CONTENTS What’s inside...
Editor: Peter van Schaik Copy-Editors: Kathleen Botha & Hanneke van Schaik Design:
Peter van Schaik
SPLASH Tel: 074 717 2582 Postal Address: P.O.Box 199 Onrus 7201
SPLASH Magazine
Available as a quarterly printed magazine distributed free to the public, and as a monthly e-magazine. Fore more info visit
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Hélène Truter - Tinsel and and Twigs.
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Dawie Snyman - Wêreldbeker Rugby 2023.
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OVSRA Safety series.
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Local Heros - Maria -Anita Pieterse.
www.splashmedia.co.za P12
Q and A with local Trans Agulhas competitor, Dieter Blignaut.
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Why is music good for the brain.
Cover artist Jenny Jackson +27 72 270 1883 Gallery 19 17 High Street Hermanus
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LIFESTYLE
Onrus | Hermanus | Gansbaai
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NB NUMBERS Important local contact numbers.
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Tinsel
and
Twigs I
t’s become tradition on to hand out awards at the end of the year. Kind of like the obligatory drunken office offi party where everyone gets a little something even if they’ve been hopeless employees. I had to dig really deep this year to find any Worthwhile Awards. The South African Political scene, which is usually a wealth of bad (sad) jokes has, just like every non-existent state entity stagnated to such an extent that even the mozzies have left the stinking pond. So, the usual suspects like Big Bek Bheki, Warra- Warra Fekile and same-old, same-old Cyril will have to share the BIG YAWN AWARD. “We have to fight poverty, Corruption, load shedding and most importantly (insert ISSUE OF THE DAY here)’ Come on guys, at least come up with more original untruths. Like Julius. He just never lets us down. He was top contender for the ARE YOU FRIKKEN KIDDING ME AWARD when, without batting an eyelid, he claimed that RUGBY was invented by his ancestors and stolen by the white man. I may just mention at this point when we wanted to hand over Mister Malema’s trophy, it had disappeared. Probably stolen. (Must’ve been the same guys who were the culprits behind the Big Rugby Heist.) Which of course brings us to the SOUR KIWI AWARD. Should you be traveling to New Zealand sometime, be sure to pick up an Amulet gift to commiserate with the All Blacks. Our ‘Jammer om van jou kak te hoor’ hipflask seems particularly appropriate. (Loosely translated this means, My deepest sympathy, mate.)
Last year World Rugby walked away with the GET OVER YOURSELF AWARD. Like Julius, Kakiebos and Telemarketers, these old Toppies just never go away. This year they deserve nothing less than the WHICH GAME ARE YOU PLAYING Trophy. Maybe Julius is right, maybe the citizens of the Eastern Cape actually do know more about this noble sport that managed to unite my beloved country. Until some idiot broke into SA Rugby’s offices and nearly stole the coveted prize but ended up taking whiskey instead. But of course. Only in South Africa, folks. Needless to say, the Springboks walk away with the NO MORE NAILS LEFT trophy. In fact, I’m awarding them with BEST SCRIPT, BEST CLIFFHANGER, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST STUNTS. The list, as well as my admiration is endless. Isn’t it interesting that the two-times World Champions didn’t receive one international rugby award this year? Please refer to the GET OVER YOURSELF AWARD as mentioned above. Okay, I can sense that the office staff in the back are getting restless. They know there’s free booze to come. Okay so I’ll speed this up. Finally, I have two TINSEL awards under the tree. The FIHA aka Faith in Humankind Award goes to the staff at the HERMANUS DAY HOSPITAL. Earlier this month I spent a day and night there. Not only are the staff top notch, but they are also super FRIENDLY. A rare commodity these days. I suspect they don’t read this publication so should you bump into Sister Celeste and Geraldine please pass on my compliments. 4
4 Broad Street, Hermanus www.amuletlifestyle.com | Tel 082 871 5491
Hélène Truter
And finally, the Product of the Year Award goes to Amulet’s Undercover Cooler bag. Ah, NOW the staff are listening, because they know that you can fit two 750ml bottles plus your cellphone, lipstick and credit card into the prettiest handbag which also happens to be a Cooler bag. Check out the photos. Proudly 100% South African. And finally, yes I know I’ve already claimed that, but I’m writing this so I can pretty much do whatever I like. The LONG IN THE TOOTH or in Afrikaans, DIE BEK VOL TANDE AWARD goes to the UK man who many years ago went on a drinking spree in Spain. Apparently, said drunk person took out his dentures... I have a pretty good idea why, but let me rather not go there. Point is, he misplaced his gnashers and returned home. Toothless. Fast forward 11 years and, let’s call him Tom, was stunned to find his missing teeth in his postbox. Apparently, the Spanish authorities had found them. Hear this and I kid you not... they used DNA testing to find the owner. Granted ,it took them 11 years to track down old Toothless Tom but hey, that’s perseverance of a different kind. Would certainly NOT happen in South Africa I suspect. It reminded me of the song “All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth.” Yes, dear reader, I am that old. On that feeble note, may you receive your equivalent of your two front teeth this Christmas. And much, much more. And sommer give yourself an Award while you’re at it. Every single South African (bar the Big Yawn winners and nominees) deserves at least one.
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Wêreldb Wêrel dbeker eker Rugby November 2023
T
he one aspect which meant the most for our country in this tournament is the unity that it created for the people of South Africa. They, the team and the players, represented us… although not necessarily in terms of the demographics of SA to the full. The diversity from the smallest to the tallest from the lightest to the heaviest, from the palest to the darkest and everything in between. The most amazing thing about this team is that every South African male could associate with a player in a position and participate in the game through the game. Even the ladies could say that is my man. Well done Bokke!
ball and role away where the attacking side can bridge over the ball off their feet and recycle the ball up to over 30 times. I thought that the game was for players on their feet! We must always remember that the attacking player has more than 15 options that he can play/utilize, other than to run into the opposition. That is only but one option.
Yes, it was a very, very, very interesting World Cup tournament. To win the last three matches with 1 point tested our hearts to the full. We made it. The way we played, it seemed destined to happen in the dying stages of the match. Rugby is, for sure, one of the most complex and multidimensional facetted games than any other sport and it should stay that way.
Dawie Snyman Die belangrikste saak wat ek graag sal wil uitlig it is die gebrek aan vaardigheidspel tydens die toernooi. Daar was darem twee spanne wat baie goed gedoen het in hierdie afdeling van die spel en dit is Portugal en Fiji. Die spel in sy mees eenvoudige vorm is ‘n een-op-een spel van aanval teen verdediging in elke faset van die spel met dieselfde reëls wat vir beide spanne geld. Dit is dan ook juis in hierdie afdeling van die spel wat ek verwag die meeste gaan ontwikkel. Sou die stelling waar wees, het rugby as ‘n skouspel ‘n reuse toekoms wat voorlê. Sou die skeidsregters nie die vermoë hê om negatiewe spel met wortel en tak uit te roei nie, gaan die spel kwyn.
Om terug te kom na die spel toe, want dit is waar my liefde lê, is daar ‘n klompie sake wat ek vir die toekoms wil uitlig. Terug by die eerste inslag. Om die titel, as ek dit so kan stel, te kan dra is daar egter een of twee sake wat die ringkoppe, afrigters ingesluit, van wêreldrugby sal moet na kyk. Ek sal hulle een vir een probeer omskryf…alhoewel hulle inmekaar in vloei in die konteks van die spel. Die belangrikheid van ‘n skopper wat meer as 90% van sy skoppe suksesvol uitvoer is van kardinale belang. Naas Botha het meer as 84% van al sy verteenwoordigende rugby gewen agv sy skopvoet. Toe Pollard toegetree het, het dit ‘n stabiliserende invloed op die Springbokke se spel gehad wat vertroue laat styg het. Rugby en sokker was altyd een spel, so die skopgedeelte van die spel sal altyd om en by 30% van die spel in beslag neem. Die vaardigheidsontwikkeling van hierdie gedeelte van die spel is regtig iets wat nog met 80% kan verbeter. Dan sal ons ‘n skouspel sien wat ongekend is. Onthou asb, dit is nie net 9, 10 en 15 wat moet kan skop nie. Beide voete is ‘n voorvereiste vir minstenns 7 posisies. Die vraag bly altyd: ‘wanneer gaan ek ‘n vaardigheid gebruik’? En die antwoord is: ‘jy weet nie’. Maar as die geleentheid daar is, moet ek die geleentheid tot my voordeel en tot nadeel van die opponent kan ontsluit. The next point that I would like to stress is the fact what there are two different sets of laws for the attacker and the defender in the contact situation. The main aim of defense is to regain possession, but if I make a good tackle I must release the attacker and the 6
Yes, the refs had a big influence on the game and wrongly so. In my mind simplicity will do it for me and not all the TV referee’s third party involvement that we saw at the world cup. That, however, is a topic for another day. Die huidige interpretasie van die reëls misbruik sekere situasies in die spel om sodoende lae risiko spel te speel. Risiko spel behoort die aanteken van drië te stimuleer. Dit is die bal-dra situasies in die spel terwyl lae risiko spel weer skoppe bevorder. Veldposisie ens ens ens. Strafskoppe… en ek is weer by Naas Botha. Niks daarmee verkeerd nie, maar die balans moet gehandhaaf word. Die toeskouers soek vermaak en die aanwending van vaardighede is wat die verskil in hulle genot bepaal. Dr Craven het gepraat van ‘verfynde spel’. Dit skep geleenthede tot drieë en dit is wat die toeskouers soek. Hierdie skaakspel deur lewendige spelers het ‘n reuse toekoms gegewe dat die spel binne die reëls moet plaasvind. Dit is die rugbyadministrateurs se verantwoordelikhed.
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Onrus Vermont SRA Online Safety Series
W
elcome to the third in a series of articles aimed at keeping you and your family safe online.
As a safety and security stakeholder the OVSRA regularly attends SAPS Joint Operational Committee meetings at the Hermanus Police Station. One of the biggest issues raised every week is the increase in commercial crimes, so-called white collar crimes i.e. fraudulent, financially motivated, non-violent crimes. Email communication started in the early 1990s in South Africa, revolutionising how we communicated for education, business and with family and friends. However, it wasn’t long before unscrupulous people learnt how to exploit people’s trusting nature, and some of the scams that started 30 years ago are still making the rounds. Here are some of the most common ways that you may be caught out via email: 1. Phishing: This is when fraudsters pretend to be from legitimate organisations in order to obtain your personal information. Remember to check carefully for generic greetings, misspelled words and email addresses, or unusual requests for sensitive information. 2. Inheritance/Financial Assistance: The sender claims to be a lawyer, saying that you are the only surviving relative of someone who has bequeathed you a substantial fortune. Alternatively, they pretend to be a VIP or royal family member with an urgent appeal to help them transfer unexpected wealth via your bank account. 3. Fake Invoices: Companies with which you have never conducted business may send you an invoice requesting/demanding payment. If you are unsure then contact the company directly (not via return email) to verify the invoice before making payment. 4. Lottery Scams: You are notified that you are a lottery winner, yet the sender requests personal info or payment in order for you to claim your prize. 5. Fraudulent Employment Offers: If you receive an unsolicited email offering you a job then carefully research the company and be aware of the usual red flags like spelling and requests for personal and financial information. 6. Unsolicited Tech Support: The email requests remote access to your computer, or payment for tech support. Contact the genuine company directly in order to check if the email is authentic. 7. Fake Payments: An unexpected email arrives stating that money was deposited into your account, and that you should follow a link or download an attachment. Rather go to your banking app and check if a payment was received. 8
8. Charity Scams: You may be approached via email to donate money to an organisation. Should you wish to do so then research the charity independently and rather donate directly via their website itself.
9. Online Romance: These days many people become involved in online relationships. We all want someone to love, and to be loved in return, but these feelings can cloud our judgement. If your online relationship becomes serious very quickly and you are requested to transfer money for flight tickets, or to assist with debt or family issues then your alarm bells should ring loudly! Exercise extreme caution in such cases. In all of these situations it is best to use your common sense and do not click on links or reply to these emails, no matter how tempting they may seem! Report the email as spam and delete it immediately. The majority of people affected by these crimes are amongst the most vulnerable in our community – older, retired individuals who are not always tech savvy, and easily fall prey to online scams. If you suspect that you are the unfortunate victim of commercial crime, report it to your bank if necessary and make a case at SAPS. Please do your part by sharing this information with the older members of our community, and let them know that they can call you if they are uncertain how to proceed. Written by Meredith Thornton, Onrus Vermont SRA
Scan or click here to read the previous article in this series.
BE TECH SAVVY! Don’t become a victim of online scams! Contact us now Tel: 079 469 8606
Local HEROS in their own words...
My name is Maria -Anita Pieterse. I am the cook and founding member of Mount Pleasant Saints Soup Kitchen and Community Outreach. I am also the chair lady of Mount Pleasant Saints Football Club. Seven years ago I saw a need in our community for food, so many people struggled to sustain themselves and their families. I started to cook one pot of food once a week, stood on the corner of my street and shared the meal with everyone who arrived.
For any financial help towards my soccer team you can contact Caylen de Bruyn at 072 575 8317. Your help will be greatly appreciated as we are struggling to be able to assist all those in need on our own. Only together can we make a real difference in the lives of those who have less. Maria for Mount Pleasant Saints soup kitchen and community outreach.
Today, seven years later, I am still helping my community with food but these days it sometimes takes up to five big pots to feed the many hungry people who patiently queue for a warm meal. Each year I also give Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children. This year we are doing a Santa Shoebox project, but of the one hundred children, only twenty five have been chosen by members of the public to receive a Christmas gift. The children are not the only ones who are getting spoiled for Christmas, I also reach out to the elderly by organizing a Christmas party and a care package for each of them. Then there is also my football team who are currently playing in a structured league run by SAFA Overberg. The soccer club keeps many young men in our community off the streets and out of trouble. In order for me to help everyone we desperately need some form of sponsorship as well as cash donations as I want to make sure everyone gets at least something for Christmas. There are a hundred children who each need a Christmas gift and fifty elderly that I would love to take for a meal at a restaurant that will cost approximately R100 per person. My soccer club also needs twenty thousand rand to pay for registration and affiliation fees. For donations towards my children’s Christmas gifts and the outing for the elderly you can contact Maria-Anita at 073 465 8961.
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Q and A with local Trans Agulhas competitor, Dieter Blignaut.
What is the Trans Agulhas? The Trans Agulhas Challenge is known as The world’s Toughest Inflatable Boat Race. It consists over 700 kms ridden on the sea in 4 days. We race with Thundercat boats and 50hp motors. We start racing in Plettenberg Bay and end in Strand with multiple fuel stops and beach surf races in between. For more info, visit the Trans Agulhas Website. How did you get involved in the sport? As a little boy, I remember my dad taking me to see the boats come past Hermanus Old Harbour every year. When I was 6, I told my dad that one day I want to drive one of those boats and do the race myself. Over the years, I’ve always enjoyed water sports and have always loved boats. In the beginning of 2022, I bought a pencil duck for a really good price and entered a race at Theewaterskloof dam shortly after. Since then I’ve done many races and have grown to love the sport even more. What equipment do you need and briefly explain the different classes? Our general race kit is a full wetsuit, a motorbike grade helmet with goggles, and a specific styled life jacket. Boat safety equipment is an anchor, flares, VHF radio, and some general tools we have to keep on board to get the motor running again incase we flip and/ or have motor problems at sea. 12
Heinrich & Rona Sauer Photography
There are 3 different classes: Standards These motors are stock with a few reliability modifications. Blue print - also called pro stock These are standard design motors with basically all manufacturing flaws removed and running no rev limiter. Modifieds This is almost an open class, you can basically do anything to the motor as long as it doesn’t exceed 750cc
Blockhouse Shutters Clearview Burglar Bars Mosquito Screens Roller Blinds Exterior Blinds Venetian Blinds Window Film
We offer a Ten Year Warranty on weathering. Our other products include Window Blinds, Window Film/Tinting, Lock Latches and Blockhouse Security Shutters. We operate along the Overberg East Coast, covering Gansbaai, Hermanus, Sandbaai, Onrus, Caledon, Betties Bay and Kleinmond.
Heinrich & Rona Sauer Photography
What do you need mentally and physically to successfully compete in the sport? Physically you need to have a general fitness but as with any sport you get fit for the specific needs of the sport. We train 3 days a week by going out at sea and doing between 50 and 100km runs. Mentally this sport and especially The Trans Agulhas is a very challenging thing. Although you are not alone on the boat, Pilot and Co-pilot can’t talk to each other unless you physically stop. This means we spend hours talking to ourselves and having to encourage ourselves to go forward. Some water conditions we ride on are challenging and dangerous and as a pilot it is tough knowing it’s not just your own life in your hands but also the life of your co-pilot. How do you qualify to compete in the world’s toughest endurance race? The Trans Agulhas is a race on its own and isn’t part of our national series. Your boat needs to comply with the safety regulations and both Pilot and Co-Pilot have to have a valid race license obtained from a national racing club. Explain your crew going on the Trans Agulhas and each one’s role within the team? We’ve got 4 vehicles. One vehicle for drop-off at the start of each day, two vehicles going to designated fuel
Heinrich & Rona Sauer Photography
stops, and one to go to our final stop and setting up our teams gathering point where we do our daily surf challenges. When can we see the racing action in Hermanus, Onrus and surrounds? We will be coming through Walker Bay on 31 December. Here are the ETA for our area: Gansbaai 09h25 Hermanus Old Harbour 09h45 Hawston 10h05 Kleinmond 10h15 Pringle Bay 10h40 These times could change due to water conditions and the speeds the boats can go in these conditions. The stages and ETA’s can be found on the official Trans Agulhas website. What position did you reach in last year’s Trans Agulhas race and what do you expect for this year? Last year we came 5th out of the 14 standard boats (Our class at the time) Our goals for this year is to get a better overall position and once again keep the boat the right way around, not miss checkpoints and to come home safe. To follow our journey please click here and join our facebook page Chaotic Racing.
The red house on Aberdeen
St Peter’s Lane
New dishes available at the Deli this summer.
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Why is C
an music really affect your well-being, learning, cognitive function, quality of life, and even happiness? A recent survey on music and brain health conducted by AARP revealed some interesting findings about the impact of music on cognitive and emotional well-being: Music listeners had higher scores for mental well-being and slightly reduced levels of anxiety and depression compared to people overall. Of survey respondents who currently go to musical performances, 69% rated their brain health as “excellent” or “very good,” compared to 58% for those who went in the past and 52% for those who never attended. Of those who reported often being exposed to music as a child, 68% rated their ability to learn new things as “excellent” or “very good,” compared to 50% of those who were not exposed to music. Active musical engagement, including those over age 50, was associated with higher rates of happiness and good cognitive function. Adults with no early music exposure but who currently engage in some music appreciation show above average mental well-being scores. Let’s take a closer look at this study Those are pretty impressive results, to be sure. However, this 20-minute online survey has some limitations. For one, it included 3,185 US adults ages 18 and older; that is a small number if you are extrapolating to 328 million people across the country. For another, it is really a survey of people’s opinions. For example, although people might report their brain health as “excellent,” there was no objective measure of brain health such as an MRI scan, or even a test to measure their cognition. Lastly, even if the ratings were true, the findings are only correlations. They do not prove that, for example, it was the exposure to music as a child that led to one’s improved ability to learn new things. It may be equally likely that those children brought up in more affluent households were both more likely to be exposed to music and to be given a good education that led to their being able to easily learn new things later in life. But let’s assume that the results of the AARP survey are indeed true. How can music have such impressive brain effects? Although we don’t know the answers for sure, developments in cognitive neuroscience over the last few years have allowed us to speculate on some possible mechanisms.
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good for the brain? Music activates just about all of the brain Music has been shown to activate some of the broadest and most diverse networks of the brain. Of course, music activates the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes close to your ears, but that’s just the beginning. The parts of the brain involved in emotion are not only activated during emotional music, they are also synchronized. Music also activates a variety of memory regions. And, interestingly, music activates the motor system. In fact, it has been theorized that it is the activation of the brain’s motor system that allows us to pick out the beat of the music even before we start tapping our foot to it! Use it or lose it Okay, so music activates just about all of the brain. Why is that so important? Well, have you ever heard the expression, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it”? It turns out this is actually true in the brain. Brain pathways — and even whole networks — are strengthened when they are used and are weakened when they are not used. The reason is that the brain is efficient; it isn’t going to bother keeping a brain pathway strong when it hasn’t been used in many years. The brain will use the neurons in that pathway for something else. These types of changes should be intuitively obvious to you — that’s why it is harder to speak that foreign language if you haven’t used it in 20 years; many of the old pathways have degraded and the neurons are being used for other purposes. Music keeps your brain networks strong So just how does music promote well-being, enhance learning, stimulate cognitive function, improve quality of life, and even induce happiness? The answer is, because music can activate almost all brain regions and networks, it can help to keep a myriad of brain pathways and networks strong, including those networks that are involved in well-being, learning, cognitive function, quality of life, and happiness. In fact, there is only one other situation in which you can activate so many brain networks all at once, and that is when you participate in social activities. Dance the night away How do you incorporate music into your life? It’s easy to do. Although the AARP survey found that those who actively listened to music showed the strongest brain benefits, even those who primarily listened to background music showed benefits, so you can turn that music on right now. Music can lift your mood, so put on a happy tune if you are feeling blue. Uptempo music can give you energy. And if you combine music with an aerobic and social activity, you can receive the maximum health benefit from it. Participate in a Zumba class. Do jazz aerobics. Jump to the rhythms of rock & roll. Or, better yet, go dancing. (And yes, in a pandemic, you can still benefit by doing these activities virtually.)
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