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www.thevillagenews.co.za
18 November 2020
L2L Ladies tackle tough practice walk T
he Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse (L2L) ladies held their second practice walk of the season on Sunday 15 November at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve near Gansbaai. Only 75 walkers could be accommodated and a total of 64 took part on the day. Among them were Kirsten Watson from Flower Valley Farm, and a few representatives from the L2L 2021 charities, including Sue Francken from Overstrand Hospice (the secondary beneficiary for 2021); Jenny Vorster from SOFCA; Phil Murray, Rebeccah Dames and Ruth Crichton from the Grootbos Foundation; and ladies from the Children’s Book Network. The walkers, dressed in blue and sporting a variety of moustaches to raise awareness for men’s health, met at either Grotto Beach or in Stanford early in the morning, where
buses were waiting to drive them through to the starting point of their walk. The location of this practice walk was a first for the L2L Ladies and was organised in collaboration with Phil Murray and her team, who mapped out the route along Grootbos’s beautiful Fynbos Trail and on to neighbouring Flower Valley Farm, before looping back into Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Rebeccah from the Grootbos Foundation set a brisk pace for the walkers as she led the way along the 20 km hike. The walk was breathtakingly beautiful with pincushions lining the trail, and seemingly never-ending rolling hills blending into the horizon. The ladies passed through a milkwood forest and then made their way down to a waterfall before relaxing under some
The walkers enjoyed a half-hour lunch break next to a beautiful dam halfway through their challenging practice walk in Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. PHOTO: Supplied
trees at a dam for their lunch break. The last part of the walk proved to be the most challenging, especially the last 5 km which had a steep incline, but the ladies kept going and made it to the end with smiles on their faces and their souls refreshed. This practice walk was tougher than any of the others the L2L ladies had done and it was a good way for them to see how much they still needed to prepare for the main walk next year. Those who couldn’t make it to the practice walk on Sunday joined in on a virtual practice walk. They included representatives from Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, Flower Valley Farm and the Children’s Book Network. – Taylum Meyer
The walk was breathtakingly beautiful and pincushions lined the trail. PHOTO: Phil Murray
L2L committee members Michele Serfontein and Esmé Henderson wearing blue and beards to show their support for men's health awareness.
The hike offered stunning views, but pushed the walkers to their limit. PHOTO: Supplied
Rescued grysbokkie and fawn back in the wild H ats off to all those involved in the dramatic rescue of a Cape grysbokkie that was found injured near the old ‘circus grounds’ on Main Road by Whale Coast Conservation’s chameleon rescue volunteers in mid-September. The obvious first call was to the chameleon project leader, WCC’s Sheraine van Wyk, who in turn alerted the Fernkloof Senior Field Ranger, Dean Gardiner.
After capturing and sedating the grysbokkie, she was transported to the Bergview Veterinary Clinic where Dr Maarten van Dalsen took X-rays
to inspect her injuries more closely. The grysbokkie was found to not only have a fracture in one half of her cloven hoof, but also to be pregnant. Her hoof was put into a splint and she was kept overnight at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Sheraine then contacted Danie and Sonja van Zyl, who offered the grysbokkie a safe haven on their farm in Hemelen-Aarde. With experience in wildlife rehabilitation, the Van Zyls’ farm was the perfect place for the grysbokkie to recover in peace, and eventually give birth safely on 8 October. The story had a happy ending last
week when the grysbokkie and her baby were released back into Fernkloof Nature Reserve after some weeks of convalescence on the farm. Overstrand Municipality would like to thank Sheraine van Wyk from WCC for her involvement from the beginning, in capturing the injured animal and arranging a safe haven for her, the Van Zyl family who were more than willing to assist with looking after and caring for the bokkies, and also Dr Maarten and his team from Bergview Veterinary Practice for taking such excellent care of the ewe and fawn.
Field rangers Darrol isaacs (left) and Dean Gardiner from Overstrand Municipality’s Environmental Management Services releasing the grysbokkie and her fawn back into the wild at Fernkloof Nature Reserve.
