Letters - Briewe

What do tourists really want?

We have just enjoyed four nights in beautiful Prince Albert. Reading the article “What tourists really want” (PA Friend, July 2007) made me think about why we came here. We want to encourage you to keep certain aspects of your town alive, whilst moving into the future which always brings change and challenges.

• We loved being able to safely walk around your town at all hours, feeling relaxed and being able to greet all whom we met. At home in Cape Town, crime and security are our constant companions (not welcome ones). Work hard to keep the safe feeling in your town and trust between people.
• We loved being able to appreciate beautiful gardens and interesting architecture – not spoiled by high walls and uncomplimentary architectural styles (except for Lewis Stores)
• Within 5 minutes of our holiday cottage, we were able to walk amongst some of the most interesting plant life we have seen. This aspect – plants and botany – could be promoted far more to visitors. We appreciated the informative garden next to the Info Office and bought a few plants as a memento from a local nursery.
• The PEACEFULNESS. City-life is constantly noisy – traffic, helicopters, sirens, burglar alarms, barking dogs, overloud music. We LOVE the quiet of your town
• We appreciate the small signs of integration of the different communities in the area. We encourage you to keep moving forward.
• The food – your town is enriched by so many outlets with delicious food. The service was great, the food was fresh and we were made to feel so welcome.

Lastly, I want to commend your Info Office and Police Station. Both answered all the questions we had, cheerfully and in such a professional manner. We thank them for their help.

Thank you, Prince Albert, for giving us such a great place to be restored.

Jo Prentice
Bergvliet

Bome/bloekombome

Voorvaders met goeie bedoelings plant dikwels bome wat later pro-blematies word soos die bloekombome in PA, eikebome in Bainskloof en indringers in Du Toits-kloof. Baie bome is soos ‘n klein hondjie of katjie…baie mooi as hulle klein is!! Waarneming is dat die witkaree ‘n gewilde sypaadjie-/tuinboom is. My ondervinding is dat hulle ‘n wye, fyn wortelstelsel het wat alles binnedring, dorstig soos ‘n bloekom en bron van baie allergieë is. Bloekoms is op die lys van ongewenste bome en moet van persele verwyder word. Dit was oa aangeplant om vleie droog te lê agv van hulle hoë “dorstigheid. Met hierdie gegewe sal die bloekoms stelselmatig vervang moet word.

Daar is baie omgewingsvriendelike inheemse bome wat goed hier sal aard, maar ek visualiseer ‘n Kerk-/hoofstraat met olyfbome en laventel. Waarom? Prins Albert het nie water om te mors nie. Olyfbome kom met relatief min water klaar. Dis mooi bome wat vrugte uit dankbaarheid dra. Dis simbolies die boom van die moeë reisiger. Dis die boom wat die meeste in die Bybel genoem word, ‘n boom wat lyding en vreugde ken …en uithou! Die vrug bring redding, die blare genesing en die olie salwing! As onderplant kan laventel (simbolies van toewyding) of roosmaryn (nagedagtenis en verseker glo mooi drome) of mirte (liefde / huwelikstrou… onthou Queen Vic se trouruiker?) geplant word.

Hierdie projek kan as werkskeppingsprojek vanaf voorbereiding, plant, oes tot verwerking aangepak word. Die lewensduurte van ‘n olyfboom, die handelswaarde van produk (olyf, laventel, roosmaryn en mirte) inaggenome , sien ek nie die einde van die projek nie. Gesuiwerde rioolwater kan gebruik word. Trouens ek visualiseer lande vol laventel onder besproeiing by die rioolplaas.

Kom ons bou nog verder aan die unieke dorp en dalk vier ons eendag ‘n olyf-en laventelfees vol liefde, deugsaamheid en werklike rus vir die moeë reisigers.

Lettie Breytenbach

Quad bikes in Prince Albert

I understand that the Prince Albert Municipality granted permission for quad bikers to have free range of the town for the duration of the recent Agricultural Show; this, despite the fact that quad bikes are not regarded as legal transport for public roads and that drivers of quad bikes are not required by law to pass driving tests. As a result, quad bikes are often driven by children, some as young as 8 or 10 years old.

During the weekend of the Agricultural Show, I myself had a close shave with three quad bikes on the “S” bend that joins Kerk and Christina de Wit Streets. I am also aware of an incident in Jan Louw Street the same weekend where two young local children were nearly run down by young quad bike drivers, who were not looking where they were going.

Prince Albert is a small town where many children, because of the relative quietness of the town, play in the streets. There are also a number of elderly residents, who also use the streets in the normal course of their daily activities. Neither our children nor our elderly residents should be subjected to the hazards of young, unsupervised and inexperienced drivers of quad bikes. The fact that there was no serious accident during the Show weekend (as far as I am aware) is almost miraculous.

While I personally do not like quad bikes because they are noisy and environmentally destructive, they are a form of modern day entertainment for the people that drive them. However, for the reasons set out above, I would strongly urge our Municipality not to grant this sort of permission again in future. I would also encourage our local Police and Traffic Official to enforce the law in terms of where quad bikes may be driven, ie on private roads and land.

Eric Ahrens