Touching hearts and rocking souls
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Are you ready, Stanford?
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It feels like just the other day we were packing away our Christmas decorations and here we are already getting ready to celebrate Easter! In this month’s issue, and in celebration of International Women’s month, we have a few articles around inspirational women such as Julie Taylor who is training for the Two Oceans Half Marathon to raise funds for her cancer treatment (pg 3), and 102-year-old Nellie van Dyk who is enjoying her retirement, having lived in Stanford all her life (pg 23).
I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing musician Takura Terry and his partner, Manex, as they continue to wow fans around the Cape Penin-
And did you know there’s a new and very stylish-looking wine bar opening up in town? Check out pg 7.
Soon we’ll be enjoying tacos and tequilas too, when La Cantina opens its doors (pg 22). There’s no better place to be than in Stanford!
May you enjoy reading this issue and wishing you and yours a very happy Easter!
MELISSA MC ALPINE
Editor
078 324 5692
melissa@stanfordnewsagency.co.za
MARIKE GROOT
Artwork | Layout | Design design@stanfordnewsagency.co.za
Ad bookings
Melissaadmin@stanfordnewsagency.co.za
CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE:
Andrew Herriot
Nelly Roodt
Anneline Ferreira
Raine Waring
The Stanford News Agency hereby wishes to issue the owner of Stanford Hotel, Penny van den Berg, an apology for any offense caused by the opinion piece in Issue 3 of the Stanford Spectator.
Christine Farrington
Lana Coates
www.stanfordnewsagency.co.za
The Stanford Spectator is proudly brought to you by the Stanford News Agency
Disclaimer: Great care has been taken in the preparation of this publication. However, Stanford News Agency cannot accept responsibility for any errors which may inadvertently have occurred. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and/or persons interviewed, and do not necessarily reflect the views and values of Stanford News Agency. Any comments, suggestions or complaints may be forwarded to: melissa@stanfordnewsagency.co.za
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Vivacious and full of life, Julie Taylor, a 44-year-old, wife and mother of a young son, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in November 2021, the most serious and life-threatening stage of breast cancer. By the time Julie had been diagnosed, the cancer had already spread into her bones and she was given a bleak prognosis of between three to six months left to live.
Determined not to give up, Julie met with Integrative Oncologist, Dr James Laporta, who gave a ray of hope in the form of a plan that could see Julie reaching remission. After seven months of gruelling chemotherapy, integrative therapies, and more tests, Julie’s tumour had shrunk in size. While this news brought feelings of relief to Julie and her family, the care and treatments received came at a massive cost of around half a million rand that wasn’t covered by medical aid. Often, when families are faced with a challenging medical diagnosis, they’re not prepared for the financial burden placed on them at a vulnerable time in their lives.
Again, Julie wasn’t going to let this get her down. Always up for a challenge, and having come this far, Julie signed up to participate in this year’s Two Ocean’s Half Marathon (21km), taking place on Sunday 16 April, to raise funds to cover her medical expenses. The inspiration behind taking part in the Two Oceans Marathon came from Julie’s walks, and then runs, along Stanford’s Wandelpad. “Stanford, with its friendly people and beautiful surrounds, has been a big part of my healing journey,” says Julie.
Another reason for Julie running the Two Oceans Marathon is to help others in a similar situation: “My hope is that the standard of care for cancer will change in the future, but in the meantime, I’ll just keep running.” As long as she can make a difference to other people facing the same challenges, she intends to keep running the marathon every year for as long as possible.
To help Julie and her family navigate their way through endless bills, a BackABuddy fund has been established to help lighten the load. If you’re able to contribute by way of a donation, please follow the link below. As a token of appreciation, all donors’ names will go into a hat for a lucky dip draw, which will happen on 16 April after the race. There are some fantastic prizes to be won.
Every Monday
Painting Classes with Tracy Algar (10am – 12pm)
Egret & The Owl Book Café
R200 per class | Details: 084 584 3757
Meditation Evenings with Maxine Church-Bingley (6.45pm –7.45pm)
No charge but donations are welcome | Details: 082 419 9330
Every Wednesday
Writing Classes with Lesley Beake (10am – 12pm)
Egret & The Owl Book Café
R250 per class & R160 for lunch
Details: 082 646 4420 | lesley@lesleybeake.co.za
Painting Classes with Tracy Algar (10am – 12pm)
Egret & The Owl Book Café
R200 per class | Details: 084 584 3757
Every Thursday
Calligraphy Workshop with Martyn Johnson (2:30pm – 4:30pm)
Details: 082 675 1164
Fresh Produce Market (9am – 4pm)
Martin’s Deli, 1 River Road, Business Park
Details: 082 321 0337
Every Saturday
Stanford Square Market (9am – 2pm)
Stanford Square, Queen Victoria Street
Stanford Saturday Morning Market (9am – 12pm)
Stanford Hotel Stoep
MARCH
17 Folk with Friends (7pm) Stanford Kitchen
Cover Charge: R50 | Details: 079 975 6211
17 Jacana (7pm) The Harvest Fork & Farm
Details: 063 380 9812
21 2023 Absa Cape Epic (7.30am – 11am)
Cyclists Riding Through Stanford
24 Palm Strings Duo (7pm) Stanford Kitchen
Cover Charge: R100 | Details: 079 975 6211
25 Farewell Old Hat (7pm) Stanford Kitchen
Cover Charge: Free | Details: 079 975 6211
25 St Thomas Restoration Fundraising Concert (6pm)
Morton Street – In the Church
Concert With Cheese and Wine: R150
Concert Only: R100 | Tickets Available at The Tourism Office
Details: 083 293 5512
30 Think & Drink Quiz Evening (6:30pm) Birkenhead Pub
Details: Em@Mademarian.Co.Za | 083 303 4330
31 The Sunset Market (6:00pm)
The Village Green
31 March (10:00am) – 2 April (4pm) The Stanford Collective
An Exhibition of Local Artists’ Work
APRIL
1-2 Morning Wakeup With Lindy (8:30am)
Qi Gong on the Village Green
Cover: Free | Details: 081 455 1764
1-2 Village Walk With Henry Gibson (10am)
Walking Tour of Stanford
Cover: R30 | Tickets available at the Tourism Office
8 70’s Blues ‘n Boogie (4pm)
The Breeze Live Outdoor Concert Stanford Kitchen
Cover Charge: R150 | Details: 079 975 6211
To place an advertisement, please contact:
@stanfordnewsagency.co.za
Music binds us in a way that language rarely does and listening to Takura Terry sing, it’s easy to see why people are so taken by him. A self-taught musician from a large family, Terry was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He started out by playing the guitar and reciting poetry. From there, he and a friend ventured into the world of rap, and a few years later, after finishing school, Terry picked up a guitar and taught himself music, one note at a time.
His dreams of making it big in Zimbabwe were sadly dashed when the record company he signed up with ran into financial difficulties and went under, leaving him stranded. It was at this point that Terry realised the only hope he had of getting his music out there was for him to relocate elsewhere, so he travelled to South Africa and settled down in Hermanus where he worked in the hospitality industry to earn a living. In his spare time, Terry continued playing his music, got to know the area and took up karate under Sen-
sei Ruan van Romberg, who mentored Terry and had a positive influence over him.
During lockdown, Terry met Emmanuel Bhande (aka Manex) at a gig in Hermanus. He heard Manex playing the guitar and liked what he heard. The two became good friends and started making music together. Since then, they’ve brought out two albums, the latest of which is called “Red Wine & Coffee.” The name came about during the gloomy time of lockdown. The red wine symbolises the temporary escape from feelings we’d rather not experience. The coffee is the antidote, that “morning after” feeling of “I’ve had my coffee, now let’s get this day started.”
While Terry and Manex may sometimes let the red wine get to their heads, their feet remain firmly on the ground. It’s this humility that emanates from them as well as their music that reaches right into one’s soul.
Asked what his advice for aspiring musicians is, Terry says: “Buy the best guitar you can afford, believe in yourself and never sell yourself short.”
“Settle for a glass of red, because sometimes life requires red wine… and coffee.”
- Takura Terry
Other Facts about Takura Terry:
• Musical influences include Tracy Chapman, Mumford & Sons, Kanye, Austin & Elliot.
• Terry believes that success is measured by personal growth.
• The pair would like to tour and travel to Toronto, Germany, China, Japan, UK, Amsterdam.
• Growing up, Takura Terry had plans of becoming a chartered accountant.
• Other SA musicians the pair would be interested in collaborating with include the likes of Mikosi, Amanda Black, Albert Frost and Zahara.
Since the start of the school year, Rotary has been busy supporting school students in need:
School shoes
Following our appeal for school shoes, we received sufficient funds to purchase 21 pairs of shoes for our children in need which brought smiles, confidence and a willingness to attend school to many.
School stationery
One of our annual projects at the start of each school year is providing stationery items to the schools (rather than to individual students). Our 5 local primary schools send
us their wish lists, we look at our budget and decide how best we can assist each of the schools. Items provided generally include basics such as wax crayons, pencils, pens, erasers, glue stocks, flip-files, books, printer paper and so on.
The reality of load-shedding
Children in less privileged homes do not have the luxury of rechargeable lights by which to do their homework or study for exams. Sometimes a simple conversation or question can lead to great things. Such a question was answered, and we were gifted 60 Solar Rechargeable lights for the Grade 7’s at Die Bron Primary. We say a huge thank you to that very generous anonymous sponsor – the children were absolutely delighted with their lights.
Stanford’s NG church hosted the Women’s World Day of Prayer (WWDP) on 3 March, which was attended by women from various denominations – also from Hermanus and Gansbaai.
The WWDP is an annual celebration held in unison with numerous church denominations in 176 countries across the globe. More than 100 000 women participate in this annual event. The WWDP movement invites all women
to join in prayer and action for peace and justice. This year, the Taiwan WWDP Committee compiled the programme. In South Africa, the first World Day of Prayer service was held in March 1930 at the Sea Point Congregational Church. In 1946, a National Committee for Southern Africa was established. According to the WWDP movement, attendance in South Africa is of the highest in the world. The WWDP national office in South Africa distributes programmes to Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
If you have any community-related stories to share, please send them to melissa@stanfordnewsagency.co.za.
By: Melissa Mc Alpine
Wine bars are making a comeback, and Stanford Village is not about to be left behind.
Wine, like food and music, has a way of bringing people together. Stanford Kitchen, popular for its woodfired pizzas, tasty breakfasts and charming atmosphere, recently hosted a sneak preview in the form of a prelaunch event for their latest add-on, a stylish new wine bar.
The new and exclusive Stanford Wine Bar is the masterpiece of Stanford Kitchen owner, William Stephens, in collaboration with good friend, Bruce Jack, an international winemaker who got to know William from vacations spent at De Hoop Nature Reserve. The wine bar itself shares an intimate space with Stanford Kitchen and specialises in offering the Bruce Jack range of wines.
At the pre-launch opening event, invited guests were treated to an enjoyable afternoon of listening to classical music by duo Mike Hoole and Titia Blake of Palm Strings, while sampling various wines from the Bruce Jack collection and served tasty appetizers.
While the Stanford Wine Bar isn’t open to the public yet, locals and visitors to Stanford will soon get a taste of the new wine bar with its selection of fine wines and sparkling wines by the glass as well as by the bottle.
In the words of Michael Broadbent: “Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilised pleasures.” Cheers to that!
Bruce Jack launched his brand in 2018 and since then has been sourcing the finest grapes available from his network of growers and sites. The wines stand apart for their sheer level of joy. Most of them have a base of fruit from Breedekloof, in the centre of the Western Cape, where Bruce Jack grows and purchases fruit.
In recent months, Jazzman Andrew Herriot has been invited to play easy listening breakfast jazz at a new holiday destination some 7 kms along the Wortelgat road, beyond Mosaic and just before the estuary to the Klein River. Here he tells his story of how well he has been received at the Coot Club…
Well, what a blast. Residents and weekend holiday makers are treated to two hours of piano on a Berlin Gericke acoustic piano. An eclectic collection of happy three generational families mix their cereals with Duke Ellington and the like. Not quite “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and no Audrey Hepburn to meet me, but there was “My Fair Lady,” Jolene, who greeted me happily.
Guests in attendance were largely from out of town, some from as far afield as Scotland, even! I was approached by one such enquirer: “Are you from Scotland?” My barked response frightened the baby nearby and she started to cry so I played ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and she soon stopped crying and gave a sweet smile instead. Such gratitude.
I was immediately flooded by other kids, followed by camera-hugging people and video recorders. This is magic, I thought, how easy it is to please breakfasters!
Every Sunday for some weeks now, I’ve made the 7kms journey to receive not only a warm, welcoming response, but generous donations too, all of which go to The Butterfly Centre, located at the Stanford Hills Estate.
The main goal of this unique school is to help young children with certain barriers to learning to reach their full potential – in a mainstream, country life environment.
Getting back to the Coot Club, one resident indicated that he had spent his childhood in Ayrshire. “I spent part of my adulthood there, too,” I responded. More children appeared wanting to be as close to the keyboard as possible so as to touch the keys. Memories of my own childhood came flooding back.
Clearly, the well-healed visitors to our Cape Province are languishing in the luxuriant waters of Klein River and the cosiness of high-quality residential living while relaxing on holiday. Weekend requests from the Coot Club shareholders always receive a positive response. Lang May Yer Lum Reek!
The Springfontein Wine Estate, founded by Dr Johst Weber from Germany, is a strong supporter and advocate for the Children’s Book Network (CBN), an international, non-profit organisation that assists young children from under-resourced areas by providing them with opportunities to engage with creative and imaginative stories. Johst realized there was a need for young children from the local community requiring assistance with developing their reading skills, thereby improving their education.
On the afternoon of 14 February, Springfontein Wine Estate hosted a Harvest Celebration to raise funds for the CBN. After welcoming guests on the lovely area in front of the Barn, Johst opened the evening’s festivities by introducing CBN, spoke a bit about what the evening’s celebration was all about and introduced key members of his team.
Around 45 guests attended the evening’s festivities which included enjoying fine wine from the estate and a variety of delectable dishes prepared by Michelin-starred chef, Edwin Vinke, all while listening to up-and-coming local musician, Takura Terry. All in all, it was a joyous occasion with guests relishing the food, company, entertainment and ambiance. And all for a great cause, rendering around R10,000 in donations.
Children’s Book Network (CBN) began early in 2012, the dream of founders Gcina Mhlope, Lesley Beake and Sindiwe Magona. CBN motivates and inspires children aged 10-12 in under-resourced areas to develop a keen interest and love of reading by giving them an opportunity to engage with creative and imaginative stories. From the funders to the facilitators, the network is built out of a passion for reading and children.
To place an advertisement, please contact: admin@stanfordnewsagency.co.za
Vanilla Cupcake Ingredients:
125 grams butter
200ml castor sugar
2 eggs
400ml flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
125ml milk
A pinch of salt
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a muffin tray or use paper cupcake holders.
2. Cream the softened butter and sugar together.
3. Beat in 2 eggs until the mixture is pale in colour.
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
5. Add the milk and beat until everything is well combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the cupcake holders.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until risen and golden brown.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool.
Add some speckled eggs onto bottom of cupcake holder before pouring the batter in for an extra special surprise!
Chocolate Russian Buttercream Icing Ingredients:
226g butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup (100g) sifted cocoa powder
1 tin condensed milk
1. Beat the room temperature butter (firm but not too soft) high speed with a whisk attachment of a stand mixer or hand mixer for at least 5 to 7 minutes, butter should turn pale light and fluffy.
2. Add in the vanilla essence and sifted cocoa powder mix slowly with a spatula into mix until incorporated. to prevent cocoa clouds billowing.
3. Add the condensed milk slowly into the mix with mixer on medium speed.
4. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and continue to mix. The icing should look firm and glossy. Use within a few hours of making.
Decorating the Cupcakes: Spread each cupcake with a bit of the chocolate
icing. Then pipe a round swirl on top of each cupcake.
Melt a slab of chocolate and put it into a piping bag. Cut a very small tip and pipe the chocolate in a swirl around the top of the cupcake to look like a bird’s nest. Add some small, speckled eggs to each nest.
World Water Day: 22 March 2023
The theme for World Water Day is “Be the Change.” The aim of this campaign is to encourage us to take action in the way we use and manage water every day.
The Importance of Water
Water is essential for our survival, and today there are still billions of people across the world who don’t have access to clean water or suitable toilet facilities. We also face the enormous challenge of water pollution. The causes are mainly from global warming, water pollution, industrial pollution, damaged water tables and man-made pollution. Every one of us needs to make it our business to understand the im portance of saving water, as well as keeping our water clean. We CAN make a difference!
Clean up your Area!
Here in the Overberg, we are lucky enough to have beaches, as well as rivers. These water kingdoms have a huge amount of plant and animal life and it’s our job to maintain and keep these water systems clean! So, next time you go to the beach or take a walk along the Klein River, see if you can pick up any bits of rubbish you see lying around.
Be an inspiration to others this #WorldWaterDay:
• Organise a community clean-up of a local river.
• Start a conversation on water and sanitation.
• Create a local #WaterAction list for your community.
Get involved in the #WorldWaterDay and help solve the water crisis:
• Organise a talk or lesson at your school.
• Learn more about nearby rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
Some interesting facts about water:
• The human body is made up of 70% water.
• Water is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen – H20.
• Nearly 97% of the Earth’s water is salty.
• Water regulates the Earth’s temperature.
As raindrops say, two’s company, but three’s a cloud!
• Make an artwork, song or film about the importance of water. BE WATER-WISE!
On Friday 3 March, Born as the Earth School, A Sōtō Zen School of the Heart, donated and planted 30 Indigenous trees in Stanford Village.
In their continued spirit of giving, Earth School invited the wonderful children from the Creative Skills Factory for a ceremonial afternoon of planting. The children learnt the importance of planting trees for the restoration of the environment and future of the planet. They learnt how to prepare the soil, correctly plant the trees, water and maintain them.
Taking part in this labour of love, the children experienced their innate connectedness to Earth - a coming home to their true, abundant nature. They intimately witnessed the role they play in the interdependency between Mother Earth and all her beings, nurturing the ground of life into which future generations will be born.
Bows of gratitude to:
• Everyone who donated to Earth School’s Christmas Drive last year, enabling us to buy some of these trees.
• Regina and the Creative Skills Factory team for always being ready to do the good work.
• Jaco Jonker at Overberg Agri who kindly donated bone meal for the trees.
• Nic Lauer from Stanford Sawmill for donating stakes and mulch.
• Graig Niemand, our Fire Chief and his team, for digging the holes, providing water for the trees, and for securing the road to ensure the safety of the children.
• Cameron Damon, the team leader of the gardens, for tidying up and securing the trees.
• Mary Kelly for her dedication in helping toorganise the behind the scenes of this project with the municipality.
• Stanford Municipality for their support and assistance.
• Anthony Krut for his help with the planting.
Much gratitude to you all for your heart and generosity.
And lastly, a big special thank you to the incredible children for participating so enthusiastically. A privilege for them to partake in projects like these, but even more of a privilege to experience the gift of giving through their eyes and hands. A true gift! Earth School endeavours to work more with the children of Stanford. Nurturing and restoring authenticity and creativity for the future of our world.
Contribute to human and environmental restoration: Should you wish to donate to our scholarship fund and/or plant a tree for R150, please get in touch with us: info@bornastheearth.com
Every year from about late summer to early autumn (February to March), a flower stalk sprouts from the ground, before any leaves sprout, producing a cluster of around 20 to 80 scarlet red blooms that face upward, serving as a rather neat landing pad for sunbirds, the chief pollinators of this plant. The Candelabra plant (Brunsvigia orientalis) usually only reaches blooming size at six to eight years old, and once the flower dries up, around May, it falls off the stalk and rolls around in the wind like tumbleweed, spreading its seeds. There are generally six large tongue-shaped leaves that spread out flat against the ground. Leaves start to die down from about October and the bulb lies dormant during summer.
Other names for this flower include candelabra flower, king candelabra, chandelier lily, chandelier plant, and sore-eye flower.
Pema, a beautiful 18-year-old cheetah that has been a big part of Panthera Sanctuary for the past five years, sadly had to be euthanised on 25 February due to severe arthritis and acute liver failure. Pema (meaning lotus flower) joined Panthera with her brother, Jampa, in 2018. The two cheetahs had been orphaned at an early age and after a period of hand-rearing, were surrendered to a rescue centre. As they weren’t able to be reintroduced to the wild, they remained at the rescue centre until such time as they were relocated to Panthera to live out their remaining years under special care. Jampa passed away in 2019.
Eco Warriors is the initiative of Michael Argall who is passionate about imparting valuable information about the environment onto the next generation of children so that they too may develop a love for our environment by learning how to care for it and by learning life skills. The base camp for Eco Warriors is Blue Gum Country Estate, where the kids have full use of the estate, including the various hiking trails, a play area, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. Blue Gum have even allocated a certain area of the kitchen’s garden to the Eco Warrior kids so they can learn how to create healthy organic soil and grow their own fruit and vegetables. Eduden is the first school to join this initiative and here’s what the Eco Warriors have been up to the last few weeks…
Week 1: Creating a worm farm and learning about compost
The Eco Warriors learned all about earthworms and how to make a healthy ecosystem worm farm. The Eco Warriors sorted through two sacks of compostable and non-compostable household items. They learned how
to reuse other plastic items such as yoghurt pots, plastic bottles and milk cartons - which can be used as plant pots to grow seeds, thereby reducing two sacks of household waste down to two carrier bags. The Eco Warriors also learned what kitchen scraps the worms can and cannot consume.
Week 2: Going for a hike, learning about the Klein River and meeting the piglets
The Eco Warriors started off by inspecting the worm farm they created last week. The kitchen staff of Blue Gum Country Estate have been feeding the worms daily with fresh kitchen scraps that otherwise would have made it into the general waste bin. The Eco Warriors were then taken on a mini hike by Captain Mike to collect acorns for the piglets. Along the way, Captain Mike explained that the Klein River is the shortest river in South Africa. Then it was off to meet the seven piglets and to feed them the acorns that had been collected earlier. Captain Mike explained the role that the piglets have in gardening, by turning the soil over with their delicate snouts and clearing out roughage to make space for vegetables and fruit to be grown. Lastly, the children fed the chickens
and some of them were lucky enough to have chicken cuddles.
Week 3: Gardening and repairing of fences
In week 3, the Eco Warriors made a head start on their new kitchen garden at Blue Gum Country Estate. The old fencing was taken down using hammers, pliers and screw drivers and wobbly posts were identified and removed. A giant pile of weeds was enthusiastically pulled out and many insects were found and identified. Although such an exercise may seem boring for some, it’s critical that the ground be properly worked before new, healthy soil can be introduced. The Eco Warriors Kitchen Garden is a long-term project and one that Blue Gum Country Estate is incredibly excited about!
Week 4 & Onwards
Over the coming weeks the students will learn about insects, snakes, common bird species, fynbos, invasive species, local history, the importance of recycling and upcycling, tree planting, animal husbandry, Stanford’s Leiwater system, planting and nurturing seeds and seedlings, creating healthy organic soil, basic first aid, and outdoor skills and camping.
Michael “Captain Mike” Argall is a qualified Safari Guide with over 22 years’ experience of guiding and anti-poaching in dangerous game areas. Michael started his guiding career teaching large groups of school children camping and outdoor skills. In March 2022, Michael relocated to Stanford, Western Cape, with his wife, Amanda, young daughter, five dogs, two cats and 30 Easter Egger chickens from Botswana’s border. Michael quickly found guiding work with Hermanus Camino and in February 2023 was employed as an Estate Manager for Blue Gum Country Estate, where Eco Warriors is based.
We are very excited to welcome the Cape Epic, most televised mountain bike race in the world, to our beautiful village on 21 March. While the Epic group will organise the water point on the green, music and an MC, there is an opportunity for our village to maximise the possible benefits of having expected spectators of around 2 000 people.
Cyclists are expected to arrive around 7.30am, with the last riders passing through around 11am. As Tuesday is a public holiday, Stanford Tourism and Business encourages all shops, markets and businesses to be open and trading on that day.
If your business is planning something special, e.g. decorations, flags or similar, please let us know so that we can communicate this to the Epic organisers and make sure that they take relevant footage. Send an email to: stanfordtourism@overstrand.gov.za.
Should you have any further questions, please contact Kevin Husk: kevinhusk@hermanus.co.za
For further information about the race itself, follow Cape Epic on Facebook or visit: https://www.epic-series.com/capeepic-event-route
Finding themselves having to work from home during COVID 2020, after being a flourishing wooden pen company selling at the Elgin Train Market in Grabouw, Dave and Di Mohr decided on the brilliant idea of creating another medium of fountain pens. Combining their skills, Dave being a hands-on finely tuned craftsman and Di an artistic spirit, this combination resulted in the Stanford Pen Studio being born.
My first sighting of one of the pens came when my friend, Marian sent me an Instagram picture of one of the SPS pens she had painted with the eyes of a leopard on the cap and the rest of the body on the barrel. I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes at how beautiful it was. This was followed by another pen shown again on SPS’s Instagram page painted by Val Myburg – breath taking work. Finally, seeing a pen painted by Su Wolf of Trevor’s Trousers – based on a Louis Vuitton suit Trevor Noah wore and did not want to give back, made me realise that these pens were one-off works of art, and that Stanford had a “hidden gem” in this Special Pen Studio.
Captivated by the pens, I decide that Dave and Di’s story needed to be told. Knowing them, albeit briefly since 2014, I made an appointment to visit them at their studio and see how the process of making a fountain pen evolves. Di makes the resin barrel and cap in various colours, pink, blue, green, black – these then go to the artist where the fine artwork takes place. Once returned, the barrel of the pen and the cap go to Dave in his workshop in the most delicate stage and this is where Dave has to use his exceptional skills not only on a small metal lathe but with a CNC lathe (a computer numerically controlled piece of kit). From beginning to end the process from Di to Dave takes long hours of heating, cooling, and finally, polishing.
When the two halves of the pen are ready, they are mounted with a silver or bronze metal ring and a stainless-steel nib which bears the engraved logo of SPS. Dave anodises the titanium clips for the cap to get different colours to match the pens artwork. The top of the cap bears their logo. With pen now complete it is polished and packed into a “hoodie” a felt lined material pen holder made locally and packed in a smart black presentation box bearing the SPS logo stamped on the lid in wax. Each “masterpiece” flies off the SPS Instagram page. DHL Couriers whisk them away to collectors and buyers around the world.
Dave and Di proudly call the SPS a family. With artists, Marian Binder, Su Wolf, Hanna Farmer, Lisa Strachan, Paula Louw, Hoodie maker, Robyn Foxcroft and SPS logo designer and artist, Val Myburg. This is a happy and talented family. I was blown away by my visit to the Stanford Pen Studio – a hidden gem of our beautiful village.
Small
PLAYGROUP 2½-4 YEARS KINDERGARTEN 4-6 YEARS
Let your children experience the joy of discovery, the inspiration of creative play and the opportunity for learning in a nurturing village setting in Stanford.
classes. Waldorf-inspired. A wholesome learning experience.
(Edited)
Kat Myburgh Retires
Mr Myburgh, Gansbaai Area Manager responsible for Stanford and Baardskeerdersbos, retired on 28 February after serving for 25 years. Many aspects of the Stanford Revitalisation Plan are thanks to his tenacity, with the unwavering support from our Ward Councillor, Dudley Coetzee. Stanford would like to thank Kat for all the support he gave to this village.
Cape Epic: Stanford 21 March
The 2nd largest cycle event after Tour de France will go through Stanford on 21 March. Around 1 450 cyclists from 55 countries will cross the river from Walschacres to the bottom of King Street. From there, cyclists will carry their bikes up 47 steps, cycle along Shortmarket to the Village Green for a water stop and exit the Village. Wandelpad crossings and steps will be checked and secured. Everyone is encouraged to support this internationally broadcast event.
Paving Longmarket to Daneel
The paving of the southern sidewalks, which was to have been completed in November last year, commenced on 28 February. The paving is part of the Stanford Revitalisation Plan initiated by Stanford’s Conservation, Tourism and Ratepayers Associations.
Parking Longmarket Street: Village Green
The width of this section of Longmarket was intended to accommodate diagonal parking. This will now be formalised by introducing gateposts and bollards where necessary at the southern and northern sides, thereby narrowing the road and making provision for diagonal parking as per the sketch shown.
An estimated R40m is required to upgrade and meet legal requirements for all 15 registered launch sites in the Overstrand. Due to limited funds, the sites will stay ‘as is’ until further notice. Boating organisations are encouraged to upgrade their sites. The Du Toit Street slipway is the only registered site for Stanford, while King Street’s slipway was deregistered some time ago.
There is an application for the consolidation of erven 1156/1157 to make provision for another 80 storage units. Ward committee members requested the municipality to consider the social impact of such a development which creates zero long-term job opportunities.
Stanford Universals Rugby Football Club: A new roof is needed for the clubhouse and the pitch requires levelling. As no funds
were allocated to this cause, it was suggested that donations be collected. Anyone interested in assisting, please contact Conservation directly.
Die Kop: Additional toilets and waste bins needed as well as the extension and levelling of the playpark.
RDP housing site: Currently overgrown with Port Jackson along with illegal dumping making it a fire risk. A request for a chipping machine was turned down by the municipal procurement division. The Port Jackson will be cleared and then removed for chipping. Well done to CPF for taking on this pilot project.
Closing of Middleton Street: Due to excessive speeding to and from the RDP site streets, Municipality to resolve – either by traffic calming or, better still, blocking off the entrance.
• The Ward 1 Committee consists of community representatives who meet once a month with the councillor and Gansbaai/ Stanford municipal management team.
• The aim is to inform the municipality of community needs, and to be informed on municipal matters that may affect the community.
• Members are elected by public ballot for a period of five years.
For the full report, please contact Stanford Conservation.
By: Anneline Ferreira
The mere name may conjure up images of some sweet, innocent bird hiding in the forest, ready to lead us to a bees nest in the wild. But the Lesser Honeyguide harbours some dark secrets.
A polygynous brood parasite, meaning it lays its eggs in a host's nest, it favours that of hole nest species like barbets, but will also lay eggs in bee-eater, kingfisher and starling nests. When laying in the host's nest, the female will commonly break the host's eggs to ensure that her offspring get the best attention. The host, thinking that the egg is its own, then incubates the egg and cares for the chick.
The honeyguide chick in turn has a hook on its bill to kill any of the host's chicks that may be hatching at the same time – viciously, some sources say! - with extraordinary strength.
A small, inconspicuous bird, the Lesser Honeyguide is not much to look at, especially since they are mostly observed high up in a tree, but they remain on a list of very special birds to tick. Their status says Common Resident, but they don't appear just up any tree. Found in woodland, riverine forest and forest edges, their range in the Western Cape has increased because of larger barbet populations caused by the spread of alien trees.
One of the few birds that can digest wax, the honeyguide feeds mainly on beeswax and the other components of a honeybee colony, including the eggs, larvae, pupae and bees. Highly adept at finding dry honeycombs, they'll eat anything that comes close to that habitat.
They know that bees are lethargic in the early morning, and that's when they will take advantage to feed at an active nest. Hives that have been abandoned, disturbed or robbed by humans or animals are another prime target.
Unlike other honeyguides like the Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) and despite its name, the Lesser Honeyguide (Indicator minor) does not lead mammals to bees nests.
Honeyguides have been spotted around Stanford, but for an opportunity to also find the uncommon Brown-backed Honeybird, head to the trees in Van der Stel Pass north of Bot River - a special route where we have been lucky.
Villagers may not be fully aware that Lyn and Mark Krebser (both business-minded people from PE), were recently on a Cape Province trip, sublimely considering “what’s next?” in their lives as they approach that age that we don’t talk about too much. As they tripped around Stanford, Lyn was heard to joyfully say, “I could live here.” Coincidentally they were leisurely passing a property for sale on the corner of Queen Victoria and Bezuidenhout Streets. Mark observed that it had clearly been a restaurant before. “That’s it,” opined Mark, “I can live here as well.” A done deal, former owners of a ‘La Cantina’ in PE largely named due to a family link with Mexico, the visitors were viewing their next project.
An excited Lyn, on interview much later when the ‘deal was done’, talked about the panoramic dining space for lovers of Mexican food: tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, Mexican burger tortillas and (most importantly) opening around the end of March with distinctive background music to entice customers, such as Frijolero, Por Que Me Haces, Llorar and the like, to add a unique dimension to the musicality of the street. And even a Bingo Night, Lyn was heard to utter. Live music was always part of their scene in PE and knowing and learning of the wealth of Stanford’s Musical Fellowship, they were assured by the interviewer that live musicians would willingly respond to requests and take up a special corner in the spacious street viewing dining area.
All it needs, according to Lyn, is appropriate décor: bright lights, protection from unforeseen typical Cape weather, wall etchings of famous Mexican luminaries such as Frida Kahlo, a supreme painter that truly represents the dignity of women across the universe, and lots of other sketches of revolutionary individuals such as the guerrilla fighter, Pancho Villa, who contributed to the rich Mexican history which will be truly represented when La Cantina opens for lunches and evening meals, when the place will be full of diners salivating over the varied Mexican dishes (not hot but heated with sauces) on offer. Watch out for OPENING NIGHT.
Bienvenido from Lyn and Mark. Our service is more than the sum of its parts.
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Remember Ol’ Blue Eyes crooning that years ago? Today the recognition could well be for Nellie van Dyk, Stanford’s centenarian, plus two. Nellie celebrated her birthday on 28 February.
Huipie Nadel (87), who was born in the Stanford district, as Nellie was, says her sense of humour was legend. “She’s always had that twinkle in her eyes. She was 15 years my senior, and my mother was 13 years her senior. They phoned each other regularly. It was in the days of the farm party lines. You would turn the phone’s little handle and the switchboard operator would say: “Nommer asseblief”. Often the lines crossed. There was very little privacy – similar to social media today, actually.”
Nellie was a seamstress of note in the Overberg. She made wedding and christening dresses that left folks in awe. Huipie recalls: “Nellie used to say that she would like to have a sewing machine instead of a tombstone on her grave one day. She was indeed an artist.”
Nellie tells us that her skills were honed at Rozenhof College in Stellenbosch after leaving school. There she learnt that sewing was an art. She became equally adroit at decorating cakes.
Born Nellie Lötter, she grew up on the farm Vredenburg outside Stanford. It was only as a young woman that she first met her husband-to-be, Daniël Petrus van Dyk – even though he was raised on the neighbouring farm, Hartebeeskloof – now a 6th generation Van Dyk-owned farm.
The couple lived at Hartebeeskloof for 56 years. When Daniël passed away, Nellie moved to Stanford. She is now a resident at the Herberg aan See Retirement Village in Gansbaai.
Daniël and his Nellie had three children: Jan, Petronella and Glaudina. Petronella, who was Stanford’s previous municipal manager, passed away a few years ago. Nellie has six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She, herself, was the oldest of six children and the only one still alive today – “I’m a lonely old owl now and that’s not so nice.”
She does not hanker after any treasures. But she would love to have visitors every day. And, oh, to knit again. “Glaudina has a wool shop in Montagu. I will ask her to bring me some wool.”
Young at heart, she is.
