LET'S TALK Healthy and robust debate are crucial for democracy. The Village NEWS firmly believes in freedom of the press as well as the right of individuals to freely express themselves, as long as they don’t infringe upon the rights of others. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors therefore do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of The Village NEWS. Letters may be shortened and/or edited for clarity and style. Enjoy our paper. Send your letters to dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za.
Pets poisoned in Paradise Park His dog had also consumed some of the poison but fortunately, due to the quick treatment by a local vet, the dog was saved. However, the dog is still very ill and the vet was able to determine that the poison used was a toxic garden insecticide.
liable for a fine and/or imprisonment. We have previously put out an appeal to the residents of Paradise Park to come forward with any information in this regard which could lead to the arrest of the perpetrator. We are again calling on the residents to do so. This heinous act of cruelty cannot be allowed to continue. It’s sad enough losing a beloved pet, but when this is due to the inhumane behaviour of others, it is totally unacceptable.
This is not the first time cats living in Paradise Park have been poisoned. Under the Animal Protection Act No. 71 of 1962, if a person is found guilty of such an offence, he/she will be
HAWS has previously informed the residents of Paradise Park that if there are feral cats in the area, to please let us know and we will arrange to have these cats trapped.
It is with a heavy heart that I learnt from a resident of Paradise Park that his cat had died from poisoning last week.
HERMANUS ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY In the past, we have also sterilised many cats so there is no need to resort to poisoning these animals. I am not suggesting that the resident’s cat that died was feral or unsterilized; on the contrary. I am merely bringing to the attention of residents the type of service HAWS is able to offer. I will end off with the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated. Life is as precious to us as it is for an animal.” Pamela Quinn HAWS Chairperson
Ode to exercise What a celebration! What a street carnival! What neighbourly goodwill! That was Friday 1 May 2020 in my suburb. Not because it was May Day, not because the sun was shining and autumn was in the air. No, it was mass exercise time! And worth every moment of dragging myself unwilling from my bed on such a chilly morning and such an unseemly hour. When I put on my dog’s leash, his face said it all: “Have you flipped your lid? Haven’t you been telling me for the last five weeks that we’re not allowed to go for walks?” As we passed through the gates of our complex, he grew even more perplexed. But when I said, “Yes, we can, let’s go,” my usually dour elderly Scotsman took off like a rocket, straining at the leash, dragging me, blinking in the sunlight, with him. But the initial hop, skip and jump was soon modified as the fresh scents came wafting from every bush and lamp post we passed. “Oh what bliss, oh how I’ve missed reading these fresh, delicious pee-mails. It feels as if every dog I’ve ever known has left a
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message just for me.” We took the long route round the suburb and indeed it did seem as if every dog we had ever seen or heard was pounding the streets with its owner. Not only dog walkers had taken possession of the roads, but a young jogger passed by pushing her baby in its pram, power walkers, speed cyclists, dawdling riders, an old lady in her walking frame, children hopping up and down around their parents, or riding their bikes, everybody smiling (even if their mouths were covered), everybody saying hello, waving, keeping their distance. And oh, the autumn flowers in beautiful gardens, the smell of freshly-cut grass, the mountains looking newborn and radiant… Would there ever be such a morning again!? And then, our house in sight, the dragging footsteps, the regretful
Participate in talks via Zoom W
ith restrictions on physical meetings likely to stay in place for the foreseeable future, many people are missing the interesting talks and presentations offered regularly by Whale Coast Conservation and U3A Overberg.
to start introducing online lectures. U3A Overberg kicked off their Zoom presentations last week with The Spanish Flu Epidemic by Phil Harries-Jones and this week’s lecture was on The History and Reconstruction of Rwanda - Land of a 1000 Hills by John Bristow.
Both these organisations have therefore decided to make it possible for their members to participate via Zoom.
“From the feedback we have received, these sessions were very successful and most members seemed enthusiastic that this should continue,” says Gert Claassen of U3A. “We know that some had a few technical problems and that the internet capacity was problematic in some areas. But, as we all become comfortable with the new technology, this will probably become a routine activity in our lives.
“You may have read that there are questions around the security of Zoom meetings, but we will take precautions and we won't share any environmental secrets on the platform. Breaches in security arise when the meeting URL link is shared indiscriminately. We will therefore ask you to register for each talk and the meeting link will be sent only to those members who registered,” says Anina Lee of WCC. “Some of our members may have attended a Zoom meeting with U3A, so you will be familiar with the programme. Those members who would like to do a dummy run to test it, can send an email to anina. wcc@gmail.com with ‘Test run’ in the subject line and I will set up a practice meeting for you.”
backward glance – but at least the prospect of being able to do it all over again tomorrow, and breakfast waiting. If it had been the intention of the powers that be to restrict the number of outdoor exercisers to a minimum at such an early hour on chilly, pre-winter mornings, they failed miserably. ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’ seemed to be ringing in the air. – Elaine Davie
WCC’s first Zoom meeting will be on Thursday 7 May at 12:00 (noon). The speaker is Jenny Cullinan and her topic is For the Love of Bees. To register for the talk on Thursday, contact anina. wcc@gmail.com and instructions on how to join the meeting will then be sent to you. On the day before the talk, the link will be sent to all those who have registered. The COVID-19 lockdown regulations also forced U3A Overberg to suspend all lectures and meetings for the foreseeable future. However, Zoom technology has made their lectures and conferences accessible to anyone with a computer and internet connection, prompting them
“The U3A Committee is therefore pleased to announce that we will continue with regular presentations – initially every Monday at 12:00. We have decided on 12:00 because it appears that there is less activity on the internet at that time. The frequency may increase as we progress.” The next U3A Zoom talk will be presented on Monday 11 May by Letitia Snyman and the topic is Wordsworth: A Revolutionary genius who still speaks to us today. Since there are more than 600 U3A members and the Zoom only allows 99 participants per session, you will have to register separately for each session. If you wish to participate in either or both presentations, send an email to gc2441@gmail. com and the access codes will be emailed to you on the Friday prior to the presentation. IMPORTANT TIP: Log in a few minutes prior to the scheduled starting time and turn OFF your microphone and video camera. - Hedda Mittner
