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www.thevillagenews.co.za
FROM THE EDITOR
3 March 2021
Whoop, whoop for The NEWS
There has been an unwritten rule in journalism that states: We write the news; we do not make it. Simply put, it means that professional media organisations report the news of the day but do not write about themselves. But sometimes it is necessary to bend the rules somewhat. Like when you are on a deserted stretch of beach, who does not slip their masks off? For The Village NEWS it is time to slip our mask off for just a second to thank our loyal readers and advertisers who continue to invest in us. This has made it possible for us once again to stand
proud during the annual Forum of Community Journalist’s annual awards. These awards are judged by some of South Africa’s most prominent media leaders and allow local media houses to be measured against their peers. In a time when the media industry is under constant threat with revenue models needing to be reworked and readership numbers declining, it is important to know where you stand compared to those in the same field. Community newspapers are not immune to this insecure environment and several publications have been forced
NEWS WhatsApp or SMS your stories and photos to 083 700 3319 De Waal Steyn
E: dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za
Hedda Mittner
CONTENT EDITOR T: 083 645 3928
E: hedda@thevillagenews.co.za
Raphael da Silva ONLINE EDITOR T: 074 125 5854
E: raphael@thevillagenews.co.za
Elaine Davie
JOURNALIST T: 084 343 7500
E: elaine@thevillagenews.co.za Taylum Meyer PRODUCTION MANAGER, PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN T: 084 564 0779
E: taylum@thevillagenews.co.za
Charé van der Walt MARKETING & SALES MANAGER T: 082 430 1974
a great compliment to us. Who would have thought that a “good news” newspaper would be able to stand up to its hard news counterparts? And with our very own Elaine Davie winning the distinction of being named Hard News Journalist of the Year, it just goes to show that finding the good in the news is a worthwhile pursuit.
We are once again seeing growth in our readership and will soon have to increase the number of copies we print. We thank each and every one of you for this. To be named runner-up for the second consecutive year in the Best Newspaper of the Year category is
In addition, Elaine showed her mettle by being named Journalist of the Year – an award that is not easily won. But she did it and we are immensely proud to have her on our team. So too, Murray Stewart who makes us laugh every
week with his column, and Nickey Jackson who ensured that pages and adverts were designed to be a treat to read aided by Taylum Meyer, who takes award-winning photographs. These accolades speak to our passion to offer the Overstrand only the best news, information, and entertainment. Not only do we look forward each week to publishing the best possible paper, but we also enjoy interacting with our communities and telling your stories. It is an honour for us to serve you. This is the good NEWS – Ed.
Boys to men – the circle of life?
THE VILLAGE
PUBLISHING EDITOR T: 083 700 3319
to close during the course of the year because of declining advertising. Although The Village NEWS has also had to adapt to the new economic realities we are faced with, we are thankful for the continued support of our advertisers and well-wishers who assist us in publishing a newspaper every week.
By Murray Stewart murray.stewart49@gmail.com
way. Skates and ladders had progressed to bikes and bullets. But on to more cheerful fellowships and fraternities...
T
he For Fact’s Sake columns are – according to Google and The Duck ‘n Fiddle’s archives – based in truth.
Girls don’t do it till they’re older. But boys, from a fairly young age, do. We somehow find it necessary to form little ‘gangs’ and build tree-house dens and secret fortresses and have furtive meetings for ‘members only’. At these early indabas, we’d discuss serious tactical manoeuvres, like raiding the rival gang’s headquarters and snaffling their skateboards, or how to booby trap their tree-house ladder, and who should steal their gang-leader’s bicycle saddle during lunch break. These junior school cliques are the seedlings that will flourish within some boys through their adolescence and manhood. This feeling of camaraderie, and the urge to belong is the glue that would bind them into fraternities, fellowships, gangs and societies, like the Round Table, Rotary Club, Masons or Hell’s Angels. Some of these fellowships are altruistic, but others were formed for their own benefit, their very survival. Many Vietnam war vets were left to fend for themselves, which led to the formation of various support groups. These sometimes became the foundations of motorcycle gangs that offered the security of a brotherhood. To survive, and in fact flourish, they peddled drugs and killed rival gang members who got in their
The Golden Circle would incorporate all of today’s Southern States, from Florida and the Bahamas in the East, right through Mississippi, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to the West. Old Mexico didn’t know it yet, but they were also on the list, as was Central America, Panama and all the countries across the top of South America. By annexing the Caribbean Islands, the Golden Circle surrounding the Gulf of Mexico was complete.
Take, for example, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, founded in 1819 in Baltimore. Objective? To “promote personal and social development by helping those in need”. Yummy, nè? They, like the Masons, also have nudge-nudge wink-wink secret passwords, handshakes and rituals, but oddly enough, even people who are not odd can join.
The Circle therefore included the wealthy oil producers, productive agricultural lands and harbours servicing two oceans for commercial trade. Brilliant! A civil war over slavery was on the horizon anyway, so the time was ripe to mobilise the rednecks and hillbillies into a frenzy, to storm the Capitol, and hang those pesky unpatriotic Northerners. Ring any bells?
Then there’s the Honourable Order of Turtles. Basically a booze-up for WWII veterans – described as “an honourable drinking fraternity for ladies and gentlemen of the highest morals and good character, and who are never vulgar.” Yeah, right! What were they drinking? Oros?
Anyway, President Lincoln wasn’t amused, and in 1861 commissioned his chief detective to infiltrate and apprehend the ringleaders. Enter Alan Pinkerton, famous for nabbing cattle rustlers, bank robbers and unsavoury gunslingers with halitosis. Pretty soon he’d arrested or shot most of the Circle’s leading Knights – halitosis or not – which prevented an insurrection and avoided a more explosive civil war that would have changed world politics forever.
We also find the Order of Elks, the Bald Knobbers and the Order of Peacock Angels, which – among many others with totally ridiculous names – generally aim to lend a hand. Most operate under the radar, preferring their altruism to remain anonymous. But not this bunch. The Knights of the Golden Circle, founded in 1854 were very brazen about their objectives, both financially and politically. They still cast an ominous shadow over what’s happening in America today – the old story of North versus South.
Bells still ringing? They should be. Orange is the new Gold. Beware the Knights of the Orange Circle...
Their plan was to create a country separate from the Northern States which would become the commercial hub of the Americas – perhaps the world.
Anyway, girls do form societies later in life, like book clubs, needlework support groups and Tupperware parties, but they seldom end up killing each other.
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