nice to have seen some garnish on the plate – the stack looked a little lonely on one side of the large dinner plate with a portion of chips on the other side and nothing in between. But the chicken was beautifully tender and she said she would not hesitate to order that again. Sadly, Foodie One’s pizza was very dry and the base was raw so that was a bit disappointing and much of it was left on the plate.

The Famished Foodies, after initially deciding to try the Gull and Bell Pub and Grill (St Helena Bay Centre. Phone 0227361917) sat themselves down at one of the booths. After being completely ignored by the bar staff, they enquired about the lunch menu only to be told that the pub does not serve food! So much for the Grill. So, bottom line…if you are looking for a lunch stop, don't go to the Gull and Bell.

Maybe they do dinners but according to our intrepid Foodies, there didn't seem to be anything to indicate that anything other than booze is served there.

On to dessert...The Foodies found four dessert items to choose from – an ice cream dish, brownies, crime brûlée and malva pudding all costing R60. They eventually settled on the malva pudding to share. It arrived with a choice of both ice cream and custard and the Foodies both proclaimed it to be delicious and definitely to be recommended.

They then ambled along to Le Palm Restaurant situated at the Lifestyle Centre. Lovely setting on the patio with sea views in the distance and a nice table setting (proper linen serviettes and table cloths!) After a quick perusal of the wine menu (not extensive but more than adequate with a decent range to suit most palates), a bottle of chenin blanc was ordered which duly arrived well chilled and in an ice bucket.

The total bill for two Foodies (bottle of wine, shared starters, two mains, shared dessert and tip) came to R550. The waitron was pleasant, attentive and never obtrusive. To make amends for the raw pizza base, the chef conveyed his apologies and instructed the waitron to remove the cost of the dessert from the bill. A nice gesture, the Foodies felt, so all was forgiven.

Starter menu was found to be extensive and varied from light fare (soups and some extremely nice-sounding salads) to more substantial meat and shellfish options. Prices for starters averaged around the R80-R120 mark. The Foodies ordered a creamy Brie to share - baked in a phyllo pastry and drizzled with honey and roasted almonds (R80).

Delicious and beautifully prepared but the portion size was very large and extremely rich

So, all in all, the Foodies decided to award Le Palm Restaurant four stars. They found the

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overall quality and presentation of the food to be good and the service friendly and efficient.

Food took 20-30 minutes to arrive at the table but the Foodies were not unhappy with that as it showed that the food had been freshly prepared from scratch. Some diners may find the prices a bit steep but for a special occasion, the Foodies say they would definitely recommend a visit. Phone them at 0713063582 for a booking or for more information.

VASCO SĂŠ:

When asked by the SPHO That house numbers must be on show Residents mostly complied Numbers showed where they reside Just a few home owners are a bit slow.

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SPHOA DIRECTORY Position Estate Manager Administrator Security Manager ADT Patrol Car ADT Control Room Pro shop /Club house Golf captain Bowls captain Tennis captain Bridge captain Community notice board Fire alert (ADT) Police

Name Norman Cowen Lindy Cowen Daniel Plaatjies Supervisors Controllers Pieter van der Merwe Anne Ainsworth Liz Roberts Niel du Toit Terry Mackintosh Chris Roberts ADT Response Vehicle St Helena Bay

National Police Ambulance Cell phone emergency

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E Mail manager@sphoa.co.za admin@sphoa.co.za dplaatjies.za@adt.co.za NA NA shelleypcc@gmail.com britanniaza@yahoo.com chezroberts@mweb.co.za ddt@vodamail.co.za didge28@gmail.com chezroberts@mweb.co.za

Telephone 082 784 2920 022 742 1309 071 631 1853 083 636 6466 022 742 1380 022 7421037 083 455 5321 083 327 4349 082 579 9692 076 6004641 076 7832035 0835560052 0227368060 10111 10177 112