The Village NEWS 22 August - 28 August

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The

22 August 2018

Cape Whale Coast

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VINEYARDS, VIEWS, WINES… Adam and Leanne McConnell were among the close to 100 runners who tackled the challenging 5 km route on Newton Johnson wine estate this Saturday in the inaugural event of the Homes International Vine to Valley Trail Run Series. The runners were rewarded with a sunny day, beautiful views, a great vibe and a glass of wine, of course. The McConnells ended up in the Top 10 on Saturday, which was the first in a series of six Vine to Valley trail runs in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley that will take place monthly until December. More photos and information on the trail series on P 20.

PHOTO: Gillian Coetzee

Hotel in sight for Fisherhaven T

keep the status quo and approve another 10-year lease for the club.

But in the meantime, legislation with regards to public property has changed and we must optimise the use of all public land,” said Director of Infrastructure and Planning, Stephen Müller, at the meeting.

“The 40-year lease of the club expired last year and after it was extended for 18 months the intention was for us to

According to him, Erf 775 on which the club is located, is one of the most pristine and sought-after waterfront properties in the municipal portfolio.

“Legislation forces us to unlock the earning potential of all the land under our management and therefore

De Waal Steyn he tide has started to turn on the Lake Marina Yacht and Boat Club in Fisherhaven after it was announced on Saturday 18 August that the Municipality intends to put out a tender for the development of a “low-key hotel development” on the site.

allowing the club to stay and operate as it has for the past 44 years is not an option anymore,” he said.

“Three options were considered before this decision was taken. The first was upgrading the existing hall and developing a caravan park managed by the Municipality. This option was rejected as none of the caravan parks owned by the Municipality are profitable and the Provincial Treasury Department indicated that they would not support this option as it does not fall within the core functions of a local authority.

“The second option was to sell the land and use the income to build a community hall and a park with playground and ablution facilities.

We decided against this as it would not unlock long-term value for the Municipality,” said Stephen.

The only option left to the Municipality, according to him, was putting the land up for a long-term lease and allowing for the development of a hotel with conference or wedding facilities, a restaurant and perhaps bungalows or cabins. The hotel will not be more than two storeys high

and the developer will be responsible for erecting a separate community hall for the residents that will be run by the community themselves.

Stephen said it will be up to the developer whether they would allow the slipway to be used by the community as there is an existing public slip-way available. “Should the developer be interested in including the yacht club in its plans it will be something that needs to be negotiated between the developer and the club.”

Continues on P 3

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22 August 2018

Eco-sensitivity paramount From P 1 According to Stephen, stringent measures will be in place to protect the ecological sensitivity of the area and no development will be allowed beyond the borders of the current club area. “This is a pristine site and the heritage and environmental status of the area will be taken into consideration during the public participation and planning stages.”

He stated that the process of allowing development will not be easy or quick. “The lease agreement for the R500 million De Mond development took 10 years from when the process was started to the signing of the

agreements. For this development it might be possible that there will not be any interest in doing a development on the basis of a 30or 40-year lease. If after the second round of tenders, no suitable developer or development plan is found, then we will reconsider our options. After a successful bid the lessee will have two years in which to complete the rezoning of the area and thereafter the planning and development phases will begin. During all these phases there will be continuous public participation processes,” he said.

Rob McDavis, Chair of Fisherhaven Ratepayers’ Association, said they are in support

of the proposal. “The current club does not add real value to the area as a whole and we would like to see a development that not only enhances the area but also creates job opportunities and economic growth.”

Rob said it is of the utmost importance that any development takes into consideration the highly sensitive environment and that a proper community hall close to the Bot River Lagoon be built for use by the community.

The proposal that was presented at the meeting to residents and club members is expected to serve before Council in September.

Indaba planned on political issues De Waal Steyn

D

isruptions were experienced at some businesses on Monday after a stayaway was called by Zwelihle Renewal (ZR) on Sunday evening in sympathy with their leader Gcobani Ndzongana, who appeared in the Stellenbosch Magistrate Court on Monday on charges of incitement and malicious damage to property.

According to business owners there were some incidents where staff did not show up for work.

Many workers who did go to work arrived late because only limited taxi services were available.

A few owners said workers who did not show up indicated that they were being intimidated and feared the loss of their property should they leave their homes. Some businesses closed early after they sent their staff home because of concerns for their safety.

Most large retailers reported that between 30% and 40% of their staff did not arrive for work.

Tallies among locally-owned businesses indicated that less than 20% of workers did not attend work on Monday. Attendance at most schools by children from Zwelihle was poor as most parents opted not to send their children to school. At some schools, attendance was less than 40%.

Brig Donovan Heilbron, SAPS Cluster Commander for the Overberg, said no official reports of intimidation were received by Monday afternoon. “There were people who said they were intimidated, but when SAPS members showed up to investigate they were unable to say who

intimidated them or for what reason.”

Siyabulela Notwala, a ZR committee member, said they were not aware of any incidents of intimidation. “The community took the decision to organise the stayaway because they support Gccobani and want him released. We as a committee do what we are asked for by the community and that is exactly what we are doing. If people say they were intimidated, they are lying. You always get people who want to take the easy way out and not go to work and then they blame us for intimidating them.”

According to Notwala, a stayaway was also planned for Tuesday to await the arrival of Police Minister, Bheki Cele. “We have been in contact with the Minister and he said he will come and address our issues. We expect him to bring along other national ministers so that the plight of the residents of Zwelihle can be heard on a national level. There are many of the people who lost their jobs due to the unrest and we want the ministers to help them. We also want the ministers to address the issue of housing because that is our main concern,” he said.

By Monday afternoon a spokesperson for the Minister confirmed that he will be attending a Parliamentary session and will not be visiting Hermanus. Notwala, however, said that they had received personal confirmation from the Minister that he will be in Hermanus.

After the return of those who went to support Ndzongana at court in Stellenbosch on Monday, a group of supporters gathered in Schulphoek Road and marched under escort of the SAPS to the taxi rank for a feedback meeting.

The outcome of the meeting was not known by the time of going to press.

Masizole Mnqasela, Member of the Provincial Parliament for the Overberg, said according to feedback from Zwelihle very few people adhered to the stayaway on Monday. “There was freedom of movement for the people in Zwelihle and we are not aware of any official incidents of intimidation. The only problem was the closure of Zwelihle Primary School by the principal. We have asked the Western Cape Department of Education to investigate why this decision was taken as all the other schools were open.

“We know that the intention was for people to stay at home en masse but that did not materialise as most people do not support the cause and want to go to work. We also need to commend the SAPS for their work during the day.

There was continuous visible policing and the situation was kept under control the whole time,” Mnqasela said.

He added that he is negotiating with a wide range of provincial and national departments to host an indaba in Hermanus to attend to all the issues raised by the communities. “I have asked Premier Helen Zille to be the convenor of the indaba and we will be including the national and provincial departments of Human Settlements, Labour, Social Development and Local Government. This will enable us to get to grips with the problems we are facing and find solutions for them.” He said the indaba will take place before the end of the first week of September.

The case against Ndzongana was postponed to 30 October and he was remanded in custody at Pollsmoor Prison.

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22 August 2018

Two sisters cut from the same cloth developed by Councillor Kari Brice and Michael Bayer of The Beanery. The group has now evolved into something far more comprehensive, calling for assistance with community projects as well. Gillian uses this platform extensively for her projects in Zwelihle and Mount Pleasant.

Elaine Davie

T

hey do not look alike, they have very different personalities and skill sets and they made their way by different routes to this part of the world. But Caroline Gabb and Gillian Hahn, two sisters originally from St James in the Cape Peninsula, who have for a couple of decades been living in the Overstrand, have one thing in common: both have a deep-rooted commitment to community development, justice and a better life for all. They unhesitatingly attribute this shared focus to the influence of their mother, Beryl Jager.

As Caroline, the eldest, says with a laugh: “Can you imagine, at one stage of her life, she was trying to bring up five teenagers all at the same time! Yet she still managed to help run a soup kitchen, get involved in Black Sash activities (which in those days were illegal) and participate in the Meals on Wheels project for the elderly.

Actually, she just never stopped giving. She helped to send many children to school and to build houses for our domestic staff as well.”

“The point is,” adds Gillian, “at that time, neighbouring Kalk Bay was still a very mixed community and we were always made aware that there were some people, like the fishermen and their families, who were less privileged than we were, and that we had a responsibility to help make their lives a little easier, when we could.”

As in all families, as they grew older, the siblings went their separate ways, marrying, developing their individual interests and careers, but never forgetting that strong drive towards community involvement. As an artist and crafter, Gillian and her husband, Peter, who made bamboo flutes and drums, travelled throughout the SADC region, teaching and developing indigenous crafts. For a while, Maun in Botswana was their base, followed by Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape. Then, slowly, she and Peter started making their way westwards down the coast.

“That was 20 years or more ago”, she remembers.

“And by the time we reached Hermanus, we were totally broke, two homeless and out-of-work artists, literally.” Fortunately, their paths crossed that of winemaker Anthony Hamilton Russell.

“I will never forget or cease to be grateful for the hand-up (not hand-out) he gave us,” she continues, “and I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to pay forward the kindness and generosity he showed us. That was when I began intentionally to look for ways in which I

Recent successful events she has been involved with, on a voluntary basis, have been a tea party for the elderly at the Lombardi Centre and a Women’s Day event at the Youth Café, with generous input from the wider community.

Next will be a vibrant cultural event to celebrate Heritage Day at the same venue. As she comments, “I see this as a brilliant platform for the integration of our communities and mobilising assistance to meet the huge needs that exist in the area. I launched my project to knit scarves for the children of Zwelihle on this Facebook site as well and the response was overwhelming.”

Sisters Caroline Gabb and Gillian Hahn share a deep-rooted commitment to community development in Hermanus.

PHOTO: Hedda Mittner could support less privileged members of this community.”

Although both sisters had happy childhood memories of holidays in Hermanus where the family had a cottage, Caroline’s path to this region was very different. She and her husband Wayne spent 16 years in Elgin and Vyeboom, apple farming, before Wayne became a founder member of the Lomond Wine Farm near Gansbaai. They moved to Onrus in 2001 and started a certified organic fertilizer company called Biogrow, distributing their products countrywide, but also sponsoring the establishment of community vegetable gardens.

This became the point of connection between the two sisters’ community involvement in Zwelihle. Peter, Gillian’s husband, had taken charge of Anthony Hamilton Russell’s Aloe Garden on Ashbourne Farm and he and Gillian are now creating a community vegetable garden alongside the new Youth Café RDP site.

They assisted by local youngsters, one of whom turned out to be Trevor Nyoki who had participated in art classes she had run many years before in Zwelihle, along with patchwork and traditional beadwork workshops, fabric paint-

ing and the making of sleeping bags for the homeless. Caroline and Wayne donated the fertilizer needed for the garden. This project will produce vegetables for events to be run by the Youth Café and the rest will be sold to support other community projects.

In the meantime, Caroline was busily following the more formal developmental route, initiating the OnVerWag neighbourhood watch for Onrus and Vermont, followed by membership of the Onrus Ratepayers’ Association, the Onrus River Estuary Forum and the Ward 13 ward committee. Because of her interest in crime prevention, she went on to join the Community Police Forum (CPF) and is currently its PRO. She is also on the Onrus-Vermont Special Ratings Area Steering Committee.

Both sisters make the point that they did not pre-plan their community involvement; one thing simply led to another. They emphasise the importance of networking and partnering with other individuals and organisations. With this in mind, during the unrest Caroline facilitated the establishment of the ‘Hermanus Has Heart’ Facebook group to promote the idea of volunteering to assist businesses when their staff were unable to come to work, a concept

From their different viewpoints, the sisters feel that the most recent unrest has shaken Hermanus to the core and that, slowly, an understanding is growing that there has to be a building of bridges; that in giving, there is receiving.

Caroline says her experience as an observer in the Joint Operations Centre at this time enabled her to gain a wider perspective on the standpoints of various stakeholders. Although there sometimes appear to be intractable differences, many people seem to have looked deep into their souls and found a will to seek a solution that will build a stronger, more tolerant community.

“The thing is,” comments Gillian, “there is so much fulfilment to be had from paying it forward, in realising that the cause is greater than the individual. I believe that human beings yearn to belong, to be accepted as an integral part of a wider community. But there is no room here for the ego, racism or politics; we have to realise that tolerance and respect for one another are the keys to a better life for us all.”

Caroline agrees. “All the communities in this area need to heal and we can only start doing that by being prepared to listen to one another’s stories.

But we need to wake up and get on with it; we may not get another chance. If everyone is prepared to play their part, we could transform our community and set an example for many others in the country to follow.”

And undoubtedly, these ‘Sistas’ are sure to be in their number – even setting the pace – when finally, ‘The saints come marching in’!

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22 August 2018

Snug as a bug in a rug Last week, on a chilly winter’s afternoon 48 eager Grade 2 learners from Lukhanyo Primary School arrived as usual for their afternoon Shine reading session. Greeted by the familiar, smiling faces of the volunteers who work with them, they drifted into the classroom chatting to one another and sat down. But then, silence.

Local resident, photographer, artist, writer and conservationist Duncan Butchart took this wonderful photograph of a white (brindled) Southern Right Whale from the Cliff Path just east of town on Sunday.

Record whale count on Cape South Coast

W

ith all the bad news and negativity in the media, especially when it comes to the state of our marine resources, it's great to be able to share something rather more uplifting. On Saturday, with a one-day weather gap between frontal systems along the Cape South Coast, it was the perfect opportunity to conduct an aerial whale survey for the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit.

Early in the morning, wearing multiple layers of warm clothing plus a flight suit, gloves and windbreaker, I lifted off from Morning Star Airfield into the crisp clear air. The farm fields were covered in a light frost as I passed overhead on my way to the coast at Hawston, where I landed to collect whale scientist Chris Wilkinson.

After lifting off again we encountered the first Southern Right whales almost immediately, hardly surprising since the area between the Klein River lagoon mouth and De Kelders is one of the known hotspots for these gentle giants. The area yielded a count of 107 whales, 41 cow/calf pairs and 25 unaccompanied adults. There were

a few more whales at Pearly Beach, Die Dam and Agulhas and then another big group between Struisbaai and Arniston.

the mountains at Sir Lowry's Pass in a rising westerly wind before dropping back down and heading home after nearly 7 hours in the air.

The next hotspot was at the De Hoop Collection Nature Reserve, from Skipskop Point to Lekkerwater, where we spotted an incredible 1 116 whales, or 558 cow/calf pairs, highlighting the fact that Koppie Alleen is without question the most important nursery area for Southern Right whales on the South African coast. There were also several large great white sharks swimming amongst the whales and calves.

Later on I received a message from Els Vermeulen, head of the Whale Unit, to let me know the final numbers: 661 cow/ calf pairs plus 25 unaccompanied adults, for a total of 1 347 Southern Right whales counted between Hawston and Witsand!

This is almost triple the amount of whales counted at nearly the same time (first week of September) in the same area in 2017, and a new alltime record for Southern Right whales counted along our coast!

From here to Cape Infanta there were quite a few more mothers and calves spread out along the coast and then another 60 whales in St. Sebastian Bay, clustered mainly around the Breede River mouth and further east towards the Duiwenhoks River mouth. We terminated the survey at Witsand but could still see many more Southern Rights along the coast further to the east.

After dropping Chris back at Hawston I climbed up to 4 000 ft, crossing

What was this? They were confronted with a dazzling array of warm, woolly scarves in every possible colour. Before they could get over their surprise, they were invited to choose the one they liked best for themselves! Suddenly sunshine broke out all over the wintry afternoon!

The Enlighten Chapter of the Shine project has been operating at Lukhanyo since 2015. Its objective is to generate a love of reading and of books in children from the earliest age and, in particular, to assist children who are struggling with English reading and comprehension to reach a higher level of competence. Under the leadership of Enlighten Education Trust’s Rothea Kleynhans, 26 volunteers and the

learners work through a year-long weekly programme of fun activities, on the basis of one adult to two children. Not only do they build up a close relationship with one another and achieve exceptional results, but there is a wonderful flowering of selfconfidence in the children.

During the recent unrest, they were unable to continue with their sessions and the volunteers cast about for something constructive to do for the children while they were separated. Then Rothea came upon a post by social activist, Gillian Hahn on the ‘Hermanus has Heart’ Facebook page, calling for volunteers to knit scarves for the children of Zwelihle.

Rothea immediately contacted her and together they all worked on the project to provide a scarf for each of the Shine children. Judging by the smiley faces of both learners and volunteers, it was a major hit!

If you, too, would like to become a member of this happy band of Shine volunteers, even on a back-up basis when someone is away, please contact Rothea on 082 327353.

– Elaine Davie

A big thank you to all who made the survey possible, especially African Wings who displayed amazing airmanship and graciously halted one of their tours so we could move through the area, and as always to Michael Raimondo from Green Renaissance.

– Jean Tresfon, Marine Conservation Photographer.

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, 19 August.

Grade 2 learners from Lukhanyo Primary with their new scarves that were knitted by the Shine volunteers, in collaboration with Gillian Hahn and ‘Hermanus has Heart’.

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22 August 2018

Let’s Talk

THE

NEWS

Hermanus: From here to where?

Send your letters to dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za

Now that we have had a bit of a break in the protests, violence, stone-throwing and burning of buildings and tyres, it is a good time to seriously contemplate the question: What now, and where does Hermanus go from here?

Turning tragedy into opportunity by forging a new recycling path Unfortunately the recent events in Zwelihle have led to the reckless and needless destruction of the Hermanus transfer station and the Walker Bay Recycling facility, terrible events especially given the reputation and awards the Municipality has earned in driving the recycling agenda.

Just down the road from us, in Langa, Cape Town, Packa-Ching launched a business in August 2017. With only two morning collections per week, the community recycled 100 tonnes of waste, receiving R100 000 in exchange from a recycling company.

But I believe that this tragedy has now opened up the opportunity for us to rethink how we collect garbage and how we recycle. If we do so, I believe that many more jobs can be created and we can become a Municipality that becomes even better at recycling.

My point is that there are many exciting businesses all around the world that are creating pro-poor jobs locally while making the planet a cleaner place.

Across the world, and even in South Africa, there are many examples of pro-poor business models for garbage and recycling collection.

In Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands, Khuthaza Business, the microenterprise development arm of the Wildlands, has implemented many successful programmes that not only create jobs, predominately for women (90%), but significantly improve the amount of products that are recycled.

In two years, they grew from 40 to 162 micro-entrepreneurs, improving incomes from R1 500 a month to over R6 000, allowing many of them to be able to afford post-matric schooling for their children.

Other initiatives from Wildlands include: 1. Green Desks – mixing 60% unrecyclable waste and 40% HD plastic that is ground and extruded into planks for school desks.

2. Clothes for Life – a recycling initiative where donated clothes are reused.

Imagine, if you can, a Municipality that has a network of microentrepreneur sanitation businesses run and managed predominately by women. Each entrepreneur would be responsible for a certain suburb or part-suburb, depending on the number of dwellings/people.

Mondays would be bottle collection day (we do know that we know our wine here, especially on the weekends). Wednesdays would be paper, cardboard and plastics (predominately the largest amount of recycling products) and Fridays would be cans, tins and textiles.

Textiles would be delivered and sold to a separate business where they would sort them out and then act as wholesalers to "clothes-preneurs" who would buy and then sell them in the community.

Every other Saturday, non-recycable waste would be collected. One would pay extra for gardening refuse or other items to be collected by your resident sanitation engineer or you could just drop them off yourself at the landfill site.

residents for installing either biodigesters to create gas to run kitchen ovens/water heaters, or compost piles to produce fertilizer for gardens.

Our resident micro-entrepreneur sanitation engineers would be paid a per kilogram/ton fee delivered to the recycling site.

The entrepreneurs would be encouraged to also clean up the surroundings. A monthly bonus would be given to the best-run suburb with a yearly winner awarded a larger prize.

The end result of this new business model would be: 1. Better customer service for residents as they will know and have a personal relationship with the micro-entrepreneur for their area; 2. Better quality of recycling which would force residents to sort out their waste; 3. Reduced biodegradable waste being transported to landfill sites; 4. Increased number of jobs created at a cost not higher than what was being paid before to larger contractors; 5. Increased participation in the economy by women.

If we are really serious about moving forward in the Municipality, these are the types of ideas that we need to be looking at.

Let's create positive energy and development from the negativity that today pervades our community.

The Municipality would reward

Slaavid

The protests were not just about housing; they were also infected by politics, criminality, joblessness and persons seeking power in the community. Many of those taking part in the marches were genuine about housing, but many others were forced to march, amid threats that they and/or their children and houses would be targeted if they did not participate.

What is however very clear is that when housing is eventually provided for the present backyard dwellers and occupiers of informal housing, that accommodation will not get demolished, but will get filled by the next wave of “settlers” coming in from elsewhere in South Africa and Africa. Soon they will also start demanding housing and causing havoc to get it (it is already a pattern elsewhere in the country), and from there we’ll then just go on and on and on…

What seems to be missing from the discussions with “community leaders”, is the long-term consequences of these actions and uncertainties for Hermanus as a town. Hermanus is not just an ordinary town like hundreds of others throughout South Africa. It is world-famous for its natural beauty and the whales in Walker Bay, amongst other attractions.

This leads to two important considerations for the economy of the town: Firstly, wealthy retirees, pensioners, professionals, national and international buyers invest in Hermanus for what it is and has to offer.

They come and buy property / build homes, bringing vast sums of money in to the Hermanus economy. As residents and property owners, they also provide jobs for estate agents, domestic helpers, nurses, carers, builders, shop assistants, etc., as well as rates and taxes which support the running of the town.

Secondly, Hermanus draws thousands of local and international tourists who spend millions of their Pounds, Euros, Dollars, Rands, Yen

Weather forecast for the next week & De Bos Dam level

and Yuan in accommodation, restaurants, markets, shops, leisure, etc.

This beefs up the local economy, providing jobs and attracting developers and commercial enterprises to the town. However, all of this is dependent on a safe, secure, stable and calm environment.

The moment a town erupts in violence, the word immediately goes out to tourists whose governments post travel advisories advising them to stay away from those places. This has already happened to Hermanus in the past three months. Wealthy retirees, pensioners, professionals and other investors looking for a calm, stable and peaceful town in which to retire and invest, have also begun to reconsider moving to, and buying property in Hermanus.

When the above two groupings stop coming to Hermanus, this will result in the drying up of millions in tourist spending and retirees’ investment; and others already here will begin to move elsewhere, resulting in the economy of Hermanus taking a calamitous knock. Businesses will begin to wind down and close, and thousands of workers will be laid off.

In the meantime, pressure through protest will continue unabated to provide more houses, just as tourists and retirees begin to stay away, businesses start closing, and the already high unemployment rate begins to skyrocket. Yes, the protestors will by then all have houses, but no jobs; they’ll have houses but no income to pay for them; no money to pay for municipal services; no money to support themselves.

At the rate we are going, Hermanus is staring into a dismal future – the prospect of a ghost town with no more investment money coming in; no more tourists; no more wealth influx from retirees and pensioners; no more anything. But no one seems to be talking about this future. And it is going to happen if we carry on like this.

I did some research a few years ago for the Western Cape government on the fate of a number of municipalities in this province which are facing similar challenges and are slowly spiraling downward. Their situation is bleak – and Hermanus is about to join this trend. Unless…

Prof Roy du Pré

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Hermanus

Wednesday 22 August

Thursday 23 August

Friday 24 August

Saturday 25 August

Sunday 26 August

Monday 27 August

Tuesday 28 August

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De Bos Dam Level

47.9 %

7

22 August 2018

Loss of plant is a terrible blow

THE

NEWS

It is with alarm that I read about the Walker Bay Recycling plant perhaps being abandoned forever! No, no, no... this is the saddest news.

The effort that went into this plant and town to create this state-of-the-art facility, was amazing and forward thinking.

It just cannot NOT rise from the ashes, please. I am still so mad at this senseless destruction of such a valuable and necessary service.

Is it about finances to rebuild, or have the owners just been beaten down with disappointment and lost the will to try again? Everyone is still separating their waste now from habit and to know it is dumped, plastic and all, back into the earth, is terrible.

What has to be done to get this plant going again? Please let this town know – what can we do?

Concerned resident

The Team

OPINION Matters

6 Royal Street, Hermanus

028 312 2234

Uncertainty causes jitters Confusion and apprehension gripped Hermanus residents since rumours of another strike started to surface on Thursday last week. A meeting called by Zwelihle Renewal on Friday was poorly attended because of rain and postponed until Sunday, leaving business owners uncertain as to what to expect on Monday.

Adding to the confusion was the number of conflicting messages circulated on social media by various groups, each claiming to be the mouthpiece of “official” and “verified” information. The bewildering number of acronyms did not help the situation, with people struggling to differentiate between the CPF, CCF, HBC and HBF. Some clarification may be in order: CPF is the Community Police Forum, the only official communication channel between the SAPS and the community. They operate from the JOC (Joint Operations Centre) of the SAPS and information is relayed via their spokesperson.

CCF stands for Concerned Community Forum, a new group that was formed during the unrest, which has also formed a business arm called the HBF – the Hermanus Business Forum.

Last but not least there is the HBC – the Hermanus Business Chamber that has been serving the business community for many years and recently appoint-

ed a new executive and management committee.

Although there may now be more role players on the scene, the one thing that the HBC and the HBF agree on is that the latest attempt at organising a stayaway must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Businesses have unanimously agreed that the principle of no work, no pay, will be adhered to if people continue to leave their employers in the lurch.

The business sector of Hermanus has already suffered greatly since March and some businesses have been forced to close their doors as a direct result of the unrest. The residents of Zwelihle have suffered too and many have lost their jobs. To exacerbate the already fragile economic and social situation in our communities is irresponsible. Further stayaways will create further job losses and more loss of income for workers and their families. In the event of workers being intimidated not to go to work, an affidavit to that effect must be made to the SAPS and action against perpetrators must be swift and decisive.

The fate of Ndzongana lies with the judicial system and while anyone has the right to support him during his trial, it cannot be done to the detriment of others.

“I’m gatvol right up to here!” wrote Blaaskans. “I am now a drug addict, but the pills I take are legal, and they say if I stop taking them, I might become wallpaper.” He goes on – in his own way – to explain that his metabolism somehow generates 20% more gas than most people (Latin: Flatulatis regulatum), and the pills can somehow dissipate the excess.

How and where it all escapes to is a mystery, so let’s not go there. He was however advised by the doctor – who had a forthright bedside manner – that without medication he “would eventually inflate and explode like a party balloon full of goat offal”.

Well, Blaaskans was horrified. Both he and his long-suffering wife are vegan for a start, and they realised that after the explosion she would need to repaint the bedroom and replace the shaggy carpet. They had no choice. He couldn’t explode, so he was resigned to being addicted – for life. And carpets are expensive anyway.

A Far Kraai

This is the good NEWS – Ed

Pharmaceutical companies faced a problem in the 80s. Patents for their prescription drugs were ending, and generics posed a serious threat to profits. One bright spark, Henry Gadsden, CEO of a major drug company had a brilliant idea.

Manufacturers were producing medication for sick people – only 15% of the population. Why not invent drugs for the healthy 85%, so they can sell to everyone? He wanted healthy folks to begin taking drugs and keep taking them as a preventative measure.

New ‘conditions’, ‘disorders’ and ‘syndromes’ were created and became part of our everyday hysteria.

Phobias, attention deficit and bi-polar disorders, smoking and anxiety were some they identified and targeted.

Tell them they had a good chance of getting sick/depressed, and they’d buy these ‘preventative’ drugs, in case.

But emerging from the archives, the elves unearthed some truths about chemical dependency.

After WWII, another bright spark at Metropolitan Life in New York also needed to improve his bottom line.

Premiums paid by policy holders depended on – among other things – their weight.

The mind controls the body to a large extent. If you’re told about some potential physical or psychological malady that might require attention, you will assume the professional advice is your ticket to a longer, healthier ride, and you

You were classed normal, overweight, or obese. So he invented the BMI – body mass index – to categorise us, but the sneaky bugger just lowered the threshold for each category, and thousands were suddenly in the one

Design and Layout Nickey Jackson 079 408 7722 nickey@thevillagenews.co.za

above. He then distributed scales (with the Met Life logo) to chemists across America, forcing thousands to become weight-conscious or pay higher premiums. People assumed they could be a danger to themselves, and being inside a chemist anyway, they bought more drugs to stay slim. Other bottom lines got fatter – the multi-billion diet industry took root.

Dependence on stimulants and drugs goes back thousands of years. A nearby ancient tribe relied on a cactus called Hoodia to achieve their high. It did two things – an appetite suppressant, and an energy booster. Like organic cocaine.

Marketing Manager Kathy Bentley 083 581 7219 kathy@thevillagenews.co.za

ROWAN ATKINSON INTERVIEWS ELTON JOHN Just after his Yellow Brick Road album, a young, slim Elton was interviewed live on stage by the bone-dry Mr Atkinson. This was long before his flamboyant suits, platform shoes, flashing specs and outrageous waistline – long before he was a ‘Sir’ – and, although slightly rehearsed, is well worth a squiz and a chortle. Type Atkinson+Elton.

– Mic

During a gemsbok hunt, which could take days, the San people would munch the dried flesh of this Hoodia plant, which gave them vooma to successfully hunt down their prey.

Quite what they did with it though is baffling, seeing they weren’t particularly hungry.

Anyway, China realised the potential and instantly started manufacturing synthetic Hoodia as an ingredient for various medications, which sold like hot-cakes to the big pharmaceutical outlets. People were once again hooked.

Gotta go, but just so you know, the Benades have moved to a house without shaggy carpets – in case. Exactly where though, is uncertain. The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…

Office Administrator Tania Hamman admin@thevillagenews.co.za

YOUTUBE: Cheers4Ears

Murray Stewart thevillagemuze@gmail.com

buy into it – for ever.

Content Editor Hedda Mittner 083 645 3928 hedda@thevillagenews.co.za

With this in mind, the time has come for all parties involved to start with negotiations.

Adapt or Die, or Addict or Die The inbox at the Duck ’n Fiddle’s Explanation of Everything gathers no moss. Traffic is constant as e-wails zoom in and out like rush-hour taxis on the N2. However, one complaint from ‘Blaaskans’ Benade from Stanford, had the elves scurrying through the archives for information on the origins of drug dependence.

Publishing Editor De Waal Steyn 083 700 3319 dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za

Marketing Representative Laetitia Prinsloo 082 738 3765 ads@thevillagenews.co.za

Journalist Elaine Davie 084 343 7500

Photography & Social Media Taylum Meyer 084 564 0779 taylum@thevillagenews.co.za

WHERE TO FIND US

TONY BENNETT AND LADY GAGA Despite her outlandish outfits and sophisticated post-rock images, this lady gets down and dirty with Tony Bennett in a swing-jazz duet of Lady is a Tramp. Bennett sang this in cocktail lounges long before she was born, and although well out of her regular comfort zone, she demonstrates just what a great singer she is. Type Bennett+Gaga.

– Pieter

The Village NEWS is published every week and the next edition will be available on 29 August. The NEWS can be found at over 300 distribution points on the Cape Whale Coast, from Pringle Bay to Gansbaai. Get your FREE copy from major retail stores such as Spar, Checkers and Pick n Pay, and at restaurants, tasting rooms, galleries and shopping centres. Should you wish to receive a copy, call us on 028 312 2234 or 083 228 7523 or pop into our office at 6 Royal Street, Hermanus.

MEMBER OF

8

22 August 2018

A Tern on the Tide

THE

NEWS

On a warm and breezy December morning, Jennifer McKenzie of the Hermanus Animal Hospital was walking along the Vermont coastal path when her eye was caught by the wing of a bird lying on the tideline among the pebbles and shells.

Closer investigation revealed the sun-bleached corpse of a small tern, with a small aluminium ring attached around one of its tiny legs.

Jennifer contacted me and once I had retrieved the dead bird – and tentatively identified it as a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) – I was immediately in touch with the South African bird ringing authority (SAFRING) who have an online record submission facility. The data form was duly completed and I awaited feedback on the origin and age of the tern. Since the ring had the words ‘Museum Brussels’ embossed above the number, it had evidently been ringed in that northern European country, but how old was this small migratory bird that had flown a distance of over 10 000 km to reach our shores?

Months passed before I received feedback. Yes, it was Sterna hirundo and had been trapped and ringed (as a first year/immature) in Belgium, at Heist, to be precise. Then, what I had been most interested in, the date of capture: 24 August 2008.

Nine years, three months and 14 days before it turned up dead in Hermanus.

Now I got my calculator out, and launched Google Earth on my desktop. Although the distance between Heist and Hermanus is 9 690 km, migratory terns – being coastal seabirds – do not fly in a straight line over the African continent, but must follow the coastline, or perhaps use trade winds further offshore. This means that the journey south is somewhere in the region of 13 000 km and, presuming that these terns return home to breed by the same Atlantic route then they must cover at least 26 000 km each year.

If we imagine that this little bird

stayed put in Europe for its first year, and only undertook migration as an adult, then it would have completed the return trip eight times, with one final journey south in the European autumn of 2017.

Add that up, and you have a distance of 221 000 km… a bundle of muscles and feathers weighing about 120 grams travelling a distance equivalent to more than halfway to the moon. Rather incredible.

More amazing, is that this really was still a young bird. The oldest Common Tern listed on EURING (the European bird ringing group) was 33 years of age!

Duncan Butchart

Let’s Talk

OVERSTRAND HOSPICE 600 CLUB DRAW This initiative is just one of Overstrand Hospice’s fundraising initiatives – anyone can become a member of the club at only R600 per year or R50 per month. A lucky draw is done once a month to determine the three winning numbers.

On 17 August the draw was done by Hedda Mittner, content editor of The Village NEWS, and the winners were: 1st José du Toit (R5 000), 2nd Esther Strauss (R2 500) and 3rd J McKee (R1 000). From left are Hedda with Fran Tong, Overstrand Hospice Manager, and Lynn Sillifant from Don Adams Auditors. Should you wish to support the Overstrand Hospice through the 600 Club, contact Norma ScottTomlin on 028 312 4679 or 600admin@overstrandhospice.com.

Village

EXPLORER The

FOOD • WINE • ART • BOOKS

Genevieve MCC

Join Bot River wineries for spring weekend T

he bull featured on the Bot River Wine Route’s logo will take centre stage at this year's Bot River Spring Weekend festivities hosted on 1 and 2 September by this region's fun-loving and fancy-free wineries.

Expect an plethora of superb activities hosted by the various farms, each celebrating the dispatch of winter with their own unique and bull-inspired themes that will include food, wine, music and children’s entertainment.

And what would a bull fest be without a race? This doesn't however involve running with bovids of any kind; rather, the highlight of the Bull Race takes the form of a scavenger hunt for grown-ups. Hosted by the Gallivanting Goose, participants are required to complete challenges prompted by a

mobile phone app. This is your chance to learn more about Bot River and win cool prizes too. The game is limited to 40 people only, so rush to book forthwith!

You'll also have to navigate the rest of your schedule with care if you're to get to everything else that catches your eye that weekend.

As a taster, Goedvertrouw has yoga with a vinous twist lined up in the vineyards, while Villion Wines winemaker Kobie Viljoen will host a private cellar dinner at Barton Vineyards.

At PaardenKloof Ecology Lifestyle Estate, one of the first farms in the Western Cape to re-introduce Nguni cattle to the region, you'll be able to interact with farmyard animals, let

the children ride ponies and even buy Nguni skins and horns. There's a Fresh Farmer’s Market too, where you'll be able to shop for local produce, Protea flowers and other nursery plants.

Estate-on-the-koppie Gabriëlskloof will launch its latest ROSEbud wine, along with servings of salt and pepper calamari and steamed pork buns. They will also be hosting their inaugural Little Spring Market.

An outstanding food line-up will accompany the stellar wines at Wildekrans for the Spring Weekend. Expect, amongst others, Friday Steak Night and Saturday Curry Night as well as an ox braai with traditional sides like curried boontjies and phutu pap.

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number collection opens at 07:00. At Wildekrans Wine Estate, Botrivier, from 09:00, with prize giving at 13:00.

■ Lemm’s Corner Market: This popular Sunday market offers exclusive arts and crafts, and handmade local products. At Fisherman’s Village (between Cattle Baron and Fisherman’s Cottage) from 10:00 – 15:00.

Monday 27 August Thursday 23 August

■ Afrikaans lecture series: U3A Overberg presents a talk by Afrikaans poet Fourie Botha, who will discuss his two poetry volumes Donker Kamer and Krap uit die See. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 10:00.

■ Lunch with Tracy: Join The Global Challenge for lunch and meet former TV and Radio personality Tracy Going, who will talk about her book, Brutal Legacy, in which she describes her journey to break the cycle of abuse in her life. Guests will have the opportunity to interact with Tracy and get a signed copy of her book at R230 afterwards. R150 pp includes wine and lunch, served at 12:15, and Tracy’s talk will start at 13:00. Booking is essential; contact Lisa Smith on 072 731 4946 or lisa@theglobalchallenge.co.za. At Ocean Basket Hermanus, at 11:45.

■ Hermanus Rotary Club: At this week’s Rotary meeting the guest speaker is the team doctor of the Springbok Men’s and Women’s Sevens, Dr Leigh Gordon, who will present a talk on My life as the Blitzbokke doctor. The cost of R80 pp includes dinner and a cash bar is available.

RSVP by 12:00 on 22 August by contacting Frank on 082 870 1187 to confirm attendance and to advise any dietary requirements. At Mollergren Park, 236 Main Road, Hermanus, at 18.30 for 19:00.

Friday 24 August ■ Bhuki Café: Join the Friends of Hermanus

Library for tea, coffee and eats for only R20 and help to raise funds for the library. Every Friday from 09:00 – 11:30, at Hermanus Library.

■ Kolwyntjie Teetuin: Everyone in the area is welcome to enjoy a sweet treat and tea or coffee at a nominal fee, and make new friends at the Onrus Care Centre (Dienssentrum). At the Onrus Dutch Reformed Church, every Friday between 09:30 and 11:30.

■ The History of Ancient Egypt: This popular DVD series presented by U3A Overberg continues with the topic of Ramses the Great, the later years. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 10:00.

■ Ready Set Go: Haus of Performance (HOP)

presents their first dance show to celebrate their passion for dancing. Tickets are R40 pp. Contact 083 280 0824 or hophermanus@gmail.com for more info or to book. At the Sandbaai Hall, at 19:00.

Friday 24 – Sunday 26 August ■ McGregor Poetry Festival: Now celebrating

its sixth year, Poetry in McGregor brings together lovers of the written word for a magical experience. This year’s exciting programme will include poetry readings, book launches, writing workshops, poetry walks in nature, audio-visual presentations, exhibitions, poetry cabaret and open mic sessions. Tickets are available at Computicket or at the door. Contact Jennifer Johnson on 084 675 1164 or the Temenos office on

Tuesday 28 August ■ Muriel Spark: As part of their Literary Anniversaries series, U3A Overberg presents a talk on Muriel Spark and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 10:00.

Wednesday 29 August 023 625 1871. Get all the details at www.poetryinmcgregor.co.za. At Temenos Retreat, McGregor.

Saturday 25 August ■ BirdLife Overberg coastal clean-up: As part of their CleanMarine project, BirdLife Overberg’s next monthly coastal clean-up will again be along the beautiful second section of the Hoek van de Berg Nature Reserve. Contact Elaine at mwjasser@mweb.co.za or sms to 082 455 8402 for arrangements and details on what to bring along. Meet in the Onrus Trading Post parking area at 08:00.

■ Hermanus parkrun: Meet for the weekly 5 km walk or run, come rain or shine. The route is dog friendly and children are most welcome.

Set off from the Overstrand Training Institute (OTI) farm on Camphill Road in Hemel-enAarde Valley, at 08:00.

■ Greyton Brew Run: The organisers have been granted access to the pristine Greyton Nature Reserve for this exclusive MTB event, with all proceeds donated to the local village school, Greyton House. There will be a 6 km (R100 pp), 12 km (R180 pp) and 20 km (R230 pp) route, as well as a 10 km guided group hike (R150 pp). Register at Old Potter's Inn on the Friday evening before the race from 17:00 – 19:00 or on the Saturday morning from 06:45.

For further info, contact Neil on 083 253 1633 or greytonbrewrun@gmail.com. Start (between 08:00 and 08:30) and finish at The Old Potter’s Inn and Brewhouse in Main Road, Greyton, with prize giving around 12:00.

■ Hermanus Country Market: A favourite

among the locals. Young, old, two-legged and four-legged family members are all welcome.

You’ll find wholesome goodies, home-made crafts, local produce, beers and wine, speciality foods, coffee and live music. Next to the cricket field, Fairways Avenue, from 09:00 – 13:00.

■ Hermanuspietersfontein Food & Wine Market: Where local and international foodies

and wine lovers meet. You’ll find real plates and real cutlery; real cups and real glasses; a real hangout for real people. In the courtyard of Hermanuspietersfontein wine cellar at The Village, from 09:00 – 13:00.

■ Market in the Garden: Hunt for treasures at this peaceful market set among the shady trees of a beautiful garden. At St Peter’s Church in Main Road, Hermanus, from 09:00 – 13:00.

■ Fioré Country Market: Browse this new country market in Bot River for homemade crafts, books, local treats, fresh fruit and more.

Stands are free and in the event of rain the market moves indoors. For enquiries, contact Debbie Randall on 028 284 9220. At Fioré Garden Centre & Coffee Shop, Bot River, from 09:00 – 14:00.

■ Botrivier Hotel Market: For hand-made crafts and tasty treats, come and browse the new weekly market in the hotel garden.

New vendors are welcome; contact Erna at ernastark@outlook.com or 028 315 2582 or WhatsApp 076 708 0818 to book your stall.

At the Botrivier Hotel, every Saturday, from 10:00 – 14:00.

Sunday 26 August ■ Wild One Trail Run: The Hermanus and Overberg Veterinary Clinic Outreach program is proud to be holding their first major fundraising event at Wildekrans Wine Estate, consisting of a 6 km fun run / walk (R60 pp); and 11 km (R110 pp) and 21 km (R180 pp) timed runs. All three trails wind their way through vineyards before the longer routes head up some climbs and flowing single track in places, before heading back down to the finish at the Winery. Funds raised will go towards the annual Spay-A-Thon which takes place in and around Hermanus each year, sterilising dogs in needy communities. Dogs are welcome to accompany their owners on the 6 km route at an additional R50 entry fee. For online entries go to enter.myriadevents.co.za or contact Jennifer on 072 589 0012. Late registration and

■ Hermanus Garden Club: Members are reminded to book for the club’s Annual Soup Lunch by Friday, 24 August. Contact Jane on 028 316 4470. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 12:00 for 12:30.

■ Femina Pastiche: This special concert honouring women in music, verse and dance will feature the Cape Town trio, Bella Poetica Musica. Led by Zeta Wanamaker, the trio is made up of two cellists and a viola player who will perform pieces that depict aspects of the female voice, body and dialogue as a celebration of women and their intrinsic role in the fabric of history. The first half of the Femina Pastiche afternoon concert will be followed by a warm cup of soup with rolls. Funds raised will go towards the Friends of the Old Harbour Museum for community projects. A limited number of 30 tickets are available at R100 pp; book now by contacting Anne on 082 399 3925. At the Whale House Museum, at 12:30.

Thursday 30 August ■ Platter’s Posh Reds: Enjoy an evening of posh red wines with Wine Village and the publishers of the Platter’s Wine Guide. Among the line-up are some of the finest and most soughtafter red wines in South Africa, including Newton Johnson Family Vineyards, Keet Wines, Restless River, Ernie Els Wines, Rust en Vrede Estate, Creation Wines and Remhoogte Wine Estate. Light snacks and wine will be served after the tasting. Limited tickets at R400 pp. Contact Ulla du Toit at 028 316 4580 or wineoffice@hermanus.co.za. At The Classroom, welcome drinks at 18:30 and tasting starts at 19:00.

■ Overberg Eisteddfod Winners Prestige Concert: Overstrand Arts/Kunste (OAK) presents a feast of music, art, speech, drama and dance, with live variety performances featuring the best in youth talent from the Overberg. Come early to view the art exhibition in the foyer before the concert starts. Tickets are R60 for adults and R10 for students. Book with Hermanus Tourism on 028 312 2629. At the Municipal Auditorium, at 19:00.

11

22 August 2018 PaardenKloof

From P 9 Chef Matt Manning, who perfected his trade in London’s finest Michelinstarred restaurants, will cook up a storm at Luddite where the Rivertones reggae band will play on Saturday night.

At Genevieve MCC, there will be sushi with a lively treasure hunt for children while the taurine theme gets a punt with bubbles and a game of boulles (pronounced "bull"). They'll be joined on the day by Thorne & Daughters, hoping to put on a spot of clay bull shooting.

Beaumont will once again feature a pop-up bistro by Zest and winetasting of their whole range in their new tasting room, children’s activities and a

Genevieve MCC

visit to the 250-year-old water mill on the farm.

Now, you may be wondering: what's with all this bull? Why, it's Bot River’s very foundation and the reason it's the wine route’s logo. Amongst the Khoisan people, the valley was once called Gouga – the place of cattle; the Dutch made the connection to butter, which led to its modern name.

In this sense, the bull represents fertility, virility, leadership and strength.

More importantly, it connects the history of all inhabitants of the region for possibly over 1 000 years; a symbol of the meeting of diverse cultures; and, the sense of place offered in every glass of Bot River wine wherever it may be enjoyed around the world. Now you know.

Bot River Spring Weekend booking essentials: • Get tickets online through Quicket. The price is R100 pp/day.

• The weekend pass includes an armband and a wine glass for free wine tastings at participating farms, which you may collect at Fioré Nursery on the town square.

• Temporary Quicket stations will be at Gabriëlskloof and Wildekrans.

• Individual activities must be booked with each farm directly.

• Entries for the Bot River Bull Race will be available on Quicket as a separate item.

For more information about the faBULLous Bot River Spring Weekend 2018 contact Melissa Nelsen at melissa@genevievemcc.co.za

Luddite

For a faBULLous foretaste of what to expect in your glass at this year’s Bot River Spring Weekend, join the clan of amicable winemakers who will descend on Cape Town on Wednesday, 29 August to share their latest cellar gems with enthusiasts. This once-off public tasting will take place at La Tête Restaurant on Bree Street from 18:00 to 21:00. Tickets cost R150 pp and include a glass, wine tasting and some decadent pairings from the kitchen. Tickets are available on quicket.com.

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BOOKS

22 August 2018

What’s new in review Viking

Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House

Jonathan Cape

Harvill Secker

Harper Collins

compiled by Hedda Mittner

Love is Blind is set at the end of the 19th century and follows the fortunes of Brodie Moncur, a young Scottish musician. When he is offered a job in Paris, Brodie seizes the chance to flee Edinburgh and his tyrannical clergyman father, and begin a wildly different new chapter in his life. In Paris, a fateful encounter with a famous pianist irrevocably changes his future - and sparks an obsessive love affair with a beautiful Russian soprano, Lika Blum. Moving from Paris to St Petersburg to Edinburgh and back again, Brodie's love for Lika and its dangerous consequences pursue him around Europe and beyond, during an era of overwhelming change as the 19th century becomes the 20th.

This masterful new novel by one of Britain’s best-loved storytellers is a sweeping tale of artistic endeavour, dizzying passion and brutal revenge. – goodreads.com

American postdoctoral researcher Hannah and runaway Moroccan teenager Tariq have little in common, yet both are susceptible to the daylight ghosts of Paris – a city in which every building seems to hold the echo of an unacknowledged past. While Hannah listens to the extraordinary witness of women who were present under the German Occupation and tries to understand their lives and through them her own, Tariq is out in the migrant suburbs searching for a mother he barely knew. For him in his innocence each boulevard, Métro station and street corner is a source of surprise. In this urgent and deeply moving novel, Faulks deals with questions of empire, grievance and identity. With great originality and dark humour, Paris Echo asks how much we really need to know if we are to live a valuable life.

– penguinrandomhouse.com

A dramatic story of WWII espionage, betrayal, and loyalty, by the bestselling author of Life After Life and A God in Ruins. In 1940, eighteen-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage and sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring British Fascist sympathisers. After the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever. But ten years later, now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat as she finally begins to realise that there is no action without consequence. Transcription is a work of rare depth and extra-ordinary power, wit and empathy by one of the best writers of our time. – amazon.com

From the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of The English Patient comes a mesmerizing new novel that tells a dramatic story set in the decade after World War II. In 1945, fourteenyear-old Nathaniel, and his older sister, Rachel stay behind in London when their parents move to Singapore, leaving them in the care of a mysterious figure named The Moth and his eccentric crew of friends: men and women joined by a shared history of unspecified service during the war who all seem, in some way, determined to protect, and educate (in rather unusual ways) Rachel and Nathaniel. But what does it mean when the siblings’ mother returns after months of silence without their father, explaining nothing, excusing nothing? A dozen years later, Nathaniel begins to uncover all that he didn’t know and understand in that time.

– penguinrandomhouse.com

A sweeping, heartbreaking novel that follows a troubled marriage during the unsettled time between the World Wars. Rosie and Daniel have moved to Ceylon with their little daughter to start a new life at the dawn of the 1920s, attempting to put the trauma of WWI behind them, and to rekindle a marriage that gets colder every day. However, even in the lush plantation hills it is hard to find fulfilment. Back in England, Rosie's three sisters are dealing with different challenges in their searches for family, purpose and happiness. Around them the world is changing, and when Daniel finds himself in Germany he witnesses events taking a dark and forbidding turn. By turns humorous and tragic, gripping and touching, So Much Life Left Over follows a cast of unique and captivating characters during the inter-war years in England and abroad. – goodreads.com

Hailed by some critics as 2018’s thriller of the year, this debut novel is about an agoraphobic woman, Anna Fox, who lives alone as a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times... and spying on her neighbours.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble – and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? In this gripping thriller, no one – and nothing – is what it seems. Powerful, ingenious and moving, with an epic plot twist, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.

– bookbrowse.com

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22 August 2018

Will the library's Bhuki Café have to close?

Getting to grips with Afrofuturistic art

Gordon Froud, a senior lecturer in Visual Art at the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA), who has been actively involved in the South African and international art world as artist, educator, curator and gallerist for the last 30 years, said it was an honour to open Lwandiso’s exhibition and to see the event so well attended. “It was heartwarming, too, to have people listen intently, participate in the discussion and ask pertinent questions afterwards.”

About the work of Lwandiso Njara, Gordon had the following to say: “Njara has for many years developed a body of work, initially in sculpture and now in drawing, that investigates the hybridity of contemporary African people. This hybridity is based directly on his own life experience, growing up in a rural setting within his Xhosa tradition and at the same time being taught by Catholic Sisters at a convent school. This is a common experience of many young African people and leads to potential clashes of ideology and cultural practices, forcing the artist in this case to make art that attempts to engage with this phenomenon.

“However, for Njara, there is a third aspect of hybridity to engage with, and that is the aspect of technology. I see his work as that of an Afrofuturist that is embracing the past and yet firmly on a trajectory to the future. He imagines the fusion of technology and the human body as well as aspects of the animal body into a hybrid of the future. Taking the strength and instinct of the animal, the thought capacity of the human and the technical qualities of technology and combining these in an almost cyborg way into this ‘new’ creature, the African of the future. This is most pertinently seen in the series of high-speed trains that grow horns and eventually morph into high-speed animal trains.

“This morphing of animal and human in art and writing is not new and harks back to Greek and Roman mythology and to tales of ancient civilizations where animal and human characteristics are blended in order to tell a tale that has a moralistic tone. Njara’s work stems from this historical narrative but is personalised through his own life experience. This hybridity – which does not come from a place of darkness, evil or Satanism – embodies the struggle that Lwandiso, like many people of his age, bears of being both rural and urban, and how at times each of these aspects is misunderstood by those around him. His art is his way of trying to deal with these severe contradictions.

“This is a brave, remarkable show of beautifully rendered charcoal and pencil drawings by Lwandiso Njara, who is no longer an emerging artist, but a well-established thinker that takes his rightful place in the South African art world.”

Bhuki Café tea convenor Aletta Horne said last year that because their volunteers are all pensioners who are growing older and physically weaker, FOHL was finding it difficult to keep up with the workload and increasing costs. New volunteers with energy and enthusiasm are now urgently sought to make sure that the Bhuki Café not only survives – but continues to thrive for years to come. The choice is yours.

E

F N RIE D

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ngineering the New Jerusalem II is the enigmatic title of a solo exhibition of drawings by Lwandiso Njara that was opened at the FynArts Gallery on Friday by Gordon Froud. A sculpture by Lwandiso that forms part of the FynArts Sculpture on the Cliffs Exhibition at Gearing’s Point has been the subject of considerable controversy over the last few months, and this exhibition could go a long way to foster understanding and appreciation of this young artist’s unique talent and subject matter.

The Bhuki Café was initiated to generate the funds needed to buy new books and library materials necessary for the smooth running of the library. Without that income, which makes a vital contribution to the library’s coffers, we can expect a cessation not only of new library books but also of this popular venue where friends were able to get together on a weekly basis.

Please help the FOHL to save this unique and much loved café by volunteering your services. Call the Hermanus Library on 028 3138077 or Bhuki convenor Aletta Horne on 083 2845774.

IEND R V

FynArts Festival Director Mary Faure with Soli Madikane (left) and Raphael da Silva (right) at the opening of the new exhibition, Engineering the New Jerusalem II, at the FynArts Gallery in The Courtyard on Friday afternoon.

To say that it's an establishment is no exaggeration – but, unless the Friends of Hermanus Library (FOHL) have volunteers for next year, when the present committee steps down, it will close in early December.

The FOHL are very grateful for the willing and happy help offered by our Home Schoolers during term time, when each hostess takes a bimonthly turn to supervise the Bhuki Café’s Friday teas. “If you are not familiar with the Bhuki Café, then you have missed an important part of Hermanus' community life,” says home schooler Leah-Louise Sabbe, who urges book lovers to visit the Bhuki Café and offer their assistance as volunteers.

S

For the best part of 18 years, the Friends of Hermanus Library's Bhuki Café has offered friendship, warmth and affordable tea, coffee and eats each Friday morning between 09:00 and 11:30, when the reference section of the library is turned into a bustling café.

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22 August 2018

Nature’s healing power Hermanus in turmoil For two weeks in July 2018 we saw unprecedented upheaval and trauma for many people in Hermanus. Residents of Zwelihle and Mt Pleasant witnessed violence, intimidation, threats, lawlessness and destruction of public and private property. I will not go into the reasons for this – they are too complex for an article about the environment.

THE

NEWS MY

Environment

Many people, young and old, were severely traumatised by the events that unfolded. This is especially so for the children. They saw acts of violence from both the lawless and the law enforcers; their library and swimming pool were set alight; they saw burning tyres, people’s possessions in flames, catapulted stones, rubber bullets and teargas. Normal routines of school and play were disrupted. The adults who should be a source of comfort, were also scared and intimidated. People were afraid to leave their homes.

The aftermath After the protests ended, children showed signs of post-traumatic stress – they easily burst into tears or lost concentration. Schools were visited by counsellors who tried to start the healing process, but they can only do so much. The children need the healing power of nature.

Eco-therapy Eco-therapy is increasingly being used to tackle stress and anxiety. This approach uses nature-based interventions to help people feel better. Research has shown conclusively that exposure to nature enhances mood and self-esteem, reduces feelings of anger, confusion, tension and depression. It also improves school performance.

Is this not exactly what our traumatised children need?

Whale Coast Conservation can do it.

WCC has the skills and experience to connect children with the wild places on their doorstep. WCC has taken children on eco-camps and dayadventures for the last 4 years. So many more children could benefit from the education and guidance at these camps.

WCC wishes to start a programme of nature-based adventures for all primary school children from the areas

David Allen will present a specialist birding course on 1 and 2 September.

BirdLife offers specialist birding course Anina Lee studying a St Joseph’s shark egg case on the beach with Lelita and Iminathi Hlazo.

If you find it difficult to identify those cryptically-coloured small brown birds (Little Brown Jobs – LBJs) then this course, presented by BirdLife Overberg, is for you. David Allen, the Curator of Birds at the Durban Natural Science Museum and a specialist in this field, will present LBJs – Getting to know them, on 1 and 2 September in order to raise funds for BirdLife Overberg’s CleanMarine campaign.

David will also add a special section on our vultures in celebration of International Vulture Awareness Day on 1 September. The 2-day course will be presented in the Community Hall at Mollergren Park, 236 Main Road, Hermanus, at a cost of R550 pp. To register contact Elaine via sms on 082 455 8402 or email mwjasser@mweb.co.za. You can also find the full course schedule and programme at www.westerncapebirding.co.za/overberg/ events/698 David Allan has held the position of Curator of Birds at the Durban Natural Science Museum for the past 22 years. Prior to this he worked for nearly a decade at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and the then Avian Demography Unit (ADU), both at the University of Cape Town. At the ‘Fitztitute’ he studied cranes and bustards, while his main work at the ADU was as fieldworker for the first bird atlas project.

The children look at Donax mussels to see how they filter feed through two siphons. that were affected by the violent protests.

Children can frolic on the beach in gently lapping waves; they can feed the scavenger snails; dig for mussels and watch how they filter feed; feel the thrill of a sea anemone gently closing around a finger.

Children can hike in our world-class nature reserves to experience the fresh air, the fascinating variety of flowers and creatures; to learn about

the inter-connectedness of all life on this earth – including all her people.

We are one large web of life.

Whale Coast Conservation can do it – with the financial and volunteer assistance of everyone who would like to help those who were caught in the middle of the social upheaval.

Contact Whale Coast Conservation on 028 316 2527 or wcc.greenhouse@gmail.com - Anina Lee Whale Coast Conservation

His career in ornithology started with a long stint with the erstwhile Transvaal Division of Nature Conservation where he worked on birds of prey and threatened birds of the Highveld grasslands. David has authored or coauthored several books on birds of prey and more recently a volume on geographical variation in Southern African birds. He was one of the coeditors of the First Atlas of Southern African Birds. His most recent book project is as co-author of a photographic book on South African cranes. He has been a regular contributor to the glossy magazines Africa – Birds & Birding and its successor African Birdlife.

David has presented innumerable popular talks and courses over his long career to diverse audiences of birders throughout South Africa. His interest in LBJs dates back to his earliest Highveld days, when he worked on species such as Botha’s and Rudd’s larks, Yellow-breasted Pipit and Broad-tailed Warbler. His work with museum study skins has also provided him with unique insights into the finer plumage features of these challenging birds.

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22 August 2018

What is a life coach? The myth versus the reality

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here’s no denying that the life coaching phenomenon has taken the world by storm.

People from all walks of life are now hiring coaches to help them meet both personal and professional goals.

Some believe a major reason for the surge in life coaching is that traditional support systems – family, church, community – no longer play as significant a part in our mobile society.

The life coach, then, fills the role of sounding board once held by a relative or close friend. But good coaches are really a lot more than that – in effect, they are partners who help their clients design a better future for themselves.

What is a life coach?

There are some common misperceptions about what life coaching is – and what it is not. Here are six of the most common myths: MYTH 1: Life coaching is just a fad True, life coaching does stem from the 70s’ American vogue for motivational talks and self-help books, many of which were notoriously sickly-sweet and upbeat in their mission to motivate the masses. But, unlike those claims to help you get rich, fit, smart or happy in five minutes, life coaching does not pose as a miracle cure for unhappiness, or a quick-fix solution for obesity or debt.

Instead, it offers a structured, methodological and realistic approach to effecting real transformation using techniques that are based on psychological evidence and basic intuition, not opinion, judgments, or wishy-

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washy life advice.

MYTH 2: Life coaching is “touchyfeely”, like therapy While coaching and counselling do share some similarities, psychotherapy traditionally focuses on the impact the past has on the present, on healing psychological dysfunction and on relieving emotional pain.

The therapist is considered to be the expert, the one with answers about what is right for the client. Coaching, on the other hand, focuses on the present and future, identifying clients’ strengths, life purposes and goals and working with them to create possibilities to enrich their lives.

Based on the belief that all individuals are whole, capable individuals, coaching assumes the client is expert, able to determine what is best for their lives. The coach, then, works alongside them to maximise their personal and professional potential.

MYTH 3: Life coaching is for people who have problems, not for successful people Life coaching helps the good get even better. In fact, the coaching process works best for motivated performers who want to achieve even more or who may feel “stuck” in certain areas of performance or be-

haviour. Generally, coaching is less successful as a last ditch effort to “save” someone. Poor performers tend not to take the process seriously and may even resist being coached.

As a result, they rarely deliver a good return on the coaching investment.

MYTH 4: Life coaches only work on personal goals Professionally trained life coaches work on all aspects of their clients’ lives, personal and professional. This is handy because, very often, if something is bothering you at work, it is affecting your personal life, or vice versa. Just as Olympic athletes wouldn’t think of training without the added insight, objective perspective and enthusiastic support of a sports coach, many of today’s most successful business leaders, executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs use the services of a life coach to take their lives, careers, or businesses to

the next level.

MYTH 5: Life coaching is the same as mentoring While it’s true that effective life coaches and mentors, particularly those working in a professional environment, often find some crossover between these roles, there remain significant differences between them. All coaching, even life coaching, is about a specific aspect of performance.

Mentoring, on the other hand, is more holistic and places the emphasis on helping someone to work out what they want to do rather than on how they are going to do it.

Coaching tends to emphasise helping individuals find the internal resources to achieve their objectives, while mentoring places equal emphasis on acquiring and maintaining the information and networks that

will enable the client to draw on external resources.

MYTH 6: Life coaching will fix all my problems Coaching is not about making life problem-free, but about giving depth and value to one’s experiences by way of more mindful living and thinking.

Life coaching, in that sense, provides clients with self-awareness, focus and accountability in such a way that it effectively helps them in empowering themselves and finding their own answers. Its objective can best be summed up in the old proverb: “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”

SOURCE: The South African College of Applied Psychology (www.sacap.edu.za)

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22 August 2018

No substitute for passion

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his family-owned company was founded by Dirk Herbst in January 2002 with the purpose of moulding rough timber, through their manufacturing process, into refined timber products that are supplied through multiple pipelines to all end-users in the Overberg region.

They have been part of the Hermanus community for 16 years and, with wood being such an integral part of their livelihood, Coastal Timber Mouldings ensures that all local and imported timber is sourced from sustainable forestry and only A-grade materials are used in all the processes.

Since those early years the company has expanded its product range from tongue-and-groove ceiling and flooring to designing and moulding custom-made profiles for high-end customers, including decking, ceilings and flooring, skirting boards and pergolas, and other mouldings such as dado rails and architraves. Coastal Timber Mouldings work mainly in Pine, Oak, Meranti or Balau, while sourcing any other types of wood through their network, as specified by the client.

With customer service being their cornerstone, Coastal Timber Mouldings moved their factory to the Hermanus Industrial area in 2005 to be closer to their clients and to accommodate their rapid growth. The whole family is involved, and while Dirk focuses on operations, his wife Estelle manages the office administration, older son De Wet oversees sales and

marketing and younger son Francois, who has his own financial advisory firm, House-of-Growth in Cape Town, looks after the finances.

Dirk says he is very pleased about his sons’ involvement as the business was becoming too big for him to manage on his own. “Thanks to them the business has been able to grow and offer an even better service than before. Our office staff members have grown from four to seven, we employ eight factory workers, and have also been able to invest more in new product ranges, machinery and transport vehicles in order to support and supply a bigger area.” He adds that they have a great team working in the factory, some of whom have more than 10 years of service. “They also need recognition for their dedication and expertise that they bring to the company.”

As a medium-size business, Coastal Timber Mouldings is very flexible in what they can produce. “We supply both standard- and custom-made products and nothing is mass produced. Due to the nature of our business we keep minimal stock on hand, so all orders are manufactured and moulded as per individual orders,” says Dirk. “It is a dynamic business and there’s no chance of getting bored.”

De Wet says a family business has a different dynamic, as all the family members work together towards a

common goal by building a legacy that can be passed down to the next generation. “While we all share the same goal, each one of us brings our own unique talents and different characters which add to the diversity and strength of the business.”

De Wet’s love of natural wood shines through when he talks about their business. “No two pieces of wood are the same; each one is unique. This makes it a wonderful product to work with and seeing that it is a natural product with unique properties, it needs to be nourished and looked after, like any living material. Working on custom-made products to suit our clients’ specific needs can also be time consuming, but ultimately very rewarding. At the end of the day there is no substitute for natural wood – it has soul and warmth, and brings nature into your home or office.”

There is also no substitute for this family’s passion for their product – and for the care they take in giving their clients exactly what they want and building relationships on trust, quality and reliability.

You’ll find Coastal Timber Mouldings at 8 Mimosa Street, Hermanus Industrial Area. They deliver their products all over the Overberg and as far as the Cape Town CBD. Contact them for a quote or expert advice on 028 313 2183.

– Hedda Mittner

The founder of Coastal Timber Mouldings, Dirk Herbst, with his two sons, De Wet (left) and Francois (right) in the factory of this family-owned company in Mimosa Street in Hermanus Industria.

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22 August 2018

Curro Hermanus wins again

On the wine trail

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he inaugural event of the Homes International Vine to Valley Trail Run Series hosted at Newton Johnson Vineyards on Saturday was a huge success and organiser Bianca le Roux of Coastline Events says she believes the event will go from strength to strength in future.

The Vine to Valley Trail Run Series is supported by Hermanus Tourism, Oasis Water Hermanus and the Hemel-en-Aarde wine farms. Bianca expressed her thanks to Newton Johnson Vineyards for welcoming the event and participants with such enthusiasm.

Saturday’s trail run was the first in a series of six that will take place monthly until December. Everyone is invited to take part and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Hemel-enAarde Valley, whether you are driven to pursue an active and healthy lifestyle or just out to have a fun outing with your family and friends. There will be various distances to choose from and no bleary eyes on the start line, as the runs kick off at 09:00.

Afterwards you can relax and enjoy food and wine while the children play in the kiddies play area. R20 of your entry ticket will go towards supporting local initiatives such as the Pebbles Project, Hermanus Child Welfare, Ella Gordon Crèche and other local farm school projects.

Upcoming events: 29 September – Bosman Hermanus (6 km and 12 km); 27 October – Sumaridge (5 km); 24 November – La Vierge (6 km); 8 December – Hermanuspietersfontein (6 km and 12 km); 15 December – Benguela Cove Wine Estate (6 km and 12 km).

The cost for the short distances is R120 pp per run and R150 pp for the longer distances. You can enter all three long runs at a discounted price. For more information, contact Bianca le Roux on 082 075 7477 or info@coastlineevents.co.za.

Enter online at vwww.quicket.co.za/events/49848-vine-tovalley

PHOTOS: Pia Nänny

The Curro High School Interschools was held on Saturday 18 August at Curro Hermanus. A total of four schools took part – Curro Sitari, Curro Century City, Curro Hermanus and Meridian Pinehurst. All in all 74 matches were played which included soccer, rugby, netball and hockey.

Curro Hermanus’s first team netball, girls’ hockey and rugby won their games, with Curro Century City winning the first team soccer and the boys’ hockey. The Curro Hermanus supporters and players showed immense spirit as they cheered for their teams, led by their school mascot. This year’s overall winner for the second year in a row was Curro Hermanus.

Here is Jamal Salem and the triumphant captains of the various sport codes: Reece Kleyn (Hockey Boys U18), Lwando Mbovane (Soccer U18), Luke Fortuin (Rugby U18), Rebecca Swanepoel (Hockey Girls U18) and Kaci van Romburgh (Netball U18) with Curro Hermanus Executive Head, Kobus Vermeulen – and their lion mascot.

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22 August 2018

Hermanus juniors sparkle at tournament

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onversation at the moment in the golfing circles of South Africa is all about the new handicap system which kicks in on 3 September.

The Putting Pirate Julian Shaw

Hopefully all the computer systems will be updated and ready. I, for one, think the whole idea of getting everyone in the world onto one system is great, as it means that your handicap will be relevant no matter where you play.

The overall winner in the end was Aidon Willemse from Caledon who shot a very credible 76 in tough conditions. Special mention must go to Hermanus junior Tim Simpson

who shot a great 82 to take the U13 category. Tim’s older brother Sam has just been selected to play for South Africa in Italy, so obviously it must be in their genes!

Until next week, keep calm and go golfing.

Julz and the team

Scores at a glance

This week we saw our greens going from strength to strength. Last Saturday I measured the green speed at 10.75 on the stimp. Obviously this suited my partner of Saturday’s game, Brandon Shaw, and together we managed to come second.

SATURDAY ALL TOGETHER 11 AUGUST Betterball Stableford 122 players Winners: Tony Runkel and Audie van Noordwyk - 49 points Runners-up: Julian Shaw and Brandon Shaw - 47 points 4 two clubs Ball pool paid to 44 Best gross: Ben Thompson 76 Jackpot won by Glyn Davies Attendance draw was sponsored by Hermanus Glassmen (fellow member Peter Bouwer) and was won by John Makinson.

Brandon Shaw shines again Brandon also played for the Western Province in the SA Disabled Golf Association’s provincial tournament and managed another super win. This time he recorded an excellent 41 stableford points. Well done, Brandon.

You really are a credit and an example to us all.

Hermanus Junior Closed a huge success Last weekend we hosted the Hermanus Junior Closed Tournament.

It was touch-and-go whether the weather was going to play ball, but it

did… only just! We had nearly 50 juniors playing this Boland event and everyone seemed to have fun.

LADIES’ TUESDAY 14 AUGUST 4 Ball Alliance 28 players Winners: Toni Upton, Carole Brownlee, Moira Stadler, Elize Nykamp - 77 points C/I Runners-up: Sue Atkinson, Kim Davies, Jackie Macdonald, Hilary Dale - 77 points C/O

Aidon Willemse was the overall winner in the Hermanus Junior Closed Tournament.

WEDNESDAY MEN’S 15 AUGUST Individual Medal and Stableford A division winner: Kevin Middleton - nett 70 C/I B division winner: Wendell Meiring - nett 66 C division winner: Lance Nel - 40 points Best gross and monthly medal winner: Damian Grib - 76

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22 August 2018

Netball shoots up the popularity pole locally and abroad

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he Hermanus Netball Club entered three teams in the Overberg league this year, all victorious in their respective leagues at the end of the season. Just three years ago, the Club only had one team participating in the competition which reflects the increase in local interest.

This phenomenon mirrors the growth of the sport nationally and internationally.

Netball is one of the most popular women’s participation sports in South Africa, and today, is played by a large number of men. The sport in South Africa exists in a culture where sport plays an important part in public and social life. In 2014 Netball South Africa announced the first ever semiprofessional netball league in the country, comprising 10 teams from 9 provinces and sponsored by Brutal Fruit.

The sport is growing in popularity worldwide and is played in 80 countries by over 20 million people.

Netball is a favourite sport, particularly in Commonwealth countries.

The beginnings of netball can be traced back to basketball, the latter first played in 1891. The game of basketball was modified to accommodate women and gave rise to women’s basketball. Variations of women’s basketball arose across the United States and England. At a physical training college in England, women’s basketball was changed and an entirely new

sport, ’net ball’ came into being.

This signalled the advent of netball and a new code for the sport was published at the start of the 20th century. The new sport spread throughout the British Empire and competitions arose in several countries during the first half of the 20th century.

In 1960 the rules of netball were standardised internationally and a governing body was formed to oversee the sport globally. This was called the Internal Netball Federation (INF). South Africa was part of the 1960 meeting where the rules of the game were set.

International competitions were organised and in 1963 the first INF Netball World Cup was played. In the 1967 Netball World Cup South Africa ended third in the event. Netball has been contested at the Commonwealth Games since 1998. Netball is also being advocated for possible inclusion in the Olympic Games.

We have seen an increase in participation in our local community and the next decade will see a further increase in the countries embracing the sport of netball and many more additions to the 20 million plus, participating in the sport.

– Tony O’Hagan

CYCLING FOR CHANGE Critical Mass, a social bike ride that takes place every month, returned after its brief winter break on Friday 17 August. The event takes place at 18:00 on the third Friday of every month, setting off from the Whale Garden on Market Square, and is open to the public at no cost; everyone is invited to join, young and old. “We want to make Hermanus more pedestrian and cyclist friendly,” says Carel Kuschke, who initiated Critical Mass in Hermanus earlier this year, “and we would really like to see the local cycling shops getting involved.” Critical Mass is a social movement which has taken hold in cities and towns all over the world and is described by Carel as a free, unofficial and unsupported group ride at a relaxed, social pace, with the aim of celebrating cycling as a healthy, safe and eco-friendly mode of transport in Hermanus. Those wanting to participate in the rides are encouraged to add lights, flowers and other decorations to their bikes to make them more fun and eye catching. Carel normally has a speaker on his bike through which he plays music to make the ride more enjoyable for the group. In the picture above the cyclists hold their bikes above their heads before they set off for their ride – this is a worldwide symbol for Critical Mass. For more information you can contact Carel on 074 849 5936 or message Critical Mass Hermanus on their Facebook page.

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

SPORT NEWS?

Share your sport news, results or photos with us! It has never been easier. Just send the information and image to admin@thevillagenews.co.za and we will gladly consider it, whether it be competition results, a friendly rivalry, a funny anecdote, a once-off feat or a major tournament. We look forward to hearing from you.

22 August 2018

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INTERSCHOOLS

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So close, yet so far for Hermies

his year was Hermanus High School’s turn to host the annual Interschools against Overberg High School from Caledon on Saturday 18 August. The day was filled with many highlights and nail-biting moments as the athletes gave it their all. The teams received loud cheers of support from past pupils, students and parents as well as Hermanus’ new whale mascot.

All of the first team games were extremely intense, especially the rugby which is always the last game of the day and ultimately determines the winner of the Interschools.

Towards the end of the first team rugby game, the Hermies were behind but managed to score a try, bringing their score up to 29-30 in the last few seconds of the game. Sadly, the

conversion that would have brought them up to a 31-30 win against Caledon was missed and Overberg High School reclaimed the title as winners after four years of losing to Hermanus. There were many tears and hugs among the Hermies with the realisation of how close they had come to winning for a fifth year in a row.

Hermanus High still had a lot to celebrate though as their first team hockey boys won 3-1, the first team hockey girls drew 0-0 and the first team netball won 22-21 in a very closely contested game. Hermies can be really proud of their wonderful sportsmanship and teamwork throughout all of their games and are sure to reclaim their title as Interschool winners next year. More photos on P 24.

ABOVE: Hermanus High pulled out all the stops this year in an effort to create more ‘gees’ for the Interchools and to boost team morale. This included their first-ever school mascot which was a whale that proved to be a hit with both Hermanus and Overberg supporters, parents and players.

Principals Eddie Labuschagne (Overberg High) and Greg Hassen-kamp (Hermanus High) moments before handing over the hockey shield to the first team Hermanus hockey boys for their win.

INSET: Tayla van der Bergh (left) and Janeke Viljoen (right) were among the many distraught students after the Hermies just missed their chance to win the Interschools for the fifth consecutive year.

PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer

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Jeanette van Rombergh showed her passion for hockey in the first team girls’ game against Overberg High School.

Kyle Scorgie (first team hockey) prevents an Overberg player from getting to the goal circle and plays the ball back up to help his team score.

(ABOVE) Lythan Rudalph takes a kick at goal in an effort to win an extra two points for his team. (BELOW) Boldwin Hansen scores a try for his team after a tough fight through the lines of Overberg players. PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer

(ABOVE) Maxene Valentine (first team netball) snatches the ball out of the air just before her opponent can intercept it. (RIGHT) Mari Carstens is elated after she and her team discover they have won their match against the first team netball girls from Caledon.