Aberdeen Secondary School Celebrates Its Grade 12 Learners

Proud Mother and Son Truitjie and Eden Vena of Lotusville

Joleen Williams, Candace Jafta, Mandy Jansen & Janine De Bruyn

Thursday 15th October 2009 was the evening of a final celebration for the Grade 12 learners of Aberdeen Secondary School. The evening began with a car parade which started just outside Lotusville, and wove its way through the central area of Aberdeen to just outside the school gates. Here crowds of Aberdeen, Lotusville and Thembaliswize residents and pupils of the school waited to cheer, admire and clap enthusiastically as the Grade 12 learners were driven up to the school gates. As the young ladies alighted from the motor parade, the waiting crowd was enchanted by their elegant attire. The beautiful dresses made of brightly coloured taffetas and satin material with matching corsages, lit up the early evening. The smartly attired young men, most with a tie and shirt to match their partner’s evening gown colour, escorted their partner’s through a waiting aisle of well wishers.

Grade 12 Final Year Learners at the Dance

Arlene Jantjies with Jenabra Frezenburg

Proud parents were waiting at the school entrance to photograph and enjoy this moment, and the excitement of the evening was evident on the smiling faces of all the young people.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Urgent Solution And Maintenance Needed To Save The Water Source Of Aberdeen

An urgent meeting held this evening 14th October 2009, and attended by concerned residents of Aberdeen, could probably prove the only momentum and assistance Aberdeen’s water supply is ever going to get. The meeting was called by the Town’s newly appointed Ward 1 Member of the Ward Committee, Count Nikolas Jankovich-Besan.
In his professional presentation, Jankovich-Besan displayed visual photographs which gave witness to the dreadful decline of the source of Aberdeen’s water “The Eyes” in the Fonteinbos area.
The meeting was held in the Aberdeen Heritage Archive and Tourism Building, and the Aberdeen residents were welcomed by Mr Hilary Graham who introduced Count Nikolas Jankovich-Besan.
The Agenda of this meeting was simply the current reality of what is happening to the water system referred to as the ‘Lei water.’ This system provides private homes with a water flow to their gardens on the eastern side of Aberdeen.
In his address, Jankovich-Besan explained how he researched the water supply, the channels through which the ‘lei water’ runs through Aberdeen, the Fonteinbos Dam and the storm water drainage problem.

Jankovich-Besan explained that there are challenges associated with every aspect of Aberdeen’s water supply. ’The Eyes’, from which the water flows, has four sources of delivery, of which only three are working. The Fonteinbos Dam is three quarters full of silt, and the channels through which the ‘Lei water’ flows is usually full of rubbish. The uncontained storm water flows freely, flooding parts of Lotusville.

To preserve the source of the water at ‘The Eye’, conservation needs to be exercised as trees around this sensitive area are being cut down for firewood. This area also needs to be kept free of sand build up. Ten to twelve years ago, municipal teams kept this area pristine, and this can be achieved again, but pressure needs to be kept on the Municipality, as many of the channels feeding water supply to the town are broken.
Jankovich-Besan stressed that there is a good relationship with the Municipal Manager, and municipal workers are already clearing the water source area.

Important information in a ‘Municipal Budget for 2010’ would shortly be drawn up, and with the assistance of a ‘Lead Water Working Committee,’ which Jankovich-Besan has called this meeting to elect, they could bring pressure on the Municipality to make all the water supply areas to Aberdeen and surrounding areas, one of their top financial priorities. The Committee could amongst other challenges, research the resources of the Municipality.
The response of Aberdeen residents to this working committee is enthusiastic and supportive, and the residents expressed a genuine desire to assist this project in saving all aspects of the town’s water.
Fifteen Aberdeen residents were elected to form the ‘Lead Water Working Committee’ out of which, positions for a formal working committee will be formed. This Committee will meet to form a ‘working document’. The first meeting to form this committee will be held on Wednesday 21st October 2009 at 6pm at the Heritage Archive and Tourism Building.
Aberdeen residents are invited to give handwritten notification of any problems concerning the water flow in Aberdeen to Jankovich-Besan, who also gave an open invitation to all residents to accompany him on an instructive tour of the Fonteinbos area.
The ‘Lead Water Working Committee’ appears to be working under the motto “Let Us Be of Service to One Another”.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Relief Rains In Aberdeen

On Sunday 11th October Aberdeen and surrounding areas experienced a welcome rainfall which seemed to fall consistently throughout the night. This must have brought some relief to the farmers. In areas of Aberdeen, the rainfall measured approximately 21 millimeters. A photograph taken in Aberdeen shows the collection of water on a swimming pool cover. It also has a reflection of the nearby NG Kerk steeple.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Suzette Laux From Palm Beach Florida USA Visits Aberdeen

Suzette Laux who is presently visiting Aberdeen and the nearby Karoo towns, is a trained massage therapist in Cranio-Sacral Therapy. She specialized in this technique at the Upledger Institute, and has worked at the well known Hippocrates Health Institute in Palm Beach Florida for the past seven years. The Hippocrates Health Institute is America’s ‘Premier Health Encounter’, and is instrumental in the treatment of a person’s health crises in all forms. Suzette, who was born in Miami, is of Irish, Austrian and French descent. She also has links to the Huron Indians.
Suzette is also an accomplished sculptress and her sculpture of a three foot high model of St Theresa is beautiful and astonishing in its quality and likeness to the Saint.
Suzette tells of how she has found personal fulfillment by working at the Institute, which can accommodate up to fifty people at a time. Most of the clientele who have health challenges usually stay for a three week period, and it is during this period that Suzette witnesses the extreme health changes and very often recoveries that take place in these people, depending on their health issues.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, M.S. Cancer and the mental challenges of Vietnam Veterans are all treated by very advanced techniques.
Group vibration therapy and diet changes among many other treatments usually assist in a person regaining health and balance which produces a shift in the body, ultimately giving peace and happiness. Suzette finds an extraordinary satisfaction and pleasure in seeing the release of problematical health challenges in a person in just that three week period.
The Institute has a peaceful environment and is surrounded by beautiful scenery. A large number of their clientele are French Canadians.
Suzette has found Aberdeen to be a unique and beautiful place in the Karoo, ‘a place to be still and yet to be entertained by the beauty of churches and the passion of the people’. She has also found friendliness and likeminded people who have a desire for a simple lifestyle. Suzette will be leaving South Africa shortly, but she has said that she would love to return to the Karoo.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Police Field Training Dog Unit Visits Aberdeen Primary School

At an Aberdeen Sector Police Forum initiative this morning Monday 12 October, the Graaff-Reinet Police Dog Handling Unit gave a demonstration at Aberdeen Primary School. This is the second ‘crime-free’ course the S.P.F. has organized at the school, the first one being on dangerous weapons.
Police Liaison Officer Renee Sweetland addressed the pupils before the demonstration, outlining the dangers of illegal substances. She explained how to identify the plant ‘Dagga’ in order to destroy it. Inspector Sweetland explained how drug dealers would freely give the first illegal substance to a child to introduce them to it. After the initial first introductory illegal substance, the child would be made to pay for any future usage. In order to pay for a further supply of drugs, the child could in all probability start a trend of stealing to get money for this habit, and would therefore not only become an addict, but a criminal as well.

Police Inspector Andre Booysen, with his Alsatian ‘Nicole’ who is trained in retrieving and sniffing out illegal substances, demonstrated to the Aberdeen Primary School Pupils how easily illegal substances are discovered.
Inspector Andre Booysen explained how ‘Sniffer-Dogs’ were trained in a four month course at Roodeplaat in Pretoria, and that not all breeds of dogs could be disciplined or excel at the technique of ‘flushing out’ illegal substances.

Inspector Booysen was enthusiastic in his approach to the welfare of his Alsatian ‘Nicole’ and the close connection between dog and handler was very evident.

The Principal, Mr Johan Minnaar, thanked the S.P.F, Inspector Renee Sweetland and the Graaff-Reinet Field Dog Training Unit for their cooperation in assisting the Aberdeen Primary School Staff to ensure that the young pupils appreciated the dangers of drug usage, and the methods which the Police would employ to ‘flush out’ all illegal substances. He stressed to the pupils that Inspector Sweetland was always available to them for any problems which might occur in their daily lives.
It is hoped that this S.P.F. initiative of taking crime prevention to the Aberdeen Primary School, will extend to all the schools in the area of Aberdeen, Lotusville and Thembalisizwe.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Aberdeen Book Club October Meet

The Aberdeen Book Club enjoyed another good morning meeting in Aberdeen on the 6 October 2009. This month it was hosted by Gay Day.
This Club meets regularly every month, and although the selection of books is varied according to the different tastes of the members, a few of the top ten seller’s world wide are nearly always included. These books are selected from the Internet, from the book critic’s choices in various newspapers, and from our own local book shop here in Aberdeen. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 27th October 2009.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Wine Tasting At The Karoo Moons In Aberdeen

On Sunday 3rd October those who were fortunate enough to have bookings, enjoyed a delectable lunch served by Ernest and Ramsay at their 4 Star Restaurant in Aberdeen.
The 3 course luncheon was accompanied by wines from the Groenvlei area which is surrounded by the Herderberg Mountains just outside Somerset West. This is a prime grape growing area which produces some of the best wines in South Africa.

Tertius Naude and Werner Schrenk presented Peter Falke Wines which complimented the dishes served. With their knowledge and expertise, Tertius and Werner shared knowledge about the wines selected and served at the luncheon. Sauvignon Blanc 2008, PF Signature 2003 and Blanc De Noir 2008 were three of the wines enjoyed.
As Peter Falke states on his brochure, his wines reflect ‘the land, the earth, the soil, the sky, the air, the wind, the rain, the light, the sun, the people’.

Article By: Joan Tinker

Aberdeen Garden Club October Meeting In Graaff-Reinet

On the 1st of October, the Aberdeen Garden Club was fortunate to collectively view two beautiful gardens in Graaff-Reinet. The first garden viewed was the immaculately kept garden belonging to Morne and Izieen van Jaarsveld. Two wonderful features of this garden were the enormous tree at one end under which an intimate garden party could be held, and an enormous obviously very old, but healthy and happy lemon tree, on which lemons appeared to be the size of a small melon. The lawn surrounding this well kept garden was as smooth and as green as a finely kept bowling green.

Brenda Pringle, the gracious hostess of ‘Thyme and Again’, kindly hosted the morning tea for the Club in her home. Her restful garden was dominated by the melodious sounds from a water feature which had different varieties of pink and mauve flowering plants bordering the pond.

Article By: Joan Tinker