8 july

8 July 2015

Published every Wednesday by CXpress 2006 (Pty) Ltd - PO Box 1449, Plettenberg Bay 6600 - 6 Park Lane, Plettenberg Bay - Tel: 044 533 1004 - Fax: 044 533 0852 Email: editor@cxpress.co.za / advertising@cxpress.co.za Web page: www.cxpress.co.za Printed by Group Editors

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As is the norm during Knysna’s annual Oyster Festival, the SA Navy vessel Umzimkulu arrived through the famous Heads around 7:30am yesterday morning to add lustre to this well-loved local event visit www.oysterfestival.co.za for the full programme

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News & Views

8 July 2015

A place where birds don’t sing

Denying the horror of Dachau would be denying the past - Final HENK BOLHUIS, who shared memoirs of growing up in the Netherlands during World War II on these pages before, concludes his account of a visit to Dachau concentration camp in Bavaria (turn to page 2 of the June 17 & 24 and July 1 editions at www.cxpress.co.za for Parts I-III)

O

NCE inside KZ Dachau’s old Administration building, now a World War II museum, I notice the display of many of the original documents that survived the war - including the SS and Camp Orders that ruled and regulated the lives of the inmates and those of the guards during the years the camp was in operation.

Hundreds of photographs (and some videos made of original film footage) show how the inmates of KZ Dachau lived and died - they also show some of the survivors of this horror camp.

Reading these reports and watching these horrible im-

ages turns my stomach and I feel literally sick as I walk out of the building into the bright spring sunshine; however, there is still more to see.

Behind the building I discover the rooms where the SS guards lived as well as a number of individual prison cells of about two by three square metres. Two of these cells have each been divided into six tiny ‘standing-only’ cells, of approximately 70cm².

After contemplating the horror of this prison within a prison, I continue along a small road next to the camp’s western perimeter fence where I arrive at what used to be the camp’s main entrance.

The words Arbeit Macht Frei (‘work liberates’) are still present on both sides of this double entrance gate, where new arriving prisoners entered the camp.

For most of the inmates, however, freedom was found only in death, and death was with them at all times and actually formed part and parcel of the camp’s ‘Order of Discipline and Punishment’.

Prisoners who were regarded by the SS guards to be guilty of an offence, obviously had no recourse to a just trial or to any form of defence, and thus even the ultimate penalty was often carried out right on the spot of the alleged infringement.

Most of the time this execution style of death took place without any words of explanation to the unfortunate victim or to the other inmates. Sometimes, when an SS guard wanted to get rid of a particular ‘difficult’ inmate, he would simply hand the prisoner a piece of rope, with the command to hang himself.

At other times, however, if it was thought to be more expedient to carry out the death penalty publicly, it took place either on Appellplatz or at the SS shooting range close to the crematoriums.

In such cases the camp commandant or his representative would give a careful and detailed explanation of the ‘crimes’ committed by the offender[s] before those found guilty were executed in full view of the assembled prisoners.

Leaving the gate and walking a little further, I arrive at the far north west side of the camp at another, smaller camp entrance.

This one leads across a small bridge, between the two barbed wire fences, the concrete ditch and a narrow, fast-flowing stream into the SS shooting range and to the two crematoriums.

The shooting range - although used mainly by the SS guards for the purposes of practising their rifle skills – was also regularly used for mass executions.

According to the records, during the seven months from October 1941 to April 1942 alone, more than 4,000 Soviet prisoners-of-war were shot on this range and afterwards disposed of in the nearby crematoriums.

“According to German testimony given at the Nuremberg trials of the main war criminals, about 3,700,000 Soviet prisoners-of-war perished in German-occupied territory.” (*16) Initially Dachau had only one crematorium with two

FREE AT LAST: The Americans arrived at Dachau on April 28, 1945 and liberated the concentration camp the next day, when Heinrich Wicker officially surrendered - below, prisoners welcome US soldiers Photo: www. scrapbook pages.com/ Dachau Scrapbook

furnaces, but as the annihilation of the inmates was accelerated, and also because more and more of the prisoners expired due to worsening work and living conditions in the camp, the need for additional furnaces soon became obvious.

In 1943, a second and larger crematorium with four ovens was added and in addition to this, a small gas chamber was built.

The latter, however, was only used infrequently and only for small batches of people; when the need arose to dispose of larger quantities the victims were usually dispatched by train to Auschwitz in Poland.

(In the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp eventually more than 2-million people, the majority of them Jewish, were gassed between 1941 and 1944.)

Today the furnaces at KZ Dachau still stand there as though they could be used again at any moment and it is almost impossible to believe that right here, where I am standing now, human beings were casually burned like fire wood, often after they had been shot at the nearby shooting range or had been hanged from hooks in the large wooden overhead beams in front of the ovens.

As I prepare to leave this place of death and turn to walk back to the exit, I notice on my left two small chapels - the Church of mortal agony of Christ for Roman Catholics, and the other for Protestants. There is also a small Jewish memorial.

After spending a short time

there reflecting on all the things that I have seen this morning - all the atrocities that have happened at this infamous death camp - it is time to go. I have been here for almost four hours, but already it seems to have been a lifetime.

Later, while waiting for the bus to take me back to the train station, I read in one of the information booklets that near the end of the war, on April 14, 1945, with the Russians and Americans approaching, Heinrich Himmler telegraphed the following command to the camp commanders of Dachau and Flossenburg: “There is to be no question of surrender. The camp must be evacuated immediately. Not a single living prisoner must fall into the hands of the enemy.” (*17) As a result of this order, just a few days before the US 7th Army liberated KZ Dachau, the SS forced between 6,000 and 7,000 inmates on a “death march” to the town of Tegernsee.

Those who could not keep up were summarily shot by the guards and many others succumbed to exhaustion, exposure, illness or hunger. (A few months after the war the Allied Forces discovered a mass grave of 1,071 prisoners in it along the route.)

After the war it came to light that, at that particular point in time, the US Army had no intentions of liberating Dachau, as their first objective was to capture the important city of Munich.

However, two prisoners who had made a successful escape from the camp on April 26, 1945, had managed to meet

with the US Army commander, persuading him to change his plans and to liberate the camp first, as they feared that the SS would otherwise murder all the camp’s inmates.

Hence, on April 28, the Americans arrived at the town of Dachau and the next day, at 7am on Sunday April 29, 1945, the 42nd Infantry Division of the US Army, led by Brigadier General Henning Linden, entered the camp and SS Untersturmführer [second lieutenant] Heinrich Wicker, left in charge, officially surrendered.

SS Hauptsturmführer [captain] Martin Weiss, the camp commandant, and most of his staff and guards had fled the camp just before the arrival of the first Americans.

The camp’s official records indicate: “Of the more than 200,000 registered prisoners who went through the concentration camp at Dachau, 31,951 cases of death were recorded, according to the International Tracing Service, Arolsen.

“The actual number of deaths can no longer be ascertained as figures on deaths resulting from such causes as mass shootings and forced evacuation marches were not registered.” (*18) The fate of all the concentration camp prisoners in Germany during the 12 years between 1933 and 1945 was probably one of the greatest horrors of modern human history. During this time alone approximately sixmillion Jews perished and hundreds of thousands other innocent human beings were sacrificed on the altar of National Socialism.

The facts contained in my story and many others like it can, in the words of Martin Gilbert, “not be denied, or ignored, unless we wish to deny our own past.” (*19) * Bibliography: (16) Fce/ jcw" Eqpegpvtcvkqp" Ecor Barbara Distel Comité International de Dachau 1972 p16, (17) p18 [R Schnabel Ocejv" qjpg"Oqtcn"Roderberg Verlag 1957 p103], (18) p20-21, (19) Vjg" Jqnqecwuv Martin Gilbert Merton College Oxford 27/02/1978 p-iii.

News & Views

8 July 2015

CXPRESS

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Strong support for accused educator, key facts of alleged assault still outstanding The well-known Plettenberg Bay teacher who was arrested following allegations of sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy was released on bail last week - YOLANDÉ STANDER reports

T

HE primary school teacher, who denied the accusations against him during his bail application in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court, was arrested on June 22 after a Grade 2 learner’s guardian reported the alleged incidents to police.

Police said the child’s guardian suspected something was wrong when the

boy suddenly started wetting his bed. After interviewing the boy, he revealed to her that the suspect had allegedly sexually assaulted him on two occasions during May. As a result she reported the allegations to the local police, who opened a case docket. The case was later handed over to the George Family violence, Child pro-

Two arrested in Knysna for drugs worth R315,000

TIK AND COKE COMMANDEERED: From left are constable Rodney Titus, Visible Policing Commander major Patrick Gogwana and constable Jason Bruiners with the drugs confiscated in Knysna last Wednesday

K

NYSNA police arrested two suspects, 33-year-old Porthia Tsholwana and Joseph Fatuse, 38, after drugs with an estimated street value of R315,000 were confiscated near Rawson Street in Knysna on July 1.

Says Southern Cape police spokesperson captain Bernadine Steyn: “At about 2:30pm, the officers acted on information received from a member of the public. Surveillance was held during which a man and a woman were noticed.

“The two suspects were searched and nine plastic bags containing Tik with

an estimated street value of R270,000 and 30 pieces of cocaine - also known as ‘half-moon rocks’ and with an estimated street value of R45,000 - were found in two boxes inside a travel bag.”

She added that the police were investigating the possibility that the drugs came from Cape Town.

The suspects, who both hail from KwaNokuthula in Plettenberg Bay, appeared on a charge of dealing in drugs in the Knysna Magistrate’s court on Friday July 3, when their bail application was postponed until today, July 8.

tection and Sexual offences unit (FCS) for further investigation.

In a statement handed in during his bail application, the 42-year-old teacher who cannot be named until he has pleaded - said that crimes of this nature “disgusted” him and that he was “shocked” that the child accused him of such a crime.

“I don’t know why he would say something like that,” the teacher said in his statement read by his lawyer, John Gillespie, on Thursday.

He added that the child was one of the pupils in his class and that he had identified him as one “with potential”, and went out of his way to ensure the child’s happiness.

In the statement, the teacher

also referred to the series of achievements over the years including several prestigious teaching awards he had received during his career.

Gillespie also handed in statements of support for the accused, including those from 17 of his colleagues, a former principal, an art therapist, and an orthopaedic surgeon.

The teacher also labelled himself as an honourable person who would “never sexually assault anyone, let alone a child”.

A large crowd also gathered at court in support of the teacher, and were all visibly relieved when he was released on R3,000 bail on Friday morning.

He was, however, released under strict conditions, in-

cluding that he has to live outside Plett as the child lives in town. He has to report to police every Saturday and is not allowed to access the school premises.

Pending the outcome of the court case, he may also not have contact with any child younger than 16 years.

It was not only the teacher who had input in the bail application, however, as investigating officer Chris Wolhuter from the FCS unit in George also took the witness stand.

He revealed that the teacher in 2008 signed an admission of guilt in an assault case.

Wolhuter explained that a pupil in his class claimed that the accused had beaten him with a stick. The ac-

cused then paid an admission of guilt of R150.

Wolhuter went on to explain that according to the child in the matter before court, the alleged incidents happened on two occasions - once in the bathrooms at a swimming pool where the teacher had taken him for swimming lessons, and a second time at the accused’s home.

Wolhuter added that he believed police had a prima facie case against the accused, but under cross examination

by Gillespie conceded that key facts, including the exact date of the alleged offence, were still outstanding.

The matter was postponed until August 18 for further investigation.

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CXPRESS

News & Views

8 July 2015

Don’t drive and dive...

News Briefs Dg"vjg"gctu"cpf"g{gu"qh" Mp{upc"ugewtkv{"hqtegu" fwtkpi"Q{uvgt"Hguv Knysna Community Police Forum (CPF) spokesperson Jessica Traill advised CXPRESS that different neighbourhood watches would be working alongside local police under the guidance of SAPS Operational Support Commander captain Kitching, along with partners Allsound Security and World Sports, around the Oyster Festival grounds at Knysna

High School.

“Neighbourhood watch members will be providing additional safety around the parameter of the field for festivalgoers, wearing blue jackets and reflectors.

“Our car awareness programme will be a main focus, as theft out of motor vehicles is a big concern.”

She concluded that the CPF also urged the public to support the Red Bib Parking Attendant Project. “We encourage the public to only support

these registered screened parking attendants.”

Cttguvu"kp"Igqtig"cpf" Qwfvujqqtp"hqt"ftwiu." nkswqt."cpf"vtchhke"qhhgpegu Police members in the George cluster have made successful arrests during the past week. A total of 68 people were arrested for drug-related crimes, the contraband confiscated including heroin, tik, cocaine, dagga and khat, of which 110 bundles with an estimated street value of R11,000 were discovered on a bus in De Rust.

Said captain Louis Visser: “We acted against liquor outlets and confiscated 1,935 litres of liquor, arresting four suspects for selling liquor without a licence.

“Crime against women and children is high on our list of priorities, and 37 peo-

T

ple were arrested for crimes committed in this regard.”

He concluded that during the past week’s tracing operations, 49 suspects were arrested for outstanding warrants, and that fines to the value of R35,000 were issued at 11 roadblocks.

Uwurgev"cttguvgf"hqt"owtfgt" kp"Mp{upc A 17-year-old male appeared in the Knysna Magistrate’s court on July 2 on a charge of murder after an argument resulted in the death of 32-year-old Maxwell Gesels.

Says captain Bernadine Steyn: “On the evening of June 30, the suspect and deceased had an argument in Heatherdale Street in Hornlee. The suspect, who was back in court on July 7, allegedly took a knife and stabbed the deceased in his neck.”

New Horizons spay day

HE next community spay day will be held in New Horizons on Sunday July 12 from 8am to 1pm, when the volunteer vets attached to PAWS will again offer their services to neuter and spay cats and dogs free of charge for the region’s less fortunate pet owners.

Says Marsja Hall-Green of PAWS: “Cats and dogs are

also given basic check-ups and dewormed, while owners receive free pet food.

“But we need volunteers to help with various functions on the day and would also appreciate donations of towels and blankets. Please join us for this rewarding community service.”

Contact Di Butlin on 082 569 2579 if you can help.

A lone male driver escaped with relatively minor injuries when taking into account that his vehicle took a flip right over the railing and fell more than three metres into bushes at the top of Beacon Way in Plett on Tuesday night June 30. No further information was forthcoming from the Plett police. - Nikki Ridley

News & Views

8 July 2015

CXPRESS

Lending an ear to Plett’s superb cetaceans

M

ARINE mammals have developed vocal production mechanisms used for echolocation and communication. Vocal communication plays an important role in social interactions in many species such as the bottlenose dolphin which has individually distinctive signature whistles that are highly stereotyped and function as contact calls.

Classic cetacean surveys have used traditional visual methods to detect the animals, but there is a growing recognition that some animals are more easily heard than seen, for the obvious reason that they spend most of their time below the sea surface.

As a result of technological progress, there is now increasing awareness about the usefulness of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) for surveying and studying cetaceans in their natural environment.

PAM entails deployment of hydrophones instruments, which are designed to detect and register sounds transmitted underwater at different frequencies.

Acoustic monitoring can be conducted throughout the day and night, as well as during unfavourable weather conditions that would limit or prevent effective visual surveys.

PAM is a cost-effective and non-intrusive method

for monitoring dolphins and whales, while also requiring fewer personnel.

The Department of Environmental Affairs together with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University have initiated a PAM project on cetaceans, i.e. whales and dolphins, in Plett. A hydrophone has been deployed in the vicinity of the Robberg MPA. The project aims to understand acoustic characteristics of the different species of whales and dolphins in the area as well as to assess if hydrophones can be reliably used to monitor cetacean populations over time.

Although it has been shown that, generally, dolphin detection rates using acoustic methods are substantially higher than for visual surveys, the ideal option is an integrated survey design that builds on the strengths of both acoustic and sightings surveys.

Moreover, to be able to relate species (or populations) to distinctive sounds requires both acoustic data and visual observations.

Thus we have started with land-based visual surveys in the vicinity of the hydrophone and we are potentially planning to install an automated camera system on land synchronised with the hydrophone.

We would welcome the help of Robberg residents, as

SLEEK PHONE SERVICE: The PAM method of listening in on our whales and dolphins is cost-effective and non-intrusive, but hydrophones require servicing and the crew pictured here is preparing to retrieve the equipment for that purpose Photo: Dr Alejandra Vargas

MEN AT WORK: Divers retrieve the hydrophones used to survey dolphin and whale sounds - Photo: Timmo Godfree

well as other interested and affected parties, in sharing marine mammal sightings in the vicinity of Robberg.

Report your sightings and assist our research via SMS to 078 550 1742.

The most likely species to be sighted in the vicinity of Robberg are Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, IndoPacific humpback dolphin, Common dolphin, Humpback whale, Southern right whale, and Bryde’s whale.

Include the following information on your SMS: • Number of dolphins or whales • Location of the animal/s • Date and time the animals were spotted Visit www.conserbio.org for a sample of sounds recorded by the hydrophone so far and to meet ongoing project collaborators.

Special thanks to CapeNature, DenRon, Enrico’s Fish-

ing Charters, Waterbouyz Marine, the commercial divers who kindly volunteered

their time, and residents who have reported their sightings up to date.

5 Kuhle Hlati, Dr Alejandra Vargas & Steve Kirkman

Email kuhlehlati@yahoo. com or ale@earthcollective. net for further information.

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CXPRESS

News & Views

8 July 2015

PlettAid and Hospice now ready to open their haven with your support

H

OSPICE Plett or PlettAid Foundation? That seems to be (or not to be, as Shakespeare will have it) the question many people are asking. The long and the short of it is that Hospice Plett is one of three programmes of the PlettAid Foundation.

As most Plettonians know, the Foundation, a Not for Profit Organisation (NPO no: 026-825-NPO) started in 2003 - a time when there was a widespread Aids epidemic with no available treatment.

Since then, the organisation has evolved and adapted to current needs and its focus, as of 2010, has shifted to palliative care.

Says Sister Cecily van Heerden: “Our mission is to provide access to quality holistic and palliative care, offered with compassion, dignity and humanity to all in Bitou regardless of race, age, creed, sexual orientation or ability to pay.”

Burning questions, though, are: what is palliative care, and what does hospice do?

“Hospice Plett renders holistic palliative care to pa-

HEALING HANDS: One of the carers treats a Plett Hospice patient to a soothing hand massage

tients in their homes, covering the area from The Crags to Harkerville and Kranshoek. Our patients are anyone living with a life-limiting illness like cancer, organ failure, motor neurone disease, HIV, TB and diabetes, while we also care for those who have suffered strokes.

“Palliative care is the relief of pain and other symptoms be they physical, social, emotional, spiritual or cultural.

This care is extended to the immediate families of our patients as well.

“It also includes support of patients from diagnosis, through the treatment phase to the end of their lives, and bereavement support to their

families. Some of the issues we assist patients with are life planning, emotional support and medical decision making.

“Our professional nurses and home based carers also assist patients with long term wound care like venous ulcers and medication management,” she explains.

So, what are the other two programmes of the PlettAid Foundation?

The Plett Wellness Programme aims to educate the broader community regarding health issues and offers a screening service for some of the most common chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, HIV and TB. Child health screening and

family planning services are also rendered in this programme, and business owners are invited to acquire health-screening packages for their staff.

The third programme of the PlettAid Foundation is institutional palliative care at Invicta Haven.

“We restored an old farmhouse to offer respite care and intensive medical care to our patients with difficult symptoms. This centre has 10 beds of which seven are for patients and three for abused women,” says Van Heerden.

“The centre is fully equipped and ready for use and the focus of PlettAid’s fundraising is to accumulate two years’ worth of operational funds, which amounts to R3-million!

“The need for institutional palliative care in Bitou is dire and the sooner we reach our funding target, the sooner we can open the doors of Invicta Haven for its first patients.”

Call 044 533 5616 or email cecilyvanheerden@gmail. com and read the story below for further information.

GETTA INSPECTA- virtuosos raise funds for Bac(h) from Birmingham Hanover, Germany, she Tickets cost R200 and half Bitou’s most vulnerable inreturned to South Africa as a of the proceeds from the

F

OREMOST South AfShe has won various prizes collaborator with some of the ........................082 410 rican concert pianist Anat some of the country’s most6129 country’s greatest soloists, neke Lamont will join forces prestigious competitions and producing many recordings with Lieva Starker, promising currently studies violin per- under the Salon Music label. violinist originally from Cape formance with the renowned She has also featured as ofTown, for a recital made pos- Jan Repko and Jiafeng Chen ficial accompanist for varisible by Concerts SA at Ou- at Birmingham Conserva- ous national competitions and land Royale in Plettenberg toire, and has performed as serves as a juror at both naBay on July 25. soloist with the KwaZulu- tional and international comThe violin and piano perfor- Natal and Cape Town Phil- petitions. Lamont regularly mance will reflect Starker’s harmonic Orchestras. performs at festivals in Grarecent studies at Birmingham Starker has also enjoyed hamstown, Franschhoek and Conservatoire in the United concerts in the United King- Potchefstroom and has conKingdom, but will also be dom that included a perfor- ducted two national tours with true to her roots with the in- mance in one of Birmingham acclaimed cellists Alexander clusion of works from South Conservatoire’s flagship con- Ivashkin and Gary Hoffman.

African composers. cert series, the Beethoven The concert in Plettenberg Starker will present works Marathon.

Bay is the first in a tour that

by Bach, Beethoven and Lamont requires little in- will travel to Knysna and then Saint-Saëns, as well as South troduction in South Africa go north to Gauteng, where African composers Clare and is certainly one of the the duo will perform in JoLoveday, Hendrik Hofmeyr country’s foremost pianists. hannesburg and Pretoria on and Péter Louis van Dijk.

After completing her studies August 1 & 2.

concert will be donated to the PlettAid Foundation and Hospice Plett. A selection of tea and cakes (included in the ticket price) will be served from 3:30-5pm and the concert starts at 5:30pm, so giving Knysna residents time to travel both ways in daylight.

The organisers are most grateful to Wilja Reitz for providing the venue free of charge to support their cause.

A cash bar will be available.

Contact Barnie Barnard at The Market Square Info Centre on 044 533 3219 or at plettinfo@telkomsa.net or Lady Conyngham on 044 533 5178 or at aconyngham@tel komsa.net, and see the advert on page 13 and article above for additional information.

News & Views

8 July 2015

CXPRESS

7

Formosa Primary’s deputy head ends illustrious career Words & photo: Timothy Twidle

D

ESMOND Leonard retired from Formosa Primary in Bitou on June 30 at the end of a distinguished teaching career of 38 years in the service of the school.

Leonard, who was born and grew up in Plettenberg Bay, was a pupil at the school when it was still located in the centre of town, from 1964 until 1969, so that his association with the establishment spans an aggregate total of 42 years.

Having qualified with a diploma in teaching from Dow-

er Training College in PE at the end of 1976, he began work as a teacher at Formosa Primary on January 17, 1977 - a year that he recalls with affection, reminiscing: “It was the year that I began teaching, got married, and obtained my driving licence.”

In 1987, Leonard became a Head of Department and in 1997 was promoted to the rank of Deputy Principal, the position from which he concludes his professional life.

Looking back over time, Leonard remembers that in 1977 the total number of learners at Formosa Primary

test of time,” he says.

Leonard was seconded to Plettenberg Bay Secondary for six years, to assist with the launch of the school in 1991. In 2010, he co-authored an English language textbook entitled Igv" Iqkpi" ykvj"Gpinkuj.

Desmond Leonard retires, in his own words, “with a feeling of joy, of a job well done and with many happy memories”.

For the years ahead, he looks forward to spending time with his immediate family of a spouse, three children and six grandchildren, as well

as enjoying his pastimes of golf and surf fishing.

But he will also assist with the additional tuition of young people of school-going age, who require help in biology and English.

Formosa Primary will host a retirement function for Leonard later in the year, as he will remain in the town. “I will never leave Plettenberg Bay,” he intones fondly.

CXPRESS congratulates Desmond Leonard on his fine contribution to the cause of education in Plettenberg Bay and wishes him many happy, healthy years ahead.

Liefling Lika personifies film and food

in Plett during three days of five classic food films and the food that is central to the film narrative. Visit www. pletttourism.com for the full MAD Festival listing and to book your tickets online.

FOUR DECADES: During his final week at Formosa Primary, Desmond Leonard thinks back on 38 happy years of loyal service to the establishment

was some 600, whereas today that figure has more than doubled to 1,275.

This increase necessitated the construction of new school buildings, which were officially opened on August 1 last year. He cites the improvements that have taken place in the methodology of teaching, which is now more specialised and has resulted in improved results.

“My first five years of teaching at Formosa Primary under the strong leadership of then principal Reginald Carollison gave me a solid foundation that has stood the

Lika Berning recently returned from her latest role in ‘French Toast’ in Paris, she is the ambassador for the Plett Food Film Festival 2015

L

IKA will be heating up Plett with her passion for food and her love of film from July 9-11 as she mingles with guests during film premiers at the Plett Food Film Festival.

Lika has been working in theatre, film and television for more than 10 years. An honours graduate in Documentary Filmmaking, she has stepped outside of the genre after her documentary Dgvvkg, writing and directing

an award winning short film Xcujqwfkpi.

She has been associate producer on feature Wkvxnwejv"for release later this year, and is most known for her acting work in Afrikaans film Nkgh/ nkpi." fkg" Oqxkg." Xtqw" Uqgm" Dqgt." Htgpej" Vqcuv, and the international feature Dcpi" Dcpi"Enwd.

TV productions include Hgcuv" qh" vjg" Wpkpxkvgf directed by Katinka Heyns, Dkppgncpfgtu and, most re-

cently, the KykNET drama series D{n.

When not on set, Lika works passionately behind the scenes at IKasi Media, an NPO she founded to facilitate film training programmes for aspiring film makers in Plett and Eden District.

The Plett Food Film Festival is one-of-a-kind in Africa.

Plett Tourism and iKasi Media bring you the experience of Delicious film | Compelling food at The White House

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CXPRESS

Interval

8 July 2015

My neighbour knocked on my door at 2:30am this morning.

Can you believe that - 2:30am?!

Luckily for him, I was still up playing my bagpipes.

Beethoven lives on…

A

tourist in Vienna goes through a graveyard and all of a sudden he hears some music. No one is around, so he starts searching for the source.

He finally locates the origin and finds it is coming from a grave with a headstone that reads: ‘Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827’.

Then he realises that the music is the Ninth Symphony, and it is being played backward!

Puzzled, the tourist leaves the graveyard and persuades a friend to return with him.

By the time they arrive back at the grave, the music has changed. This time it is the Seventh Symphony, but like the previous piece, it is being played backward.

A

Curious, the men agree to consult a music scholar.

When they return with the expert, the Fifth Symphony is playing, again backward.

The expert notices that the symphonies are being played in the reverse order in which they were composed, the 9th, then the 7th, then the 5th.

By the next day the word has spread and a throng has gathered around the grave.

They are all listening to the Second Symphony being played backward.

Just then the graveyard’s caretaker ambles up to the group. Someone in the group asks him if he has an explanation for the music.

“Don’t you get it?” the caretaker says incredulously.

“He’s decomposing.”

Ask the locals…

tourist stopped a local in a village he was visiting and asked: “What is the quickest way to the lake?”

The local thought for a

while, then asked: “Are you walking or driving?”

“I’m driving” replied the tourist.

“Well, that is the quickest way!” the local said.

Woof, woof, woof, woof...

A

dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote: “Woof.

Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof.

Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof.”

The clerk examined the pa-

per and politely told the dog: “There are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the same price.”

The dog replied: “But that would make no sense at all!”

I’VE BEEN ON SO MANY BLIND DATES, I SHOULD GET A FREE DOG...

A matter of black and white

A

TTENDING a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother: “Why is the bride dressed in white?”

“Because white is the col-

our of happiness,” her mother explained. “And today is the happiest day in her life.”

The child thought for a moment, then asked: “So why is the groom wearing black?”

What are we?

Out of shape!

What do we want?

To start our diet and exercise!

When do we want to start?

On Monday!

Today is Monday.

Next Monday!

Business

Investor Focus

8 July 2015 Malcolm Stewart – Investment manager at Michaelides Parker Wealth Knysna & Plett

On tax free saving accounts

M

ANY of our financial institutions are now beginning to offer tax free savings accounts. One can visit them on their websites, although some are difficult to navigate and will necessitate a visit to your local bank.

In the main, these are simply cash deposit accounts with varied terms and conditions that are registered under the new tax free classification. They are guaranteed against any capital loss - provided the bank does not go down the tubes.

Their rates vary from bank to bank, but really only by marginal percentages. Most offer a seven-day withdrawal notice, but one must remember that the rules governing these instruments prohibit you from depositing more than R30,000 per year.

So, for instance, if you deposit your full R30,000 and then withdraw R1,000, you may not replace that R1,000 in that year.

Others offer what is effectively a tax free fixed deposit. In this case, the terms and conditions have to be read very carefully, as these may have other implications that you should understand, e.g. no urgent access without a

penalty, etc.

Most of the cash deposit type offerings have tiered interest rates. FNB offers 5.75% for amounts over R20,000; Standard Bank offers 5.35% for the same amount, while Capitec offers 5.55% for amounts over R20,000 and 5.75% over R25,000.

These rates will obviously vary as economic conditions change, while I am sure that your local bank may be able to tweak rates depending on its own policies.

A word of warning should also be considered: I would not be surprised to see various new offerings being made from institutions with varying degrees of financial stability!

Retirees desperate to increase their income will be tempted into products offering higher rates. This could be a scary venture, for you will be putting 100% of your capital at risk to attain an extra 2% of interest. I suggest that the major blue chip banks be your first stop.

In the overall investment plans of most working families, these products provide a sound offering that is essentially flexible, and can be used for specific saving objectives, i.e. for your child’s

(or grandchild’s) school/university fees, or a holiday.

Potential investors should shop around, find the offering that best suits their needs. Oh, and do read the small print...

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Madanhire motivates Eden entrepreneurs Godfrey Madanhire is a Zimbabwean who never stopped dreaming. Arriving in SA 15 years ago with literally pennies to his name, he worked his way up the corporate ladder from the very bottom. In 2006 he took the plunge and chased his longheld dream of starting a company, Dreamworld Promotions.

He produced his own motivational CDs, initially selling 300 CDs a month. Today, his company sells 100 times as many and employs over 100 people. He conducts motivational workshops and seminars for corporate clients and the general public at open events on various topics. Madanhire’s journey since starting his company has resulted in him meeting numerous heads of state and being invited to speak at international conferences. He makes regular appearances in the media, has written a book and created three short motivational films - all of this while uplifting countless people to reach their dreams.

At a workshop in Oudtshoorn last weekend, he shared his life’s story and how anyone can follow his path to success to reach that impossible dream by knowing which obstacles to avoid along the way and using his exercises to rejuvenate your spirits when chasing down hard to reach goals. Follow him on Facebook to make your business dreams come true.

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Social Scene

8 July 2015

People, places & events

Photo: Hilton Herd

SPOTLIGHT ON... KNYSNA! Following several workshops with the Cape Film Commission and George and Knysna Municipalities, it was decided that Knysna would host a contingent of 14 judges of the International Emmy Awards’ documentary category. Their local sojourn culminated in a gala dinner at beautiful Simola.

Fêting the occasion of Knysna’s entry into the international film and television limelight are, from left, Cape Film Commission CEO Denis Lillie, International Emmy Awards judging manager Jessica Franco, Knysna mayor Georlene Wolmarans, and George mayor Charles Standers.

Visit www.cxpress.co.za to read the full story.

YARD A BLAST - NOW IT’S BONDI’S TURN: One of the many activities and entertainments offered during last weekend’s wildly successful Plett Country Fair at The Yard in Piesang Valley was the Dog and Owner Lookalike competition on Saturday, when local lass Ameera and her beloved Jack won first prize. Readers are reminded that Knysna Animal Welfare Services will hold a competition for the young - and not so young - and their dogs at the Oyster Fest’s annual Bondi ceremony on Thursday July 9 at 10am. Bondi was a ship’s mascot who died in Knysna in 1931 and whenever an SA Navy ship visits, a complement of sailors tidy up and polish Bondi’s grave outside the SANParks offices on Thesen Islands.

The ceremony to commemorate Bondi is organised by Knysna Sea Cadets and Historical Society together with KAWS, who will host a ‘Best Cabin Boy/Girl and their Dog’ competition tomorrow. Kids should dress up as a cabin boy or girl and bring along their dogs to listen to the story of Bondi. And if you’re a little older but also feel like showing off your dog, sign up for the ‘Best Old Salt and their Dog’ prize. This competition is kindly sponsored by Hills so there will be lovely prizes up for grabs. Your entrance fee is a donation to KAWS - phone Cathie on 083 291 7967 for more information.

Photos: Timothy Twidle

FRINGE FRATERNITY: At the opening night of the Plett Fringe Festival on June 25 were, at left, Veronica Cloete and Eldra Kam of Kurland Village in The Crags.

Below from left, David and Maureen Rennie enjoy the theatrical festivities with Mike and Toni Egan. Read the full story on page 13.

Holiday Activities

8 July 2015

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Food & Wine

8 July - 2015

Knysna beekeepers judge the ‘hood’s best honey

O

N June 24, Knysna’s Beekeepers’ Association (KBA) held its annual dinner and honey making competition at its now familiar meeting place of Knysna Golf Club.

The KBA’s mission is to provide a forum for hobbyist beekeepers aimed at building greater knowledge of bees and the art of beekeeping. It also promotes good beekeeping practices, conveys honeybees’ value to society at large, and takes steps wherever

practicable, to enhance and protect the insects’ domain.

KBA chairman Eddie Hart, winner of the prestigious USA award for the World’s Best Tasting Honey in 2013, was on hand to present prizes.

But not before the so called ‘Three Gurus’ - Owen Williams of Honeychild, Roger Evins of Plett Honey, and Dr Topher Barker of Knysna - judged the honey samples submitted by members.

The overall standard was extremely high, so much

deliberation was required before the legendary judges came to their decision.

First prize was awarded to Mandy de Jong, who received a modular composite hive system manufactured and kindly donated by Best Beehives of Grabouw, and valued close to R3,000. Tight runner up was Bradley Raath, who received a complete Meerlust Beehive with telescopic roof (whatever that is‌?!) expertly made by Kobus Peens of PE, and valued at R750.

THREE GURUS WAXING IT: Judges, from left, Dr Topher Barker, Roger Evins, and Owen Williams had cause for much deliberation over the winning honey, but finally it was Mandy de Jong who walked off with a state of the art hive as first prize, with Bradley Raath a close second

Arugula chef spreads his wings to Plett’s Goose Valley golf estate

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Tel: 044 533 2030 Fax: 044 533 2074 40 Church Street, Plettenberg Bay www.collectionmcgrath.com/plett/

OOD news for local diners is the fact that the owner of award-winning eatery Arugula Bistro and Bread in the Cape suburb of Welgemoed has decided to ply his trade in Plett, and that at one of the town’s most unique venues.

The scenic 18th hole and mountainous backdrop of Goose Valley golf course is the setting for Arugula Bistro, where chef Neil Swart and his team have been offering a fresh take on good food for the past month and a bit.

Neil’s restaurant in the Cape currently hangs in 30th position of the ¹1,500 Mother City eateries listed by TripAdvisor - proof that Arugula Bistro and Bread has made a lasting impression on patrons since its establishment in March 2012.

Says Neil: “After studying hospitality management in Pretoria, I worked at the Ritz Carlton in Florida and learned from the Americans about customer service – and they do know how! “But I was not satisfied with life on the floor. I wanted to be on the other side of the win-

dow, the side where all those smells and flavours came from. So I packed my bags and headed to the culinary academy outside of Paarl and was very fortunate to end up in the moulding hands of chef Michael Broughton.�

As saucier at the world famous Terroir, Neil learned how to smell and taste on a new level entirely. And now locals can reap the fruit of those culinary learning

curves here at Goose Valley.

Neil is the youngest son of Plett residents for the past seven years, Flip and Linette Swart, so there’s a family connection to boot. But you don’t have to be related to take advantage of this new eating option on our doorstep. Good food and wine have been known to create lasting friendships.

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WINNING COMBO: Neil Swart and his partner Deanna Lussi - who both learned the ropes from internationally acclaimed food guru Michael Broughton - met when working at top SA restaurant Terroir at Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch, where she combined her front of house and wine expertise, while he discovered new ways to smell and taste

KITCHEN-TRAINED: Neil Swart, left, and Louis Zenhäusern of Arugula Bistro and Bread in the Cape take their work rather seriously

Entertainment

8 July 2015

CXPRESS

13

Good growth apparent as curtain falls on third Plett Fringe Words & photos: Timothy Twidle

T

HE third Plett Fringe Festival ran from June 25-29 at The White House Theatre and presented a fine array of theatrical endeavour that ranged from biting satire to storytelling, music, song and dance.

Six performances of high quality were enjoyed by good audiences, such that the event is now established as a permanent fixture on the Garden Route’s annual cultural calendar.

The opening night saw Ofentse Motsamai give a solo performance of Zakes Mda’s Vjg"Oqvjgt"qh"Cnn"Gcvkpi"- a fable that depicts the tragic

CORRUPTION GONE WRONG: Fringe opening night featured Ofentse Motsamai in ‘The Mother of All Eating’

FACE OF PLETT FRINGE 2015: Talented Nomzamo Maga was a member of the cast of ‘iLifa’, performed by Plett's Lunchbox Theatre

consequences of untrammelled corruption and avarice.

Wpfgtokpgf, a lively and innovative portrayal of a Mo-

zambican man’s employment on a Witwatersrand gold mine, was played by a trio of actors from Cape Town,

Heather Waters and Nuline’s dancers to entertain at Knysna’s women’s walk

I

F you’re planning your itinerary for the second half of this year’s Knysna Oyster Festival, then make sure you don’t miss the Pick n Pay’s Women’s Walk, which will set off from the festival grounds on Sunday July 12 at 8am.

As always, the walk isn’t restricted to women, so feel free to bring along the whole family and all your friends everyone is welcome for this fun, untimed 5km walk.

Similar walks are held all throughout South Africa to raise funds for PinkDrive, a public benefit organisation that provides free breastcancer screening for women around the country.

PinkDrive is present at every event, where they offer free breast examinations as well as the opportunity to

talk to a representative about any breast-related matters.

A walk village will be set up at the festival grounds, which also serves as start and finish points of the walk. What’s more, walkers can look forward to great entertainment courtesy of folky songbird Heather Waters and Nuline Dance Academy.

Curves will be doing a warm-up to make sure your muscles are ready for the walk, and Knysna mayor Georlene Wolmarans has promised to make an appearance at the event.

Lucky draws will take place throughout the morning and an array of refreshments will be on sale before and after the walk.

Another bonus is that everyone who finishes the walk will receive a medal and a

goodie-bag full of products.

Sound good? Then get down to your closest Pick n Pay (Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route Mall or Pick n Pay George) to book your spot or visit www.web tickets.co.za to enter online and help support this great cause.

The gates at Knysna Oyster Festival Grounds open at 7am and the walk starts at 8am. Entry fee per adult is R50 and children (under 18) pay R25. Event packs can be collected at Pick n Pay Garden Route Mall on July 9 (10am-6pm) or Pick n Pay Knysna on July 10 & 11 (10am-6pm).

Visit www.pnp.co.za or contact Dani Isaacs on 083 308 6260 or at Dani@corpo rateimage.co.za for more information.

namely Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Stefan Erasmus, and Luke Brown.

Plett’s own Lunchbox Theatre enacted KNkhc (an isiXhosa word meaning ‘inheritance’), which is a cameo of the travails of one Themba’s quest for a bequest that is rightfully his.

Dct" Pqpg, a heartfelt story in the form of a musical miscellany of standards, was played by Lucy & Alexander Tops and Grant Jacobs.

Dki" Dq{u" KK" with Brad and Ash Searle was an energetic mix of dance routines and music interspersed with a hilarious script that documented the adventures of a man in

pursuit of love and marriage.

The final performance of the festival was given by comedian Nik Rabinowitz, who delighted a capacity audience with 90 minutes of ribald humour entitled Yjcv"vjg"GHHA, describing all that either has, could, or should happen in South Africa in a machinegun, rapid-fire, monologue that spared nobody.

The Plett Fringe Festival was organised and run by the charitable organisation Kids of Kurland, and all proceeds after the deduction of costs go towards improving the quality of education at The Crags Primary School in Kurland Village - a disad-

vantaged community located some 20km north-east of Plettenberg Bay. Ann Fermor, Jill McIlleron, Carmen Clews, and Stuart Palmer are to be commended for organising an event of quality that brought joy to many. Susie Ovenstone was kind enough to make the facilities of The White House available for the festival and delicious snacks and beverages were served throughout

by Jacqui Carter Johnson and Natalie Eray of Nguni.

Generous sponsorship was given by PSG Wealth (Cape Town and Western Cape), CemAir, Hog Hollow Country Lodge, and Kurlandbrik.

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Classifieds

8 July 2015

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

08 Julyy 2015

09 July 2015

10 Julyy 2015

11 Julyy 2015

12 Julyy 2015

13 Julyy 2015

14 Julyy 2015

Mostly Mostlly cloudy clloud dy and cooler

Considerable cloudiness

18° Lo 14°

19° Lo 13°

Precipitation: 25% Thunderstorm: 0% Sunrise: 7:32AM Sunset: 5:31PM Wind: S 26km/h Gusts: 41km/h S

Precipitation: 10% Thunderstorm: 20% Sunrise: 7:32AM Sunset: 5:32 PM Wind: E 11km/h Gusts: 18 km/h E

Sun, clouds S un the then h n clou loud uds

Warmer with W ith variable clouds

Cl d b Clouds breaking ki for some sun

Mostly l sunny and cooler

Mostly clo Mostly M cloudy loud udyy with a shower

18° Lo 13°

27° Lo 14°

20° Lo 06°

15° Lo 04°

15° Lo 02°

Precipitation: 3% Thunderstorm: 0% Sunrise: 7:32 AM Sunset: 5:32 PM Wind: E 9km/h Gusts: 24km/h E

Precipitation: 2% Thunderstorm: 0% Sunrise: 7:33AM Sunset: 5:29PM Wind: WNW 17km/h Gusts: 54km/h WNW

Precipitation: 4% Thunderstorm: 0% Sunrise: 7:31AM Sunset: 5:33PM Wind: NW 15km/h Gusts: 41km/h NW

Precipitation: 8% Thunderstorm: 24% Sunrise: 7:31AM Sunset: 5:34 PM Wind: W 26km/h Gusts: 63km/h W

Precipitation: 41% Thunderstorm: 20% Sunrise: 7:32AM Sunset: 5:31PM Wind: W 13km/h Gusts: 35km/h W

MOON PHASES: July 2015

Read CXPRESS online @ www.cxpress.co.za

Thu 09 July Last Quarter Thu 16 July New Moon

08 Wed 09Thu 10 Fri 11 Sat 12 Sun 13 Mon 14 Tue 15 Wed 16 Thu 17 Fri 18 Sat 19 Sun 20 Mon 21 Tue

TIDES: 08 July - 21 July LOW

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

02h15 03h20 04h44 06h17 07h24 08h15 08h57 09h34 10h07 10h38 11h08 11h37 12h07 00h31

08h25 09h29 10h58 12h33 00h59 01h58 02h47 03h30 04h09 04h44 05h17 05h47 06h16 06h46

14h22 15h28 17h09 18h45 19h47 20h35 21h16 21h52 22h26 22h58 23h28 23h59 12h38

21h10 22h24 23h48 13h41 14h33 15h17 15h56 16h31 17h04 17h34 18h03 18h33 19h04

On the Soapbox

8 July 2015

Letters to the Editor

Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600

Horrified at tourist-unfriendly constraints I am a Plett resident - have been on and off since birth - and have lately been really impressed by the amazing job Plett Tourism is doing to

market our beautiful town, hosting festivals and other great events.

Also, our main road is bustling with restaurants and

TICKET TO RIDE AND RE-PARK: Please be on the lookout for these pretty pink flyers - they’ll leave you arm/legless if you park for longer than an hour in Plettenberg Bay’s main road…

Please support essential Plett dialysis centre Very regrettably, the Renal Unit in Plettenberg Bay, which was run by the National Renal Centre for the last six or seven years, has closed its operations at the end of April.

This has now caused tremendous problems for some citizens of Plett, as well as for holidaymakers, as they are all forced to go to either George or Knysna for their treatments relating to kidney failure.

Accordingly, this would create a major problem for Plettenberg Bay - and not only for its present inhabitants, but it would also deter holidaymakers who require this service, from coming to Plettenberg Bay. It will obviously also have an effect on people who wish to retire in Plett, too, if there is no operational facility available.

Attempts are being made to bring in another organisation to run this service.

A company by the name of Fresenius Medical Care has provisionally agreed to

come to Plett, if they can be convinced that enough people will use the facility and that it will be financially viable.

Fresenius is currently reviewing the situation and it is hoped that if sufficient numbers of people respond, the centre will be reopened.

This is an appeal to all residents and visitors to please consider a financial donation monthly for one year to hopefully cover the rental costs for the facility with the hope that, by the end of the year, there will be enough income flow to justify its existence, and for the clinic to hopefully make a profit in years to come.

We would like as much support as possible to allow for the continuation of this very necessary dialysis unit in Plettenberg Bay. Please contact me on 011 325 5800/1 or per email at bertie@lubman.co.za should you require any further information.

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shops, and has become an excellent place for tourists, visitors and locals alike to enjoy.

So imagine my horror when, after coffee and a business meeting at Lederle’s last week, I was hit by a fine of R200 for parking in Main Street for longer than an hour. In fact, the fine stated ‘1hr 16min’, so basically just a quarter of an hour over the parking time.

I am appalled! How on earth can you allow a parking time of 60 minutes for people to have to rush through a coffee and chat, a meeting or lunch, let alone for our amazing tourists who want to stroll along Main Street, do some shopping, grab a coffee and croissant, and browse some more?!

I cannot believe Bitou Traffic thinks that this is going to promote tourism or make our guests, not to mention permanent residents who sup-

port this town all year, particularly happy.

I am horrified at this regulation and plan to fight the parking fine tooth and nail.

I didn’t know about this and the car guards certainly didn’t tell me when I parked, so how can we assume that any out of town visitors will know about this rule?

I do understand they don’t want people taking up parking spaces all day long, but if they are going to insist on such rigid parking time constraints, surely they should have parking meters, or attendants with parking meters? (Don’t all shout at the same time, I also don’t want this…)

At the very least, please train the parking attendants or car guards to let people know that there is a time limit, so that midway through eating their lunch, they can run out and re-park their cars!

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Dachau memoirs resonate with many across the globe I am finding the articles by Henk Bolhuis on the WWII Dachau concentration camp most interesting. I also visited Dachau a few years ago and one cannot describe the sense of silent horror that pervades the area.

The thorough documentation kept by the SS administration has recorded for perpetuity the appalling abuses that humans can inflict upon one another.

One of my clients who lived in Sea Point was herself an inmate at Dachau. She had been transported there at the age of 12 from Rhodes in Greece.

Her story has been recorded and filmed by Steven Spielberg and is kept in the Holocaust Archive in Hollywood, which he created after making the film Uejkpfngt‚u" Nkuv. He traced Holocaust survivors all over the world and has documented and preserved their experiences in the archive.

One must bear in mind that there were three kinds

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of concentration camps during the Third Reich: transit, labour and extermination camps. Dachau was a transit camp and on a huge wall in the Dachau museum is a map of Europe with all the camps colour-coded.

There were no gas chambers in Dachau and the people mainly died from starvation, illness and of course medical experimentation. People destined for extermination were sent to Auschwitz by train.

In the beginning, there was a market in the camp where locals came and sold fruit and vegetables to the inmates, but after Himmler’s Final Solution, this practice was stopped.

The local villagers also used to push potatoes and food through the fences for the prisoners until that, too, was ended. The village overlooks the camp and you can see into the camp from some of the houses.

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Read CXPRESS online at www.cxpress.co.za

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CXPRESS

Sport & Adventure

8 July 2015

Legendary Dries Millard passes Knysna and Plett on his way to surfing in the USA

T

HE first-ever International Surfing Association (ISA) World Adaptive Surfing Champs are set to take place in San Diego, California, from September 24-27 and differently-abled surfer Dries Millard is determined to attend.

Along with Ant Smyth, JP Veaudry and Bongani Xulu, Millard has been named by

Surfing SA’s Board of Directors to represent South Africa at the event, but the guys have to raise their own funds for the purpose.

Millard runs Extreme Abilities - an organisation that has partnered with Surfing South Africa in presenting multiple surf events for disabled people in the Western Cape for the past four years.

To prepare for the championships, Millard has set off on a tour along the country’s coastline, starting at Elands Bay on the West Coast on June 20 and heading all the way up to Sodwana Bay in northern KwaZulu-Natal, where his tour will conclude around August 20.

This itinerary means that Millard will be heading into

CX Country soon, where residents and visitors will have the chance to meet and be motivated by this intrepid surfer determined to ensure that surfing is accessible to those with disabilities.

The journey will provide Millard with the necessary training for the champs in September and involves 35 stops at towns along the way, where awareness for adaptive surfing events will be raised.

“Motivational talks and disability awareness has always been a part of our operation, so I will promote the sport among the younger generation at all our stops,” he says.

Millard also aims to put coastal communities’ NSRI and lifesaving clubs in contact with their nearest disability organisations so that towns will be able to organise their own adaptive surf events in future.

As far as the future of adaptive surfing is concerned, Mil-

lard has set some challenging goals, one of which is to surf Dungeons - the famous Cape Town Big Wave surf spot sometime next year.

Technology is on his side, as the Challenged Athletes Foundation has assisted him in acquiring a fully gripped 8-foot surfboard with a Wavejet propulsion system to help him with paddling.

Surfing SA general manager Robin de Kock is enthusiastic about the plan that Millard has put together. “I have worked on a number of adapted surfing projects with Dries and he is simply an inspiration. Once he sets his mind to a project, he goes for it and just does not give up.

“It is particularly fitting that the ISA has decided to create the World Adaptive Surfing Championships, as it will allow Dries and his teammates to show how far South Africa has advanced when it comes to providing surfing opportunities to individuals with different disabilities.

“Surfing SA has actively

supported the Adapted Surfing Days that have been so successful over the last four years. Dries has been an enthusiastic and committed innovator of the programme and he deserves all the support he can get in making his trip to the World Championships a reality.”

Millard and his tour crew hit the Garden Route this week when staying over in Mossel Bay and George, and should be heading for Vic Bay and Wilderness today (July 8).

They will stay in Knysna tomorrow night and head to Plett on July 10 for an adaptive surfing event on Saturday the 11th, before hitting the road to St Francis on the 12th.

Keep in touch with Millard’s progress at www.ex tremeabilities.co.za or email him directly at dries@ex tremeabilities.co.za for details of his Knysna and Plett programme, and visit www. isasurf.org for more information on the 2015 ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championships.

Leolin Petersen brings home the gold Helen Bezuidenhout from Plett sent these pics and wrote: ‘I would love to congratulate my daughter Leolin with her achievements at the Oudtshoorn gymnastics championships on June 25. She won gold medals for Euro-tramp, double-mini, tumble and artistic floor, vault and bars, with a silver medal won for her performance on the beam. That resulted in her winning gold overall for artistic, making this mother very proud!’

Knysna bowlers tops in first four-club event On June 18 and 25, four local lawn bowling clubs took part in the inaugural Personal Trust East of Eden Challenge. Leisure Isle, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield and Knysna all fielded strong teams in this inter-club tournament played on a round-robin basis. The first round of matches took place at Leisure Isle, where Knysna built up an early lead. In the second round, Plett and Sedgefield made ground on the leaders but Knysna (41 points) held on to win with Plett (34) second, followed by Sedgefield (33) and Leisure Isle (24). Not normally considered a spectator sport, this tournament could be regarded as such with 66 high quality, often exciting matches contested overall, many of which could have gone either way. The idea of the four-club competition was first raised by Barry Ricketts of Plett and with assistance of the other three clubs’ competition secretaries, the games were organised. It is hoped that this inter-club tournament will become an annual event. A bowler himself, Johann van der Westhuizen of Personal Trust - pictured here awarding the winning trophy to Knysna Bowling Club president Paula Dhanani - generously provided sponsorship of the event.