The Official Publication of The Hills_ Issue 3 September 2016

Owl Project SEPTEMBER 2016

Your Unique Lifestyle

From The Estate Manager

Magazine

> Transform Your Garden!

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Important Contact Details From The Estate Manager Competition Time

CONTENTS

Levy Increase Know The Estate Rules Atterbury Road Keen Photographer The Aesthetics Committee Landscaping How To Transform Your Garden The Estate Clubhouse The Oval Luxury Apartments The Owl Project Completion Penalties Road Safety The Hills Pine Tree Grove

Disclaimer: This Newsletter is produced especially for residents/owners of The Hills to provide updates and useful information.

It is produced by KS Studio on behalf of Trafalgar Property Management (Pty) Ltd. Although every effort is taken to ensure accuracy of content, Trafalgar Property Management (Pty) Ltd and/or the Publisher, cannot be held liable for any inaccurate andPublication may not agree opinions expressed in this publication.

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IMPORTANT

Contact Details 4 The Official Publication Of The Hills

Security Manager

Estate Manager

Environmental Officer

Wynand de Sousa 071 674 3095 wynandd@trafalgar.co.za

Hannes De Wet 082 551 6015 hannesd@trafalgar.co.za

Main Gate

079 079 4711

Levy Enquiries

Bianca van Niekerk 011 214 5200

biancav@trafalgar.co.za Netcare

Pretoria East Hospital

012 422 2300 (Antivenom)

Jaco van Wyk 072 258 2239 jacovw@proteacoin.co.za

From The

Estate Manager Dear Residents With the last bit of winter air still around, kick back with a cup of coffee a cosy blanket and sink into the pages of this issue. I would like to encourage members to give us their feedback with regards to the newsletter and activities within the HOA, to ensure we meet everyone’s expectations. With the clubhouse about to open we are planning a few new activity clubs such as a cycling club and a running club. If you are interested in joining or have any suggestion please send me a mail wynandd@trafalgar.co.za.

We would like to encourage you as homeowner to be involved as a community and take part in all the fun activities, therefore we are launching our first competition and planning to have something exciting in issues to come. Read through the publication to be sure you don’t miss out!

Wynand de Sousa 5 The TheOfficial OfficialPublication PublicationOfOfThe TheHills Hills 5

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Stand a chance to

WIN

A HALF DAY SPA PACKAGE FOR TWO @

Competition Closes 31 October 2016

ENTER HERE

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LEVY INCREASE

10 with 9 R to 0 0 7 R reased from c in s a h y e Annual v th le t ly a th d n e o v o m r p e p h T 2016, as a t s u g u A 1 m er 2016. b m effect fro te p e S 8 n ng held o General Meeti

The amount relates to the levy amount only and other charges such as ClickOn & NAC fees will still be payable over and above the monthly levy amount.

Please note that should you have a debit order running with Trafalgar and the amount to be debited is fixed monthly, that you please contact the allocated Credit Controller Bianca van Niekerk 011 214 5249 / BiancaV@trafalgar.co.za to have your debit order amount changed in order to accommodate this increase and avoid unpaid levies.

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Know The Estate Rules • No garments, household linen or washing of any nature may be hung out or placed anywhere to dry except in a drying yard or such other area designated for such purpose. Washing lines, twirly drys and the like, must be below the level of the yard walls.

• None of the landscaping elements on the sidewalks may be removed or altered without the permission of The Hills HOA. Damage to the curbside, traffic signs, lampposts and other road markings must be for the account of the offender, or the legal guardians of minors, or the 10 The Official Publication Of The Hills

principals of contractors. Payments of such repairs will be levied against the monthly levy account and payable to The Hills HOA.

• No refuse may be dumped on the street unless on those days scheduled for removal by the service provider. All refuse must be stored in a closed bin to avoid the proliferation of flies.

• Motorised vehicles, including golf carts, shall be driven on the Estate’s roads only by persons who hold a valid current driver’s license

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Atterbury Road Construction on Atterbury road in making good progress, projected completion is for mid-2017

The urban design for The Hills is predominantly dedicated to residential stands with large natural green belts and open spaces. Several commercial, retail and new residential precincts are planned for the Western portion of the Estate. Century Property Developments are proud to announce the start of construction of the extension of Atterbury Road along the Mooikloof Estate boundary towards The Hills, this includes a portion of the K147 as well as the extension of Royal Albatross Road from the Estate clubhouse towards this new link.

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This Atterbury Road extension and link will allow for the future expansion of the Estate and has provided a convenient second gatehouse for residents. In addition, Century has also contributed to the upgrade of the Atterbury and De Villebois Mareuil intersection. In the future, the K147 will be extended towards Garstfontein Road as well as Lynnwood Road, resulting in residents having the choice between Garstfontein, Atterbury and Lynnwood Road to drive to Pretoria (N1/N4).

ROAD UPGRADES Extension of Atterbury Road Future link to Garsfontein and Lynnwood Road New Gatehouse

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Construction of the Atterbury Road extension on the Western portion of the Estate has started.

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KEEN PHOTOGRAPHER?

Submit your photos to: tobia@k-studio.co.za

To all keen photographers out there‌ why not forward your contributions for placement in the newsletter? We live in such a beautiful Estate, let’s share with one another what life offers in such abundance. We eagerly await your contributions! Feel free to include any information that fellow photographers might find interesting, e.g. type of camera used, lens size, shutter speed etc. It would be super if you would name your contribution, who knows you might see your photo on the Cover of our next issue.

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The Aesthetics Committee The Aesthetics Committee has been moved from Century to Studious Architects. For any plan related enquiries please contact them on 012 663 3371 thehills@studious.co.za .

• Plan approval • Guidelines enquiries • Plan changes

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Landscaping Included in the architectural guidelines is a strictly indigenous tree planting policy: The bird life is significantly increased through the planting of indigenous trees that have berries for food, or thorns for protection from birds of prey. Frost resistance is another benefit of indigenous trees as they tend to be extremely hardy and are well adapted to our climate.

Water is always a scarce commodity and indigenous trees require significantly less water than their exotic counterparts and have little or no effect on our fragile water table. They are also far more likely to survive a drought. Palms, Palm-like or large banana leaf-like plants are expressly forbidden as they create a tropical atmosphere, which is in conflict with the area which is essentially grassland and Bushveld. Plant material naturally includes trees, shrubs and ground cover species.

The landscaping and especially the trees, due to their size, go a long way to determining the overall aesthetic ambience of an estate. With our indigenous landscaping policy we hope to reinforce the uniquely South African nature of this Estate, not to mention the numerous additional advantages of planting indigenous trees.

Prohibited plant species All declared invasive alien plants listed in the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act of 1983 and subsequent amendments may not be cultivated and the HOA retains the right to remove such plants at the cost of the owner.

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Landscape strategy The landscape strategy is to create an environment within the Estate that will maximise indigenous bio-diversity of the area and be sustainable into the future.

The strategy is founded on the following principles and practices: • Highveld indigenous planting material is the most ecologically sustainable flora for the soil and climatic conditions of the Estate and its environs.

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• The Estate is situated in a water deficient area and thus the conservative use of water is fundamentally important to sustainability.

• The natural sense of place is unembellished with little or no ornamentation.

• Each garden is a contributor to the conservancy area of the Estate in its bid to create an environment where maximum indigenous bio diversity can exist (birds, insects, animals and plants).

How To

transform your garden into a water wise haven ?

Irrespective of the drought we are experiencing, South Africa holds a reputation as a relatively dry country with a rainfall of only 464mm. That’s nearly half the world’s average. It is therefore essential to do our bit to conserve as much water as possible, and a great place to start is in our gardens.

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Water Wise Gardening, also know as Xeriscaping, is type of gardening that requires less, maintenance, less water and less fertiliser, making it a more sustainable way of gardening.

Your Quick Guide to Xeriscaping 1. Grass Some grass types require more water and maintenance than others, like turf for example. If you have turf grass or any cool season grasses, replace it with Kikuyu, LMG, matt or carpet grass. Ask yourself whether you need the large amount of grass you have, or if you can instead cover some areas with pebbles, paving or bark chips.

Other things to do: • Keep you grass at 4cm.

• Use a garden fork to aerate regularly.

• Don’t water during winter.

• Only water in the early morning or evenings.

2. Soil By improving your garden’s soil, you can improve its water retention, which is an essential place to start. You can do this by adding organic fertiliser, compost and manure.

In addition to this you can also: • Add mulch around the base of plants to

retain water, prevent water-thirsty weeds

from spreading etc.

• Add stones and rocks on top of soil and scattered between plants to improve

water insulation.

• Add hedges to protect your plants from

wind or excessive sun.

• Plant ground covers to assist with the

regrowth of weeds.

How to make your own mulch: Shred old leaves and newspaper, and combine with grass clippings and compost.

3. Plant indigenous When choosing plants and trees for your garden opt for indigenous or drought-tolerant plants. Remember, every new plant or tree needs regular water until its roots have been established.

How to transfer your garden into a water wise haven? Cont.

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Here are some plants/to consider: • Succulents • Fynbos • Buchu • Lavender • Air Plants • Clivia • Aloes • SA Daisy • Geranium • Agapanthus • Sweet Pea

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How to transfer your garden into a water wise haven? Cont.

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The Estate

Clubhouse

The new Estate clubhouse features a family restaurant, full gym with studio, cardio and weights section, outdoor swimming pool, tennis court and a kid’s play area. The clubhouse is positioned overlooking the dam and forms the social hub of the development. Construction progress is almost complete with only some of the fitting out to do before we officially open it. Let us know if you’d like to attend the clubhouse opening in October when we’ll be showing off the building to residents.

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The Oval LUXURY APARTMENTS IN THE HILLS

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The Hills offers many different lifestyle opportunities. The Oval is a new precinct of luxury apartments situated inside The Hills Game Reserve Estate. The 190 apartments come in a variety of different designs ranging from 51m² to 65m² one-, 88m² two- and 117m² three-bedroom options with the ground floor units including a private garden. Overlooking the school sports field is The Ovals clubhouse, consisting of a multipurpose hall, an outdoor swimming pool, braai facilities, tennis court and even a kids play park.

The Apartments layouts are open plan with top quality fittings and finishes throughout.

The Oval Luxury Apartments in The Hills Cont.

They also feature heat pumps, LED lighting to ensure low energy consumption. Construction of this apartment precinct is progressing well with the first phase ready for occupation in December 2016.

These will be launched to the public in October.

The first phase of apartments will launch in October ranging in price from R860,000 – R1,690,000.

Please contact Francis on 082 806 1769 if you’d like to reserve a unit.

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The Owl Project in The Hills From the Environmental Manager: Hannes de Wet

The Hills has a large variety of birds in the Estate.

Over 105 species has been identified so far in the Estate with the help of Birdlife Northern Gauteng. The Owls in the Estate are mainly two species: the African Grass Owl Tyto Capensis and the Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo Africanis .The Grass Owls occurs on the open grassland areas near the water streams. These owls can be spotted in the evenings or late afternoon when they are hunting for rodents in the grass. The grass owl nests on the ground among the long bush field grass. The Estate installed four Owl nest boxes along the walkways in the Eco area to encourage nesting of the Spotted Eagle Owls .The nest boxes was donated by a caring homeowner.

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Some interesting Facts of the Spotted Eagle Owls: What they look like The Spotted owl is a medium sized, dark brown owl with a barred tail. White spots on the head and breast and dark brown eyes. Males and females have similar plumage, but females typically weigh 10 to 20 percent more than males. The Spotted Owl has a body length of 48 – 57 cm, a 106 .75 cm wingspan, and weighs 0,454 kg – 1 kg.

Where they live The spotted eagle owl can be found in Sub–equatorial

Africa from Kenya and Uganda to the Western Cape in South Africa. The preferred habitat is Savannah, rocky outcrops, shrubs, semi-open woodlands to semi deserts What they eat The Spotted Owl eats small mammals like rats, mice and also some birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects.

Nesting TThey nets in tree cavities, broken- topped trees, and platforms, such as old raptor or squirrel nests.

They do not build their own nest. Adult females lay an average of 2 eggs per clutch with a ranges of 1 to 4 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 30 days .The chicks

start moving out of the nest at 5 weeks and learn to fly at 6 weeks of age. Spotted Owls pairs do not typically nest every year, nor are nesting pairs successful every year.

Behaviour Spotted owls are mostly nocturnal. But they may also forage at daytime.

Did you know Spotted Owls are one of the few owls that have dark coloured eyes. Most owls have yellow to red, orange eyes. A Spotted Owl lifespan is around 17 years . The Owls in the Estate are one of the most beautiful and mysterious Birds and needs to be protected

at all cost. Spotted eagle owls can be seen in the late afternoon when they start moving around. The easiest way to locate them is to listen to the alarm calls of other birds in the area. Move closer to the group of birds and scan the bush for the owl’s silhouette. Never shine a bright flashlight in the owl’s eyes because their eyes are very sensitive for light and can be damaged. Please contact me with info of the owls in the Estate if you spot them.

Spotted eagle owl posing for the camera

Worker putting up owl box in big Sweet thorn tree

Example of spotted eagle owl box

Owl box in the pine forest in Eco Area

Enjoy your owling!

Hannes de Wet Cell 0825516015

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COMPLETION PENALTIES From October the completion penalty will be enforced. As per MOI, each owner has 12 months to complete their home and receive a completion certificate form Studious Architects. Should an owner not have received their completion certificate by the 12th month an R2000.00 penalty will be raised onto their levy account until the certificate is received

DECO BLINDS Product range: Aluminium Venetian Blinds, Plaswood Venetian Blinds, Wood Venetian Blinds, Bamboo Venetian Blinds, Bamboo Blinds, Panel Blinds, Roller Blinds, Vertical Blinds

FOR THE BEST SERVICES AND DESIGNS CALL US TODAY

Dwayne Marnewick 083 254 9118 marnewick.dwayne@gmail.com 61 Wilkins Bunting Street, The Hills x4, Pretoria The Official Publication Of The Hills 35

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ROAD SAFETY Before the end of 2016 the first phase of the road safety plan will be completed, the project will be done over the next couple of year ensuring safety on the road. The first phase is to install speedbumps and zebra crossing within the estate and at the entrance The Official Publication Of The Hills 37

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The Hills

PINE TREE GROVE In September we celebrated Arbor week, and as always we are encouraged to plant native trees. You may therefore have asked yourself why there is a grove of alien pine trees flourishing on The Hills?

Here’s why‌ Around 80 years ago The Hills was a family farm. During an air show on the farm a pilot lost control of his airplane and crashed into the field. Unfortunately, he did not survive the accident. In memory of him, his wife planted his favourite tree in the spot he passed away.

That lone pine tree has multiplied and multiplied into the beautiful cluster of pine trees we have today.

In memory of the pilot and the family who once owned the land, we at The Hills have decided to keep the trees. Now that you know the story behind them, we hope that you will grow to appreciate them as much as we do.

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