4 November 2020
Diving excursions planned for December From P1 “It has been a challenge to get to this stage – secret dives, all subject to visibility and weather as well as the fact that our yacht from which we also do diving excursions, Ocean Quest, was not allowed in that part of Walker Bay during the whale season,” said Marx. “After the initial find, Makayla and my father Dolf joined the preliminary exploration until we could involve SAHRA and Vanessa, with rewarding results. We hope this new heritage diving site, which we have named Neptune X until a name can be linked to identifiable remains, will lead to more interesting historic finds, and contribute to Hermanus as an enviable tourist destination.” To date four different anchors and chains, as well as a huge anchor winch have been found alongside some other artefacts. Interestingly, the size and shape of the anchors indicate that they date from the mid to late 1800s and would have been used to anchor a ship of at least 200 tons – much larger than any of the whaling ships that used to frequent the Old Harbour. The chains also stretch out away from the anchors, indicating that the anchors were not discarded in the ocean as the chains would then have curled up next to the anchors. Makayla has been doing research on some of their finds and she says it is still too early to positively identify some of the
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heritage items as belonging to a specific shipwreck. “The remains lie at 20 metres on a predominantly sandy reef and it offers an exciting dive to qualified divers. We plan to start excursions to Neptune X in December,” Marx added. The world-wide mysteries surrounding shipwrecks are legion and what still lies hidden at Neptune X is no exception. According to the records of SAHRA, there are about 200 shipwrecks identified along the Overberg coastline, dating from the middle or late 1600s. Frieda Lloyd, Tourism Manager for the Cape Whale Coast, is a representative on the government’s Oceans Economic Working Group which, through Operation Phakisa, focuses on unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans. She says that developing responsible coastal and marine tourism is a key element of Operation Phakisa and that the discovery and potential of Neptune X could be significant. “Experience and authenticity are crucial elements for the growth of sustainable tourism. Neptune X offers the possibility of both and, as a heritage diving site, it could become an important contributor to coastal and marine tourism in the Overberg and beyond,” she said. Frieda is also looking at possibilities to unlock the marine experiences offered in Walker Bay. The bay closes for boating annually from June to November. LEFT: Mikayla and Marx Möhr, owners of Neptune’s Diving and Cruises in the New Harbour and Marx’s father Dolf are excited about the tourism possibilities of this discovery along our shores. BELOW: An anchor winch that is more than a metre long is among the artefacts that have been discovered at the Neptune X site. PHOTO: Supplied VIDEO: Neptune's Divers & Cruises
New muni manager for Overstrand Dean O’Neill took over the reins as municipal manager of the Overstrand Municipality from Coenie Groenewald on 1 November. A self-confessed lifelong learner, O’Neill originally set out to pursue a career in civil engineering, but after having served in technical capacities – first at Vredendal and then Matzikama – he changed tack and began pursuing a career in public administration in earnest. Today, he holds a master’s degree in public administration and is an Accredited Municipal Manager – a distinction very few people in the country can boast with. O’Neill has been serving as Cape Agulhas’s municipal manager since 2013 and regards the fact that he and his team managed to obtain unqualified audit reports consecutively for the past five years as a major accomplishment. “Rapid changes in the Western Cape’s political landscape necessitate resilience and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment,” O'Neill said. “I regard teamwork as the key and firmly believe that every individual’s input, no matter how insignificant it may sound, is crucial to attaining a common goal.” It was with a heavy heart that the Bredasdorp community bid the O'Neill family farewell since they took such a lively interest in local affairs, served on school governing bodies and played an active part in their local parish. Coenie Groenewald delivered his final speech amidst loud applause and a standing ovation during his last Council meeting on Wednesday 28 October. He thanked everyone for their support over the years and said it felt like yesterday when he joined the Overstrand Municipality in 2003. “It feels like only this morning that I was appointed as municipal manager in 2012. “But as it is written in Ecclesiastes 3: ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven’ and so, because life is a journey and not a destination, it is now time for my wife and I to depart on our journey of retirement,” he said. He added that he thoroughly enjoyed working for the Overstrand Municipality. “This is one of the best municipalities in the country and it is praised from various quarters for, amongst others, the cleanliness of our area and for the high standard of services we render. It is an honour for me to have been associated with a municipality which is in the company of only six other municipalities in the country that could maintain their clean audit status for five consecutive years and more – in the case of Overstrand, for seven consecutive years – and we are holding thumbs for the 2019/20 audit which is soon to commence in all earnest.” Groenewald concluded by saying: “It is never easy to say goodbye to people you care about – thus, I would rather stick to what Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever I go, you will always be in my heart’.”
PHOTO: De Waal Steyn
The Village NEWS wishes Coenie Groenewald a happy and long retirement and welcomes Dean O’Neill to our shores.
