Edition 114 MARCH 2012
A SMORGASBORD OF BOATS
Giving sailing a thumbs up, the father and son combo of the young helmsman, Jonathan Ham and his father Warwick Ham on the wire in the recent Quantum Sails 9 Hour Endurance Race at Midmar Dam. (Pic by Sophie Thompson)
in this month’s edition......
1. Remember Springbok Radio? join Cat and Paul at Barbz 2. Ever heard of a cyclarian?...... 3. Easter Holidays - Some Ideas for entertaining the kids.... 4. Please help us find Bear- (German Shepherd) 5. Goodbye to a Special headmistress 6. Beautiful art Gallery opens 7. Our stupendous schools... 8. The editor and the argus Don’t forget to check our regular writers out too.....
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Quantum Sails 9Hour Endurance Race Henley Midmar Dam: 25 February
record entry of 71 boats celebrated the 20th Quantum Sails 9Hour Endurance Race at the gorgeous inland venue, the Henley Midmar Yacht Club at Midmar Dam, with Steve Hegerstrom and Roger Hill being crowned the 2012 winners.
The team paired up sailing a Halcat 1 Up and circumnavigated the long rectangular course set by race officer Rob Bell, 11 times. The endurance race that started at nine in the morning had close to 300 sailors working hard in the scorching Midlands heat for the nine hour duration. The race started with a light North Westerly that swung around to a North Easterly as the day progressed and only picked up towards the end of the day making conditions tough for the guys out on the water. A spirited fleet of 505s were constantly at the front of the pack and were awarded for their persistence with the class making an appearance on the podium with a second, third and fourth on the scorecard. Teams lead by helmsmen Hans Rogotski and Thomas Funke claimed silver; helmsmen Jonathan Ham and Mark Biagio bronze and the young duo of Euan Hurter and Alex Horn helmed their way to fourth. Each boat has two teams with a maximum of two skippers per vessel navigating themselves around the course for nine hours. The teams head between two markers and then as smoothly as possible, attempt to change teams while trying to stay as dry as they can. Spectators are presented with magnificent thrills and spills as the changeover area is a stone throw away from the banks. Crews can be spotted jumping off their fast moving boats enabling another crew member to jump on board. Classes included catamarans, a smorgasbord of dinghies, Hunters and keelboats that all buzzed around the dam, some getting some much needed training for national events like the Hunters, Laser and Halcat Nationals that take place in the coming months. “The event is growing and growing each year and is becoming a must on the sailing calendar for competitors.” beamed Craig Millar, the Manager of Quantum Sails. “It was truly magnificent seeing the number of young, new faces thoroughly enjoying themselves and reinforcing our commitment to supporting youth participation in sailing events.” The Quantum Sails 9Hour Endurance Race continues to draw sailors from around South Africa taking on the inland conditions at Henley Midmar Yacht Club.
SPAR KZN Shield Teens U18 Hockey Tournament
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hPietermaritzburg was awash with stick wielding hockey players in the regional playoffs of the SPAR KZN Shield Teens U18 Hockey Tournament this past weekend with Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High and The Wykeham Collegiate advancing through to the finals in July.
Fourteen teams were divided up into Pietermaritzburg Central and Pietermaritzburg North re-
gions to compete in the second SPAR KZN Shield Teens Hockey Tournament that coincided with the age old Parklane SuperSPAR tournament. For the Parklane SuperSPAR tournament, the two regions play pool games with the winner of each pool going up against each other in the final. The overall winner of the Parklane Tournament was Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High team as they topped the scoreboard at the end of the quick-fire 25 minute game. They make their second appearance at the St Marys Diocesan finals in July. The Wykeham Collegiate dethroned St Anne’s in the Pietermaritzburg North pool games, St Anne’s were the reigning champion of both the 2011 Parklane Tournament and the inaugural SPAR KZN Shield Teens Hockey Tournament. Four teams have now advanced to the finals of the SPAR KZN Shield Teens U18 Hockey Tournament that takes place in July at St Marys Diocesan: joining Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High and The Wykeham Collegiate are Ferrum High from Newcastle and Creston College from Port Shepstone. In the boys 13 and under and men’s 31 and over it was Matthew Meyer, who true to his word, took up the challenge that he laid down to Ryk Neethling at the 2011 aQuelle’ Midmar Mile when he posted an impressive 21 minutes and 30 seconds in a race where he was never challenged. Last year Neethling edged Meyer on the line and at post race interview Matthew declared that he would beat his more illustrious competitor at this years event. True to his word Meyer produced an exciting swim under trying conditions beating the Olympic gold medallist who had to settle for a 22:31. Meyer was followed by Bailey Musgrave (23:11) and Jordan le Clos (23:34). Another swimmer set the challenge to Neethling, but in the 31-40 years category. 2000 Olympic silver medallist Terence Parkin was second overall to Meyer in 21:52. The remaining category winners in this event included Glen Core (41-50) 23:16, Greg Price (51-60) 24:11, Martin Flekser (61-70) 31:07 and Derek Fyfe (71+) 31:58. With the sun setting on what was without a doubt one of the most successful aQuelle’ Midmar Miles in the history of the event, all credit must go to those who made it the successful incident free event that it turned out to be. With a large international contingent present, the future certainly looks bright for this well organised and well supported event. Roll on 2013 and the 40th edition!
Firing in a shot in the recent SPAR KZN Shield Teens U18 Hockey Tournament, St Anne’s Hannah Moxham tests Grace College’s defence as Kaiti Faul puts her body on the line in the pool game at St Charles College. Supporting is St Anne’s player, Rebecca Pereira in the hotly contested Hilton derby where St Anne’s were victorious. Pic by Sophie Thompson
Montagu Junior National proves hot and tough
RockyRoads UCI MTB World Cup Pietermaritzburg.
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Kzn’s Bradley Cox (top) and Travis Teasdale (below)
ietermaritzburg - A new record entry of 447 of the worlds best mountainbikers has entered the RockyRoads UCI MTB World Cup in Pietermaritzburg this weekend. Once the registration process closed on Wednesday the final tally of male and female riders across the senior, Under 23 and junior age groups for the cross country and downhill was the biggest ever received since Pietermaritzburg started hosting UCI MTB World Cups in 2009. In all 32 nations are represented, with the majority of them using the event as the first Olympic qualification decider for the national cross country representatives. “It’s the biggest entry we have received,” said event director Alec Lenferna. “But what is pleasing is the increasing numbers in the junior and Under 23 categories, which is a positive sign for the sport. We understand it is not cheap to send large teams to South Africa for an event like this so to see so many teams and nations sending their top juniors and under 23 riders is very encouraging.” More information can be found at www. mtbworldcupsa.co.za
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earing heat and a testing route resulted
in young off-road motorcycle and quad competitors having to work for their points at the Montagu Junior National, the second round of the Junior National Championship that took place this past weekend (3 March) in the Koo Valley in the Western Cape. In contrast with last year when snow fell at the venue a day before the race, the valley experienced extremely hot conditions that took its toll on the young off-road riders competing on national, regional and club level and while there were more victories for the leaders in the three senior motorcycle classes in the national championship, new winners emerged in almost all of the other classes. The 125cc Class was again won by Kzn’s Travis Teasdale (Fever Criterion Yamaha) who had a comfortable lead ahead of Brett Swanepoel (JOAT KTM). KZN rider from Cato Ridge, Bradley Cox (Red Bull KTM), son of the former multiple off-road motorcycle champion, Alfie Cox, claimed his second consecutive victory in the Senior 85cc Class when he beat Allistair Drennan (Roost Gemini KTM) who was only two minutes ahead of local Cape rider, Matt van Galen (Helderberg Yamaha) after their three hour battle. The third round of the 2012 Junior National Championship will take riders to Lesotho for Swiss Olympian Nathalie Schneitter (9) leads the elite the Junior Roof on 5 May. women’s field off the start line in last year’s UCI MTB
Issued on behalf of the MSA Off-road Motorcycle, Quad, Enduro & Trials Commission by ETdotKomm (ETdotKomm Elza Thiart Kommunikations Tel: 082 4588 517 / etdotkomm@worldonline. co.za) Visit www.mqoecommission.co.za for more information.
World Cup, followed by Eva Lechner in the Italian jersey (3). Both will be riding for the Colnago-Südtirol team in 2012 RockyRoads UCI MTB World Cup Pietermaritzburg.
Mount Verde Mammas Take on the Argus!
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Busi the Bookworm goes cycling
ocal “Cyclarian”, Julia Colvin, qualifies for the 2012 Rocky Road UCI MTB World Cup. Daubed the ‘Cyclarian’ by her fellow ‘Bugs’, Colvin is one of the busiest of the Midlands Meander Education Project field workers and is known as Busi the Bookworm as she is the dedicated Librarian “Bug”. This is a great accomplishment as she works full time for the Education Project, manages occasionally to fit in locum work as a veterinarian nurse and has a gruelling mountain bike training schedule. Julia’s incredible passion and diligence for everything she does is an inspiration. She currently assists four local schools with their libraries and not only sets up functional systems but co-teaches with educators and creates regular library lessons to establish a culture of research and learning from books. She trains volunteer community librarians to assist with the established school libraries to support this project. She is delighted to have qualified for the approaching 2012 Rocky Road UCI MTB World Cup to be held at Cascades near Pietermaritzburg on the 16-18 March. Everybody at the Midlands Meander and the Midlands Meander Education Projects as well as the schools on the programme wishes her all the best in the World Cup and many of them will be there to support her when she rides. “Julia is a fantastic and charismatic person, she has a great hands-on approach with the kids and her enthusiasm and determination are her greatest strengths” Mr. N. Nyoni, Grade 6 educator, Sifisesihle School, Mpophomeni. If you would like to help Julia with libraries at local schools contact info@mmaep.co.za or visit the web-site www.mmaep.co.za
Rotary’s big splash
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he Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg recently organized its annual swimming gala for disadvantaged children. This year’s gala, hosted by the Joseph Baynes Salvation Army Home, was a huge success with over eighty children taking part. Two other homes were involved, the Sunlit Children’s Home and the Pietermaritzburg Children’s home. The children were divided into two teams called Sharks and Dolphins respectively and learners from the Alexandra High School’s Rotary Interact Club assisted with marshalling. So closely matched were the teams that the event had to be decided on a swim-off between two people – the Sharks managing to secure the win. This fun event involves lots of cake, sweets, chips and cool drinks. Rotarian Duncan Andrew, who organized the event and acted as life-saver had this to say ‘What wonderfully behaved children we have in our homes and what wonderful and caring people supervise them. The event went off without the slightest hitch and even the weather behaved itself. There is no doubt that
Children receiving cake and cold-drinks before the Gala, with Rotary Ann Thea Paine in the fore-ground and Rotarians Richard Paine jnr, Aubrey Bowles and Richard Paine snr assisting. Photo: Jason Londt
we will be back again next year! A big thanks to all the Rotarians who came along to assisted at this fun event’.
Alexandra High School Rotary Interact Members with Rotary President Sabitha Maharaj (centre). L-R Nothando Ngcobo (vice-president), Nonhle Zuma (president of the Interact Club), Siphokazi Duma and Lebohang Dube. Photo: Jason Londt
ROTARY FUN QUIZ
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he Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg recently organized a Fun Quiz evening for their Seniors Club at Allison Homes. The quiz involved groups of four and a questionnaire of 25 simple general knowledge questions. The answer sheets were passed around for marking by other groups. While some teams did better than others everyone received a prize, and all were treated to eats and drinks with compliments of the PMB Rotary Club and The Wheatfield Mission. The Senior’s Club is now looking forward to their next event which is to be a Bingo evening. Organizer, Rotarian Trudy Stegen, was clearly pleased when she said ‘What a pleasure to see our senior citizens really enjoying life. This is a great Rotary project which provides people with lots of fun and fellowship’.
Among those who enjoyed the Fun Quiz were (left to right) Shirley Bedworth, Dot Venter, Rotarian Trudy Stegen, Phyllis Stenner and Betty Hibbers. Photo supplied
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The 47th Arthur Cresswell Memorial Marathon
erg and Battlefields make for a scenic Comrades Qualifier! The Arthur Cresswell Memorial Marathon has been rated as a soft qualifier for the Comrades Marathon that combines the scenic views of the Drakensberg with the historic Battlefields of Ladysmith.
The event, better known as the Bergville to Ladysmith, will take place on Saturday, 14 April 2012. On-line and pre-entries are open for the 52km ultra marathon as well as the 21km N3TC Half Marathon at www.enteronline. co.za. Entries close on 30 March 2012. A 5km Fun Run finishes off the offering of the traditional Arthur Cresswell Memorial Marathon, which is a fund raiser for the Khanyisile Foundation. The Khanyisile Foundation was established in 2008 by the Road Safety Foundation, Community Medical Services and N3 Toll Concession (N3TC). The Foundation aims to help children in the proximities of the Van Reenen area from educational, nutritional, health and road safety perspectives. The ultra marathon starts at Bergville Farmers Hall at 06:00am and finishes at the Ladysmith Sports Centre. A free bus service is available for athletes from Ladysmith to the start at Bergville departing from the Ladysmith Sports Centre promptly at 04:00 AM. The N3TC 21km Half Marathon starts at 07:00 at the Ladysmith Sports Centre and finishes at the same venue. The Khanyisile Foundation 5km Fun Run starts at 07:15 at the Ladysmith Sports Centre, and finishes at the Centre. The Race is run in accordance with the rules of IAAF, ASA, and KZNA. The 52km Marathon is open to all licensed athletes from the ages of 20 years and older, and the 21km event is open to all licensed athletes 16 years and older. The event provides the opportunity for a wonderful family weekend away in the Berg of Battlefields. Camping facilities are available at the Ladysmith Sports Centre, or for those who don’t want to brave the outdoors accommodation can be booked within the area. Further information on accommodation venues can be obtained from: The Drakensberg Experience at www.openafrica.org; The Ladysmith Museum and Information Centre, contact Luke Makhubo on 036 637 2992 or ismakhubo@ladysmith.co.co; Bergville/Winterton area contact Pretty Ngcobo at the Okhahlamba Drakensberg Tourism Information Centre on 036 448 1244 or prettyngcb08@gmail.com and Bergville/Winterton – Central Drakensberg Reservations, contact Rene/Magda Hearn on 036 488 1207 or cdta@ futurenet.co.za. To enter or for further information visit www.enteronline.co.za, or www.n3tc.co.za ; or www. ladysmithathleticsclub.com
The Official School Page Laddsworth says Farewell Anne Tarr Laddsworth Primary, 1984 to 2012 n an emotional assembly attended by current learners, past pupils, well known educationists, and parents, Anne Tarr, current Principal of Laddsworth Primary in Hilton Kzn, was saluted for her dedication and commitment throughout her tenure at the school. Mrs Tarr will take up a Principal post at Renish in Stellenbosch in April. The Laddsworth Choir sang her favorite songs, past and current pupils expressed their gratitude to what Mrs Tarr has handed on to them as both a teacher and Principal. A presentation put together by the staff was introduced by Mrs Jenny Raubenheimer who, along with Mrs Sally Kelly (current Head of the JP), and Mrs Cheryl Varty were part of the 1984 intake of young teachers who joined Laddsworth. There was much laughter, as photographs and anecdotes illustrated Mrs Tarr’s career at the school. Mrs Tarr apologised to those parents present who were perhaps recipients of “first year teacher” treatment! “I had no idea what I was doing. I just did what Mr Stride (headmaster at the time) told me to do, and that was to add Zulu, and needlework to my teaching portfolio!” Tarr said. Anne Tarr not only left her mark on the academic reputation of Laddsworth where she taught many Grades, she was a keen sports coach throughout and spent many hours on the side of the field, or at the swimming pool. A 2-year stint as HOD at Longmarket Girls High preceded Mrs Tarr’s appointment as Principal of Laddsworth in 2003. Mrs Tarr will be missed by the Laddsworth family, both past and present, and she is wished God speed on her new journey, and may she continue to be inspired by the work that she does with children who are, after all, the future of our country. As expressed by the Laddsworth Gr 1’s, who always do it best: “Mrs Tarr is a good Headmaster ... She gives yellow cards ... she looks after the teachers ... she takes photos ... she works in the office ... she looks after the Gr 7’s because they play rough ... She mostly does everything in the whole school!”
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Cowan House MATHS IS FUN Cowan House recently hosted a Grade 5 fun maths evening. Seven school participated and the children were paired up and worked at the 5 different stations. The activities included tangrams and computers, incorporating various mathematical skills. There was even a closely contested parents competition! Sophie McDonald and Thina Dumalisile are hard at work on a maths worksheet.
The Cowan House pre-primary boys and girls enjoyed a recent visit at their school from the Mounted Horse Unit in PMB. The interaction with the police in a non-threatening way helped to form positive associations. The children got to ride around the field in a horse drawn cart and feed the horses carrots. Great fun was had by all. Thank you to the Mounted Horse Unit staff for this valuable learning experience.
Russell High Wins Again The Russell High team consisting of Londiwe Shange, Asanda Stragom and Sade Wagner won the Pietermaritzburg round of the Rotary Team Speaking Competition and will now represent the city in the final round in Durban.Their topic, “Faceless Duplicates” dealt with the way in which young people choose to imitate others rather than be who they really are.
The Official School Page Laddsworth Laddsworth Primary School held its annual Senior Primary Swimming Gala on Friday 17 February. The participants and parents were given a real treat in the form of a demonstration swim by Chad Ho, current 3-times winner of the Midmar Mile and holder of many SA Open Water Swimming records. Chad very sportingly agreed to swim against swimmers from Laddsworth in a number of fun events. Only one participant, an ex-pupil now at high school, managed to beat him! Swimmers had the added pleasure of receiving their prizes from Chad at the end of the morning.
Brogan Tedder powering through to a win in the U11 boys butterfly event. Brogan was the eventual age group winner.
Nyala House Captains Charne Houston and Chris Hoffman receiving the prize for the Overall winners at the gala.
TWC Provincial selections
The following girls from The Wykeham Collegiate Junior School have been selected for the Midlands Tennis Team. Back left to right : Alice Comrie, Samantha Yeats, Milan Comley. Front left to right : Yasha Nair, Kate Dunton, Shannon Firman, Megan McDonald. Photo: supplied.
New Hanover Prep At New Hanover Prep we have experienced how children who play instruments have increased selfconfidence, enhanced listening and cooperation skills, better hand-eye coordination, improved motor skills and superior spatial reasoning. We have noticed, however, that children who have never played a musical instrument, can pick up a shaker and participate in a drumming experience. Music therapist Bill Matney shares that drumming can also be used as a therapeutic tool to help children address social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs. Left: Nontombi Duma enjoying her drumming experience at a recent djembe workshop. Pic and article supplied by S. Redinger
The following girls from The Wykeham Collegiate Junior School have been selected for the Midlands Swimming Team. Back left to right : Rachel Taylor, Tara Wheeler, Catherine Royden-Turner, Julie Trodd Front left to right : Erin Jenkins, Jessica Bompas, Emma Huxtable, Brooke Aylward. Photo: supplied.
KIDS WHO READ SUCCEED!
There are many studies that have highlighted the many benefits of reading, and reading volume. At New Hanover Prep we believe that the more a person reads, the more he knows. Research has even found that reading volume has a direct influence on our cognitive functions where the more you read, the smarter you become, and that directly affects a child’s intellectual development. According to Walt Disney, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” To ensure that each child from Grade 1-7 discovers the “treasure” in books, NHP have launched the first in a series of reading initiatives for the year.
Helping Hands
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he MMAEP Bugs have been welcoming in the first school term with whirlwind vigour. With lots of applications to partner the organisation from schools all over the Midlands Meander, this year a record 18 schools have been chosen to participate in the 2012 WESSA WWF-SA Eco-Schools support programme. A new school which has joined the established programme for 2012 is Lions River Primary School, a tiny school nestled in the forests near the Mondi wetlands on the R103. With only 23 children attending the school, it has two educators and the children share classroom space with their reading corners, other classes and cooking facilities. The school has a small garden covered in shade-cloth to protect it from marauding monkeys and they are aiming this year to create a small nutritious garden to supplement the government feeding scheme. Assisting Lions River Primary School in attempting their first Eco-school portfolio will be the principal and educators from Corrie Lynn farm school who have been with the MMAEP for seven years and have been an Eco-School for the same amount of time
achieving their coveted International Flag status at the annual Bug Award Ceremony in December 2011. The Corrie Lynn Grade 5, 6 & 7 educator Thenjiwe Ngcobo is delighted at the opportunity to give a helping hand of experience to a new school on the programme. The 5 ‘Bugs’ who are running the Midlands Meander Education Project programme, currently include a cycling librarian, a horse riding artist, a taxi catching permaculture gardener, a lift sharing environmentalist and a football playing wetland specialist. All of the team are passionate about creative learning and the environment. So if you do spot a colourful cyclist or a tree carrying taxi passenger you will know that the Bugs are out and about doing what they love best in your community. Volunteers are welcome to join them on special Bug days throughout the year and anyone from the local community who is willing to give of their time and energy is encouraged. Be prepared to be caught up in the magic and do lots of physical labour though! Contact them at info@mmaep.co.za or support them via the website www.mmaep. co.za
Children
this is a story for them... (su
Mtini and Mo join the u
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ve tea an shocking “A study countries said sadly people th enough”, idea…” Mtini and was the start of a great plan to invo vlei that he had ever seen. Shimme little wisps of silver steam rose to m stream, Mtini could hear the voice o and other creatures. “My grandmother said that the wetl rivers flow. She said that the sourc She said that instead of blaming ot we should encourage one another t “My idea is to ask Inkanyamba, the very excited and began to call all hi black and white Fish Eagle, shimme loeries. Inkanyamba called all the and rapids, through the Dargle Vall at the Blue Lagoon. Follow the adventures of Mtini and You can help Mtini and Mo by drawi grass to celebrate the special place Cultural Campaign on 072 6928124
Victoria Rose Gallery Opens
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Thenjiwe ncgobo, educator at corrie lynn primary and one of her learners, ready to help lions river primary school to become an eco-school. Article and pic by Nikki Brighton.
n Friday 9th March, The Victoria Rose Art Gallery was opened officially by Literary Festival and Mural Town King, Darryl David, in Nottingham Road, KZN Midlands, behind The Sherwood Centre. The launch of the gallery was well attended, by mem bers of the community, art lovers and distinguished guests and media from as far afield as Durban, Richmond and Giants Castle. The Victoria Rose Art Gallery, home to the KZN Artists Guild – is the first home showcasing the finest and most diverse arts in the Universe.www. thevictoriarose.co.za / lynn@thevictoriarose.co.za / 082 337 2307
are the future
upplied by info@midlandsconservancies.org.za)
uMngeni River Walk.
er the past five years Mtini, the Cape Clawless otter and Mo, the Malachite kingfisher, have been aching children about healthy rivers and healthy communities. Many people in Pietermaritzburg nd Howick have started helping to clean the rivers, but now Mtini and Mo had received some g news! at Yale University said that South Africa has the worst environmental performance of all the s in Africa! This means that we don’t care about healthy rivers or healthy environments.” Mtini y. “But that’s not true!” said Mo, shaking his beak from side to side. “We have met so many hat care. Look at all the help the children have given us!” Mtini shook his head, “It’s not , he said. “We need to involve the whole catchment otherwise it is not enough, but I do have an
d Mo travelled for many days and many nights to reach the source of the uMngeni River. This olve everyone in looking after the catchment. Mtini stood looking at the most beautiful wetland ering dewdrops hung like diamonds on the bright green sedges and all across the shining water, meet the early morning mist. And as he listened to the bird song and the soft sounds of the of his Grandmother, as she told him stories about this special wetland place, of the River Snake
lands are the source of the river and that everything worked together in harmony to feed the ce sustains all life and that we need to show love and respect for the river that gives us life. thers for messing things up we need to see what we can do to make things better. She said that to take care of the rivers because we are all connected to the mountains, rivers and sea.” e River Snake, for help,” said Mtini. I want to take a message all the way to the sea.” Mo was is feathered friends to help – crowned cranes with golden crests shining in the sunlight, a great ering amethyst sunbirds, brown hooded kingfishers, swifts and blue swallows and purple crested River Snakes to join in and together they began their journey from uMngeni Poort over rocks ley to Table Mountain and on through the Valley of 1000 Hills, as they made their way to the sea
Mo and their friends at www.umngeniriverwalk.wordpress.com. ing a picture, writing a poem or song, creating music and a dance, sculpting clay or weaving e you love along the river. Contact Pandora Long for details on the DUCT ‘Mayday for Rivers’ 4 pandoralong@mweb.co.za www.duct.co.za. (supplied by info@midlandsconservancies.org.za)
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MIDLANDS FOOD HEROES Pam Haynes
- NIKKI BRIGHTON
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ot everyone would agree enthusiastically when their son, home for the summer holidays, suggests “let’s dig up the front lawn and plant potatoes”. Pam Haynes, however, understood his vision and now their entire garden, in suburban Howick, is an abundant food forest. Chickens wander past the swimming pool, beans climb all over the fences and pumpkins decorate the veranda.
Pam and her family have been inspired by environmental movies they have watched, in particular ‘Power of Community’ about how Cuba successfully converted to organic farming when their oil supplies dried up. “We realised the need to move away from non-renewable energy and the importance of thinking differently about our future.” Pam is learning as she goes, by observation, trial and error. Last year she harvested 54 pumpkins, but this year not nearly as many. “My favourite plants this season are the climbing beans which just took off on the trellises. I never thought there was such a diversity of beans. I have splotchy white and black ones, little yellow ones, big flat ones with red scribbles and some dark pink ones – 14 kinds actually! They are so beautiful in their glass jars that I’m not sure I will be able to eat them!” Pam thoroughly enjoys quiet times on the veranda with a bowl of dried beans on her lap. “The joy of picking and podding your own beans or peas is incredible,” she says with a grin, “the patterns are so beautiful, like miniature paintings.” Another favourite is easy growing and nutritious Amaranthus, the leaves of which are cooked like spinach. Determined to have as low an ecofootprint as possible, water tanks and solar geysers have been installed at the Haynes’ homestead. “This is all so do-able”, comments Pam, “these small changes are simple and one thing leads to the next.” With like-minded friends and neighbours, they have formed the Howick Homesteader group who meet regularly in one another’s gardens to share ideas, seeds and surplus produce. Many suburban gardeners are growing a large proportion of the food they eat, contributing to their own food security, and that of the Midlands.
Pam recommends www.transitionnetwork.org and www. livingseeds.co.za for inspiration. She will also be sharing her ideas at the Sustainable Living and Indigenous Plant Fair from 27 to 29 April at the Royal Show Grounds in PMB. Chat to her there.
A bit of Scouting history
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his little building is hardly recognizable today. There have been additions to it three times over the years, and it is now hemmed in by the houses of Birkett Road, Scottsville. In 1921, the young Alan Hattersley, Professor of History at the Natal University College, started a new scout troop in Maritzburg, and four years later it moved into its own headquarters, Scoutholm. This picture, taken in about 1926, shows the scouts with the trek cart given by the parents in 1925. This vehicle enabled the boys to take heavy camping kit to places in the district. The wheels and shaft were easily removable, and so when camping further afield, for example at Nottingham Road, they could cart their kit to Maritzburg station, load everything into the guard’s van, and use the trek cart at the other end to get from Nottingham Road station to the farm where they were
camping. Seventy-five years later the trek cart still survives, unused, in the basement at Scoutholm. Besides being the Scoutmaster at Scoutholm, and a distinguished historian and author, Alan Hattersley was
also for many years Lone Scout Commissioner. Lone Scouting provided scout training and activities for boys at boarding schools, on farms or in small towns where there was no scout troop. Professor Hattersley kept in touch with them by post – letters and printed material – enabling them to follow a proper scouting programme even though they did not belong to a troop. The accompanying photograph (which unfortunately has no date or caption) shows Alan Hattersley with a group of Lone Scouts at one of their periodic get-togethers. (These were not his Scoutholm scouts, whose uniform was a navy blue shirt and khaki scarf.) Unfortunately, owing to changing social circumstances, the
Scoutholm troop has recently closed, though there is still a Cub Pack. In its heyday it was one of the leading troops, and among its old scouts are men prominent in academic and public life, as well as in the professions and business. The late Colin Inglis, who succeeded Alan Hattersley as scoutmaster, but soon afterwards moved to Cape Town, became Chief Scout of South Africa in 1977. As one would expect of a historian, Alan Hattersley kept a meticulous record of troop events and people, known as the Troop History, and this was faithfully continued by his successors until 1990. Anyone interested in the fate of the large archive of patrol log books dating back to the 1920s, and of the Troop History itself, should contact John Deane at deanes@mweb.co.za
New Hilton resident makes his mark -
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JULIA DENNY-DIMITRIOU
EET Hilton’s newest high-profile resident: Rusty, who lives on Hilton Avenue and welcomes visitors and residents as they cross the old railway bridge at the entrance to the central area of the village. Rusty is the newest member of the Harcourts Hilton team: he’s a two-metre-high sculpture mounted outside the Harcourts offices, pointing the way to the front entrance. Rusty was made of scrap metal by a long-time Hilton resident, Greg Perrett. The owner of Harcourts Hilton, Andrew Line, also a long-time local, explained: “I collect art and already owned a piece of Greg’s work, so when a truck damaged the columns outside our offices making renovations necessary, I decided to put up a piece of public art and thought immediately of a scrap metal sculpture by Greg. Rusty is also the product of my sense of humour – he’s a fun guy, has become a talking point in the village and brings a smile to many people.” Perrett explained that his hobby is creating sculptures from scrap metal items he finds in junk yards and scrap metal dealers. “I started out making a table and chairs for our garden and carried on from there. Since then I have made a gate, a bird bath and more garden furniture. All I use is a welder and an angle grinder I keep in my garage. Rusty is the first figure I have made.” “Rusty is a great supporter of whatever is going on in Hilton and Pietermaritzburg, so on Valentine’s Day he held a red rose all day, he showed off his paddle during the Duzi canoe marathon and to celebrated the Maritzburg Marathon with a Marathon shirt and running shoes that were unfortunately stolen, Line said. “I am not sure which team he will support during the Hilton-Michaelhouse rugby weekend, and on Labour Day I am sure he will still be standing there doing nothing! He is a passionate supporter of the Sharks, the Dolphins, the Springboks and Bafana Bafana, and loves the Hilton Harriers running club. “Rusty has already built up a significant following of fans, but just to make sure that no one gets too attached to him, there is a CCTV camera watching his every move. Unfortunately it was not working the night he was mugged,” Line said. For more information contact: Andrew Line, Harcourts, Hilton 033 343-3345 Andrew Line, owner of Harcourts Hilton, about to dress Rusty in a Sharks shirt to show his support for the province’s rugby team.