April Stanford River Talk by Stanford River Talk

Volume 80 | APRIL 2012 | Stanford’s monthly newspaper | R13.20

Racing through reflected beauty

Stanford Hills Estate

Our charming rustic cellar now open for tastings and sales. Every Saturday 10am -1pm. And any other time you want … just give us a call! 028 341 0841 info@stanfordhills.co.za w w w. s t a n f o r d h i l l s . c o . z a

R43 Stanford

STANFORD RIVER TALK 1

picnics, tasting, shop& play-park 7 km outside Stanford on Route 326 028 341 0693 | www.kleinrivercheese.co.za Weekdays 9-5 Saturdays 9-3 Sundays 11-3

Terroir driven wines

Complimentary wine tasting, by appointment www.springfontein.co.za • marketing@springfontein.co.za • tel: +27 (0)28 3410 651 • after hrs 072 371 7546 • fax: +27 (0)28 341 0112 STANFORD RIVER TALK 2

editorial notes

letters to the editor Please send your letters to ed@stanfordrivertalk.co.za or to PO Box 228 Stanford, 7210. Try to keep letters as short as possible (100 words or less) and supply your name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. The editor reserves the right to edit, amend, abridge or reject any letter.

We welcome Ernie Blommaert’s River Twitter. Ernie, of River Rat Boat Cruises, will be ‘tweeting’ us on the latest sightings of birdlife along our river (see page 11). Please watch out for information on the next Stanford River Talk directory which will be published in July (see page 4). According to latest research reports, chocolate is slimming! So don’t hold back this Easter. Let’s stimulate our economy by buying vast quantities of Easter Bunnies and rubbing our hands with glee as we watch those kilos drop off.

Happy Easter! COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Supplied by Stanfordinfo. MONTHLY CONTRIBUTORS Janika Dorland, Howard Donaldson, Aron Gcotyelwa, Andrew Herriot, Peter Hood, Alexia Lawson, Jamie Kastner, DM, Don MacIver, Phil Murray, Ansie Reitsma, Suzanne-Francoise Rossouw, Fred Smith, Naas Terblanche, Bea Whittaker, Tania Weich and Peter Younghusband.

CONTACT US Michelle Hardie – editor ed@stanfordrivertalk.co.za , 079 2911 588 Sandra Slabbert – layout design@stanfordrivertalk.co.za , 079 523 8453 www.stanfordrivertalk.co.za Editorial Contributions & Disclaimer Editorial contributions are welcome and should include top quality photos where relevant. Articles will be printed under the contributor’s name or an accepted nom-de-plume if the full name and address is provided. All contributions are voluntary and not paid for. The editor reserves the right to edit, amend, abridge or reject any article. Opinions of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the editor. Copyright All material in this issue is copyrighted, and belongs to The Really Famous Publishing CC unless otherwise indicated. No part of the material may be reproduced without prior permission. Published and printed by The Really Famous Publishing CC.

Please slow down

I appeal to all residents and visitors to please obey the 40km speed limit in Stanford. Since the removal of the speed hump and the subsequent tarring of the road on Queen Victoria Street and, with no stops signs from Church Street through to Moore Street, speeding has become a daily occurrence along this stretch of road. Village life should enable children to ride their bicycles in safety as well as walkers, with or without dogs, feeling safe. This is a village, please help us to keep it a village. Sarah James

Catching up

One of the new scholars at the Troost Homeschool. Salt (pictured here reading Stanford River Talk) and his brother Pepper have fitted into the daily school routine very happily.

Go-cart success

On 3 March Okkie Smuts Primary school hosted our annual Go-Cart Race & Street Mile. We had a wonderful response from the community and raised R4715.85! We would like to thank everyone who got involved and supported us. Special thanks to Hennie’s Pub & Grill; Safe Security; Oom Steyn’s Pub & Grill; Stanford Village Properties; Pam Golding; Grootbos; Walkerbay Trails; Cape Studies; Klein River Cheese; Cliff Lodge; and Kidz Stuff for sponsoring our go-carts. Sandy Jardine

Motorfiets kry voete

Mnr William van der Heyde van die plaas Kleinbegin, Sandysglen het die naweek nie ‘n oog toegemaak nadat sy motorfiets verdwyn het nie. Volgens van der Heyde het hy en ‘n vriend Saterdagaand die motoerfiets gebruik om sy erf op Napier te gaan skoon maak. Die motorfiets het onklaar geraak en hulle moes dit na iemand neem vir herstelwerk. Hierna het die persoon gevra of hy dit kan uittoets. van der Heyde het geweier maar moes later ontdek dat die persoon die voertuig met twee drade aan die gang gekry het en die pad gevat het. Teen Sondagoggend was die motorfiets en bestuurder nogsteeds weg. Die polisie is genader en ‘n soektog is begin. Die persoon en motorfiets is later opgespoor, waarna dit aan die eienaar terug besorg is. Van der Heyde bedank die polisie vir hulle flinke optrede. Willem van der Heyde

STANFORD RIVER TALK 3

news & updates

Ward committee feedback March 2012

COMING SOON 2012/2013 DIRECTORY Please send your amendments and listings to ed@stanfordrivertalk.co.za HERITAGE MATTERS:

The Overstrand Heritage Survey In 2009 Overstrand Municipality (OM) commissioned an urban planning consultancy group to undertake a heritage survey of the municipal area in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA). This was a step towards the Municipality obtaining delegated authority from Heritage Western Cape (HWC) to process heritage-related applications. The survey included the assessment and grading of heritage-worthy buildings, and proposals to provide for their protection. Resulting from this process, some 116 buildings and sites in Stanford have provisionally been classified as heritage-worthy; 115 of them as having local significance and thus potentially falling under OM’s authority. These properties are mainly, but not exclusively, in the conservation area, and all are older than 60 years. The survey has been approved by the Municipal Council, and is currently under discussion between OM and HWC. Once approved by HWC, it will become effective, and then different levels of protection will be afforded to the buildings or sites, depending on their grading. The survey is available on the Overstrand Municipality website, at www. overstrand.gov.za . It is a substantial document (382 pages), but it is well indexed. Of particular interest are: • Description of Stanford (pages 80-84); • Proposed gradings for Stanford buildings and sites (pages 191-214); • Degree of protection to be afforded to graded buildings and sites of various levels (page 262). Residents are advised to peruse it. Space constraints do not permit a more detailed discussion of this survey. Keith Brown, Chairman

STANFORD PROPERTY SALES Seven properties in Stanford were issued with sales certificates in March. These figures include name transfers. STANFORD RIVER TALK 4

Fire Station vs Youth Centre The long-standing debate regarding the use of a section of the Stanford community centre for either a fire station or a youth centre, has finally been laid to rest. The municipality is of the opinion that the specific section of the building is not suitable for a youth centre. It was furthermore brought to the ward committee’s attention that municipal building(s) required for municipal services cannot be made available for non-municipal use. Stanford will therefore soon have its own fully-equipped fire engine (temporarily housed at the community centre); which means that this service will be rendered more effectively in future. The Stanford youth, however, are still looking for a building which can be used for training, lectures, counselling and holiday programmes. The suggestion to use the old clinic building in Daneel Street also proved unfeasible as the property belongs to Province, has recently been renovated and is now used by the ambulance services. Anyone who has any ideas regarding a possible venue for a youth centre can contact Maryanne Ward on 028 341 0401. More assured water supply to Stanford The laying of the pipeline from the two new boreholes in Koude Vlakte (just past Die Kop on the way to Gansbaai) has been completed at a cost of R3.7 million. This means that Stanford will soon have an additional source of (ground) water to facilitate a more assured water supply to the village, rather than relying 100% on the water supplied by the spring at ‘Die Oog’. Increased heavy vehicle traffic The landfill site at Karwyderskraal legally can not accommodate any more solid waste. The result is that all solid waste is now transported to Gansbaai’s landfill site – hence the increase in the number of trucks on the R43. The application for an additional site at Karwyderskraal is receiving attention, but the trucks will still use the R43 for a year or two. The possibility exists that the Gansbaai site will in turn fill up sooner than expected, and that Gansbaai and Stanford’s solid waste will then have to be transported to Karwyderskraal whilst another site is being prepared in Gansbaai. Stanford sewerage works The residential area around Moore Street will soon be connected to the waterborne sewerage system. The final work will be done in De Bruyn Street, and residents will be notified as soon as they can connect up to the system. In the mean time the Department of Water Affairs’ Green Drop Report (which looks at the maintenance and operation of municipal sewerage works) has indicated that the Stanford sewerage works has reached its operational capacity and should be upgraded. This will mean that more nutrient-rich water will be discharged into the Klein River’s environmentallysensitive closed-estuary system. The ward committee requested that an urgent investigation be done to decrease the discharge into the Mill Stream sooner rather than later. Elsewhere in the world (even in Hermanus) such water is used to irrigate sport fields and golf courses etc rather than being discharged into a watercourse. The same is possible in Stanford. River control The municipality has agreed to provide better law enforcement during the Easter weekend; keeping in mind that this is not possible 24/7. Wooden poles will also be erected at the bottom of King Street to prevent any illegal boat launching. All boats must be launched from the official launching area at the bottom of Du Toit Street. Bea Whittaker

news & updates

OUR EARTH HOUR Racing on the river

The annual Stanford Canoe Race held recently was well supported with 130 canoeists competing in the 15-km race on the Klein River while over 100 spectators gathered on the banks to cheer them on. The event has taken place since 1963 and is a Western Province Canoe Union event organized by the host, Milnerton Canoe Club. This year Gavin White won in 59 minutes with last year’s winner Lance King coming in a close second. Stanfordian, Jan Malan, did us proud although he says his time was ‘disgracefully slow!’ Andries de Villiers of Beloftebos also participated. Special thanks to everyone who helped prepare for the event and volunteered to help on the day and many thanks to those people and businesses for lending out equipment and donating prizes. It was a great morning with superb weather and plenty of spirit! Stuart Anderson Up up and away: Children and adults stand mesmerised by the lanterns in the sky.

tanford Earth Hour Unplugged held on the village green was a blast and, it seems, thoroughly enjoyed by all. Families arrived with picnic baskets and lots of children in tow. The little ones were soon decked out in lumo bands and buzzed around like fireflies. The Blue Moon crew did us proud with music, fire dances and fabulous pizzas from Anton’s rocket stove. Youngster, Bryn Templer’s, fire juggling was excellent! Elma Hunter and the vuka team demonstrated their energy-saving products and their mouth-watering ‘vetkoek’ disappeared as fast as Florintina could make them on her brick stove. Check them out at vukaenergysavings.co.za if you missed them on Saturday night. Stanford Rotary launched their Consol light project and their first batch of lights were sold out! Stanfordinfo’s sky lanterns were a hit as the weather was perfect to release them.

‘Gunboat’ on the Klein River Stanford’s Canoe Race: The Klein River was teaming with life with 130 canoeists competing in the event. Here (far right) Gavin White receives the floating trophy, sponsored by Stanfordinfo, for overall winner.

Residents of lower King Street and Shortmarket Street extension, exasperated by ‘tourist overload’ at the river over summer weekends and holiday periods and the seeming official inability to control the situation, have taken a bold and controversial step to take matters into their own hands. Financial co-operation amongst affected residents has led to a successful recent bid at a North Korean navy surplus auction held over the Internet, and a ‘river patrol gunboat’ has been purchased. The intention apparently is to operate a river patrol using volunteer crew members similar to the way that the NSRI operates. ‘We are excited by this development,’ said a residential spokesperson. ‘Illegal launching, boats without permits, hooligan boating within the no-wake zone, and docking of boats along the riparian residential edge will all be specifically targeted.’ Training is already underway and residents are asked for their patience and understanding over the noise and training explosions. A formal christening of the boat was held on the 1st April, an event that caused excited curiosity amongst Stanfordians who were invited. The patrol system will definitely be in full operation for the Easter weekend.

Crafty arts

Another successful Craft in the Courtyard was held on 24 March. Conceptualised by Stanfordian, Denise Anderson, this event is gaining momentum. Three were held last year and there are more to come in 2012. The crafters are all local to Stanford and the Overberg. Crafts on sale include: pottery; handmade postcards; gift cards; jewellery; decoupage; mosaics; embroidery; lavender oils and sprays; fabric painted items; leather goods; and paintings. Please diarise the following dates for the next three: 12 May; 22 September; and 8 December. If you are interested in displaying your talents, please contact Denise on 083 553 0663. STANFORD RIVER TALK 5

news & updates

Celebrating 20 years

n 24 February 2012 the Volvertroue Diens Sentrum celebrated their twentieth anniversary with a tea party for members and friends, commemorating their years of selfless service, perseverance and success. In the early eighties, Emmie Dreyer recognised the needs of the elderly in her community. She held discussions and with a few volunteers at her side she started making soup from her home kitchen. Volunteers delivered it to the homes of the elderly on a weekly basis. A committee of seven volunteers was soon formed and they began to meet regularly at Emmie’s house. And so the

Volvertroue group was born. The founding committee members were: Miss E Dreyer, Mrs S October, Mrs D Arends, Mr and Mrs A de Jager and Mr and Mrs S Damon. At their 20-year celebration, Emmie recalled that on the 24 February 1992, nearly ten years after this group was formed, they were given permission to use the Kiewitz Hall. The group met every Wednesday for an hour at the hall and it soon became apparent that many of the women were talented at needle work and knitting. So they started needlework projects and spent their hourly meetings chatting and busying themselves with their work. The money raised made it possible for this group to start serving a meal at their weekly meetings. Every year in October the needlework projects are on display for sale and the money

raised is used to take the group on an outing. Over the years they have visited the elderly in Stellenbosch, Macassar, Worcester and Grabouw. In 2010 the Caledon Casino Community Trust sponsored a new building for the elderly in Stanford. Stanford Municipality identified an available piece of land and today this group are extremely proud of the building in which they now meet every Tuesday and Thursday. The Stanford community would like to congratulate the elderly on this success story and may they enjoy many more successful years! The Volvertroue Committee is headed by Shareen Volkwyn who can be contacted on 028 3410 191. Visitors are most welcome.

Community members: (back from left) Grace Swart, Leonnie Titus, Rachel Klaasen, Cecil Dickson, Dennis de Koker, Ellias Klaasen, Dorris Arends, Ferdinand Barends, Andrew Wendells, Josephine Dickson, Joshua van Niekerk, Johannes Tobias, Joan Dickson, Magrietta Tobias, Annie Wendells, Willem Koopman, Magda Appel, Marie de Koker, Charlotte Dreyer, Diana Bantom and Sybil October; (middle from left) Johannes May, Katrina May, Francis Dreyer, Chareen Volkwyn, Annetta Afrikaaner, Emily Dreyer, Katrina Dickson and Jane du Plessis; (front from left) Anna Goodwin, Dollie Cornelius, Francina Damon, Mona Arends, Helen Klein, Ina Dickson and Annie Koopman.

WALKING FOR WATER The ‘Walking for Water’ initiative (see www.akvo.org) began in the Netherlands and the Eco Schools Overberg node was the first to participate in South Africa. Okkie Smuts and Die Bron Primary Schools achieved Eco Schools Green Flags in 2011 and this is the first year Stanford joined in. The Troost Home School also joined Eco Schools in 2011 and achieved a Bronze Certificate. The object is to raise awareness among children (and adults), that children in the third world and other developing countries still have to walk kilometres to fetch and carry clean drinking water, and often it is not even clean. STANFORD RIVER TALK 6

Stepping out for water: On Monday 19 March at 6pm, the Stanford Striders running club were joined by a much bigger group of walkers to raise awareness of water as part of the ‘Walking for Water’ initiative. Groups of school children, adults, families, cyclists and even dogs took part in a 4 or 5km walk, with most participants carrying 4 to 5 litres of water on their backs (equal to 4 or 5kg). The people of Stanford should be proud of this effort. Some villagers waved encouragement from their gardens. More than fifty campaigners met at Adderley Street carrying banners, wearing cardboard hats and waving posters. Thanks to Strider, Elsa Gebhard, whose idea it was to combine resources and have a fun outing with a special meaning. Andrew Herriot

WELCOME TO STANFORD Cath and Simon Croxton will soon be living permanently in Stanford. Thanks go to Cath who has educated and entertained us about life in Almaty, Khazakstan in Central Asia. Below are her reflections on her life there.

Counting the days

The McKees

Karen McKee and her son Leo arrived in Stanford mid 2011 from Cape Town. Karen originally hails from a cattle farm in the KwaZulu Natal midlands, and studied at TUKs, UCT and London University. She lived in London for 11 years before returning to Durban with her husband to start a family. In 2007, she got divorced and a too-good-to-refuse job offer lured her to Cape Town, where she was a Petrochemical Project Manager for BP. In 2011 she had had enough of corporate life, and decided to give it all up to follow a dream by moving to Stanford to pursue a career as a freelance writer. She loves Stanford and its inhabitants and feels very much at home here!

‘You must be counting the days. I truly don’t know how you have lasted as long as you have.’ The airsteward was a beautiful young Asian man with an irresistible smile. I was on my way back to Almaty after five weeks in Stanford and I had asked him if he spoke Russian. Slightly offended that I had presumed to connect him with the dour culture we were flying towards, he proceeded to tell me how pleased he was that he didn’t have to stop in Almaty as part of this flight. This got me thinking. I hadn’t begun to count the days before we finally step on our last plane out of Kazakhstan and I was not sure if that was a positive approach to saying my goodbyes. Yet truth was that there were not many days left and a time for reflection was necessary. So how did I feel about the place? I decided to brainstorm the first images that came to my mind in an attempt to capture my experience here. The weather dominated my initial thoughts. Snow, three-foot long icicles, stunning snow-capped mountains, pine trees, crystal clear air (if high up in the mountains), a smog-bound city way down from the mountains and hikes along mountain pathways through 1000s of wild flowers and insects – and an incredible lack of wind. In contrast there are dusty wind-swept plains and grasslands and camels in the snow. The people are diverse to the extreme. Over 100 different nationalities including: cold blue-eyed expressionless Russian faces; Asian faces; and large middle-eastern noses and eyebrows. And these faces

are set against a city full of grey concrete Soviet flats, billboards advertising Gucci, Armani, diamonds and Swiss watches, and peasant grandmothers selling knitted socks and raspberry jam from a blanket by the side of the road. And there are mosques, Orthodox Church steeples, horses, and then of course the apples. Almaty, also known as Apple City, is awash with apples all the year round. Although better eaten within days from the tree, they always dominate the fruit in the city shops and stalls. No reflection is complete without an attempt to identify the lessons learnt. What have I learnt from the whole experience? I have learnt to drive in extreme weather and now know how to coax a vehicle up and down a steep icy slope without sliding off course. I have learnt that a dollop of sour cream (known as Smetana in this land) goes nicely with a handful of fresh parsley on top of hot soup. I have also learnt that Kazakhstan competes historically with South Africa in terms of the oppression of an ethnic majority, and competes now with South Africa as a land of bling! And most importantly, I have learnt not to take the icy cold stares to heart. I have in fact learnt to brave them with a smile, which often entices a smile back in return. A lesson I will try to remember forever as it works beyond the boundaries of Kazakhstan.

school news Fun at Oak Grove

Birkenhead commemoration In our February issue we reported on the upand-coming160th anniversary of the sinking of the Birkenhead. On 26 February (History Talk, Stand fast, women and children first). A special weekend programme was organised by Gansbaai Tourism Bureau to commemorate this event. Since the 150th commemoration in 2002 a memorial service has been held every year at the Danger Point Lighthouse, but this being the 160th it was decided to have various events over the whole weekend. The weekend kicked off on Friday evening 24 February with a cheese and wine and a talk by Martin Fine, author of the book Birkenhead Revisited. Bright and early on Saturday morning more than 50 interested people boarded two boats bound for Birkenhead rock. Here a short ceremony took place including a short message. The Last Post and Reveille were played on the trumpet. Bio-degradable wreathes were then cast into the sea. It was a poignant moment. The descendents of two survivors – namely Robby Wilmore (descendent of Charles Daily) and Michael Venables (descendent of Michael Healy) were also present. Later in the morning a bus trip was undertaken to various spots connected to the Birkenhead: the Strandveld Museum where SD Fourie retold

the story and explained the various artifacts on show in the museum; ‘Die Stal’ in De Kelders where eight horses were reported to have swam ashore; Stanford Bay where many of the survivors managed to swim/row ashore; and Danger Point Lighthouse. A special treat was a visit to Gerhard Kotze who has built to scale, a wooden model of the Birkenhead. On Sunday 26 February the traditional memorial service was held at the Danger Point Lighthouse. This service was attended by various dignitaries including Overberg Mayor, Councillor Nicolette Botha-Guthrie, who delivered a special message. The short service was led by Rev Canon Henry Frieslaar and ended with the wreath-laying in front of the Birkenhead monument.

Fun! Fun! Fun! Fifteen Funimfundo Grade Rs egged on by the boundless energy of Tatomkhulu Stuart (Findlay), spent a never-to-be-forgotten morning at Oak Grove Farm. Under the eagle eye of their teacher, Nonxhosinati Alpeni, they bounced with Chairperson, Maryanne Ward, on the big circular trampoline. Awe-struck by the sight of Charlotte, they allowed Leo Netzer, supporter and fundraiser for the school, to take their hands to feel this fat pot-bellied pig’s sparse course hair, feed her acorns and then sit on her wide accommodating back. The children gently stroked the velvet muzzles of horses towering over their tiny frames, and examined the tractor. Enticed by a sparking pool on a stinking hot day, Gogo Jane (Dowie-Dunn) kicked off her sandals and rolled up her jeans. Tatomkhulu Stuart did a jump change into swimming trunks and the children lined up on the wide steps for their turn to be spun around in the glorious cool water. The outing ended with the children feasting on sarmies, fairy cookies and sweets in the shade of the stoep. STANFORD RIVER TALK 7

sport talk

ARGUS CYCLE TOUR In the lead up to the Argus Cycle Tour, there was healthy competition between the younger bike riders (whippersnappers) and the older octogenarian penny-farthing brigade (old farts) in our cycling group. Every hill became a race and always a sprint at the end of any leg of an outride. Race day produced a warm start and a gentle southeaster which died through the day but the temperature rose continuously and conditions were hot and humid. Many riders came down with heat stroke. I was stopped with other riders on the other side of Suikerbossie on the run into Camps Bay as riders and ambulances were spread across the road. I managed to sneak down via a gutter which gave my bum a well-earned but short rest – the only time I stopped! My feeling is that Pedal Power got the group seedings dangerously wrong. There were lots of incidents experienced by the Stanford gang. David Morrison was riding up Suikerbossie and the guy next to him started to cramp badly, then breakdance on his pedals, and jumped to the left landing on top of him. David found himself under two bikes and a large passenger. Fortunately he was okay but he had a badly buckled wheel which required much work by many so that he could limp home to the finish. Pat Diedericks had issues with his shoes and had a puncture at the top of Chappies even though he had ‘slime’ in his tube! Sean Privett also lost much time on Chappies with various bike-related problems. The whippersnappers, Adam Marshall and Cal Tomlinson, overdid the first half in their quest to beat the old farts and ran out of legs in the latter half of the race so pacing was an issue here – or just youthful exuberance! The reward for me at the end was the ice cold beer and seeing riding mates in the beer tent. For a change, I had hoped to be waiting for my son, Jason, at the finish line. He had only started riding two weeks before the Argus. He had ended up in ICU on New Year’s Day with a punctured lung and crunched ribs. However, he was phoning me before I had finished to ask me where I was – the damn whippersnapper! It was with much grit and determination that I hung in at the beer tent for six hours, probably one of my best times – let’s see if I can beat that next year. John Finch

On the move: Whippersnapper, Cal Tomlinson.

Feeling the heat Hot – man it was hot! 42oC at the finish to be precise. Due to the temperatures, many riders were in survival mode just to get around. Good times depended on what your start allocation time was, and with the organisers selling favourable slots to corporates and charities, there were riders who found themselves unseeded for the first time in years, bumped to the back of the starting line-up (by as much as 90 minutes in my case). Lots of unhappy riders, and lots of accidents (and subsequent hold-ups), probably due to slower riders drifting into the paths of their speedier counterparts. Aside from a few niggles, it is still an enormously enjoyable event. Great to catch up with friends in the beer tent afterwards and swap war stories. We’ll all be back next year fitter and leaner and determined to beat our times – and those dratted Finches! Cal Tomlinson Cycle times Jason Finch 3.47hr; John Finch 4.10hr; Sean Privett 4.15hr; Cal Tomlinson 4.37hr; Chanda Hemel 4.38hr; Adam Marshall 4.49hr; Pat Diedricks 4.53hr; Lianna Morrison 5.10hr; David Morrison 5.38hr; Doug MacArthur 5:57hr and Marius Boucher 6:55hr.

STRAND VELD HIKES

The Strand-Veld Hiking Club’s second walk for the year was held on Saturday 3 March. It was very well attended with 44 people on the hike. We began the walk at the Gansbaai harbour, walked along the coast past Romans Bay and around the peninsular, past the Danger Point lighthouse, ending at Birkenhead Bay in Danger point. It was a relatively easy walk of about ten kilometres along fishermen’s paths. We came across a carcass of an adult whale and also a young dolphin and passed the final resting place of the wrecks of the Bulwark, a steamer which sank in 1963, as well as the more famous Birkenhead, an iron paddle frigate which sank in 1852. Rob Koppel, 083 6655011 THE NEXT TWO HIKES Saturday 7 April: EASTER SPECIAL. Swartkransberg. Beautiful views towards our coast line, especially Walker Bay. START: 07.00 Gansbaai Info. Leader: Steve Cilliers 082 444 1367. Cost: R20.00 pp Saturday 5 May: Long sea hike from Brandfontein to Suidersee. START: 08.00 at Gansbaai Info (note later starting time in winter months). Leader: Roelof Diener [082 552 5444]. Cost: R60 pp (Please bear in mind that hikes can change without prior notice, as we have to take the weather and tides into consideration. For more details on hikes and difficulty, please contact respective leaders.) STANFORD RIVER TALK 8

Taking a break: Doug MacArthur with daughter Emma and wife Ronnie.

business talk

Movement in the village •Graze proprietors, Catch and Jero, are taking two months’ break. They will be opening for cookery workshops in June. Watch the press for details. • Kiwinet have moved to Queen Victoria Street (former Graham Properties building). We wish them every success in their new location.

APOLOGY Please note that SM Verkoeling under the ownership of Sakkie Myburgh on page 20 is not the same business as Suidsee Verkoeling. We apologise for this error.

• Oupa se Winkel has moved to Stanford Motors. The visibility of the shop from the R43 will help to entice people to stop in the village. •Serendipity on Queen Victoria Street has reopened. See page 16 for details.

• Stanford Sunset Market moves to new venue We are excited to announce that our Sunset Market will have a new setting. The Stanford Hotel Courtyard and parking area. We are looking forward to a new era and hope that you will continue to support and enjoy our sunset evenings. Look out for a few new additions to the offerings and hopefully a cosier, more intimate setting for the chilly winter months ahead. Our first Sunset Market at this new venue will be held on Easter Friday, 6th April 2012. Thank you to Penny and Daleen for their support in this new venture! And a HUGE thank you to Bea Whittaker who will launch the new set-up and hold the fort for this Easter Sunset Market. I am away for a few weeks and look forward to seeing you again at the Sunset Market on the 27 April. Enjoy! Rina de Wet

Sound Advice?

FINANCE MATTERS

The Old Boar on financial planning The world staggers onward, ever onward. The Greek problem is solved for this month but how long before it returns more furious than before? The Yanks are talking about QE3 – pumping untold billions into the economy for the third time. This is the only reason the stock markets are so high – nobody has any idea of what to do with the money that is being printed, so they buy shares and push prices up. When will the bubble burst? I suppose we are all feeling drained by the heat – if not, then our pockets have been drained by the cost of operating air conditioners. Yet we are blessed with the fact that electricity is going up by ‘only’ 16% this year – as if we have not already been sufficiently mentally and financially scarred. Our government has just realised that, via the public service pension fund, they pumped untold billions into the creation of fancy toll roads that look increasingly like becoming white elephants. I foresee some delicate footwork from certain politicians soon. At least they have not (yet) put tollgates on the R43! Financial advisers have to pass exams and be registered as such. We have all heard of the crooked advisers who have benefited by advising people to invest in risky high-yielding investments, which subsequently failed, leaving them penniless. Controlling entry into this profession, in theory, has some benefit. In practice, it creates barriers to entry and pushes up the cost of doing business. It does not guarantee the integrity of the adviser. However good or bad the adviser is, the onus is on you to provide ALL the information required to draw up a sound plan for your future. In a sense you have to completely ‘undress’ before him/her. It is simply not possible to make a sound plan without all the information. You have to disclose that you have a mistress on the side, the overdraft your wife does not know about, the credit card your husband does not know about – every detail is relevant! On this point watch the video on http://www.xtranormal.com/ watch/12032078/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-financial-advisor for a chuckle!

The Stanford Express

Horse and cart rides in Stanford for visitors and locals are here! We are delighted to see cart horse, Promise, and Hamish van der Merwe, his driver, klip klopping down Stanford’s streets creating that old world feeling of bygone days. The Stanford Express will include historical tours of the village and a sunset booze cruise through the streets! Promise is new to Stanford and has been rescued from Nyanga where he was pulling scrap metal. He has been approved and registered by the Horse and Cart Association and the SPCA. He is looking forward to village life and a relaxing lifestyle. Contact: Hamish 071 483 1328.

Ranked No 1

Four years of hard work have paid off! Stanford River Lodge has achieved the No 1 ranking guest accommodation spot for the Stanford area on Trip Advisor, a UK-based international travel website used by travellers worldwide. ‘We opened our business as the wheels were falling off the world economy so it was a very slow start, especially as we have no “passing” traffic,’ says owner John Finch. People come here for the peace and quiet and the tranquillity offered by the river and mountains. Visitors can watch buck grazing, blue cranes landing, Cape clawless otters eating their catch, fish eagles working thermal currents and birds of all descriptions moving up and down the river, all from the comfort of their room or private stoep. John and his wife, Valda, are no strangers to hard work. Having built their own ocean-going catamaran yacht they sailed the high seas with their two children, aged 9 and 12, travelling to many parts of the world. This has given them an insight into what people would like to experience in a guest lodge.

Rural and river retreats in tranquil surroundings, Stanford Country Cottages are situated throughout the village and surrounding area. Perfect getaways from stressed city living, they offer a unique base from which to explore this magical village and the fascinating Cape Whale Coast & Overberg.

Tel: 028 341 0965 • Cell: 082 320 0982 enquiries@stanfordcountrycottages.co.za www.stanfordcountrycottages.co.za STANFORD RIVER TALK 9

Stanford Bricks For all your requirements of Cement Bricks, Blocks, Stone, Mix, Crusher Dust, Filling, Sand, Gravel

Braai & Fireplace Wood Russell Metcalf: 082 898 4889 Lerouxna: 028 341 0685 russell@walshacres.co.za

Walshacres We now have a bill payment machine! Pay your Telkom bill or your DSTV account, buy electricity and much more!

Art cafe

We also now do deliveries for a small fee – so if you cannot come to the shop, we will bring the shop to you!

BREAKFAST,

All this only at My SPAR – Stanford!

STEAK, RIBS,

PIZZA, PASTA,

SEAFOOD & FUNCTIONS If you have any comments or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us or fill out a customer care form at one of the tills.

My STANFORD RIVER TALK 10

Stanford SPAR & TOPS Tel: 028 341 0748 Fax: 028 341 0894 E-mail: stanfordspar@gmail.com

MONDAY 5pm - 9pm TUESDAY ͳ SUNDAY 8am - 9pm stanford art

028 341 0591, artcafe@omail.co.za 13 Queen Victoria Street

NIGHT SKY

BETELGEUSE

PROCYON

Orion SIRIUS

Setting into the west this month is Orion and our ‘Summer Triangle’, made up of Betelgeuse, Sirius and Procyon. Much is said about Betelgeuse and Sirius, but Procyon is also interesting. It’s the seventh brightest star in the sky because it is only 11 light-years away, almost one and a half times as massive as the sun, twice as big and produces seven times as much energy. The interesting part is that Procyon has come to the end of its stable life span and is on its way to becoming a red giant, but this will take a few tens of millions of years. Our own sun will reach this stage in about 5000 million years. Life could not have evolved round this star. Having a white dwarf companion, thought to have evolved at the same time, this companion star must have been more massive still. This white dwarf would have died in less than 1000 million years. Procyon is more massive than the sun, so also won’t last as long. Current estimates of Procyon’s age are less than 2000 million years. This is not enough time for any planet to cool down, stabilise and evolve life before the star reaches its red giant phase, which is the next stage in its life cycle. By Fred Smith, Astrophysicist

FROG OF THE MONTH

River twitter

nature talk

As the lucky Rat who cruises down our beautiful river almost every day, I thought I’d update readers on birdlife sightings and happenings in the estuary. So here goes . . . Since the breaching of the river mouth in September the patterns and species have changed quite drastically. Resident water birds like the African Purple Swamp Hen (Purple gallinule), African Spoonbills and various other ducks and geese have left, but according to experts should return once the reeds on the banks are fully grown again. Small fish currently abound so Giant, Pied and Malachite kingfishers are common sightings and we also spotted the Half-collared kingfisher. Over the festive season two baby Spotted Eagle-Owls (photo) entertained us at the beehive corner for the most part of the 45 days it took before they could fly. Rare sightings lately were an African Snipe, a Hottentot Teal and a pair of African Black ducks close to town. Camouflaged in the dead reeds on the banks, Little Bitterns now appear in huge numbers and delight many a twitcher when they score a lifer. It takes a keen eye to spot these herons but don’t give up, they’re there. Ernie Blommaert PHOTO, CHRISTINE HAGEN

Naas Terblanche is a frog fundi. Here he shares his knowledge of these extraordinary amphibians

he first words I often hear from people are: ‘You know, I saw a frog, it was a brown or green frog with some or other colour or stripe and then they ask: ‘What frog is that?’ It is very difficult to give a good answer because colour is the least important useful characteristic for identifying frog species. Frogs of the same specie often differ more in colour or colour pattern than frogs of different species. What is more important than colour is its shape; the environment you saw it in and what sound it makes. New frog species have been discovered solely by their calls. This month we have two frogs. The reason for this is that they are cousins and look very much the same. They are the Clicking Stream frog and the Banded Stream frog. They both belong to the Stream Frog family and are called the langtoon paddas in Afrikaans. Stream frogs are smooth and sleek and most of them have pointed snouts. Their feet are nearly as long as the whole frog from nose to butt. Don’t worry too much about colour; it varies too much. (See their characteristic long toes in the photographs.) If you are familiar with isiXhosa you will know what the Clicking Stream Frog sounds like. They click, q, q–, q, etc with short or long intervals. The sound is like water dripping and you will always hear them in or near

water. You can hear them when the first rains of the season fall until the dry period starts. The Banded Stream Frog looks like its cousin except for banded stripes on its legs and body. However, it sounds different, producing a chck, chck, ckck, chck-chck-chck. Try to pronounce the word ‘chick’ without the ‘i’ in the middle. You will only hear them in seepage areas in fynbos and you will be very lucky to see one. If you want to hear what all the different frogs of Stanford sound like, and look like, visit our wine tasting room at our farm Vaalvlei where we have a permanent audio-visual display on frogs of the area. www.vaalvlei.co.za

CLICKING STREAM FROG

BANDED STREAM FROG

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The spirit of Easter April is synonymous with Easter, a time for many families to come together, share food, faith and friendship. Here we celebrate the spirit of Easter in all its guises

aster is a very special time for Christians, as they remember the real crux of their faith; the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus. Traditionally, Lent ends on Good Friday, the Day of Crucifixion, and Easter Sunday is the day when Christians celebrate the Ascension. The dates of Easter shift each year as it is a lunar festival, celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the spring equinox of the Northern Hemisphere. This lunar festival and spring equinox also holds special meaning for pagans who celebrate the reawakening of the earth and beginning of springtime in the north. The pagan festival usually falls on the date of the full moon, and symbols of new life like rabbits have long been used by pagans to symbolise this time. How wonderful it is to celebrate significant festivals that have special meanings for so many different people. Phil Murray

‘Easter for me is about Osci (the dog) eating my Lindt Bunny. This year I hope to get another one!’ Tayana Dorland

Easter eggs and their symbols The word ‘Easter’ is named after Eastre, the Anglo-

Saxon Goddess of Spring and a festival was held in her honour every year at the vernal equinox. The Romans believed that ultimately all life comes from an egg, and so the egg became symbolic of the start of spring and the white Easter lily captured the glory of the celebration. Today Easter Sunday brings baskets of eggs – many real ones which have been hand-painted – to most of the Christian children around the world. Easter egg hunts are popular and these can often extend around the neighbourhood. Most of these eggs are chocolate, but chocolate or hand-painted they are not delivered by a chicken but a rabbit. An enigma indeed. The reason for this is that the Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit. In times gone by it was called the ‘Easter Hare’ and the custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that this spiritual Easter Hare laid eggs in the grass. Christians consider eggs to be ‘the seed of life’ and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. In medieval Europe, beautifully decorated eggs were given as gifts. The most famous of course were Fabergé eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. The larger ones were eggs designed primarily at the behest of Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as annual Easter gifts for Tsarinas Maria and Alexandra. Of the 50 made, 42 have survived. A further two eggs were planned for 1918 but not delivered, as Nicholas II and his family were assassinated that year. The eggs were generally made of precious metals decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones. One of the most exquisite examples is the Winter Egg, presented to Maria by her son Nicholas II as an Easter gift in 1913. Studded with 3 000 diamonds, the egg sold at a 1994 auction for US$5.6 million and was resold eight years later for $9.6 million. What a thrilling end to an Easter hunt that would have made! Sally Hood

‘We love Easter. It makes everyone happy. The Easter Bunny is magical. It comes and gives you chocolate in the middle of the night.’ Ruby and Sara Walne ‘I’m looking forward to Easter because we have family coming to visit, and we wake up at five o’clock to go to the Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday. We see the sun rise and think about the meaning of Easter, and have tea afterwards.’ Rachel Troost

Coming soon to the Courtyard ...

Affordable IT STANFORD RIVER TALK 12

Stanford Hotel THE

OUT OF THE HAT

Easter. The Christians among us know this time to be one of renewal. Rebirth. There has been much discussion of the portents of 2012 and the requirement that we change the way we live in this world, the way we treat the planet we have been given to live on. I sense this to be right. For too long man has taken. And taken. And fought over it. And killed. And taken. And destroyed. And not given back. The world economy is in crisis. With good reason. We helped ourselves to too much. More than we need. We are being told to live within our means. Not your means. Not my means. Our means as a community of humanity. It is time to stop. Stop. Think. Think about our environment. Think about our fellow man. Start giving. Sharing. Take responsibility. Start thinking very hard about the kind of planet we will give to the children. Not just your children. Not my children. Our children. Think about the resources that we are selfishly plundering. It’s unsustainable. It’s greedy. It’s selfish. We cannot expect governments and big business to do it for us. They are concerned about votes and dividends. Selfish interests. Sustainability of power and profits at any cost. Bottom lines. We, the people, must make it our business to reach for the top line. So, next time you hop into your car and drive a long distance, carrying only you and nobody else to your destination, think about the destination of man. Your fellow man. On a planet without fuel. No energy. Next time you throw away a tin can, a plastic bottle, think about its destination. A huge hole excavated in the earth, made by man to contain our rubbish. When you saw a branch off a tree, you are cutting a wound into the natural world. Now consider our destination, where we are going together. It could be a beautiful place. But it requires change to get us there. From all of us. Rebirth.

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SATURDAY, 7 APRIL 13 Morton Str, Stanford 15:00 - 17:00 Furniture * Kitchen * Toys * Clothing * Vintage

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE 8 April at 6.30am

For the 14th year the Stanford United Church will be holding the popular Easter Sunrise Service at Godfrey and Helene Coetzee’s farm Lucerne 8 kms outside Stanford on the R326

Dress up warmly. Bring a chair and celebrate Easter while watching the sun rise over the mountains Tea/coffee will be served after the service For further details and directions phone 028 3410 309

ALL WELCOME

STANFORD RIVER TALK 13

wine harvest news by Tania Weich

Why(ne) we have much to be grateful for Stanford Wine Route is gearing up to breathe a collective sigh of relief, to herald the end of harvest. Many wineries narrowly missed the potential lethal scathe of fire damage, which successfully ravaged much of our area. And due to the weather, it is likely that all wineries momentarily substituted sipping on their wine glasses to bite their fingernails! But moments are fleeting. Raka for one, I noticed on their website, no longer has a need for ‘waiting to exhale’ as their last grapes have been picked. Reports are that, ‘On the whole, it has been a good harvest.’ That, despite a few vineyards having to wait out the picking period, in order to reach the required sugar levels in the berries, a prerequisite for winemaking. At Springfontein Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are still pendulous on the vine, apparently patiently waiting to be plucked within the first week of April. According to vineyard manager, André Du Toit, ‘We had a small harvest, which is not always a bad thing considering that the quality is normally better. Events that stood out this year are the bumper Pinotage harvest and a lot of botrytis rot in our Chenin Blanc, which made it the smallest harvest of Chenin to date. Jami Kastner reports that Stanford Hills has had a very successful harvest. ‘Grapes looked great, with no rot or problems. Total tonnage was above what we expected, so we are very happy with the 2012 harvest on all fronts. It was the first harvest from our Shiraz vines, so do look out for a Jacksons Shiraz on the shelves soon!’ Jan Malan of Sir Robert Stanford says, ’Na 10 weke van pars dat dit bars is ons span so op soos laas maand se pay! Ons is geseen met die beste oes ooit en die wyne lyk vol belofte. Ongelukkig is die Hanepoot druiwe ook nou op-pe-la.’ I don’t work the vineyards or make wine. I am just a grateful consumer – who has already breathed my sigh of relief that soon new vintages will be adorning the shelves. All together now, raise your glasses; we have much to be grateful for.

April gardening

By Suzanne-Francoise Rossouw

Growing onions It’s a good time to grow onions. Growing them from sets is faster and easier than from seed, and with better results. Plant the bulbs in autumn in a sunny position; this lets them settle in the soil and gives them a quick start in spring. Plant the bulbs in the fertile welldrained soil with just the tip of the bulb sticking out of the soil. Space the individual bulbs 10 – 15cm apart and plant in rows 20 – 30cm apart. Keep the soil moist. Your onions can be harvested in August – September when their foliage starts to turn brown and die back. Lift plants carefully and hang up on stalks to dry. You will find onion sets at your nearest bulb supplier. What to do this month

• Plant spring bulbs (Daffodils, Hyacinths, freesias and more). • Sow spring annuals (Viola’s, Pansy’s, Primulas and more). • Sow winter vegetables ( peas, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower). • Plant new trees, fruit trees, shrubs and ground-covers. • Compost, fertilize, mulch and weed plant beds. • Start treating lawn for winter grass with Kerb as soon as possible.

STANFORD RIVER TALK 14

Growing garlic bulbs

Garlic is grown from individual cloves that are regarded as the seed of the plant. Planting is done in autumn in a sunny well-drained area of the garden. Plant the cloves about 2.5cm under the ground, spacing them 10cm apart in rows spaced 45cm apart. Garlic is mature and ready to harvest when the leaves start dying back. If you harvest too early the cloves will be very small and too late the bulbs break apart. If bulbs are rotting your soil is too moist. Good quality cloves should be found in the nearest nursery.

carstairs max & I By Peter Younghusband

Carstairs on discourtesy in the Overberg Carstairs was furious. He filled his pipe aggressively, broke two matches and finally produced a terrified flame at the third attempt which tried to escape but was imprisoned by his cupped hand long enough to get the foul thing lit. He puffed away noisily until fragrant fumes of Rum and Maple soothed the air. Today’s gripe concerned the matter of communication in the Overberg which was, in fact, one of Carstairs’ recurring themes. Max, who’s now deaf anyway, immediately went to sleep. But I couldn’t do that. I had to adopt a listening pose, while glancing surreptitiously at the Cape Times headlines. The man called to fix the swimming-pool pump had failed to arrive and that was enough to infuriate Carstairs. But what really sent him ape was that the fellow had not telephoned to apologise and explain the reason for his delay. That was a breach of the oldfashioned traditions and common courtesies to which Carstairs still doggedly adheres. He claimed it was a cultural failure in manners related almost exclusively to the Overberg. ‘If you have lived here for any length of time you will have noticed that if you have requested anyone to come and repair anything or take anything somewhere to be fixed and they don’t get it done, you will hear no more about it until after, perhaps, the fourteenth reminder or, if you are impatient, by delivering a resounding kick up the arse!’ The reason for this traditional discourtesy could be found in the local telephone directory, Carstairs says. About six family names dominate in the phone number listings. They are descendants by various means of the first two families who came to live in the Overberg. ‘And I am not talking about any Darwinian theories,’ he hastened to add. ‘The story goes that there was once a terrible row between these first two families which permeated through all its branches and ended up with many of them not speaking to each other and they still don’t. Conversation stopped, letters remained unanswered, telephones grew dusty through misuse and even Christmas cards and wedding invitations fell into disuse. ‘It all came to be a general ignorance of the courtesy of response which goes on to this day. So if you want your swimming pool fixed, your washing machine looked at or need to know if your answering machine (especially your answering machine!) has been fixed yet, ready for collection and you have the misfortune to be dealing with an afflicted offshoot of the original two families, you need to draw strongly on your reserves of patience.’ Well, that’s Carstairs’ story. I don’t necessarily agree with it. But it does take a long time to get things fixed in the Overberg, and discover the reasons why.

whale coast

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Pieter Deon interiors have now firmly established themselves as a benchmark for tasteful furniture, exquisite décor and gifts, and also refined craft in the Overstrand area. Furniture maker and designer, P.D. Coetzer and his wife Helga are focused on their vision to supply the local market with both exclusive furniture that is trendy and elegant, and a large range of affordable, functional furniture for everyday use. There is a huge selection of solid wood frames and mirrors and an ever expanding variety of crafts with the styles ranging from country to nautical. The décor is sourced both locally and abroad, catering for fashionable international styles as well as supporting and promoting local artists and fresh designs from all over South Africa. We hunt continually for the best combination of style, quality and price in décor and gifts. All this new and exciting stock is arriving over the next few weeks, so don’t miss out! Whether you are looking to furnish and decorate your new beachouse or revive the old country house, a visit to Pieter Deon interiors is a must. Walking into the shop, situated on the main road going through Gansbaai, at the entrance to the industrial area, most first-time visitors are pleasantly surprised. “We are dedicated to offering not only quality furniture and beautiful décor at affordable prices, but also to treating our clients to an inspiring and enjoyable shopping experience”, says Helga. “We try to keep it exciting by constantly introducing innovative furniture designs, fresh décor ideas, and the latest in gifts. We find that more and more clients come back frequently to see what is new on the floor.”

STANFORD RIVER TALK 15

easter holidays

An old-fashioned holiday Phil Murray takes to the wide open road

of a days-gone-by train ride with two small tanford in autumn is sublime. The days are long, the evenings are cool, and children, puzzles, padkos and permission to go unbathed. the squadrons of mosquitoes begin But Lady Fate had a few pranks up her to lose momentum in their blitz of sleeping victims. Cape Town has not yet hunkered sleeve. Our plane was severely delayed down for its winter hibernation and the in Cape Town International and the cabin village still relishes visitors. Easter excites the crew had left their sense of humour in Johannesburg. It was 7pm in the City of children, school break thrills the teenagers and the public holidays offer Gold by the time we found everyone else a reprieve the girls fell asleep, our rental car from the humdrum, with the for the 2½ possibility of a vacation. the moon was full and hour drive to In my quest to take the slowI was a superhero coach in life and enjoy an Mokopane. My cell-phone had out-of-season holiday, I tried been jammed by some high-tech Flight to book a family sleeper on Shosholoza Meyl to visit friends in Johannesburg and Mode which I was incapable of rectifying, so I could phone no-one. I was Zen-navigating Mokopane, Limpopo Province. Amongst in the dark, with no map and no GPS, when call-centre chaos, suspended railway lines I was pulled over by a policeman for a and having to share a cabin with some routine license check. other unsuspecting traveller, I finally booked Amazingly, my sense of humour was still aeroplane tickets with Velvet Sky instead. intact, the road was wide and open, the With a heavy heart, I gave up on my fantasy

girls fell asleep, the moon was full and I was a superhero. I navigated the vast Highveld and its proliferation of tollgates, reaching the old Potgietersrus (now Mokopane) at 10pm. We woke to a splendid farm with old friends, enjoyed two summer thundershowers, spent a day at Doorndraai Dam, took a game drive, picked and ate pomegranates right off the tree and baked bread for breakfast. Then we travelled back to Jozi, where we went to the zoo, played in Wendy houses, and stayed up late eating home-cooked food and drinking Cape wine. Although we missed the train, we took the slow-coach anyway. We tried our level best to relish all of it but were very happy to get home to Stanford. That said, not once did I think it would have just been easier to stay at home. South Africa is vast and stunning – by moonlight or by African sun. It is worth the adventure.

We offer affordable breakfasts, light lunches and bakes and cakes. Relaxed, intimate at osphere and kids play area. Hi I am Elaine du Preez, and I am a lover of GOOD FOOD. As Sales Manager for an International Electronics Company based in Edenvale, Gauteng for 23 years, I had the privilege of travelling the world and experiencing international cuisine. Nearly three years ago, on my 44 birthday (14 April 2009), I woke up bone tired. Sounds strange but true … I sent my Managing Director and my mother an email explaining I was taking a sabbatical. I flew to Cape Town, hired a car and drove into the Overberg to visit lost childhood friends I had rediscovered via Facebook. I’ve been living in Hermanus and now have chosen to move to Stanford and re-invent Serendipity. Hey there, I’m Melissa Anne Robinson, borne in Cape Town and moved to Stanford 13 years ago. I have been a waitress at The Birkenhead as well as Beloftebos and Mosaic Farm. After school I worked at The Marine hotel on a three-month contract. I decided to fly off to Jozi and for three years I worked in many star-quality kitchens such as Emperors Palace, Serengeti Golf Estate and Sasperelias in Sandton. I also worked as a cocktail bartender at a lovely establishment called The Throbbing Strawberry. I returned to Stanford in September last year and did part-time prepping at Mosaic and Beloftebos. I was contemplating joining my mom in the UK when Elaine approached me with our new venture, so here I am, living my dream in Stanford! STANFORD RIVER TALK 16

TRADING HOURS: Monday – Wednesday: 8h30 – 17h00 Closed on Thursdays Friday: 8h30 – 21h00, theme evenings, bookings essential. Saturday: 8h30 – 17h00 Sunday: 8h30 – 14h00 CONTACT US: 082 789 4230 • 072 377 5055 edupreez7@gmail.com • 6 Queen Victoria Street

art & culture

Aron’s word The Republic of Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela is turning 18 years old.

aw! As long as ‘thank you’ are words free of charge, I’ll never stop; I’ll forever say ‘I thank you’, many times, for reading my writing in this village newspaper. Let’s buckle up our seat belts, stretch our legs forward and enjoy the ride because I want to drive you backwards at a speed of 180 km/hour to 27 April 1994 in this, the Republic of ‘Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela’, oh! I meant to say the Republic of South Africa. While I fill up my patrol tank, let me greet all my heroes, those who sacrificed their time and made an effort to help develop the Village Green. These heroes contributed a lot towards Stanford’s progress and development. Bayethe to you, Mr Tony Miles, to the late Mr David Dowie-Dunn, to Mr Mike Walters, to the late Mr Tito Kamteni, to Mr Allen Berry and to our current chief, Mr Dudley Coetzee. Without you, gentlemen, there would be no harvesting crops of freedom in Stanford. The date, 27 April 1994, was the turning point of the rebirth of South Africa. The mothers of this nation will agree with me when I say to raise a child is not easy – not like cutting bread and putting butter on it – it’s hard work in anybody’s book. Each and

every child experiences ups and downs during their growing-up and their parents would never throw in the towel but would forever hope for the best. This is exactly what our South African leaders have done from 1994 until today. Eighteen years of democracy in 2012 and, on 27 April, youth will take the stage in South Africa; meaning we will see more productive movements and a more sustainable economy right through the nation. And don’t mind what Mrs Helen Zille said about black people being refugees from the Eastern Cape, after running away to this province, the ‘Western Cape’. South Africa will never be the same again; the colour of your skin must not mislead you, because your blood is as red as anyone else who is a person. For non-Xhosa-speaking people, will you please surprise any Xhosa speakers on Freedom Day by saying;

CONCERTS IN HERMANUS Easter Saturday, 7 April, at 7pm Pianist, Pallavi Mahidhara, a 22-year-old Indian American pianist with a stunning career trajectory is currently touring South Africa. She will be playing works of Beethoven, Debussy, Scriabin and Prokofiev.

Sunday 22 April at 3.30pm Leading classical guitarist, Goran Krivokapic, will give a performance.

ikhululekho=freedom, yeyethu= is ours, siyavuya= we are happy, enkosi=thank you, tata Mandela= father Mandela! Thank you for coming on a ride with me. Goodbye until next month, Happy Easter and Happy Freedom Day. Comments to my email: 45465630@mylife.unisa.ac.za

Both concerts will be held in the Civic Auditorium in Hermanus. Book at Bellini on 028 312 4988. Tickets are R100 and R50 for students. Further enquiries to René du Plooy on 082 940 4238.

Playing By Ear Andrew Herriot on Louis Armstrong

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This month is all about Louis Daniel ‘Satchmo’ (short for ‘Satchelmouth’ so named because of his huge mouth), ‘Pops’, Armstrong (1901 – 1971) probably one of the most iconic jazz trumpeters, raspy rhythmic singers and talented film stars ever to emerge out of New Orleans. The legendary Satch worked with a plethora of jazz and scat stars including Ella, Anita O’Day, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Oscar Peterson, Hoagy Carmichael’s Lazy River (1931), Sarah Vaughan, even Bing Crosby in the film High Society (1956) and with the vivacious Grace Kelly, a wonderful princess in True Love, (Porter, 1955). Satchmo developed a natural ‘gravelly’ sound for many of his most memorable songs notably ‘What a Wonderful World’ (Weiss, 1967, Good Morning Vietnam, 1987) and ‘Hello Dolly’ (Herman, 1969, starring Streisand). During his tour of the UK in 1956, Armstrong thrilled a packed concert in the Empress Hall with Mack the Knife (Kurt Weil, 1928) – watch it on Youtube. The scene is fascinating; the understated grey-suited men and carefully coiffed women of the post-war 50s; then as the tempo and change of key of Mack was raised so did the conservative, proper British public who began to rhythmically cheer the great ostentatious artist wiping off the beads of sweat with his handkerchief at every bar during this powerful and virtuoso performance (some of the audience even looked excited!). Good listening! aherriot70@gmail.com STANFORD RIVER TALK 17

history talk

Carpe Diem Don MacIver remembers an unsung hero

he ancient Greek, Horace, coined the phrase, Samuel Johnson used it and Winston Churchill had it. Now, after a dormancy of some 11 years, my Black Dog has reared its ugly head. As the time passed in a fog, the dog barked at the hackneyed phrase Carpe Diem a number of times. What was I doing while the world passed me by? I thought about this; about Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, who was able to repeat his ‘seizure of the day’ many times as he won battles over a long and distinguished career. Of others, one-day wonders, who came in with a bang and faded, unnoticed, into obscurity. And still others, who, perhaps were born in the wrong time. They tell me there are no rich psychics. Maybe there are, but if so, they wisely keep a low profile. My great-grandmother (of German 1858 Settler parentage) was psychic (unfortunately not rich) and when my father got a letter from a friend, she held the letter and said something to the effect that ‘this boy will one day be in a position where his spirit and strength of character will be an inspiration to many people and save many lives’. ‘This boy’ went by the name of Cliff. A short, stocky 163cm (5’5”) man, he was Natal Amateur Boxing Champion in his class for the years 1936-40. Many black eyes had left mere slits for him to see through; his nose had been broken so many times, he had to breathe mostly through his mouth. While ‘sparring’ in the back yard, his sister, the only person ever

Distant times: My grandparents and father, with ‘Arabella’ – a very difficult brute of a car!

Out of action: A bombed ship in Tobruk harbour after it had been retaken by the Allies.

to do so, knocked him out. He was, without doubt, the funniest person I have ever met. An incident that comes to mind, is the time he was staying with my grandmother (a very prim and proper lady). One day she was having a tea party for her friends. When she ‘unveiled’ the cake, she was horrified to see that Cliff had decorated it with bite marks and left the pair of false teeth he had found, as a centerpiece. He was always the joker and told the most wonderful stories. During World War 2, Cliff, along with many others, was captured at Tobruk and sent first to Italian and later to German POW camps. As the war drew to a close POWs were put to work in a German hospital that had suffered bomb damage and Cliff spent his time connecting hot water pipes to gas pipes, cold water to hot water, repairing what was not broken and generally making life difficult for his captors, while encouraging his fellow prisoners to do the same. One day a wall collapsed and broke Cliff’s leg, which meant that he became a patient in a POW hospital. Things were really bad and there was no food. A German nurse was caught smuggling some food to him. They shot her. After the war Cliff’s mother received a letter from the Commandant of the POW camp, saying how much he admired Cliff’s spirit and how much he had done for the morale of his fellow prisoners. Returning to civilian life, Cliff became a brickyard foreman, a position he held until he passed away some 25 years ago.

Sadly his real story will never be told. Nobody knows the details. He was one of those who ‘seized the day’, but was let down by a changing world looking to celebrate other heroes. For me he has always been an inspiration, this time to rise above my Black Dog. His name was Clifford Charles Wade.

STANFORD DIY - PAINT - PLUMBING IRRIGATION - NURSERY - ATM Landscaping & irrigation services. Mon - Fri, 7:30 - 17:00 • Sat, 8:00 - 14:00 Tel: (028) 3410 691 • Fax: (028) 341 0413

028 3410 691 STANFORD RIVER TALK 18

TOBRUK: APRIL 1941

Tobruk, Libya, was of strategic importance to the Allies and Axis powers in World War 2 because of its usefulness as a Mediterranean port and its proximity to Egypt’s Suez Canal. A bitter siege started on 11 April 1941 and lasted until 27 November 1941, when an Italian-German Force, led by Rommel, attacked the city. Great Britain had withdrawn many of her troops from North Africa in order to defend Greece in 1941, leaving Antipodean soldiers to defend the city. The South African 2nd Infantry Division was captured by Germans, while Australian and Indian troops struggled to hold the city. The siege was finally lifted in November 1941. It was to take another year before the Allies took the upper hand in Libya, and the Western Desert Campaign, with Rommel’s forces finally retreating to Tunisia. Many South African soldiers spent years living in prisoner-of-war camps; many were even taken back to POW camps in Italy, where they eked out an existence until the end of the war in 1945. We remember the service and bravery of these soldiers and their families.

Phil Murray

• 25-50 % off selected pots and garden accessories. Up to 50% or more off selected trees, fruit trees, shrubs, ground-covers, bonsai trees and more. • Winter bulbs now available • Flower & Vegetable seeds. Picture Packet R10.95, Bumper Packet R 26.95 • Flower Bulb Food, slow release fertilizer. 500g R37.95, 1kg R59.95 • Bulb Planting Trays 22cm R17.95, 32cm R21.95 • Kombat Wipe Out weed killer100ml R35.95 • Kerb Winter Grass Treatment R34.95 • Kombat Weeds R35.95 • 3.1.6 Soluble Plant Food for flowers & vegetables 500g R 42.95 • 2.3.2 Fertilizer 2kg R25.95, 5kg R47.95 • Agricultural lime 5kg R14.95 • Hadeco Click in Pots, attach pots to a walled area. R 21.95 • Hadeco Bulb and seedling planter R33.95 • Dibber Planting Instrument R32.95 • Stainless Steel Hand Cultivator R23.95

beauty and wellness centre We would just like to thank you for all your support in our new venture. We really appreciate all of it & we look forward to a long journey ahead with all of you. Annaliese & Chantelle 028 313 0660

All at Morton Square wish our customers a very happy Easter!

Architects & Planners Development Consultants Cell 082 876 0492 Fax 086 7299 123 guywhittle@mweb.co.za

Stanford

coffee corner

architect & interiors 082 450 3970

083 358 6365

028 3410 034

Hair By Belinda

THE TACKROOM 082 450 3970

072 329 7753

028 3410 034 STANFORD RIVER TALK 19

classifieds

There is an HONESTY BOX at Stanfordinfo where you can pay for your classifieds. Please enclose the amount in an envelope. SMALL ADS: R1 a word • BOXED ADS: R77 info@stanfordrivertalk.co.za • cell: 079 291 1588

FOR SALE

DEFY Washing Machine front loader R 500 THREE QUARTER size bed and mattress R 500 INTERIOR REAR CANOPY cover for Land Rover Discovery R 300 p Christine 082 575 4608 ENGLISH SADDLE 17inch GP. Old. Well looked after. R2 000. p 082 965 7384. ORANGE RIVER CANOE TRIP 10-13 April. Start at Vioolsdrift. 1 space left to complete a group of 6 persons. p Friedel 072 058 9772. SURFSKI, very stable, ideal for river paddling. R2 250. p 082 378 1935. VACANT PLOT HERBERTSDALE: Off-the-beaten-track village, where the Langeberg and Outeniqua mountains meet. 60 km inland from Mosselbaai coastline and gateway to the Klein Karoo. R575 000. p Paul 082 7408 046.

SERVICES

ADULT HORSE RIDING CLASSES. p Jake Uys on 079 468 9060. HOUSE CLEANING Need your house/flat cleaned? Bed linen changed? Washing & ironing? Washing itemised ready for laundry collection? p Desiree on 074 353 1884. Refs available. MULLER CLEANING SERVICES Home, office, window cleaning. Call Magrieta on 078 468 6010. For great ref email reginajac@yahoo.com RELIABLE & HONEST PAINTER. No job too small. Contactable references p Wilson on 072 223 2511. SPECIALIZED KEYBOARD JAZZ TEACHING. p Andrew Herriot at 072 5717 846 or aherriot70@gmail.com for more info. First lesson free. UPHOLSTERY SERVICE Wanting to establish itself in Stanford including foam cut to size. Please contact Friedel 072 058 0772. Your input would be welcome.

WANTED

HAPPY TO COLLECT your unwanted glass jam jars. p Paulette 028 341 0967 / 082 941 9007. CAR OR BAKKIE 4 sale for cash buyer. Gesoek: motor of bakkie te koop vir kontant koper. p 076 954 6684.

VILLAGE LAUNDROMAT Washing • Tumble Drying • Ironing Dry Cleaning • Steam Cleaning • Carpets Mon – Fri 8.30am - 5pm 25 Queen Victoria st, Cell: 072 616 0976

Kinesiology

AFRICAN HORSE COMPANY

For improving, restoring and maintaining health on a mental, emotional or physical level. R300 for the first session R250 for any session thereafter Maaike Heger maaikeheger@gmail.com 072 683 5648

SA lady 53 years old having moved to Stanford is looking for permanent or temporary job. Well experienced in taking care of disabled children as well as elderly people. Schools, retirement and similar homes, also private. Available immediately. Marcelle 076 8123 414

SM VERKOELING Nuwe kontaknommer: Tel: 087 808 2175 Sakkie Myburgh: 083 771 0753 Alle huishoudelike herstelwerk

guided multi-day trails & outrides along the whale coast & through unspoilt nature reserves. +27 (0) 82 667 9232 omstables@telkomsa.net www.africanhorseco.com

CARPET CARE WE CLEAN CARPETS:

fitted - persian - oriental kelims - woolen etc

WE CLEAN UPHOLSTERY:

couches - chairs - mattresses - pillows - padded head boards

KEN 079 885 6777 CARPETCARE@HERMANUS.CO.ZA

GERT’S GARDEN SERVICES For all your gardening needs. Fully equipped with lawnmower, weedeaters, etc Reference available and highly recommended. Call Gert on 072 358 7093

WHERE TO WORSHIP IN STANFORD NG GEMEENTE STANFORD Sondae 9:30 in die kerkgebou. Office, tel 028 3410 966. ST THOMAS ANGLICAN CHURCH Morton St, contact Father Joseph Gabriëls 028 3410588 First Sunday of the month 10:30 Communion (Afr). Second Sunday of the month 10:30 Service (Afr) Third Sunday of the month 08:00 Communion (Eng) Fourth Sunday of the month 10:30 Service (Afr) FULL GOSPEL CHURCH OF GOD cnr Queen Victoria & Bezuidenhout St. 09:30 Sunday service. Pastor Johnny van der Schyff • 028 3410 422. VG KERK (next to De Bron School) 10:00 Sunday morning. Maureen Diedericks 028 3410 691. STANFORD UNITED CHURCH ST THOMAS CHURCH, meets at St Thomas Church, Morton St. Interdenominational. English service at 6pm Sunday. Bible Study, 7pm Tuesday night at 45 Queen Victoria St. Secretary Kerri Brokensha 028 341 0077. STANFORD RIVER TALK 20

EASTER SUNSET MARKET Good Friday 6 April. 6pm to 8pm. Stanford Hotel Courtyard. Contact Bea on 083 293 5512. EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE Sunday 8 April. 6.30am. Lucerne Farm. Call 028 3410 309 for directions. See page 13 for details.

SUPPLIED BY Jake Uys

WINE & WISDOM Thursday 5 April 7pm, R40 pp, Stanford Art Café. Contact Annie Ranger on 028 341 0984.

RAINFALL STATISTICS

What’s on in April?

STANFORD SUNSET MARKET Friday 27 April. 6pm to 8pm. Stanford Hotel Courtyard. Contact Rina on 083 604 0808.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

ave

Jan

11.5

8.5

16.7

Feb

39.5

17.5

21.5

March

20.5

28.5

26.4

April

21.5

27.6

41.6

May

78.5

31.5

66.5

59.6

June

75.5

50.5

106.3

91.5

76.13

July

137

102.5

97.5

85.3

Aug

66.5

71.5

68.6

Sept

49.8

35.5

25.5

45.7

Oct

39.5

56.7

Nov

41.5

89.5

58.8

Dec

20.5

23.5

Year

573.5

708.8

554.5

632.4

459

533

ENERGY EXPO Monday 30 April & Tuesday 1 May. 9.30 to 4.30. Whale House & Village Square, Hermanus. www.whalecoastconservation.org.za

THE DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISING IN MAY EDITION IS 20 APRIL 2011

WINE & WISDOM Thursday 3 May 7pm, R40 pp, Stanford Art Café. Contact Annie Ranger on 028 341 0984.

design@stanfordrivertalk.co.za • 079 523 8453

A P R I L T I D E TA B L E

CHILDREN’S MAZE

Help to find the egg!

Sunrise Sunset 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

0656 0657 0657 0658 0659 0700 0700 0701 0702 0702 0703 0704 0704 0705 0706 0707 0708 0708 0709 0710 0711 0711 0712 0713 0714 0715 0715 0716 0717 0718

1840 1839 1837 1836 1835 1833 1832 1831 1830 1828 1827 1826 1824 1823 1822 1820 1819 1818 1817 1815 1814 1813 1812 1811 1809 1808 1807 1806 1805 1805

HIGH WATER time height 1107 1.29 1212 1.40 0038 1.52 0120 1.68 0159 1.82 0239 1.93 0320 1.99 0402 1.98 0445 1.91 0531 1.77 0621 1.60 0722 1.43 0842 1.29 1021 1.25 1144 1.29 0011 1.42 0057 1.51 0135 1.58 0208 1.64 0240 1.68 0310 1.70 0339 1.70 0409 1.68 0439 1.64 0511 1.58 0546 1.51 0628 1.43 0725 1.35 0846 1.29 1017 1.31

time 2347 ---1301 1344 1425 1505 1547 1629 1714 1801 1856 2007 2140 2307 ---1241 1323 1358 1430 1500 1529 1558 1627 1656 1729 1807 1855 2005 2136 2254

height 1.36 ---1.52 1.65 1.76 1.83 1.86 1.84 1.76 1.64 1.51 1.38 1.32 1.35 ---1.36 1.44 1.51 1.57 1.62 1.64 1.65 1.63 1.60 1.55 1.48 1.40 1.35 1.36 1.44

LOW WATER time height 0459 0.80 0609 0.67 0657 0.52 0738 0.37 0816 0.24 0855 0.14 0935 0.10 1017 0.12 1101 0.19 1148 0.31 0008 0.41 0112 0.55 0236 0.65 0413 0.68 0537 0.63 0635 0.56 0717 0.48 0750 0.41 0820 0.36 0848 0.33 0916 0.31 0944 0.32 1013 0.36 1043 0.41 1116 0.48 1153 0.56 0011 0.68 0108 0.76 0235 0.80 0413 0.77

time 1728 1824 1908 1946 2025 2104 2145 2228 2315 ---1241 1347 1516 1652 1804 1853 1930 2001 2030 2058 2125 2153 2223 2254 2329 ---1239 1340 1505 1631

height 0.70 0.57 0.43 0.30 0.20 0.14 0.14 0.18 0.28 ---0.45 0.59 0.68 0.69 0.63 0.56 0.49 0.44 0.41 0.40 0.40 0.42 0.46 0.52 0.59 ---0.65 0.72 0.75 0.70

weekly timetable

Information supplied by the Hydrographer, SA Navy © 2010. Not for navigational purposes. The Hydrographer is not responsible for any transcription errors. The use of the provided information is entirely at the user’s own risk.

Monday 5h30 to 6h45pm Vinyasa Yoga with Leli, Studio @ Art Café, Leli, 082 350 0253. Monday 6pm, Running Time Trails 5km, corner Adderley and Longmarket. Monday & Thursday, 5.15pm - 6pm, Pilates, The old Beauty Spot Studio, above Tops Bottle Store, Tracy: 082 441 8307. Monday & Wednesday, 5pm, Canoeing, Slipway Church St, John Finch 028 341 0444, Jan Malan 082 452 9877. Tuesday (5pm to 6pm) & Friday (8.30am to 9.30am), Tae Bo, The old Beauty Spot Studio, above Tops Bottle Store, Ronnie 083 655 4521. Tuesday 8:45 to 10am, Iyengar Yoga with Marianne, Studio @ Art Café. Thursday 8:45 to 10am, Vinyasa Yoga with Leli, Studio @ Art Café, Leli 082 3500 253. Cycling, Tuesday & Thursday 5.30pm cnr de Bruin & Moore Sts, Sunday 6am Caltex Garage David Morrison 082 321 7996, John Finch 082 378 1935 Wednesday, 6.30pm, Stanford Rotary Club Meeting, Art Café. Everyone welcome. Friday, 5pm, Canoe Time Trials, Slipway Church St, John Finch 028 341 0444, Jan Malan 082 452 9877. Saturday, 10am – 12pm, Stanford Saturday Morning Market, Art Gallery Courtyard from Enquiries call Art Café (028) 3410 591. STANFORD RIVER TALK 21

local services & facilities ACCOMMODATION Beloftebos Cottages B’s Cottage De Klein Rivers Valley Fairhill Nature Reserve Morton Cottage Mosaic Farm Oak Grove Farm Reiersvlei Farm Lodge Reed Cottage Walshacres Riverside Stanford Country Cottages Stanford River Lodge The Country Cottage Upton House Villa di Baia

List your business for just R12 a month (only R144/year). Email: info@stanfordrivertalk.co.za or telephone 07929 11588.

082 391 5331 028 341 0430 028 341 0048 079 495 2971 082 450 3970 028 313 2814 082 091 3914 082 213 0512 028 341 0984 082 614 6322 082 320 0982 028 341 0444 083 553 0663 079 777 5983 082 336 1573

ELECTRICIAN H.C.D Electrical

079 182 8825

ESTATE AGENTS Marlene’s Properties Michael Thompson Pam Golding Stanford Village Properties FIREWOOD Walshacres

082 732 1284 028 341 0929 083 225 7367 028 341 0708 082 893 2282 072 111 9321 028 341 0685 082 898 4889

ACCOUNTING & TAX SERVICES Maryke Brandt 072 172 9545

GARDENS & NURSERIES Helen’s Garden Service Krige Tree Services Walshacres Willowdale Nursery

082 977 7080 082 658 0427 028 341 0685 082 899 1172

ALTERATIONS Caitlin’s Dressmaking

083 358 6365

HAIR Jeanne Retief

072 318 2478

ANTIQUES/FURNITURE Sir Robert Stanford

028 341 0048

ARCHITECTURE Maureen Wolters

HOUSE MANAGEMENT Stanford Country Cottages Village Laundromat

082 320 0982 072 616 0976

082 450 3970

ARTS, CRAFTS & GIFTS Ons Winkel Traderoots BEAUTY AND WELLNESS La Femme BOOKS Sir Robert Stanford

028 341 0647 084 643 4504 028 313 0660 028 341 0048

CAR CARE J & J Motorwerke

028 341 0410 071 219 9212

CONFERENCE CENTRE Mosaic Farm CONSTRUCTION Stanford Bricks

028 313 2814 028 341 0685

DRIVING SCHOOL Drive with Cait

083 358 6365

HOME MAINTENANCE Stanford Country Cottages

082 320 0982

INTERIORS Kiwinet Maureen Wolters

028 341 0209 082 450 3970

NEWSPAPER Stanford River Talk

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES African Queen River Cruises 082 732 1284 028 3410 929 Klein River Picnics 028 3410 693 Platanna 073 318 5078 River Rat Boat Cruises 083 310 0952 PEST CONTROL Overberg Pest Control

028 312 2225

PETS & PET CARE Stanford Kennels Syringa Country Kennels

028 341 0961 028 341 0961

WATER TESTING The treated sewerage outlet point into the Kleinriver is at the slipway at the end of Du Toit Street. The stream in the middle of town, starting in the dip in De Bruyn Street, is partly fed by the treated effluent from the waste water treatment works which gets complemented only in winter, by the overflow of the two dams in the middle of town. The two sampling points for the river are thus respectively known as under and above the treated sewerage outlet point. Determinant (e. Coli) Under treated Above treated Sewerage Standard Sewerage Outlet poin Outlet point (Bridge R43 0-130/100ml (Jetty next to erf 396) to Hermanus)

FEB

1000 1000

STANFORD RIVER TALK 22

079 291 1611

PRINTING & PUBLISHING The Really Famous Publishing CC 079 291 1588 RESTAURANTS 1892 Stanford Spookhuis Art Café Stanford Gallery Havercroft’s Madré’s Kitchen

028 313 2814 028 3410 591 028 3410 603 028 341 0647

SECURITY JSK Wrought Iron Safe Security

083 591 9600 028 341 0801

SOLAR South Coast Solar

079 291 1611

TAXI SERVICE Anytime Transfers

082 858 6765

TRUCKS & TRANSPORT Stanford Bricks

028 341 0685

WEDDING VENUES Beloftebos Mosaic Farm Sir Robert Stanford Estate Stanford Hotel

082 542 9556 028 313 2814 028 341 0647 082 781 1704

WINE CELLAR & SALES Brunia Wines Sir Robert Stanford Estate Springfontein Wine Estate Stanford Hills Estate

028 341 0432 082 783 7257 028 3410 647 028 341 0651 072 371 7546 028 3410 841

police: 028 3410 601 / 10177 ambulance: 10177 municipality: 028 341 8500 fire & rescue: 079 5077 326 overstrand emergency: 028 313 8000 / 313 8186

STANFORD - RETICULATED DRINKING WATER RESULTS

STANFORD - RIVER WATER RESULTS

JAN

079 291 1588

PLUMBING John Hardie

1000 1000

Escherichia coli (E.coli) – bacteria that is a normal inhabitant of the human intestine. Its presence in a sample indicates pollution from human faeces. Total Coliform bacteria – is the name for all the bacteria that produce gas and acid from the fermentation of lactose and its presence in a sample indicates pollution from the intestines of both humans and animals. Heterotrophic Plate Count – is a standard microbiological method used to determine the efficiency of operations to remove or destroy organisms, good and bad, during the treatment process. DETERMINANT

JAN

FEB

E. coli STANDARD (0/100ml)

Total Coliform bacteria STANDARD (10/100ml)

Heterotrophic Plate Count STANDARD (5000/100ml)

374

Celebrations in Stanford

If there is a birthday coming up or special occasion you want to share with the village please email ed@stanfordrivertalk.co.za

Mooi so Manie! Manie Robinson passed his Learnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Licence theory test. We wish him the same success with his driving test. Hentia Damon 2 April

John Hardie 4 April

Peter Kastner 4 April. Congratulations on turning 40!

MadrĂŠ Malan 22 April Brothers Fabio and Luca Revett are turning four on 14 April.

Ansie Reitsma 6 April

Beauty and brains: Congratulations to our daughter Jenna, who received her Bachelor of Science degree on 28 March 2012 at Stellenbosch University. Her subjects included Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Genetics. Proud parents, Malcolm and Debbie Bury

STANFORD RIVER TALK 23

MICHAEL THOMPSON

ESTATES

stewart@alcock.co.za LIVE & WORK IN THE VILLAGE

EIENDOMME

R2 350 000.00

www.mtestates.co.za

‘ONE-OF A KIND’ IN THE VILLAGE

S 5 BEDS, 3 BATHS, SWIMMING POOL, CHEF’S QUALITY KITCHEN, GARAGE AND ESTABLISHED GARDEN.

LIFESTYLE LIVING

R3 950 000

10 KMS FROM STANFORD, 5 BED HOME, ALL THE MOD CONS. PLUS 1 BED GUEST/ MANAGER’S COTTAGE. 37 HECTARES UNSPOILT FYNBOS. OWN WATER SUPPLY.

WEEKEND GETAWAY

R2 790 000.00

D L O

‘MICHAEL SUTTON’ DESIGNED 3 BEDROOM HOME, HISTORICAL COTTAGE. HEATED POOL, DOUBLE GARAGE PLUS PLUS PLUS...

R1 395 000

SIMPLY STUNNING!

3 BED, 2 BATH HISTORIC COTTAGE ON LARGE ERF (1200M2) WOODEN FLOORS, DOVER STOVE.

R1 595 000

3 BEDS, 3 BATHROOMS. AWARD WINNING GARDEN. NEXT TO VINEYARD.

Struggling to sell? Why not put an A+ tenant in your property – we have prequalified tenants waiting to move in. STEWART 074 126 7770

Lucky friday the 13th Have you ever wondered what skin type your skin is or what underlying problems your skin might have?

beauty and wellness centre

Join us for a SKIN ANALYSIS DAY with TheraVineTM. An Advanced Skin Analysis Machine will be used to test your skin accurately absolutely free of charge. AND Book a professional skincare treatment recommended for mature, sun damaged and wrinkled skin for only R190.00 on the day which will leave your skin looking smooth and radiant OR Purchase two or more TheraVine™ products on the day and receive the facial FOR FREE. Free gifts and surprises on the day! Call us today on 028 313 0660 to book your spot as spaces are limited and specials ONLY applicable FRIDAY 13th April 2012 from 9am to 4 pm 1 8 H O P E ST R E E T, H E R MA NU S • 0 2 8 3 1 3 0 6 6 0 • i nfo @ l afe m m e h e r m a n u s .c o .za

ALSO AT MORTON SQUARE STANFORD ON TUESDAYS