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This page exists to house the old magazine, "The Buzz", we used to print. Links to the PDFs are below. The articles in this section are related to the magazine, or have not yet been moved to other categories.

Saturday 14 th November 6pm, Nivenia Hall:

GRANT BROOKER ON ECO-POOLS

Saturday 28 th November 6pm Nivenia Hall, [fundraiser]:

JUDY NEW’S TRAVELS IN PERU

Saturday 12 th December 10am, Nivenia Hall:

Prof. Anusuya Chimsamy-Turan, Palaeobiologist of UCT presents: “LIFE AND TIMES OF DINOSAURS” [suitable for young and old]

Saturday 12 th December 12 noon:

KOGELBERG BRANCH OF BOTSOC’S 30TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION a self-catered, non-braai picnic at Die Stroompie. Chocolate birthday cake provided. Contact Gwen Coetzee 028 272 9057/ 079 673 8882 if you are planning to at- tend. Members and their friends welcome.

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS AT THE GARDENS

Jot down these dates now, so that you don’t double-book.

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT
Sat 19 December 2015, Adults R40, Youth R20


GUGULETHU TENORS
Sat 2 January 2016, Adults R80, 6 – 18 years R40


HEINZ WINCKLER
Wed 6 January 2016, Adults R60, 6 – 18 years R30


For all the above the gates will open at 18:00 and carols/concerts start promptly at 19:00.

Botanical Society members and Senior Citizens pay full price.

Safety and crime prevention in the Hangklip – Kleinmond area got off to a good start with the election of a new committee on Thursday 22 October 2015. The committee is representative of all the towns with the following members being elected:

(Article compiled for the Kogelberg Branch of the BotSoc by Dr Allan Heydorn)

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Originating in south-eastern Australia, the Peppertree wattle, Acacia elata, is an invasive species causing increasing concern in the Western Cape. As with other invasive Acacia species, it displaces indigenous fynbos vegetation, lowers groundwater levels and poses a serious hazard during wildfires. It spreads rap idly through prolific seed production and dispersion. A. elata is listed under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) as Category 1b. Its removal is therefore enforceable by law.

Open Gardens Day

A VISIT TO THREE BETTY’S BAY GARDENS ON MONDAY, 5 OCTOBER, AT 9 A.M.
[VISITORS WILL MEET IN THE HAROLD PORTER CAR PARK IN ORDER TO SHARE LIFTS.]


There are three gardens to visit, well-loved and maintained by their owners. Two are large gardens and the third has a small nursery and several endemics (only found in this region).

If you are interested, please phone 021 7941761 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Thursay, 1 October. We need to know numbers. The idea is to have tea at Harold Porter Gardens afterwards, a walk away from the last garden visited.

SPRING IS HERE AND THE GARDENS ARE A RIOT OF COLOUR. YOU WILL BE SEEING THEM AT THEIR VERY BEST!

Andrea Benn.

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In last month’s edition of The Buzz, it was incorrectly reported that PIKKEWYNTJIES had a monthly funding shortfall of R1000. This was a gross understatement. The monthly deficit is a whopping R600 per child.

MAY I INTRODUCE… Rudi Perold, Chairman of the Betty’s Bay Ratepayers’ Association

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The overriding feeling that I was left with after a long chat to Rudi Perold was that the concerns of the Betty’s Bay home-owners couldn’t be in better hands. What struck me most was his comprehensive grasp of the challenges we face in Betty’s Bay, as well as his perceptive and logical response to them. His obvious intelligence and competence, coupled with the energy levels of a man half his age, an unshakeable morality [based on a profound Christian faith] and a strong sense of community, make him a man in whom we can confidently put our trust to represent us in the issues affecting Betty’s Bay.

The weather in Betty’s Bay over the last couple of weeks hasn’t been great. Winter is very much here and the rain has been bucketing down. The North-Wester has also been howling about our ears, rattling the roof and jarring the nerve-endings. On the glorious winter days that have punctuated Nature’s onslaught, it seemed mad to leave Betty’s Bay. The beach in the soft winter light was just too alluring.

Bringing the hope of a better life to the very young of our community. Together they run the Pikkewyntjie PrePrimary School in Mooiuitsig, “WHERE CREATIVITY MAKES LEARNING FUN”.

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They are, from left to right: CHRISTEN MALGAS [teacher], LOUISE PLAATJIES [cook], ZAAN CILLIERS [principal, teacher and bus driver] and SALLY TOBIN [assistant teacher].

[Important correction to this article — made September 2015 — We incorrectly reported that PIKKEWYNTJIES had a monthly funding shortfall of R1000. This was a gross understatement.

The monthly deficit is a whopping R600 per child. There are 30 kids at the school so the total monthly shortfall is a daunting R18,000. All the more reason to dig into the old wallet and make a monthly contribution. The project is too important for the future of Betty’s Bay to allow it to fail through lack of funds.]

Zaan describes theirs as a dream team. Each staff member is hard-working and intensely loyal to the school. And while each has designated responsibilities, all four lend a hand wherever help is needed. Together they keep the place spic and span, they tend the vegetable garden and they help with food preparation. But their main focus is on the needs and education of the kids. Every day, says Zaan, her staff goes the extra mile for the children and it is this dedication that lifts this little school way above the ordinary.

The community of Mooiuitsig began its existence in the very early seventies as a typical apartheid-era township. It was originally built to house Coloured municipal workers. As in so many such townships, the residents have remained poor. They have had few opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their children because jobs in Betty’s Bay are scarce and education is difficult to access. There are the inevitable social problems that are found in such townships – unemployment, dire poverty, hunger, single parent families and, more recently, the scourge of tik, the cheap and devastating drug that is causing havoc in poorer communities throughout South Africa. Young township dwellers are easy meat to unscrupulous dealers as these youngsters have so little hope of a fulfilling future. They are trapped in a cycle of poverty and have few opportunities to make something of their lives.

Because of failing health, Joan was forced to leave her beloved Betty’s Bay home in March 2008. Determined to give Betty's Bay a final farewell, she participated actively in the Woman's World Day of Prayer that year, the day before she was hospitalised, after which she moved to her daughter in Pinelands.

Joan and her husband Maurice built their Cliff Road cottage overlooking Jock's Bay in the 1970s. They had fallen in love with Betty's Bay after spending many holidays at Norwood, the family home next door. After Maurice died in 1986, Joan moved permanently to Betty's Bay and involved herself wholeheartedly in the community. She was a founder member of the Anglican Church, before the chapelry of St. Francis was established. Together with Avril Nunn, she organized communion services in their homes for any Anglicans in Betty’s Bay and this led to our now thriving Anglican parish.

The Hemel ‘n Aarde valley with its vineyards and sweeping vistas of land, lagoon, sea and mountain, is certainly aptly named. A day’s meander along this wine route is nothing short of divine and the perfect destination for a treat outing.

Having popped into Newton Johnson for a quick and delicious wine tasting, we headed off to Creation to experience for ourselves their much celebrated cuisine. [Tripadvisor rates Creation as the best of 84 restaurants in the Hermanus region.] As we parked we were struck by the beautiful surroundings, the undulating hills planted with vines against a mountain backdrop that appeared almost golden in the weak winter sunshine, thanks to the Leucadendrons that are so spectacular at this time of year. The place was packed. Every square metre of garden and patio heaved with humanity, everyone quaffing wine and having a great time. The popularity of Creation makes it essential to book well in advance.

Out and About in the Overberg

We have experienced typical Cape winter weather this year—a few spells of pelting rain and Arctic temperatures, interspersed with wonderfully sunny days. These are the days that we should, quite literally, head for the hills.

Alex Antrobus, a family friend, did just this, accompanied by a couple of his pals. He had this to say about his hike in the Kogelberg… The Kogelberg Nature Reserve forms the heart of the Kogelberg Bioshpere Reserve. For those Betty's Bay and Kleinmond residents who live inland of the R44, the Kogelberg Bioshpere Reserve literally is in their back yard! But this doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed by everyone.

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EDWARD SILBERBAUER is Betty’s Bay’s very own “Mr Hack”. He is the convenor of a group of intrepid volunteers who, once a month, do battle against the alien vegetation that threatens our pristine fynbos. Armed with chainsaws and sheer determination, this group chops down the invasive, non-indigenous trees that can swamp the local vegetation. These plants, if left to their own devices, spread at an alarming rate, swallowing up all the indigenous plants in their path. They are also a serious fire hazard. [One has only to think of the terrible fires in Australia to understand the threat that they pose.] Port Jackson willows, pines, myrtle, rooikrans, New Zealand Christmas trees and long-leaf wattles are the main culprits.