8
20 November 2019
www.thevillagenews.co.za
Getaway to Stanford
FROM THE EDITOR
The Overberg is not a rubbish dump Amidst all the hard work that is being done by various individuals and organisations to help conserve our fauna and flora, news of the proposed storage facility (read dump) for used tyres in Tesselaarsdal is simply shocking.
will be felt throughout the region.
Apart from the numerous ecological hazards that go along with such a facility, the mere presence of a dump site for black rubber waste will devastate the scenery of one of our last true villages. Imagine the scenes flashing on millions of television screens all over the world should the ABSA Cape Epic again make its way along this route in the Overberg. The ‘storage facility’ will be in direct line of sight of riders, spectators and television crews. An epic mistake, if ever there was one.
Should such a facility become a reality, the cost will be immense for the upgrading of infrastructure, such as tarred roads for huge dump trucks, without adding any economic value to the town. In fact, one can assume that it would lessen the attraction of Tesselaarsdal to visitors.
Should a repeat of the fires of earlier this year happen, the consequences
by Eskom a decade ago to run power lines on huge pylons through the little town. This was in the time when Pearly Beach was still considered as an option to build a nuclear power plant.
It is shameful for a government agency to award a contract to a company when both clearly have no comprehension of our region’s shared conservation ethos.
At a cost of R220 000 per month, which the taxpayers will pay the contractors, it must be expected that a more economically viable option nearer to a city will make much more sense. This plan calls to mind the proposals
With our region’s Blue Green Economy fuelling sustainable tourism and becoming increasingly important, we as a community must do everything in our power to help conserve our natural heritage. We must all be amateur park rangers, ambassadors for sustainable living, and examples of eco-tourists, for the sake of our future. Our region needs to cling to its status as a forerunner in conservation and sustainability if we are to grow our local economies. For this to happen we cannot allow our region to become a rubbish dump. This is the good NEWS - Ed
We spent a wonderful night on Stanford Valley Guest Farm over the weekend. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly owner Elsabe and shown to a beautiful cottage – our accommodation for the evening. For dinner and breakfast we enjoyed delicious meals at the farm’s restaurant, Manor House, which has a view of the mountains and the farm’s horses. On Sunday morning we were able to relax as we only had to check out at 2pm. It was such a lovely experience and we will definitely go again. Thank you to Elsabe and her amazing staff for making our weekend an unforgettable one. – Jandré & Co
Stranded penguin rescued at Grotto
Just after 3pm on Saturday 16 November, a couple from Germany found a young penguin that was stranded and in a very distressed condition at Grotto Beach, approximately 400m east of Dutchies Restaurant. The man stood guard whilst his partner found a local couple walking their dog on the beach (me and my partner!) who alerted both local law enforcement and a volunteer from the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, who happens to live in Hermanus and coincidentally was on his way to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) in Kleinbaai to feed the penguins there. Whilst awaiting rescue, another local family arrived with a box and a towel to keep the penguin warm. Luckily, although the weather was poor, the lack of dog walkers on the beach meant that the penguin could remain relatively undisturbed until both local law enforcement and the volunteer arrived to take care of it. – David Wilson
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