Sunday, November 30, 2008

Helena Marincowitz-Gedenkplaat Onthul by Museum

- Debbie Badenhorst -

Op Dinsdagmiddag, 28 Oktober, het al die Vriende van die Museum en lede van Erfenis Suid-Afrika (vroeër die Simon van der Stel Stigting) by die Fransie Pienaar Museum bymekaargekom vir ’n baie spesiale geleentheid: Om ’n gedenkplaat ter ere van Helena Marincowitz te onthul. Op die blou porseleingedenkplaat staan:

HERITAGE SOUTH AFRICA
HELENA MARINCOWITZ
1931-2007
Ter erkenning van haar onskatbare bydrae tot Prince Albert se erfenis
SIMON VAN DER STEL
FOUNDATION


Helena het as jong bruid saam met haar man Pat Marincowitz op die plaas Klein Sleutelfontein aangeland. Die BSc-graad in Dieëtkunde wat sy op Stellenbosch behaal het, sou haar nog goed te pas kom in haar nuwe lewe as boervrou. Met groot erns en entoesiasme het Helena haar plek aan haar man se sy volgestaan. Sy het met haar eie Angora-stoet se vesel gespin en geweef. Haar ragfyn borduurwerk is op Suid-Afrikaanse skoue en selfs oorsee deur baie mense bewonder.

Helena se lewendige belangstelling in mense, haar nederigheid jeens haar eie talente en haar opgeruimde en blymoedige persoonlikheid, het van haar ‘n gerespekteerde lid van ons gemeenskap gemaak. Sy het ‘n positiewe bydrae gelewer in die vele organisasies waaraan sy behoort het: die VLV, kerkraad, ouetehuiskomittee, skoolkomittee en selfs die Voortrekkers. Sy was een van die stigterslede van die Simon van der Stel Stigting. Helena het die vermoë gehad om almal rondom haar te laat glo dat niks onmoontlik is nie, en dat daar ‘n oplossing vir elke probleem is. Sy het baie mense aangemoedig om nie hul talente onder ‘n maatemmer weg te steek nie, maar te benut en te ontwikkel. Haar oorsese besoeke het haar meer bewus gemaak van ons eie dorp en omgewing se kosbare erfenis, en dat dit vir die nageslag bewaar moet word. Haar visie, dat die karakter van Prince Albert as ‘n kultuurbate behoue moet bly, het aanleiding gegee tot die navorsing oor die geskiedenis van ons ou geboue.

Die eindproduk van Helena se aansteeklike entoesiasme en volgehoue harde werk was die verklaring van agtien nasionale gedenkwaardighede in ons dorp en distrik. Uit haar pen het vyftien boeke en vele artikels gevloei wat uiteindelik ook ander mense meer bewus gemaak het van die waarde van bewaring. Danksy haar vérsiendheid kyk ons almal vandag met ander oë na ons erfenis: ons ou geboue én ons klein dorpie met sy eie unieke karakter.

Terwyl die son in die weste sak, het die genooide gaste met ‘n glasie wyn en ‘n eetdingetjie gestaan en Mary Ann Botha kon almal welkom heet. Lydia Barrella het gepraat oor Helena, die uitsonderlike vrou wat op die een of ander wyse ons almal se lewens aangeraak het. Die meeste van ons het ‘n knop in die keel gekry toe oom Pat een van sy vrou se pittige staaltjies oor haar lewe op die plaas voorgelees het.

Judy Maguire het die geleentheid benut om oor ons dorp en sy ryk erfenis te praat en daarna aan John Southern sy toekenning van die Kultuurstigting oorhandig vir sy bydrae tot die bewaring van ons ou geboue.

Letters - Briewe

Thank You PA Police

This is to express my best and biggest thank you to the SA Police in Prince Albert for their assistance when I was robbed of R500 on Friday, 24 October, from a house in Prince Albert.

Their prompt response resulted in apprehending the thief in just 15 minutes and the full amount was recovered. I appreciate the help of all the competent staff in the police station as well as the men in the police vehicle.

I always look forward to visiting Prince Albert and this experience ensured that I again enjoyed my stay.

In Cape Town I most probably would not even have bothered to inform the police!

Jana Krejci
Cape Town


Tannie Daddi Stuur Groete


Net ‘n kort woordjie van dank aan al my vriende en vriendinne wat my geluk gewens het met my onlangse 84ste verjaarsdag. Dit was vir my ‘n groot verrassing om te sien hoe baie vriende aan my gedink het. Ek het hope kaartjies, briewe en telefoonoproepe gekry. Die telefoon het tot laat aand nog gelui. Dit beteken so baie vir my.

Dit was ‘n heuglike dag en ek sal dit altyd onthou. Dit gaan goed met my, ek is gelukkig en my kinders sorg baie goed vir my. Maar soms trek my hart darem maar ‘n punt na my vriende en my dorp. Daar is maar net een Prince Albert. Ek mis my vriende en die Saterdag se byeenkoms by die Markie. Mag dit altyd goed gaan met julle almal.

Ek dink aan julle almal in my gebede. Ek het die operasie gekanselleer want my ou hart is nie meer so sterk nie. Liefde vir elkeen van julle.

Groete van Daddi


Dankie aan die Vriend


Hartlik dank aan die redaksie van die Vriend vir die moeite wat hulle gedoen het om die foto en berig van my kleinseuns se krieket prestasie in Engeland te plaas.

Ek is verheug dat daar nog mense is wat omgee vir hulle medemens.

Hetta Blomerus


Calling All Animal Lovers

Earlier this year I took over the Prince Albert Animal Care charity organisation from Henriette. I have opened a small animal care clinic where we tend to sick, abused, abandoned or injured animals and provide people with their pets’ basic health requirements. I find that the most common problems are poor nutrition, even starvation and worms which make the animals thin and weak. Often they are riddled with fleas and ticks which cause ugly wounds and many suffer terribly as a result of tick bite fever and distemper.

There are a lot of unsterilised cats and dogs breeding and spreading diseases and this only makes the problems worse. The animals need de-worming, vitamin supplements, tick and flea dip and also need to be sterilised.

There are numerous ways in which you can help make a difference:
If you see an animal that is very thin, injured or distressed please pick it up and bring it to me or inform me of its whereabouts;
If you hear about an animal that needs help, please get as much information about it and let me know;
Please help spread the word that help is available;
Any form of donation, food, supplies (bowls, old baskets, old kennels, vitamins, de-worming, dip, antiseptics etc.) or money is welcome and will be put to good use.
If you have space or you are looking for a pet please let me know; we constantly have animals looking for good homes.
If you want to get involved in any other way please contact me. I can use all the help I can get.

I believe that if we stand together as a community we can make a difference to the lives of the needy animals all around us. From the beginning of December I will have a few collection boxes placed throughout Prince Albert for donations in kind or of money. Your caring and generosity will be greatly appreciated.

Lynette Brand
Prince Albert Animal Care
4 Jordaan Street
078 637 0015


Let’s discuss our architectural heritage


William Penfold's observations on Prince Albert's architecturalin the October Friend are courageous and necessary. Prince Albert enjoys a rapidly growing, very positive reputation as anGreat Karoo jewel of a town. While we may discuss ad lib about what authentic means in 21st century South Africa, the debatearticles provoke is essential to a public discourse on how and where all the town's residents see their sought-after environmentin the coming decades.

Short-sightedness is an easy way out, as is fast food architecturelittle or no urban integration. The 21st century has every right to leave its mark on our historic town, but it must be done in a, intelligent and informed manner. Never before have we had easier access to knowledge and information. There is no excusecreating ticky tacky housing in the name of any expedient - economic, political or otherwise.

For example, social housing incountries by informed architects has shown itself as some ofmost inspiring, aesthetic and historically groundbreaking shelterscreated - far more so than nouveau riche housing developments or pseudo, copy cat styles. Moreover, the opportunity for building sustainablepowered by solar and wind energies has never been more
easily within our reach.

Two great cities – Venice and Cape Town - were shaped by many cultural, hybrid and fertile, from East and West/ North and South. What beauties today! Authenticity would be just as complex to definee.g. the Italian context as it would be in South Africa. Polemicsare not helpful. What is needed are informed people gathering and presentingintelligent information suited to our climate and diverse history when new housing and the renovation of existing housing are up for.
We have the chance of our and our children’s lifetimes to shape the town's heritage in a positive, community-spirited and sustainable. An open informed discussion would begreat way to achieve.

Sally Arnold


Speaker reageer oor ontevredenheid met Munisipale Raad


Mnr. Mckenna se skrywe “We want service delivery-not self service” in die Prince Albert Vriend van Oktober 2008 verwys.

Die Raad het reeds in Oktober 2008 se Algemene Raadsvergadering mnr McKenna se versoek bespreek en goedgekeur wat ‘n afgehandelde saak behoort te wees.

Die Publiek en veral mnr McKenna weet teen dié tyd dat die Raad ‘n “Hung Council” is en nie met elke saak wat voor die Raad dien sal saamstem nie, wat op ‘n ander manier in koukusse bespreek moet word. Die Notule ter sprake in u skrywe word op ‘n hoë vlak ondersoek en raak geen besluitneming.

U sal ook onthou dat in die verlede het die vorige Rade by ‘n Hotel of Restaurant gaan uiteet na ‘n Algemene Raadsvergadering. Daar is ‘n sekere bedrag begroot vir onthaalkoste, soos in enige ander Munisipaliteit se begroting, maar die Raad bemagtig sy mense op alle vlakke deur besighede die geleentheid te gee om verversings vir Raadsvergaderings te verskaf.

Weereens beklemtoon ek as Voorsitter van die Raad dat ek my uiterste bes sal probeer om soveel as moontlik vergaderings te hou want u moet onthou dat as daar nie vergaderings gehou word nie, kan daar ook nie besluite geneem word nie. Ons, die Raad, word betaal om vergaderings te hou om sodoende dienslewering te bespoedig.

Alle Raadsvergaderings word geadverteer met datums en tyd en dit is oop vir die publiek.

Laastens, indien u enige verdere probleme het, staan dit u vry om my te kom spreek voordat u na die media toe gaan.

S Botes
Speaker


Prince Albert is not safe for our animals

I would strongly advise that all residents & guests to the town of Prince Albert do not walk on the Robert Gordon Koppie or the Koppie trail with their animals.

Val van der Riet’s beloved dog, Bubbles, died on Sunday 16th November from poisoning after being on the Koppie. As they live on the Koppie, Bubbles loved to walk there; this is the second animal of ours to die from poisoning. One would think that in a small community where we are relatively free from crime that it would be safe to walk in the veldt.

This is not the case: We have a silent killer - POISON

I think it is a terrible shame that in this day and age a systemic poison is allowed to be sold within a Municipal boundary. We shrug our shoulders and say that it was only a dog. But when does it stop? When a child dies who innocently picks up a feather of the bird that ate the jackal, will we then sit up and be accountable?

As Chief Seattle stated: “What is man without the beasts if all the beasts were gone – Man would die of a great loneliness of Spirit, for what happens to beasts soon happens to Man.”

Lisa Smith
Onse Rus Guesthouse


Reward for arrest and conviction of dog poisoners

Koggelmander Kuns- en Koshuis has always been a child and pet friendly establishment. We may have had problem parents and problem pet owners but have seldom had problem children or pets.

Together with many others we are outraged that someone may have deliberately set poison on the Koppie Trail to kill our dogs. Koggelmander is offering a R1 000.00 reward for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Kallie Erasmus


No to Pastorie Street Speedsters

This is a plea in support of the one made by Imke Maeyer in the October edition of the Prince Albert Friend.

I am also a resident living on Pastorie Street and am constantly amazed at the insensitivity of motor vehicle drivers using this road. Not only are schoolchildren and the elderly at risk, but those vehicles transporting seasonal farm workers do not slow down in spite of the risk to their human cargo.

Is it too much to expect the local traffic police to take action in order to curb the menace of unscrupulous drivers who care little for others?

Kay Howes


Thanks from the Thursday Group

The Ladies of the Thursday Group would like to thank the people of Prince Albert as well as visitors for their support during the past year. Not only for donating articles to the White Elephant stall at the Saturday market, but also for cash donations.

A special thanks to Gudrun and Bodo Toelstede for the excellent support derived from their many activities and acquaintances.

Ons weet daar is verskeie mense wat feitlik elke Saterdag iets kom koop net om ons te ondersteun.

Once again, a big thank you, baie dankie!

The Thursday Group

Thank You, Mr Snyman

- Linda Jaquet -

Kobus Snyman, the highly respected headmaster of Hoërskool Zwartberg, is retiring early at the end of this school year to farm full-time. The Friend chatted to him in his office less than a month before the end of the last school term.

Snyman, who has served as headmaster since 1997 after joining the staff of the school as a young teacher in 1984, regards normalising the school after 1994 as one of the highlights of his teaching career. He was full of praise for the backing of the whole community for the process, which he said ran very smoothly. This, in spite of the fact that the town’s two schools are independent of each other, that the learners are from very different backgrounds and that Hoërskool Zwartberg is far smaller than Prince Albert Primêre Skool.

A further proud moment was the Department of Education’s recognition of the smooth transition and strides made afterwards by the school, when in 2001 Hoërskool Zwartberg was declared the “most integrated school in the Western Cape”. Kobus feels that the award was not just the school’s but also one for the community of Prince Albert to cherish and celebrate. He is therefore saddened that from time to time some parents’ own reservations of integration are still transferred to their children.

The high quality of teaching at the school also gives him pleasure. “This is due to Zwartberg Hoër knowing what its core business is and doing its very best to offer every child a good education.”, he says. This can be difficult and trying for his staff, he admits, because of the huge disparities in the educational backgrounds of the learners.

Snyman’s one bugbear is the paperwork and red tape that he and all the teachers have to contend with. The only time during the interview that he showed irritation was when he described the policy wonks in the Department of Education as out of touch with the actual situation in schools and having unrealistic expectations of teachers and learners alike.

At the same time, Snyman said that he would do it all over again. He encouraged his successor to be creative, use the remarkable resources and opportunities on offer in the town and to set her or his priorities and stick to them. This would be particularly useful in determining and managing vital fundraising for the school. The school’s financial situation was always in crisis, he said. Over the years he had learned not to worry too much and that from experience, he knew that a higher hand would inevitably intervene.

He hoped whoever came after him would continue with the school’s farming activities that he initiated – ostriches and seed production – which bring in substantial funds. The person need not have an interest in farming, he felt, as there were plenty of local farmers who had offered to help. The majority of learners at the school are not fee-paying. The Department of Education subsidy for them will amount to R113 526.00 in 2009. Given the school’s required expenditure on teaching staff, facilities and general administration next year, teachers, parents, learners and all of us will have to raise almost five times that to cover costs.

Sterreprag oor Prince Albert

- Hans Daehné -

Desembernagte is die mees ideale tyd om sterre te bewonder omdat dit nie so koud is nie, dit vakansie is en mens laat kan slaap die volgende oggend en natuurlik omdat ons in die somer van ons mooiste hemelsobjekte kan sien. ‘n Paar hiervan is die groot Orionnewel, (die geboorteplek van sterre), die rooi reuse Betelgeuse en Aldebaran, die oop sterrehopies Sewe Susters en M41 (in die "maag" van die Groot Hond ) en veral die Groot en Klein Magellaanse Wolke met hulle verrassings.

In Desember het ons in die suidelike halfrond natuurlik ook ons Somersonstilstand wat op die 21ste plaasvind en die begin van ons somer aandui. Op die 1ste Desember is dit reeds die moeite werd om net ná sonsonder na `n versameling van die vier dae oue Maan, Venus en Jupiter te gaan kyk, verkieslik vanaf Gordonkoppie. Die mooi groepering sal lyk soos `n "Glimlaggesiggie".
Mercurius word teen die einde van die maand weer as `n aandobjek sigbaar vir `n uur na sonsonder.

Saturnus kom net na middernag op en sal in 2009 helderder word maar sy ring sal vir ons net soos `n streep lyk omdat ons dit van die kant af bekyk.

Volmaan is op die 12de en Nuwemaan op die 27ste Desember, wat alles sal bydra tot
baie donkertyd in dié maand om ons sterreprag te kan geniet.

Op die 26ste Januarie 2009 sal almal in Suid-Afrika `n ringverduistering van die Son kan waarneem, wat iets is om na uit te sien.

Daar is egter `n ander rede hoekom die jaar 2009 baie belangrik sal wees vir sterrekunde, en dit is omdat 2009 as die Internasionale Jaar van Astronomie verklaar is deur die Internasionale Astronomiese Unie (IAU ) en die Verenigde Nasies, ter viering van die 400ste herdenking van Galileo Galilei se eerste observasie van die heelal deur `n teleskoop. Daar word beplan om wêreldwyd `n groter bewussyn te versprei oor sterrekunde se bydrae tot die gemeenskap en kultuur, om die jeug se belangstelling in die wetenskap te prikkel, om sterrekunde as `n globale vreedsame onderneming uit te beeld en om `n wetenskaplike uitkyk in die gemeenskap te kweek.

Astro Tours beplan om sommer aan die begin van 2009 `n Sterrevriendekring van Prince Albert te stig om gedurende die jaar `n paar byeenkomste, asook `n Jeugprojek aan te bied. Enigiemand wat belangstel om by so `n vereniging aan te sluit, is welkom om ons by ondergenoemde selnommer te skakel.

Astro Tours sal die hele Desembermaand vir sterrekyksessies beskikbaar wees.
Hans en Tilanie wens almal `n Geseënde Kersfees en `n Voorspoedige 2009 toe.

Hou die sterre in u oë ! Tilanie : 072-732-2950

Brett the Vet - Chimes of Passion

Wild animals wild evoke an enviable yoke of freedom and beauty, where sacred duty and wisdom reside with pride. Man’s love for wildlife turns to hate when he alters their fate, aims to maim and captivate their spirit innate. The domestic animal no longer functions alone in the natural world, but needs our proximity, aware of humans who care. Their attachment to us is love. Actually demonstrated by soulful glances to glaring advances love dances, and it’s not always a tango!

Adoring and devoted is the canine nation without explanation, beyond imagination in every situation of misuse there is no excuse: to abuse a dog’s trust will summon disgust.

To caution a mention the capricious attention of all knowing cats distracted in acts all that nonsense, hence fire is better known as cool. Let slip the drool: kindness can be so cruel.
For all favour friendship and fondness from donkeys and horses enduring the forces of gravity midst greed and depravity. Strapped and whipped yet equipped with means for extremes of nightmarish scenes.

Behind desiring and jealousy bull, lies ardour outside the parlour.
Gracious generosity displayed by cows without appeal, abducted babies for veal; and then squeezed to make cheese and custard with ease.

Group sects express tenderness and sensitivity of sheep so meek; send lamb to the slaughter, both son and daughter.
Water tight sheer delight ducks taking flight to pond fondly fluffing their signs with laughter in lines.

Refined in a fashion the purple-eyed passion of peacocks parading, evading mundanity, framed for posterity before a kaleidoscopic fan.

Thwarted motherly instincts haunt hapless hens enduring perpetual daily labour over an egg.
Gregarious pigs rigged by crates and gates, awaiting their mates, trying to relate warmth and affection.

Warm-hearted banter proffered by geese used for feathers and grease even spoke as they choke on feeding pipes no gripes plucking down stripes.
Cherishing habits of rabbits in fences losing touch with their senses, cosmetic expenses.

In living memory was an age where people engaged with creatures caged and free, never to be blamed for shamed husbandry. Now factories abound with the sight and the sound of animals in distress living bound and blighted with love unrequited.

The mindless mechanizing of our domestic animals in recent years amounts to maltreatment which is done out of a lack of love, indifference towards them, and trivialisation of their lives. The alienation from their natural instincts becomes the real source of ailments and disease in animals, which in turn affects mankind.

Kultuurstigting vereer John Southern

- Debbie Badenhorst -

Die eerste groot taak wat John aangepak het, was die restourasie van Seven Arches, ‘n Victoriaanse gebou met ‘n ryk geskiedenis, gebou in 1865. Daarna het Ortons, ‘n Edwardiaanse gebou wat dateer uit 1905, gevolg. Dit is moontlik deur Gawie Beukes gebou as sy tweede “Movie House”. Hier het hy op die klavier gespeel terwyl hy stil prente vertoon het.

Buite die dorp het John goed daarin geslaag om die eenvoud en karakter van die Victoriaanse plaashuise op Paradys en Rosendal te laat herleef.

Hy is nou ook die eienaar van die historiese ou slagpale by Skapieseinde en sal sekerlik ook daar ‘n bydrae tot voordeel van Prince Albert maak.

Op sy beurt het John sy innige waardering uitgespreek teenoor die Kultuurstigting en die stigting geprys vir die belangrike rol wat dit speel om mense bewus te maak van ons dorp se erfenisskatte. Hy het ook met lof gepraat oor ons koerant, die Prince Albert Vriend. Hy beskou dit as ’n argief vir die dorp se geskiedenis en huidige kulturele lewe. Hy sê die koerant is ook 'n onontbeerlike spreekbuis om die denkwyses en leefpatroon van die dorpenaars aan die wyer gemeenskap oor te dra. Nie almal weet dat die koerant eens op 'n tyd in die Seven Arches gebou gehuisves was nie.
Namens almal by die museum: “Baie geluk, John, en dankie vir jou volgehoue bydrae tot die bewaring van ons dorp en distrik se ou geboue. Danksy mense soos jy en Helena se visie, sal ons erfenis behoue bly.”

Dankie ook aan die Vriende van die Museum wat hul ledegeld so getrou betaal.

To Hell and Back!

- Joe MacIntyre -

Spending holidays in Prince Albert on Angelierbosch, the farm that belonged to my wife’s grandparents, Oupa and Ouma Schoeman, I became very friendly with the district surgeon, Dr van der Westhuizen. One evening in July 1958, he phoned me and asked if I would like to go with him to Die Hel(Gamkaskloof) early the next morning. He had to go there to see if there were any medical problems, and also to extract some teeth. It sounded a bit strange, but I agreed to go with him.

The next morning I met him at his house. From there we went to the entrance at the dry river bed of the Gamka. There we met two men from Die Hel who had been to Prince Albert in a bakkie which they had left at the entrance to the river bed. For me it was like going back in time. They were fit looking men with beards, reminding me of the Voortrekkers. They both had rifles and each carried a bag of salt. Dr van der Westhuizen started up a conversation as we began walking in the river bed.

Every now and then we came across a pool of water about hundred yards away. They gave us a sign to stop and one of them took his rifle and shot a kolgans (wild goose). It was the best shooting I have seen for a long time. This happened about four times without them missing. When the good doctor asked them why they never missed, they remarked: “Die koeëls is baie duur.” (“Bullets are very expensive”)

Eventually after walking for 2½ hours we arrived at the bottom of the valley which was Die Hel. It was like coming into the Garden of Eden. On one side in a field, a donkey was pulling a big round stone which was going round in a circle, crushing wheat on a cement floor, making flour.

On the other side against the hill, there were houses built in a fairly simple style. The houses were small, but had large orchards with different types of fruit which occupants dried and sold in Prince Albert. In these orchards I saw pigs which were so fat that their bellies touched the ground.

In some of the houses I noticed coffins on the rafters and asked for an explanation. I was told that if somebody died, the coffin was immediately available and in the meantime, they stored the dried fruit in them. In other houses, people had problems with their teeth which had to be extracted that day. I was quite shocked to see the teeth being pulled out without a local anesthetic. He charged one shilling a tooth.

By now it was about 5:30 pm (in winter) and it was starting to get dark when we came to the end of the valley and had to start our journey back. To think that people had to carry their furniture and in fact all the contents of their houses from Prince Albert!

Doctor van der Westhuizen was not worried about time, but I was not looking forward to walking over rocks in the river bed in the pitch dark. I was walking in front and it was so dark that I couldn’t see my hand in front of me. I could just notice mountain cliffs each side of me. All of a sudden I heard loud barks which were answered by a loud bark coming from behind me. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rising.

I got such a fright and asked my companion if we were in danger. He replied that he had made the noise in answer to barking by baboons. I was not impressed and for another hour we walked in silence.

After arriving at the entrance, feeling very tired and hungry, I asked where the car was. The reply was that we had to look for it until we found it! That was not easy as there were lots of high bushes. To me it seemed as if we were walking in circles for hours. Much to our relief we found the car!

After having had coffee and sandwiches at the van der Westhuizen home I got back in my car and headed for the farm. Heaven knows at what time I got there, but I slept till late afternoon. I had a very heavy experience, but after thinking it over – I would not have changed this for anything else!

BADISA vra: Raak betrokke by gemeenskapsontwikkeling

Op die vooraand van die sestien dae van aktivisme teen geweld teen vroue en kinders, is dit so dat ons dorp stukkend is as gevolg van presies dít waarvoor ons nou in die openbaar opstaan. Geweld teen vroue en kinders is in Prince Albert en omgewing ‘n ernstige probleem wat dringend aangespreek moet word.

Ons weet tog almal hoe lyk geweld teen vroue en kinders - maar tog draai ons so maklik daarvan weg en laat toe dat mense onnodig.

Praktiese voorbeelde hier in ons midde was baie die afgelope jaar, maar die afgelope 2 maande is twee kinders van onderskeidelik 4 maande en 4 jaar oud onnodig dood. Twee kinders is die afgelope 2 weke deur hulle MOEDERS aangerand, onderskeidelik gewurg en ‘n oop kopwond met ‘n besemstok toegedien. Vroeër vanjaar is ‘n kleintjie met ‘n panga raakgekap deur haar pa. Hoekom laat ons dit toe? Het ons opgehou omgee vir ons kindertjies, wat juis so weerloos en afhanklik van ons is? Hulle het JUIS beskerming nodig!

Ons moet optree teen fisiese én psigiese geweld.Die eerste is die sigbare geweld, waar vroue en kinders fisiese tekens soos blou kolle of gebreekte/gekraakte bene (enige plek in die liggaam).Dit is gewoonlik ook die geweld waarvan ons eerste bewus raak.Psigiese geweld is nie sigbaar nie en rig baie diep skade aan.Die slagoffer van psigiese geweld kan self knak daaronder en aan hul seer uiting gee deur self fisies gewelddadig te raak.Mense wat seer van binne is, loop met 'n woede in hul binneste rond wat potensieel gevaarlik kan raak vir die mense rondom hulle.Psigiese geweld is die emosionele afbreek van 'n vrou of kind wat voortdurend moet hoor dat hulle niks reg doen nie, of dat hul niks werd is nie en nêrens in die lewe gaan kom nie. Dit is ‘n wesenlike miskenning van hul unieke mens-wees en menswaardigheid.

Hoe spreek ons dit aan? Deur persoonlik betrokke te raak! Moenie jou rug keer op jou buurvrou of vriendin of die kindjie wat jy opsigtelik sien swaarkry nie. Raak betrokke en meld dit aan by BADISA of, in die geval van ernstige beserings, by die hospitaal of SAPD.

Dis tyd dat die gemeenskap begin om verantwoordelikheid te aanvaar vir die vroue en kinders wat gebuk gaan onder geweld van enige vorm!

Vra jouself af of jy ‘n verskil gaan maak.

Ek sluit af met die volgende aanhaling:

“We had our first argument last night, and he said a lot of cruel things that really hurt me. I know he is sorry and didn’t mean the things he said, because he sent me flowers today. I got flowers today. It wasn’t our anniversary or any other special day.

Last night he threw me into a wall and started to choke me. It seemed like a nightmare, I couldn’t believe it was real. I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over. I know he must be sorry because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today and it wasn’t Mother’s Day or any other special day. Last night, he beat me up again, it was much worse than all the other times. If I leave him, what will I do? How will I take care of my kids? What about money? I’m afraid of him and scared to leave. But I know he must be sorry because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today. Today was a very special day. It was the day of my funeral. Last night, he finally killed me. He beat me to death. If only I had gathered enough courage to leave him, I would not have gotten flowers today …”


Ilze Koorts
Maatskaplike Werker

Life in Karoo Country... or, Time won’t always tell

- Elizabeth Storey-

When you have trouble falling asleep, have you ever tried the age-old remedy of counting sheep? The ones you would probably conjure up are gentle creatures with snowy white fluffy fleeces, happily gambolling about and leaping effortlessly over a low fence. A very far cry from the ones we farm!

Ours are “Damaras,” an ancient breed of fat-tailed sheep originally from the Middle East; semi-wild, well adapted to desert conditions, and wilfully wily. Not an easily spotted white/cream/beige, they are principally coloured to match the eighteen shades of brown that are the normal palate of our landscape after two years of drought. Locating the flock is such a problem that I have nicknamed our farm: “If-you-can-FIND-them-Fontein.”

Camouflage is one of Nature’s most interesting and advantageous characteristics for an organism. Mostly, it helps to minimize the chances of becoming someone else’s lunch. In other instances, it aids in acquiring lunch.

One of my least favorite examples of pernicious camouflage is the little crab spider, Thomisus onustus, which feeds on honey bees (I have no bias against spiders per se, but you can understand my prejudice in favour of bees!) This arachnid has the ability to perfectly match the colour of any flower in which it hides, awaiting the unsuspecting and unseeing nectar gatherer. In a pink blossom, it will be pink; the same spider, moving amongst the flora, in a yellow bloom will instantly turn into an impossible-to-detect identical golden yellow.

Damaras can be purposefully colour-bred as the rams most often ‘throw’ their dominant shade and pattern. Similar to the beautiful Nguni, Damaras can have splattered and splotched patches on their hides and, if one is lucky, a pure white one will occasionally turn up. Lack of pigment is a decided disadvantage under the desert sun but it is a great aid in sighting the flock against a backdrop of blending browns.

Wanting to vary the colour-gene pool of our stock, my husband took his two young apprentice shepherds with him to buy new rams at a breeder’s farm in the Free State. Petra’s camps are huge and he too has the challenge of finding the flock. His manager, Johannes, a very elderly and experienced shepherd, rode on the back of the bakkie with our two novices where they would have the best viewing position. The search took a long time; finally, Johannes cried out: “DAMARAS, ELEVEN O’CLOCK!” Petra swung sharply left and quickly found the reticent rams behind a near koppie. Christian and Nick were deeply impressed with Johannes’ prowess!

Returning to Leeu-Gamka, the first order of business was to join the two new breeders with our own small ram group. Being only six in number, these are even more difficult to locate than the ladies. Again, the two young men stood up just behind the bakkie’s cab, eagerly scanning the horizon, but the search seemed interminable.

Peter is a farmer of great forbearance but his patience was fast fraying when finally, the cry ‘DAMARAS, ELEVEN O’CLOCK” burst forth from the back of the bakkie. Peter veered left in eager anticipation. Not a single critter in view after many minutes and more kilometres. Peter was sorely perplexed but the young men were adamant: they had spotted the elusive sheep and so too had rightly uttered the appropriate rallying cry.

The prudent plan was to make the long journey back to the original sighting spot. Joining Christian and Nick on the flatbed, this time the two combined pointings with their protestations so that Peter realized their gestures were actually toward SEVEN rather than ELEVEN! Living in an Eskom-free world where ‘time’ is a function of available daylight, our young helpers understandably have no familiarity with a clock-face!

A large wall mounted clock currently graces the staff room. After a few lessons, accompanied by (and apologies to Bill Haley) my adapted lyrics of “Rams Around the Clock”, Christian and Nick are now well versed in telling time. And, with a little reproductive luck, we will have a whole new crop of highly visible white Spring lambs.

Museumnuus - Neushoringdier

Leon de Wit stap nou die dag in die museum in met ‘n groen geskenksakkie en sit dit op my lessenaar neer met die woorde: “Gee dit asseblief vir Judy Maguire, sy weet daarvan.”

In die sakkie is die eienaardigste verweerde, uitgedroogde, uitgerafelde houtagtige voorwerp. Dis vaal-bruin met ‘n bietjie witterigheid wat wil-wil deurslaan. Die een kant is skerp en die ander kant is effens gerond.

Ek kyk vraend na Leon en hy verduidelik dat dit ‘n renosterhoring is wat sy pa, Chrisjan de Wit, destydse eienaar van Treintjiesrivier, in ongeveer 1960 naby Sangrafte opgetel het toe hy van die San se klipwerktuie van naderby bekyk het. Hierdie diere het voorheen volop in die Republiek voorgekom en is selfs in die nabyheid van Tafelberg aangetref. Die laaste renoster in die Kaapprovinsie is in 1853 naby Port Elizabeth geskiet.

Die renosterhoring wat voor my lê lyk miskien soos verweerde hout, maar die meeste van ons is bewus daarvan dat dit uit keratien, die materiaal (stof) waarvan menslike naels en hare saamgestel is, bestaan. Die horing van die renoster groei uit die vel, nie uit die skedel nie en is ook nie vas aan die skedel nie. Die renoster se kop maak ‘n kwart van sy liggaamslengte uit. (Die mens se kop is maar een tiende van sy liggaamslengte.) Sy vel is op plekke tot 1,5 cm dik! Die rekordlengte van ‘n witrenoster se voorste horing is 1,5812 meter en dié van die swartrenoster is 1,3589 meter. Die woord renoster beteken eintlik “neushoringdier”.

Sommige kulture glo dat renosterhoring medisinale aspekte het, of as liefdesdoepa gebruik kan word. Dit is een van die hoofredes waarom dié diere die slagoffers van wildstropers word.

Leon vertel verder dat oom Chrisjan destyds ook twee verweerde olifanttande op die plaas opgetel het. Vermoedelik is dit meer as ‘n honderd en sestig jaar gelede deur ‘n jagter daar in die grondwal onder klippe begrawe, nooit opgeëis nie en het nou, jare later, gedurende ‘n donderstorm onder die klippe uitgespoel.

Chrisjan de Wit het destyds die ivoortande aan die Kaapse Museum ge-skenk, maar later uitgevind dat dit spoorloos verdwyn het!

Kom kyk gerus, die Fransie Pienaar Museum het nou ook sy eie voorraad “liefdesdoepa”, danksy Leon de Wit se skenking van ‘n renosterhoring van Treintjiesrivier!

Museumgroete
Debbie Badenhorst

Stoep Talk: Christmas Spirit, what is it?

For those of us who don’t have little children, who by now would have compiled a long list of presents and kept reminding us Christmas is a-comin’, it comes as a shock that Christmas is just around the corner.

City life, from October on, gives us continual reminders. Decorations are up in the shops. Jingles play continually. By now we’ve attended book club Christmas parties, the office Christmas parties, yoga Christmas parties, tennis club Christmas parties and so on. The local pantomime is booked so we are all hyped up and ready for it. Thank goodness for the Tourism Office’s newsletter that lets us know that Karoo carols-by-candlelight will be happening on 30 November and the Christmas market on 13 December.

For those of us who will not be up to our armpits in picking and bottling fruit and keeping our gardens wet, during the little time left we can think creatively as to how we can bring this spirit into our homes.

Instead of the commercial Christmas tree, how about buying an indigenous tree, bringing it into your house for Christmas, decorating it “à la Karoo”?

How about the American idea of baking cookies and taking them around to your friends, so you all end up with a fantastic selection, and at the same time show that you care for them.

Identify a family that you know is short of cash (and there are plenty of them around) and make up a hamper of food for them.

Invite single or lonely people to join you on Christmas Eve or on the day.

A Merry Christmas to you all and let us remember that the Christmas spirit comes from the heart and not the bottle.

Queen Vic

Dreams Really Do Come True

Recently a French couple, Nadège and Frédéric, married in Prince Albert. This is their story in their own words.

On the 5th of May 2007, when Frederic proposed to Nadège, we asked ourselves where we should get married. The answer came quite rapidly! One of Frédéric’s dreams was to get married in the desert, in an old American car, and Nadège loved the idea of the red soil. A quick look on Google Earth and in August 2007 we were on the road to Prince Albert. This was the first of a series of weekends we were to spend driving the South African immensity in search of the place which would talk to us.

After driving for four and a half hours, we entered Prince Albert at lunch time and the dream started…A quick look on the left and Nadège said ‘Let’s go there for lunch!’ when she saw Café Albert, a quick look on the right and we could not believe our eyes: right there, a Blue Cadillac was parked, as if it had been waiting for us! This would be the first sign that Prince Albert was the right place for us!

We decided to drop our luggage at Dennehof where we had booked a room, only to realise that by pure chance it was the “Honeymoon Suite”. By the end of the weekend we loved it so much that we decided that this would one day be our real honeymoon suite. We returned to Café Albert where we had lunch and met the owners, Romy and William, who immediately grabbed a pen and a piece of paper when we mentioned our decision to get married in Prince Albert. Romy started listing the potential wedding venues and suppliers of various services, so much that indeed, without knowing it, when the dessert came, our wedding had started taking shape.

Romy was the first to suggest that we get married at Abrahamskraal. Half an hour later Hestie Fourie from Abrahamskraal was sitting at our table and by the end of the afternoon we went to the farm with Hestie and her husband, Johan. We immediately fell in love with the place; nothing around, just a farm and yes – a windmill! The plan was already unfolding: The reception would be at the farm and the aperitif at the windmill!

The following day we left the village with big smiles on our faces and returned to Cape Town over the Swartberg Pass. We could not believe how beautiful it was and on top of it all, it started snowing heavily! After seven years of living in Cape Town, we managed to touch and taste snow again for the first time! Naturally we kept this Pass in mind for the ceremony.

At the end of October 2007, we decided to come back to start organising the wedding. That’s when we met Lisa from Onse Rus who was so inspiring! She suggested that the ceremony be held on the dance floor in the Swartberg Pass and gave us Johanna Luttig’s details, as a potential supplier of rustic decorations. We also explained to Lisa that we wanted to have a very spiritual ceremony and she jumped out of her chair to fetch a wedding magazine in which she had just read an article about Celtic weddings. We read it and got so excited because it was completely in line with what we were looking for!

Voila! The venue was set. In the year that followed we had a succession of weekend meetings with amazing people at Die Kuierhuis in Prince Albert. Everyone here is so special, so loving and helpful, so enjoying of life’s every moment. One day we met Ailsa, the Ghost Story Teller, at the Lazy Lizard, who put us in contact with Bob Commin, a priest from Cape Town who was experienced in Celtic weddings and who would end up officiating an unforgettable ceremony with talent and emotion.

Johanna Luttig and her daughters from Drie Riviere designed and made lots of stunning rustic decorations for the tables and outside the tent. They also baked and designed a great wedding cake that was to be eaten under a Bedouin tent at the windmill on the farm, during the aperitif sundowners. Eventually, they also ended up receiving a bus full of French family members from South Western France and Normandy at their farm on the Friday evening preceding the wedding. The French crew of 50, plus lots of friends from Cape Town, enjoyed a typical South African spitbraai, and a rugby kicking competition was quickly organised between the French and the Boks. We say that the French won!

Jason Lucas provided his Blue Cadillac and Gawie Breytenbach his beige Chevrolet, which added a romantic tone to this already very unusual wedding. The dress code was free, but colors had to be burnt orange, chocolate, rust, copper, as were all the decorations under and outside the beige Bedouin tent set next to the farm house at Abrahamskraal, where the desert, lit only by candles, was an inspiration.

Anobe Badenhorst at the Swartberg Hotel organised a delightful brunch the day after the wedding and accommodated lots of our guests from France, indeed all of Frédéric’s family. There were lots of French people in the little town that weekend! And we were all so happy to be there. They fell in love with Prince Albert! The Prince Albert Country Store played a central role in this wedding: Colleen and William (whose son, we later discovered, actually lives next door to our flat in Cape Town!) helped us with a ‘love box’ that Frédéric chose and painted for Nadège as a very personal gift, and Colleen designed a beautiful bridal bouquet.

Hestie had recommended Jakoba Visagie, who manages the school choir and who taught her talented singers a few of the gospel songs that we had selected. This brought a higher level of emotion to the ceremony in the Pass, and we saw lots of emotional tears in the eyes of the French and South African guests, when they arrived at the Dance Floor and the choir started singing, surrounded by sky, river, and mountains.

Ria Steyn from Dennehof assisted the bride and her bridesmaids to have special make-up and hair style sessions on the morning of the wedding; Louis van Brakel at Die Kuierhuis accommodated them during their last weekend and the week before the wedding; and Kevin Hough from the Gallery exhibited some of his unbelievable pieces of art in the Karoo desert at Abrahamskraal, which gave a surrealist dimension to this already unbelievable wedding.

Our biggest thanks, must go to Hestie and Johan, an amazing couple who worked during long months to help with planning and then who hardly slept during the wedding weekend. For more than a year of preparation, Hestie and Johan surrounded us with their advice, love and affection and after all this time working together for our D-day, we ended up having not only a wedding that exceeded our biggest dreams, but also very importantly, having two new very special friends. We live in Cape Town and have chosen South Africa to live, work and raise our children, and one thing is sure, we will be regulars of Prince Albert in the years to come. We will actually spend Christmas there!

On the 25th of October 2008, the Frenchies got married in Prince Albert, and everything happened according to plan, thanks to all the wonderful people of Prince Albert, their love, their talent, their kindness and enthusiasm!

Prince Albert is forever in our hearts and the village and its people have made such an incredible impact on us and on our guests that we have decided to spend three months in our peaceful heaven when Nadège will be pregnant with our first child!

What is Culinary Tourism?

A recent survey of international travel by the World Tourism Organisation revealed that in 2007 more than 903 million international tourists travelled worldwide and they spent a staggering 8.6 trillion Rands. To put this number in perspective, it is five times the total GDP of South Africa. So there is little dispute that tourism is a huge factor in the global economy and ultimately has a direct positive impact on the economies of smaller communities such as Prince Albert. A growing feature of the travel market is culinary tourism. The Friend asked our own Jeremy Freemantle to give our readers an idea of what this means for our town.

The generic definition of tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organisation defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited".

Culinary Tourism is valued by tourism industry professionals as one of the most popular niches in the world's tourism industry. This makes sense, given recent consumer focus on healthy and organic eating, culinary/food pedigrees, and the simple fact that all travellers must eat. Not every visitor goes shopping or visits museums, but all travellers eat. According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, culinary tourism is defined as the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences and is considered a subset of cultural tourism (cuisine is a manifestation of culture). Culinary tourism is about what is "unique and memorable, not what is necessarily pretentious and exclusive".

The international boom in food related TV and the rise of the celebrity chef have brought about a new consciousness regarding food and cooking. There is a growing appreciation of the need to protect the environment by eating local and seasonal produce and thus reducing the carbon footprint of food production, eating healthily is very much a new lifestyle choice and there is a growing fascination for and a desire to learn about different food cultures. The recreational cook is a new persona, who has emerged from the dark recesses of culinary oppression and stereotypes, where women cooked, men ate and children pushed their Brussel sprouts around the plate desperately trying to hide them. The new society is much more enlightened with men moving into the kitchen a lot more, creating innovative food and shedding the label of braai master. Women are braaiing masterfully and children are still looking to hide those Brussels sprouts. Cooking is a necessity and whereas for some it has always been a drudge, it can be fun, relaxing and an expression of creativity and innovation. Gone are the days when the kitchen was just a room at the other end of the house, it is now the core and social hub of the home.

The culture of any community is deeply rooted in their food, how they prepare it, and when they eat it. Every culture has its own unique traditions, customs and methods of preparation, cultivation and consumption and there is a rich and fascinating history attached to the cuisines of the world, their evolvement and significance in societies. It is this that culinary travellers seek to learn more about and to experience. The sharing of food and hospitality is a universal indicator of friendship and what better way to learn about a foreign culture than through food and culinary customs. Prince Albert is certainly rich in this regard and there is no doubt that visitors are all the richer for having enjoyed what this town has to offer.

Heritage, Politcs and... You

Without an understanding of the link between the town’s heritage and its economic life, heritage can be presented politically as a divisive factor. That will not put food on the table.

In Prince Albert, we have wide open spaces that other small towns can envy, outsiders wander our streets and marvel at our buildings, and people show a friendliness which extends to strangers. Together, all these factors have contributed to peaceful co-existence, job creation, and food on the table.

When we see our town through the eyes of visitors we can appreciate what we have. To put the above into context, the entire community can be grateful for the significant heritage which the town has inherited. We are blessed with a diverse historical townscape, unlike other towns in which architectural treasures have been demolished to make way for more modern buildings..
In Prince Albert, the creation of new jobs depends largely on the initiative of the more affluent homeowners, in that old buildings have to be carefully maintained and restored, using the skills of local craftsmen, and funded – often at great expense – by the owners.

Higher rates received from restored buildings assist the municipality to provide jobs locally. ‘Poverty alleviation’ piece work may be one of the benefits. More employment for hundreds of builders, farm workers and gardeners and those who manage the furrow system has been created by the protection of Prince Albert's rich agricultural legacy and its historical agricultural resource. Therefore high value should be placed on the town's heritage and cultural resources.

The town’s economic well-being depends to a great extent on a vibrant tourism sector, and:

the heritage drawcard which brings South African and international tourists to Prince Albert;
the quality and service provided by the guest houses, which employ hundreds of local people, and enables local business to thrive.

Within the municipal structure there is the Heritage and Building Committee – whose work is to advise on the conservation of heritage and development. The Council should be complimented for funding the Heritage Survey currently being carried out by the Prince Albert Cultural Foundation.

Remember, heritage puts food on the table – it is important that we understand the link. Where a town's inhabitants stand together to protect its assets, a flourishing community life is assured.

Kankerstap 2008

- Reinie Smit -

Saterdag, 25 Oktober, was dit weer tyd vir ons jaarlikse kankerstap. Die weer het saamgespeel en ons het die 5km in sonskyn en ‘n heerlike koel wind gestap. Die 17de Okt het ons kleuterskole en gr. 1-3’s hul eie kankerstappie gehou saam met Toktokkie, met groot opgewondenheid wat natuurlik geheers het!

Baie dankie aan almal wat deelgeneem het, donasies gegee het en almal wat bygedra het om ‘n sukses van die Kan-kerstap te maak. Danksy jul almal se ondersteuning en hulp kon ons R4108-00 vir Kansa insamel.

The Gallery Café moves upward

- Jeremy Freemantle -

The Gallery Café, Prince Albert’s well-known and charming eatery has moved up in the world. Its new lodgings are situated upstairs in the Seven Arches building on Church Street.

Whereas the restaurant downstairs was intimate and cosy, it was a little cramped and often spilled over into the Gallery during busy periods. Brent-Phillips White, owner executive chef and inspiration behind the restaurant, seized the opportunity to take the space upstairs and it has proved to be an excellent decision.

The space is large and roomy with splendid decor which gives a sense of grandeur whilst retaining a warm intimacy. On windless, balmy evenings the veranda is the perfect place to gaze out over the town and watch the stars.

As usual the menu is wonderfully varied and continues to feature the signature favourites, such as butternut and sage soup, the unforgettable home-made ice cream and of course, the ever present lamb or venison offerings. I could wax lyrical about specific dishes but prefer to define what makes this restaurant special and worth visiting. Brent Phillips-White is passionate about sourcing the best local and seasonal produce and will not compromise on quality. If it’s not fresh or seasonal, it’s not on the menu.

The entire dining experience is a pleasure, there is never a sense that one is being rushed and the service is always personal and unobtrusive. For me the highlight of the culinary experience is the presentation of the menu. Even if one is not particularly passionate or interested in the ingredients or the preparation methods, one cannot help but be enthralled by Brent’s explanation of each item on the menu, leaving you in delightful anticipation as to your final choice. He makes each dish sound so enticing and exotic. The good news is that the final product matches the sales pitch.

Applause and support is recommended for this establishment. It is a credit to Prince Albert and the ongoing effort to attract and delight our visitors and Prince Alberters alike. I shall be going there often and I know it is worth it.

“Strictly Come Dancing” - make way for PA!

-Zelia Mullins-

Prince Albert definitely does not lack in talent especially when it comes to Michael Upton, a former Arthur Murray dance instructor and professional dancer. Michael’s rise to fame was as a professional ice skater in “Holiday on Ice” in New York and he modestly remarks that he just started dancing as a sideline.

He danced as an amateur for the Royal Dance Teachers Association (RDTA) for three years and then for a further six years as a professional dance specialist for which he received a Gold Star Diploma. Michael’s dancing skills include the sensual Latin American and elegant Ballroom dances which have made TV’s series “Strictly Come Dancing” so popular.

After numerous requests from locals who wanted to learn how to dance, Michael decided to shake the dust and cobwebs from his dancing shoes and come out of “retirement”. In mid-July this year he started group tuition for young and old alike. Michael is assisted by his partner Tim Rowson, who is responsible for the dance music.

Thus far students have been taught the basic steps for the Swing or Jive, the Rumba, the Mambo, the Tango, the Foxtrot, the Waltz and the Cha Cha. Michael even added the Viennese Waltz and the Polka to their repertoire for the recent Oktoberfest held in Prince Albert.

Social dance evenings are organised on a regular basis so that the students can practise the dances learnt over the last few months. It also gives them the opportunity of dancing with other partners thus gaining confidence.

The PA Dance Club held its first social dance on Friday, 7 November and “a ball” was had by all. Each family provided a plate of snacks and brought along their own drinks, then it was down to serious dancing late into the night.

Dance lessons continue every Tuesday evening at 19h15 in the Hoërskool Zwartberg hall and anyone interested in joining should contact Michael on tel. 023 541-1872. Private tuition is also available.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he
(Chorus from “Lord of the Dance)

Prince Albert Garden Club Visits Middelwater

- Jeanette de Lange -

Picture trees in your mind; big, shady, cool, trees, set in cool lawns surrounded by white, pink and the deepest red roses. This can’t possibly be in the Karoo, and exists only in magazines you say to yourself. And yet it is true: this is Middelwater at Wilgemond farm, the flower oasis, where Nelmarie Swiegers and her helpers work, gathering and tying bunch after bunch of colours for the flower market in Oudtshoorn. In fact you just have to be there yourself to see Garden Club members and visitors walk, stroll or get wheeled through this beautiful garden to experience pure tranquillity.

Na insiggewende praatjies oor bemarking en prysstygings deur Nelmarie, skuif die aksent na keurig gedekte tafels en gemakstoele met groot kussings. Dan op gewilde aanvraag – VETKOEK – waaraan almal wegle (sonder om te tel hoeveel!). Sommige van ons was vantevore op die plaas maar dit bly ‘n ervaring om te koester.

Our next Garden Club meeting will be in February 2009, so keep a lookout for the brand new poster that Tim Rowson kindly designed for us. Until then we wish you many happy hours of gardening and of celebrations with those close to you during the festive season.

Visiting Environmentalists Study Local Plants

Twenty-four members of the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) visited Prince Albert for a few days in September as part of an organised excursion after their annual international conference in Stellenbosch. Prince Albert residents, Carol and Dorrien Tissiman, were their guides after a brief tuition from Sue Milton and Richard Dean, who were abroad at another conference!

The IAVS is an international union of scientists and academics working in theoretical or practical aspects of vegetation science. The visitors to Prince Albert came from all over the world, including USA, Germany, France, Austria, and Poland. They devoted their stay to four focus areas: the veld plains north of town, the old fossil river specialty, the Koppie, the lower Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort.
The group was overwhelmed by Prince Albert hospitality, particularly the great food provided by the Luttig family and the Lazy Lizard.The rains a few weeks prior to the visit enabled them to view some of our wonderful Karoo plant delights, including the rare red plumbago tristes, abundant purple, pink and white drosanthemumsin abundance, sarcoaulon (bushman’s candle) and they treaded very carefully around the rare lithops and glottiphyllum.

Many of them expressed a wish to return to spend longer and also bring their students here.From the guides’ perspective, it was wonderful to celebrate our unique fauna and flora with visitors as they quietly wandered with noses to the ground or eyes through binoculars on birds, completely absorbed in the natural environment.

A True Professional with Heart

Passionate, caring, practical and professional describe Sister Janine Nel’s approach to her job as head of the TB-ARV clinic at the Prince Albert Primary Health Care Clinic. It is clearly an approach that works - during November the clinic received the award for the best Anti-Retroviral (ARV) team in the Southern Cape-Karoo region in recognition of its excellent achievements in rolling out HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) in the area.

Janine has headed the clinic for the last eighteen months, the only fully integrated TB-ARV clinic in the Southern Cape-Karoo region. She spends three days of the week attending to patients at the clinic at the Prince Albert Clinic and on the remaining days runs the Outreach TB-ARV clinic in Leeu-Gamka, Laingsburg or Merweville.

Henry Basson, the Prince Albert Hospital Manager, has high praise for Janine and her achievements, pointing to the fact that the clinic has got more people on to TB treatment - 90 in Prince Albert at the moment – and has an 88% cure rate and a default rate of only 5%. This is largely due to people who never return to the clinic to complete their treatment. Not too many do that. “I know each and every one of my patients and know if they don’t make regular follow-up visits to the clinic,” Janine says. “This is where I work closely with the Home Based Care personnel and discreetly get messages through them to patients to come and see me.”

Discretion, trust and confidentiality are clearly the name of the game when it comes to patients living with HIV/AIDS. According to Janine, stigma still deters people from testing for HIV/AIDS and certainly from disclosing to their families and friends.

Janine’s approach to anyone who is HIV-positive is that they have a chronic illness like high blood pressure or asthma or diabetes and that they have many years ahead of them provided they are prepared to lead healthy lifestyles and where needed, start ARV treatment. She has found that most of her patients are willing to improve their lives and give up alcohol, for example, which has a detrimental effect both on their health and the efficacy of their medication.

It is not possible to estimate how many people in Prince Albert are HIV-positive – many get tested in Oudtshoorn and elsewhere to avoid the stigma of attending the local clinic. However, the TB-ARV clinic provides ARVs to 108 people in the entire area in which it covers. According to Janine, the spread of the HIV infection in the Prince Albert area is largely due to sexual transmission, exacerbated by alcohol and drug abuse. Prevalence is highest in the 20 -30 year old age group, and is evenly spread – 50/50 – among men and women. However, she finds that women are more open to testing and treatment: “They know that they have to be healthy to be able to take care of their children, often on their own without support.” She is particularly saddened by the situation in Leeu-Gamka and Laingsburg, both on the N1, a major trucking route between Gauteng and the coast, where teenage girls have a far higher infection rate. “The hardest part of my job,” she says, “is working with children who have the virus.”

Janine is not fazed by what many people would consider a tough, depressing job. It is clear that while at times she finds it psychologically draining, she loves and lives for what she does. The only thing that she dislikes is the red tape and paperwork that goes with working for a large organisation. Like many of her colleagues working in the same field she feels that ARV clinics throughout the country are the “stepchildren in hospitals.” She is not convinced that a change in the Minister of Health will change the situation. Still, she is passionate about all things medical and has been since her childhood in Oudtshoorn, when she dreamed first of being a vet and then of pursuing a medical career.

She completed her four years’ nursing training at Tygerberg Hospital and as she was homesick, applied for posts in and around Oudtshoorn. She began working at the then Prince Albert Provincially-Assisted Hospital in January 1995 and also completed her primary health care diploma. From August 2002, she ran the Hospital’s mobile primary health care clinic, serving the farms in the Greater Prince Albert area. She received training in HIV/AIDS from Dr Dreyer, who set up the ARV clinic at the Primary Health Care Clinic and was then appointed to head it.

On 5 December, Janine is leaving the TB-ARV clinic and returning to work in the Hospital. She says it has been a tough and very personal decision, influenced by the enjoyment and fulfilment she gets from hands-on nursing. “Doing relief work at weekends in the Hospital has made me realise just how much I enjoy ‘catching babies’ and working on a ward and being there for patients who are recovering from serious illnesses.”

One of Sister Janine’s patients at the ARV clinic told the Friend that she would be sorely missed. “We know that she cares deeply about each one of us. She is an impressive person and does wonderful things for the community.”

Jakkalse, Skape, Slagysters en Aktiviste

Some months ago, Bool Smuts of the Landmark Foundation, which promotes non-lethal predator controls on livestock farms, caused a stir when through his e-mail newsletters circulated in South Africa and abroad, he asked his readers to protest against the presence of a factory producing gin traps in Prince Albert.In this edition, three players in the gin trap debate present their points of view.

Gin Traps Should Be Banned Immediately

We at the Landmark Foundation believe that gin traps, leg hold devices, such as snares, indiscriminate poison traps and hunting dog packs as methods of predator control on livestock farms are barbaric practices that should be outlawed immediately.These methods are indiscriminate, cruel and ecologically damaging and have proven ineffectual. We actively promote efforts that are non-lethal, ecologically and socially acceptable, humane and demonstrably more effective. Traps have been banned in 90 countries, but are still advanced in South Africa by academics, agricultural institutions, government departments and even some conservation agencies.

We have a responsibility to care for all living creatures in ethical ways.There is no moral defence for the unselective torture and destruction of wild animals sharing the environment with livestock. For centuries dedicated predator persecution has failed to resolve the problem for farmers and many admit livestock losses from predation have increased in recent years, despite increased use of lethal controls. Modern farmers understand the futility of fighting against nature and are turning to holistic and non-lethal management practices that are far more efficient, cost effective and acceptable.

Balanced ecosystems, inclusive of predation, provide a healthy co-existence between predators and livestock farming. To encourage biodiversity we promote the following sustainable methods of integrated predator control:

  • Livestock guarding animals – Anatolian guard dogs, herding dogs, donkeys, alpacas, llamas, etc
  • Protective measures – kraaling, protective sheep collars, technology collars, fencing mechanisms
  • Herdsmen/shepherds
  • Herd selections
  • Other deterrents – noises (Bell collars and alarms)and smells
  • Live trapping and collaboration with conservation entities
  • Conservation of wildlife on livestock and game farms

It is important to understand and respect the value of predators. Within the food pyramid they function at the top, playing a critical role in the health and dynamic balance of the ecosystem by managing prey populations. Natural harmony has been dramatically altered by the impact of agriculture. Livestock is inevitably targeted as prey. Inappropriate farm management systems have disrupted the balance of various predators and natural prey populations thereby exacerbating the problem. Certain predator species have been reduced to the brink of extinction (leopard) while others (caracal and jackal) have multiplied disproportionately through indiscriminate killing. Predators balance their own numbers better than any efforts of humans, especially through lethal controls as has been demonstrated in recent research on jackal and leopards. It is actually the lethal controls that are increasing numbers of secondary predators such as jackal and caracal.

We need to protect predators in their natural role to optimize integrity of the environment and preserve our natural heritage. More consumers are demanding the implementation of holistic, ethical and ecologically acceptable practices by choosing products that are environmentally and ethically sound, and they are prepared to pay for it. Extra earnings for farmers offset the losses to predation to make economic sense.

Over the past year we have demonstrated dramatic success using only stipulated non-lethal control methods in the entire Baviaanskloof area with the full co-operation of neighbouring farmers. Since the implementation covering 13 000 small livestock animals, less than 10 individual losses attributed to predators have been reported.Recently farmers and the local community staged a public and symbolic burning of 160 gin traps to signify their confidence in the positive change.

So it was with sadness and anger that I left the beautiful and peaceful town of Prince Albert some months ago where a factory is quietly manufacturing up to 1 200 gin traps a month, two hundred of which are leopard traps - it is illegal to use these devices on protected species. The factory owner, Peter Schneekluth, boasts 3 000 farmers on his books, which means up to 15 000 of his traps enter the system each year. I wonder how the Prince Albert Tourism Association and the town’s political leadership explain such an anomaly to the tourists and other visitors to their unique town?

While in Prince Albert I was also struck by the unusual and fanciful art work of Kevin Hough and his gallery on the main street.I look forward to the day when gin traps are rejected by everyone and he can transform them into unique sculptures and memorials.

Bool Smuts heads the Landmark Foundation.

Van Jakkalse, Skape, en Aktiviste

Jan van Riebeeck se dagboeke is vol verwysings na roofdiere wat die VOC se kuddes verwoes het. In Karel Schoeman se boek Armosyn van die Kaap lees ‘n mens die volgende aanhaling: ”…in dieselfde tydperk kon die vryswarte, Jan van Cylon, egter nog geld verdien met die skiet van leeus en luiperds in die omliggende klowe (van Stellenbosch) en in 1712 het hy 24 gulden ontvang vir die eerste leeu van die jaar”.

En nou, bykans 300 jaar later, het niks verander nie. Honderde jagters, deeltyds en voltyds, van Khoi, Xhosa, Sotho en Europese afkoms, verkry hul inkomste, net soos ene Jan van Cylon, uit die jag van roofdiere. Ten spyte van dié groot jagpoging, word jaarliks nog ‘n verbysterende 800,000 tot ‘n miljoen stuks vee deur roofdiere gedood en verskeur (dis meer as 2,000 stuks vee per dag!) Feitlik die hele groter roofdierspektrum (jakkalse, rooikatte, rondloperhonde, luiperds, strandwolwe, draaijakkalse, sekere muishonde, otters, ratels, bosvarke en bobbejane) sak op ons kwesbare skape en bokke toe, want hulle het nòg kloue nòg slagtande nòg die mentaliteit om terug te veg - dus moet die mens sy skape beskerm wat hy dan ook met mening doen, want sy bestaan hang van die welvaart van sy vee af.

There is a quiet, never-ending kind of low-level “guerilla warfare” going on, in the Karoo and elsewhere, to fight tough and resourceful predators in an attempt to contain stock losses. Farmers employ a wide variety of methods to do so. One of the more important ones is the gin trap (slagyster). That is unfortunate, because the gin is a cruel device. How cruel, has been aptly described by the great English writer Thomas Hardy in his novel The Woodlander about 120 years ago. Yes, and I am the person who manufactures them, and - Prince Albert is the place.

And now activists, always eager to identify a cause to fight for, have found my factory, the “Place of Evil”. The discoverer was Dr. Bool Smuts (a non- practicing medical doctor) of the Landmark Foundation. On 16 th of July he entered my premises under false pretenses and under the name of Dave Mills, talked his way into the factory, charmed my staff, took photos and purchased traps. A few weeks later I received a flood of toxic e-mails. The vilest language was used, mostly written by “ladies”. The mails also revealed an utter ignorance about the dreadful sheep/predator situation, and all writers lamented the fate of jackal, and not a word of pity for our sheep. However, some of the more balanced writers suggested some alternative, non-lethal (ethical) methods such as the use of Anatolian guard dogs, protective collars, alpacas and donkeys. The problem with these methods is, unfortunately, that they work only under certain favourable conditions. If they would work as well as activists claim, farmers would have adopted them long ago, and my trap factory would have had to close down. Farmers would only be too glad to dispose of traps, because trap-work is expensive, cruel, extremely labor intensive and highly frustrating, but - gin traps are often the last line of defence, the final weapon when all else fails. In other words, as long as there is not a viable alternative to gin traps, they will be used, banned or un-banned. Instead of always criticizing, activists should pool their considerable resourses and develop an alternative to the cruel trap.

Instead, Dr. “Dave Mills” incites his followers to threaten Prince Albert’s tourist industry with a boycott, unless this industry, with the backing of PA Municipality, throws me, and my “Evil Place”, out of town, tarred and feathered. This is blackmail and conceitedness combined, and that from an outsider via the internet. And, in doing so, “Dave Mills” is creating discontent in our town.

It is not the first time that I have crossed swords with activists, and often wondered what is feeding their obsession. Taylor Caldwell has summed them up in her book The Beautiful is Vanished: “But there were others, I could pick them out, I knew them in a way. I could see these others were unsuccessful professional men, lawyers perhaps, or doctors, school teachers, newspaper people. Or should I say, they felt they were unsuccessful, that they deserved more…people who lacked the capacity to succeed in a major way as their fellow professional men had succeeded”.

Peter Schneekluth manufactures gin traps in Prince Albert.

Beproefde eeue-oue metodes beskerm ons kleinvee

Photo caption: “One example of the cruel way our lovely free range animals are massacred each night by vicious beasts on the open plains of our district.” - Joseph Steyn

As ‘n kleinveeboer is ek en die arbeiders wat saam met my boer se enigste bron van inkomste -- kleinvee. Ons bestuur die skape en bokke op lewensonderhoudende en lewensskeppende wyses sodat hulle gesond is, kan vermeerder en wol en bokhaar produseer. Die produkte verkoop ons dan en lewe van die inkomste. Verloor ons die skape en bokke, verloor ons die fondasie van ons lewensonderhoud. Erger as wat ‘n diereliefhebber sy troeteldier liefhet, het ons ons skape en bokke lief – ons lewens hier op die plaas word deur hulle welstand gewaarborg.

Roofdiere wat in ons area voorkom vind dit eenvoudig net makliker om ‘n skaap of boklam te vang, wat nie so vinnig en rats is om te ontvlug, as ‘n steenbok of haas wat sy natuurlike prooi verteenwoordig nie. Die wreedste vorms van verminking denkbaar het ons al onder skape en bokke hier op die plaas beleef:
Boklammers wat honger agter hul ma’s aanloop omdat hulle nie kan soog nie omdat ‘n roofdier hul bekkies en tonge afgevreet het.
Boklammers waarvan die ore en sterte stomp afgevreet is.
Skaaplammers waarvan die boudspier uitgevreet is sodat hul beswaarlik kan loop.
Dorperooie waarvan die ingewande op die grond sleep as sy loop nadat ‘n jakkals haar buik op haar sy oopgeskeur het.
‘n Merinolam wat staan en eet omdat hy honger is, maar as hy sluk val die gekoude lusern op die grond omdat sy slukderm afgevreet is deur ‘n roofdier. (Selfs nie die veearts op Beaufort-wes kon nie sy lewe red nie!)
Lammers wat doodgewurg lê, maar nie aan geëet is nie.

As gevolg van boerdery eenhede (plase) wat al groter moet word omdat produktepryse elke jaar 3% minder styg as ons insetkostes, raak die beheer van roofdiere moeiliker en neem hul getalle kommerwekkend toe. Alle metodes van roofdiere afskrik, lammers beskerm tot die skuldige roofdiere elimineer word gebruik ons om ons kleinveekuddes te beskerm.

Om roofdiere te elimineer is nodig indien die verminkings en slagtings nie gestop kan word nie. Daarvoor het ons die beproefde metodes nodig wat al eeue lank gebruik word om die probleem te beheer. Slagysters word as die laaste uitweg gebruik om sulke wrede roofdiere selektief mee weg te neem. Kleinvee is al waarmee ons in die ekstensiewe dele van ons distrik en land kan boer- moet asseblief nie die verminking van ons skape en bokke laat toeneem deur slag-ysters te verban nie.

Diere is ons lewe !!

Joseph Steyn, boer op die plaas Riet-fontein buite Prince Albert.

Wildekanisland en Miernes se jaarlikse konsert

- Anneke van Eck -

En was dit nie ‘n gesig om te sien nie! Al die plaasdiere wat deur die gehoor aangestap kom en hul gaan tuismaak op die verhoog - op Oupa se plaas. Daar was koeie, skapies, eendjies, Oupa en Ouma kompleet met hul kleinkinders. Van ‘n hansvarkie, swartskaap, hoenders en kuikens, gansies, ‘n kolliehond, ‘n meerkat tot by die werfskoonmakertjies en pap-etertjies.

Oupa se plaas het omtrent gewemel van die bedrywighede. Liedjies is gesing en elke faset van die plaas het behoorlike aandag gekry. Tot die koeie kon hul spene vir ‘n slag lekker rondswaai!

Die hoogtepunt van die Graad R-klas se aand was dat 16 van hulle graad “gevang” het sodat hulle volgende jaar na Graad 1 bevorder kan word. En Miernes het nie agtergebly nie! Drie van die bedrywige miertjies het graad gevang en skuif volgende jaar oor na Wildekanisland.

Die saal was propvol van al die familie en belangstellendes en daar was geen plek vir ‘n muis oor nie. Baie dankie aan almal wat ons ondersteun het en ook al die werkers wat van die aand so ‘n groot sukses gemaak het. ‘n Spesiale dank aan juffroue Berlinda en Marina wat al die maatjies moes afrig om so ‘n suksesvolle aand op die planke te bring !

Tobie Gous is tans besig om ‘n DVD te maak van die aand se konsert en dit kan van hom bestel word. Al die 3 tot 4-jariges wat nog belangstel om volgende jaar na Miernes Speelgroepie te kom, kan by juf. Marina Nel aansoek doen.

Zwartberg se leerders kry beloning vir hul harde werk

- Anneke van Eck -

Op Vrydag-aand 24 Oktober 2008, was dit Hoërskool Zwartberg se jaarlikse prysuitdeling. Leerders is op akademiese- en sportgebied deur ‘n verskeidenheid toekennings vereer vir hul pogings wat hul dwarsdeur die jaar ingesit het.

Op sportgebied het leerders uitgeblink en veral die karate-groep het baie mooi presteer op die nasionale kampioenskappe. Die Junior Sportvrou toekenning is gegee aan Eloïse Gouws en die Junior Sportman was Oscar Maeyer. Die Senior Sportvrou was Nina Vermeulen en die Senior Sportman was Marius Williams.

Op akademiese gebied het baie leerders mooi presteer. Leerders wat in hul onderskeie grade bo ‘n sekere persentasie behaal het vir ‘n vak, het kontantbewyse gekry waarmee hul vir hul boeke kon bestel op Kalahari.net.

Baie dankie aan mnr. Jeremy Freemantle vir die inspirerende boodskap en aan mev. Imke Maeyer wat die pryse oorhandig het.

Ons voel regtig trots op elke leerder wat ‘n prys ontvang het en hoop dat daar volgende jaar dubbel soveel op die verhoog sal verskyn!

Baie geluk met jul prestasies!

Lekker, leersame kamp vir leerders

- Nadia Lerm -

Een en twintig van ons bevoorregte Graad 7 leerders van Hoërskool Zwartberg het vanaf 26 - 30 Oktober by Hartenbos gaan kamp.

Die program was lekker vol! Dag 1 was ons in Wildernis, waar ons op die Tourivier geroei en ‘n staproete langs die rivier gedoen het. Die middag is ons na Waterworld by Diaz Strand en Dinsdagoggend is ons na die Spoorwegmuseum waarvandaan ons met die Choo-Tjoe tot by Mosselbaai gery het. Daarna is ons Akwarium en Skulpmuseum toe en het ons ook na Dias se karveel gaan kyk.

Woensdag het ons met die ferrie op die Knysna-meer gevaar en met ‘n 4x4 voertuig deur ‘n reservaat gery. Ons het ook ‘n staproete van twee kilometer gedoen en ná middagete is ons Olifantpark toe, waar ons die olifante gevoer het. Daarna het Birds of Eden gevolg, wat vir die meeste van ons die hoogtepunt was. Donderdag, ons laaste oggend, het ons met die 7 seas om Robbeneiland gevaar en toe, ongelukkig, was alle goeie dinge op ‘n einde.

Ons wil vir Spar baie dankie sê vir die groot borgskap wat ons ontvang het, ook baie dankie aan die ouers wat bygedra het. Dan, ‘n spesiale dank aan Meneer Danie wat ons rondgery en veilig huistoe gebring het. Dankie, Juffrou Verlè, dat jy vir ons die Kamp gereël het. Dit was vreeslik lekker!

Vielen Dank Bodo!

- Kobus Snyman en die Hoërskool Zwartberg personeel -

Bodo se maraton-fondsin-sameling het met die slag van simbale en die geskal van trompette tydens die 7e Oktoberfest tot 'n einde gekom.

Wat 'n onvergeetlike aand, met die Blaskapelle Hemslingen wat genotvolle musiek en groot vermaak verskaf het. Hierdie Oktoberfest het nie alleenlik R65 987.00 vir Hoërskool Zwartberg ingesamel nie, maar ook tot voordeel van almal, die gastehuise gevul; mense getrek wat die twee kunsuitstallings en die blommefees van die naweek bygewoon het; die personeel van die Koffiewinkels aan die hardloop gehou en baie nuwe vriende vir Prince Albert gemaak het.

Bodo has been raising funds for the Babbelbergies, Wilderkanisland and Hoërskool Zwartberg for the last 8 years – an amazing total of R540 480.00 in all.

This includes monies raised through seven Oktoberfests, the 2007 Musikschule Schreiber visit, and many donations in support of individual children and special needs.

Ever since their arrival in Prince Albert Bodo and Gudrun have immersed themselves in the life of the village and have supported many of our local institutions but there can be few people who have given as generously of their time and energy towards the education and welfare of the children of our community.

Vir Bodo het die tyd aangebreek om die lederhosen in die kas te sit en 'n blaaskansie te neem. Bodo en Gudrun sal volgende Oktober hulle vriende en familie in Duitsland gaan besoek.

Bodo, ons as personeel van Hoërskool Zwartberg wil namens die gemeenskap van Prince Albert opreg dankie sê vir jou besorgdheid met ons leerders en jou ongelooflike pogings om fondse in te samel sodat ons die beste moontlike opvoeding aan hulle kan gee.

VIELEN DANK!

Willing Hearts eindig rugby seisoen op hoë noot

- Jeff Griebelaar -

Prince Albert se Willing Hearts Rugby Klub het as nuweling in die SWD Presidentsliga sy man gestaan en albei spanne het vierde geeindig. Die manne speel hul harte uit; wie weet, binnekort lewer Prince Albert hopelik provinsiale spelers.

Willing Hearts se uitslae lyk soos volg:
· Jaguars (The Crags) tweekeer gewen,
· United (Willowmore) een gewen en een verloor,
· Collegians (Oudtshoorn) tweekeer gewen,
· Kango United (Schoemanshoek) tweekeer gewen,
· Oudtshoorn Dorp tweekeer verloor,
· All Blacks (Oudtshoorn) een gewen en een verloor,
· United (Knysna) tweekeer verloor.

In die A-span hetMarshall Keyser (vleuel), Johannes Masoes (senter), Graham Hendriks (senter), Jaco Hendriks (losskakel), Mervin May (agsteman), Wilfred Masoes (flank), Jaques Moos (flank), Hans Blauw (stut), Jason Claassen (haker) en Randall Wagenaar (stut) geskitter met hul spel. In die B-span was dit Jeftha De Wee (heelagter), Kenneth Philander (senter), Henwico Stal (losskakel), Donovan Plaatjies (skrumskakel), Jan Wolwerans (flank), Gerhardus Darries (agsteman), Jimmy Stevens (stut), Jaco Pretoruis (haker) en Karel van Schalkwyk (stut).

Die SWD O/21 span sluit vier van ons spelers in, hulle is Marshall Keyser, Graham Hendriks, Jaco Hendriks en Wilfred Masoes. Randall Wagenaar haal die SWD Plattelandse span. Baie geluk aan hierdie spelers.

‘n Groot woord van dank aan die toegwyde afrigters, Claude Hendriks (A-Span) en Henry Arries (B-Span) asook Titus Hendriks, Jeff Griebelaar, Petrus Faro en Jonas Faro wat alles moontlik doen om die klub se liga-verpligtinge na te kom. U harde werk en toewyding word opreg waardeer.

Sonder spelers, bestuur en elke getroue ondersteuner is daar geen wedstryd of funksie nie, ‘n hartelike dankie aan iedereen.

Op 20 Desember 2008 hou ons ‘n gesellige funksie om die jaar in styl af te sluit.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Onvergeetlikste Oktoberfees nòg



- Denise Ohlson -

Prince Albert se Landbouskousaal het op 18 Oktober tydens die dorp se sewende Oktoberfees letterlik uit sy nate gebars toe bykans vierhonderd feesgangers uit elke windrigting opgetrek het vir Eisbein en Sauerkraut, vir bier uit die vat en veral, ja veral, vir regte, egte Oempamusiek uit die heel boonste rakke.

Bodo Toelstede, organiseerder van hierdie fees der feeste, het hom heeltemal oortref deur met tientalle balle gelyktydig in die lug, kop te hou om so presies moontlik te probeer bepaal hoeveel Eisbeins om te bestel, gasvrye mense te werf om gratis verblyf te verleen aan die 38 lede van die Duitse Blaasorkes uit Hemslingen, kaartjies te druk en te verkoop, Tombola-pryse op te tower en sy Kieliebeentjie Orkes in te oefen vir die “voorvertoning”!

Ná bykans twee jaar se harde werk en presisie-beplanning, was dit skielik tyd om die musikante op die lughawe in Kaapstad te ontmoet en op ‘n besigtigingstoer te neem: Hulle het vier dae in Bloubergstrand oorgebly en absoluut perfekte weer gehad om met die sweefspoor teen Tafelberg op te gaan, op Kaappunt te staan, Kirstenbosch te beleef, baie suksesvol by die Beierse Polana Restaurant in die Waterfront op te tree, en sommer lekker Suid-Afrikaans te koop.

In Prince Albert is elke lid uitgeplaas by hul gawe gashere – en Saterdagaand kon Bodo die “Blaskapelle Hemslingen“ in hul indrukwekkende maroen uitrustings en ewe indrukwekkende instrumente met gepaste fanfare aankondig.

Die atmosfeer in die Landbousaal was net ongelooflik en die Duitsers het gou geleer dat “Afrikaners is plesierig” nie sommer net nòg ‘n liedjie is nie. Daar is tot laatnag met oorgawe gesing en gedans en opreg “gefees”. Selfs die dramatiese kragonderbreking kon die gees nie demp en daar is voortgespeel onder begeleiding van selfoonliggies, aanstekers en koplampies!

“Koningin Victoria” het weer haar verskyning gemaak om “Prince Albert” se hand te vra, die sestigjarige Christa Bremer het die gepaste passies in haar mooi handgemaakte rok gemaak om as Mej Oktoberfees gekies te word, en ons burgemeester, Magdalena Benjamin, het geskenke en goeie wense uitgeruil met die burgemeester van Hemslingen, Annegret Kregel.

Die lede van die “Blaskapelle” het vyf jaar lank gespaar om hierdie besoek moontlik te maak. En dit was ‘n “oorweldigende erva-ring” sê Bernhard Speer en Herby Röhrs namens die groep. “Ons is totaal oorrompel deur jul wonderklike land. Die natuur, die mense… Hier in Prince Albert is ons oorval deur gasvryheid en het behoorlik ge-smul aan die plaaslike produkte. Dit was ook vir ons ‘n verrykende geleentheid om in die skoolsaal vir die leerders te kon speel. Hul meelewing en spontane reaksie het selfs van ons gehardste manne trane in die oë laat kry.”

Die musikante se verblyf is afgesluit met ‘n ete hy Hotel Swartberg, waar hulle heel aandoenlik “Guten Abend, gut Nacht” saam gesing het. Bodo vergesel hulle vir nog vier dae op ‘n toer na Mosselbaai, Knysna, Keurbooms en die Addo Olifantpark.

Met hierdie sewende Oktoberfees, geborg deur die Duitse Federale Buitelandse Kantoor en die Goethe Instituut, het Bodo nou sy mikpunt bereik om altesaam meer as R500 000.00 tot die skoolfonds te kon bygedra. Sy kommentaar: “Ek bedank almal wat my deur die jare ondersteun en bygestaan het, veral by my vrou Gudrun is ek in die skuld vir haar onfeilbare onderskraging. Nou is ek tevrede – ek het my deel gedoen en ‘n ideaal bereik.”

Letters / Briewe

Grondpaaie versus Teerpaaie

Daar was ‘n tyd gelede blykbaar ‘n toutrekkery oor die opsie om die Sani-pas te teer tussen die paaie-owerheid en die erfenisbewakers wat dit teengestaan het. Toe die Swartbergpas se vere in die 1980’s reggeskud is vir die eeufeesviering, is daar blykbaar ook haastig gewerk om enige so ‘n moontlikheid uit te skakel.

Die noordelike helfte van die pas is meestal in ‘n goeie toestand, maar die suidelike helfte ontwikkel as gevolg van reën dikwels vele slaggate waarvoor herhaaldelik grond uit gruisgroewe aangery moet word vir herstel. Na ‘n onlangse rit oor die Swartbergpas het die volgende vrae by my opgekom:

Het die bewakers regtig al die nadele en voordele van grondpaaie en teerpaaie teen mekaar opgeweeg? Het iemand dalk gewonder waar kom die grond vandaan om enige grondpad in ‘n goeie toestand te hou. Het iemand al oor die land heen gaan kyk hoe groot is die gruisgroewe en waar dit geleë is? Gesien hoe groei dit in grote met elke vrag grond wat uitgehaal word? Getel hoeveel vragte grond is nodig om 1 km blad te gooi?

Die grond behoort wel aan iemand wat daarvoor betaal het. Op boerdery eenhede laat dit ongevraagde “damme” wat nie benut kan word nie. Dis weiding wat weg is. Dit word dikwels agtergelaat met die potensiaal om erosie aan te moedig. Ander streke se bo-groei herstel dalk gouer, maar grondversteurings in die Karoo neem 15 tot 20 jaar vir volkome herstel. Van laasgenoemde het ek eerstehandse kennis.

Die gruisgroewe was gemaak waar die stootskraperoperateur – na ‘n paar onsuksesvolle pogings elders – gedink het die beste gruis was. Of iemand vir die vernieling vergoed word, weet ek nie.

‘n Teerpad se basis is darem amper lewenslank (dalk effe langer indien die owerheid die oorlaaide vragmotors van die paaie kan afhaal), maar ‘n grondpad se blad moet elke 6 tot 10 jaar vervang word.

Kan iemand dalk die korttermyn en langtermyn berekening doen?


Sara-Mari du Plessis

Kultuurstigting se Antwoord

Die skrywer (bo) kan vir haar bydrae gekomplimenteer word en het heelwat sinvolle opmerkings in haar brief gemaak, veral aangesien eksterne omgewingsfaktore wel ter sprake is.

Die argument teen die omgewingsimpak van gruisgroewe kom oortuigend voor, maar ‘n meer omvattende studie en ontleding van voor- en nadele moet deeglik oorweeg word.

“Asemrowend, ontsagwekkend, ‘n briljante padbou ingenieurs meesterstuk…” is die woorde waarmee beide Jan Alleman en deskundiges na ‘n enkele rit die Swartbergpas beskryf. Sal daar nie afbreuk gedoen word aan hierdie verwondering en ontsag as die pad oor die Swartberg geteer sou word nie? Dit is tog ‘n nasionale monument en een van die mees voortref-like passe in die land. Kan dit werklik onverantwoordelik genoem word om, ondanks die behoefte aan gruismateriaal uit gruisgroewe, ‘n nasionale erfenisskat in sy huidige vorm te behou?

‘n Oortuigende tegniese siening wat maan teen die omskepping in ‘n teerpad, is diè van ervare siviele ingenieurs. Hul uitgangs-punt is dat die geometriese standaarde te knap is.

In sy huidige ongeteerde vorm is die ongeluksyfer laag (Ross, 2003). Daar is wel die paar onverskilliges wat oor die Swartbergpas jaag om vroeër by hul bestemming uit te kom. Dink net hoe die ongeluksyfer sal opskiet as die knap, kort draaie eers geteer is. ‘n Deel van die opgradering met teer behels dan ook die aanbring van ui-ters onooglike standaard veiligheidsrelings enduit – ‘n versperring van die asemrowende uitsigte nou te sien terwyl jy ry.

Die Swartbergpas is nie net ‘n kommunikasiepad nie, maar ook ‘n gesogte bestemming.

Ons besef dit dalk nie nou nie, maar toekomstige geslagte sal die Swartbergpas al hoe meer op prys stel. Die genot van ‘n rit op ‘n eeue-oue gruispad oor ‘n majestieuse berg word al hoe meer uniek en kosbaar.

Daar bestaan ‘n algemene siening dat swaar verkeer wat die Swartbergpas as skakelpad gebruik strenger beheer moet word. Ligter verkeer sal die instandhoudingsbehoefte en dus die aanvraagmateriaal uit gruisgroewe ooreenstemmend verminder.

Die moontikheid van ‘n tolstelsel spesifiek vir die instandhouding van die Pas, met die toegevoegde byvoordeel van kosbare werksgeleenthede vir (moontlik voltydse) padwerkers, moet goed oorweeg word. Hulle aandag kan uitsluitlik toegespits worddie pad se oppervlak, mure en dreinering.

Hierdie uiters haalbare opsie is reeds herhaaldelik deur die Kultuurstigting aan die padowerheid geopper.


We want Service Delivery - Not Self Service!

For the past two months I have been trying to extract a decision from the Municipal Council on a simple matter and I now just have to reveal to fellow Prince Alberters what I see as a total lack of work ethic, commitment and delivery on the part of some of our local Municipal Councillors.

I have just discovered that they have spent the last three formal council meetings in September and October arguing over and not agreeing on the minutes of previous meetings held from January to June this year! This means that decisions taken at those meetings cannot be implemented. I was also disgusted to learn that the voices of reason are brushed aside and that meetings are often stretched out from early in the morning to late at night and consequently free teas, lunch and supper are provided at the expense of the ratepayers! It would be interesting to know what the current expenditure on meals and snacks at Council meetings is.

As a result there are now dozens of urgent decisions awaiting Council approval. How is the Acting Municipal Manager able to do his job under these conditions? This is a bad joke at the expense of all ratepayers.

We in Prince Albert would do well to wake up, stand up for our own rights and interests. Why don’t we all start attending Council meetings from the public gallery to see what some of our elected representatives get up to? After all, we pay their salaries! If we are not satisfied with what we see, then we should perhaps call for new elections.

Come on Councillors do the job for which you are being paid and make us all “Proudly Prince Albert”

John Mckenna

PS Please would the Friend publish the dates and times of all future Municipal Council meetings so that we can all be in the public gallery – who knows the public gallery may have to be made larger!
(A copy of the letter was sent as a courtesy to the Speaker of the MunicipalCouncil just before going to press. We hope that this will give the Council members sufficient time to respond in our next edition should they so choose.)


Munisipaliteit antwoord leser se vrae

Mnr G Breytenbach se Vrae aan die Munisipaliteit (Prince Albert Vriend, September 2008) verwys.

Die kwessie van ‘n kampeerplek in die parkie in Kerkstraat klink na ‘n goeie idee. Die Raad sal dit kan ondersoek, maar alle omringende bure sal daartoe moet instem.

Die ondersoek vir die betaling van rekeninge by buite instellings soos byvoorbeeld die Poskantoor was reeds ondersoek. Die maandelikse vaste fooi plus die kommissie wat op die betaling gehef word het dit nie koste effektief gemaak vir die paar verbruikers wat die fasiliteit wil gebruik nie.

Op navraag kan verbruikers wat verkies om by ander instellings betalings te maak is die aanbeveling om ‘n direkte bankinbetaling te maak op die bankrekening of ‘n internet oorplasing na die Munisipaliteit se bankrekening (laasgenoemde is die gewildste vorm van die ander betalingsmetode op hierdie stadium).

The building inspector has addressed numerous letters have been addressed to the owner of the house in Church Street that has RESTAURANT painted on its side in spite of no longer operating as such. It is the owner’s sole responsibility to remove the sign; the Municipality can not take this action. The owner lives abroad and has to date not responded to this and the Municipality’s other requests in respect of his property.


Vullis by ingang van ons dorp


Mnr en mev Frangs se brief (Prince Albert Vriend, September 2008) verwys.

Verskeie pogings, ook wat die skrywers aanbeveel het, is al aangewend om die gebied naby die Gholfbaan skoon te kry. Onlangs het ‘n groep skoliere in ‘n uur se tyd meer as 300 sakke rommel opgetel – op die presiese terrein.
Met die herwinningsprojek wat besig is om te ontwikkel behoort die toestand ook te verbeter. Die Raad het reeds in beginsel aanvaar om ‘n terugkoop stelsel in plek to stel. Persone wat graag geld wil ontvang vir rommel soos papiere, blikkies en plastiek kan dit inbring en sal dan vergoed word. Die tweedelige doel is om armoede te verlig maar terselfde tyd van die rommel ontslae te raak. Iets wat geld werd is, lê nie rond nie.

Dawid Rossouw
Waarnemende Munisipale Bestuurder

Wettige Taxi Operateurs

“Bekommerde Ouer” se brief (September 2008) verwys.

Daar is tans twee wettige taxi operateurs in ons dorp, naamlik:

Mnr en mev van Rooyen
Ambraalstraat 3
Prince Albert
Tel: 023 5411907/072337314

Mnr W Hinkman
Dahliastraat 477
Prince Albert
Tel: 023 5411280/0822942216

Beide mnr van Rooyen en mnr Hinkman is ten volle teen passasiersaanspreeklikheid verseker en mag volgens hulle vervoerpermitte binne die jurisdiksie van die plaaslike munisipaliteit en ander dorpe en stede sake doen. Hulle is ook lede van die wettige Norwich taxi vereniging.

Die twee persone en hulle voertuie voldoen aan alle vereistes wat hulle bestuurspermitte en bestuurslisensies betref, nl, die Nasionale Padverkeerswet 93/1996 (NRTA 93/96) en die National Land Transport Transition Act (NLTTA 22/2000).

Wetstoepassing sal op onwettige operateurs gedoen word en daar word ‘n beroep gedoen dat die gemeenskap nie onwettige operateurs bevorder nie.

Mark Februarie
Verkeersbeampte, PA Munisipaliteit

Slow Down Please

I would like to make a polite plea to farmers and other road users to slow down when entering Prince Albert along the dirt road onto Pastorie Street! There are children walking and cycling up and down this street several times everyday on their way to and from school and it terrifies me because people only start slowing down as they approach the stop street crossing over de Beer Street. I am aware that it is a provincial road and speed bumps are not a possibility, so the only thing to do is to appeal to your sense of responsibility and please consider this thought: If your children or grandchildren were in this situation, wouldn’t you feel better if people drove considerately?

Imke Maeyer

Thank You

I would like through the Friend to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to all the friends, acquaintances and even people not personally known to me who sent messages of hope and support during my recent surgery. Thank you too to everyone who visited me in hospital and kept my spirits up.

My rehabilitation will of necessity be long but with the continued support of friends and my wonderful family and the encouragement of a very able and enthusiastic physiotherapist, I am sure I will once again be able to walk around Prince Albert.

Thank you all once again.

Kay Howes