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This weblog is a portal for news and items of general interest from the town of Aberdeen in the Camdeboo area of the Cacadu district of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The weblog's overiding purpose is to publicise the town and promote tourism in the region.

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Aberdeen Ward 1 Committee

At a meeting last Thursday, held at the Thembalesizwe hall, the ward committee for ward one, Aberdeen, was elected. After the first meeting had had to be cancelled due to poor attendance, the municipality this time organized for posters to be put up in the town, and some (but not all) households received flyers concerning the meeting. Despite the notices proclaiming that the meeting would start at 17h00 sharp, it was at least half an hour after that before the meeting got under way, with many people arriving late. Over 100 people were eventually crammed into the hall, with many standing at the back.

The chairman of the ward committee, cllr Desmond Coetzee, welcomed everybody, and explained the functions of the ward committee. He particularly requested that those present should show respect for others at the meeting, and that the meeting be conducted in an orderly and respectful manner – something which needed to be reiterated several times during the evening as proceedings threatened to get out of control. Municipal manager Monde Langbooi however each time managed to get the election back on track.

After a long debate as to what method should be used to take nominations, the election proceeded and ten people were duly elected to serve on the ward committee. The members and their portfolios are as follows: Wongalethu Jacobs (youth), Yvonne Frazenburg(women), Gideon Botha (religious groupings), Daniel Pieterse (sport recreation arts and culture),   Janet Tinus (health and welfare), Mzwandile Blaai (business),  Christo Frazenburg (education),  Moses Dunjana (safety and security), Johannes Mouply (disabled people), Hilary Graham (economic development)

Municipal manager Monde Langbooi addresses the meeting

The new ward councillors for Aberdeen

 

Student bursaries

Six students from Aberdeen were fortunate recently to be awarded bursaries to study at the South Cape College Beaufort West campus.

This campus is one of six operated by the college, serving predominantly the Karoo area. In 2012 the College will be following the NCV certificate courses, for which the entrance requirement is a minimum of grade nine. Those applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 who are South African citizens are eligible for scholarships. National Diploma courses are also offered to those with a matric pass, with bursaries from national funding available for those with household income below R125 000 per year. As well as academic success, the Beaufort West campus  is also very proud of its sporting achievements, being the college champions for soccer and netball, and having several players representing the province.

The students from Aberdeen are already hard at work. Five of them are studying business management (N4), with one opting for electrical engineering (N1).  All are past pupils of Aberdeen Secondary School.

Councillors of Camdeboo were instrumental in instrumental in helping the students obtain bursaries, and the students expressed their appreciation for the opportunity they have been given.

The lucky bursary recipients with Cllr Desmond Coetzee

Mario Saayman, Juanita Carelse, Ronay Lamont, Michelle Ntsibolane, Zenia Finnis, Juanita Coetzee, Cllr Desmond Coetzee

 

Sports

Aberdeen Primary School hosted Ryneveld Primary School from Graaff-Reinet to an afternoon of rugby and netball last Thursday. These friendly matches were played in good spirit, and the youngsters played their hearts out. Many teachers and pupils from Aberdeen were on hand to provide support and encouragement, which was much appreciated by the players and coaches.

Special mention must be made of Ashwill Smith, head boy of Aberdeen Primary, who scored four tries in the very exciting and closely-contested U13 rugby game.

The SGB and staff of Aberdeen Primary would also like to thank cllr Desmond Coetzee for his contribution, providing the pole shields, referee and first aid staff. Mr Johan Minnaar, principal of Aberdeen Primary, also commented on the good behavior and discipline of the pupils from Ryneveld. An attitude of good sportsmanship was seen from all the pupils, both players and spectators, as the players followed the examples set by the teachers in applauding good play.

Overall, Ryneveld came out slightly on top, winning U11 rugby 7-5, U12A netball 12-6 and U12B netball 7-0. Aberdeen redeemed themselves in the U13 age group however, winning the netball by ten goals to five, and the rugby by 39 points to Ryneveld’s 26.

The schools have decided to make this an annual fixture.

Aberdeen Primary’s U13 netball team with coach Mrs Lydia Koopman

Aberdeen’s U13 rugby boys

U13 rugby action x 2

 

Readathon

A very successful Readathon was held at Luxolo Intermediate School last week, with over 100 children from the various primary schools in Aberdeen taking part. One teacher from each school acted as a judge, with special guest Mr Quintin Strydom.

Miss N Nkele (Library) and Mrs K Bilatyi (IsiXhosa) represented the Education Department in Graaff-Reinet. The afternoon was well-organised, and the children, some of whom were understandably nervous, had obviously prepared themselves well for the day. The children and their teachers, are to be commended on the high standards achieved by the readers.

The theme of the day was “The more you read, the more you know”, and this was supported with posters and a wide variety of books on display. It is hoped that the children present will take this to heart, and explore the world of books.

All the winners of the various categories will receive a certificate, and will go on to compete in Graaff-Reinet at district level later in the year. The winners from that competition will go on to compete at a provincial event.

Learners from Luxolo Intermediate school

The Aberdeen Primary children who took part in the Readathon

Grade 1 readers

Grade 4 readers

Waiting for their turn to read

All the winners

 

NMMU at Aberdeen Primary

Aberdeen Primary School is very fortunate in having a close relationship with group from NMMU in Port Elizabeth. The “Aberdeen Project”, which is in its second year, is coordinated by Dr Laetitia Greyling of the faculty of education. This dynamic woman has a very hands-on approach, and the staff of Aberdeen Primary  are thrilled to be part of the project.

The original objective of the project was to support the school, and to improve the quality of learning and teaching. D Greyling explained that they hoped to help in two main areas, by both offering support to the teachers, and also by making the school environment more inviting and exciting for the children. She stressed the importance of parental involvement in areas where they have expertise – several fathers for example are able to help with maintenance in the school.

Amongst other activities, reading books have been donated, which enabled a small school library to be started. This is run by one of the parents. Tyres were donated (some by local farmers) and two jungle gyms have been built, sponsored by Coca Cola. Playground games such as hopscotch have been painted for the children in bright colours, and a great deal of interest has been shown by the children in these. Apart from the play value, many of these games involve counting and other number skills, allowing the children to learn through play. One of the next projects will be to plant some olive trees, to be surrounded by benches made of old tractor tyres, so that the children can sit in the shade. More donations are needed from the community, in particular old telephone poles that can be used for jungle gyms, shade cloth, old tractor tyres, and olive and palm trees.

This time the members of the faculty of education were accompanied by students and staff from the department of nursing science and campus health from NMMU. Each teacher was screened with an eye test, their height and weight checked (which caused some groans!), as well as blood glucose and blood pressure. All the children in the school also had their eyes and ears checked, and their height and weight measured. One of the visitors commented on how she almost cried when she first saw how small some of the children are, many through poor nutrition.

An added bonus for the Grade Four children was the present of a sports kit bag, which is part of the Move It programme started by the University of Johannesburg. This kit contains various items of sports and games equipment, including a soccer ball and skipping rope, with a booklet explaining different activities. The school was also very grateful to receive a donation of nonperishable foodstuffs    - one of the lecturers had been talking to one of her classes about the school, and these students had spontaneously brought in the donations.

Principal Mr Johan Minnaar receives a health check from Campus Health

Each child received a thorough health check

The visitors from NMMU

The popular jungle gym built by the project team

Dr Greyling painting playground games, helped by staff of the school

 

Garden Club Outing

Fifteen members of the Aberdeen Garden Club had a most enjoyable outing last Friday to the Blue Magnolia Nursery in Graaff-Reinet. After  a short time to wander around and admire the products on display, the ladies settled down to enjoy the most entertaining and informative talk given by Tanya Visser, editor of The Gardener magazine.

Tanya’s main message was “Stop, be still & listen in God’s garden”. She spoke of her inspiration being the vast areas of flowers In Namaqualand and urged all those who hadn’t been to go there. She shared her  secret to planning a striking garden  (inspired by nature and Namaqualand), to plant an occasional grey coloured plant in between the colour to “make the colours pop!”

Tanya further mentioned the importance of compost and mulching (especially in the hot dry Karoo climate). This was followed by useful planting tips, and the advice to visit neighbours’ and public gardens in the area to see what grows well.

After the talk, a sumptuous banquet of food was enjoyed, as colourful and varied as the flowers themselves! Champagne was served, from bottles that had been chilled in birdbaths of ice. All the ladies agreed that this was an exceptionally interesting and enjoyable outing, and many plan to revisit the nursery at their leisure to stock up their gardens.

Members of Aberdeen Garden Club at the new Blue Magnolia nursery in Graaff-Reinet

 

 

Music Concert – New Apostolic Church

 

A concert of classical music took place on Sunday afternoon,  9th October, in the beautiful surroundings of the Nuwe Kerk, Graaff- Reinet, given by the choirs and orchestra of the New Apostolic Church.  The concert was in aid of the Graaff-Reinet Hospice, with the further aim of developing the orchestra in Aberdeen.

The concert was the brain-child of Apostle Jerome Mintoor of Port Elizabeth, and was the joint effort of congregations in Port Elizabeth, Graaff-Reinet, and Aberdeen.  The rector of the Graaff-Reinet congregation, Donovan Harmse, acted as MC. The choir of sixty, and the orchestra of fifty musicians excelled themselves, and it was apparent that all concerned had practised long and hard for the event.

In addition, two other choirs performed.  The Graaff-Reinet Hospice Choir sang  a spirited version of “Never Give Up”,  and the Sunday School Choir performed “There’s a Song In My Soul” and “As the Deer” with enthusiasm and charm, ably directed by Valerie Coetzee.

The main choir practised for a full month under Hilton Hendriks, and it has to be said reached a very high standard of performance.  The orchestra, ten members of which were from Aberdeen, with the other forty drawn from various PE congregations, practised for three months, and also attained a very praiseworthy standard of musicianship.  The three conductors for the event were Howard De Vos, Gerrard Roach, and Franklin Moolman.

The very substantial task of organizing the event fell to Howard De Vos, at the PE end, and District Elder Christopher de Jager and musical director Roberto de Jager in Aberdeen.

The programme was mainly classical, and included pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Puccini, Mascagni and Pacalbel, as well as Paul McCartney, Martin Nystrom, J F Tenney, Peter Lambert, Iain Johnson, E Bourne, and H D Carbonare.  Some of these pieces were quite difficult, including a most unusual arrangement of Pacalbel’s Canon in D Minor.  Soloists were Tarryn Mintoor at the piano, and what a promising player she is;  while the clear soprano voice of Esteline de Jager was, as usual, quite superb in “The Comforter Has Come”.

An honourable mention must go to Marlon de Jager for providing three busses from Aberdeen at a subsidized rate.

The audience of about two hundred and fifty attended the concert with obvious enjoyment, and the grand sum of R4 000 was raised for Hospice.

 

Aalwynhof abloom!

The gardens of Aalwynhof Old Age Home in Aberdeen are a real feast for the senses, with colour and scent reflecting the glory of the recent prolific rains.

The gardens are maintained by Zan Fitzhenry, with practical help from gardeners Jannie and Toy. Fitzhenry  has been actively involved with Aalwynhof for about twenty years, and is to be seen pottering in the garden most days. She is full of praise for the dedication and hard work of her assistants – Jannie has been working at Aalwynhof even longer than she has!

The more active residents love to stroll around the garden, and it is a veritable oasis in this dry and dusty town. The modest Fitzhenry makes little of her efforts, but they are much appreciated by staff and residents alike.

Residents Jack Hilhorst, Pru Vorster and Joe Coetzee enjoy a walk in the lush gardens of Aalwynhof, with gardening assistants Jannie and Toy

 

 

 

 

“The Wedding”

Aberdeen Primary School held a fundraiser with a difference last Friday, when the Grade 7 learners participated in a mock wedding. All the girls dressed as men, raiding their fathers’ and brothers’ cupboards for their smartest outfits. The boys were not to be outdone, and borrowed an assortment of the most beautiful dresses and wigs to transform themselves into stunning young ladies. Some of them even ventured into high heels, and were seen tottering rather precariously around the school!

The event was organized by Mr Daniel Pieterse, with assistance from other teachers, to raise funds for the Grade 7 tour to Oudtshhorn in November. Each child in the school had to pay R5 to be allowed to watch the wedding ceremony. On hearing that not all children would be able to watch the ceremony as they were unable to pay, Arthur Raymond very generously donated R290 for the remaining 58 children, as he felt that the children were so excited, it would be very disappointing for them if they could not enjoy the rest of the fun.

The festivities started with the whole school watching some dance items which had obviously been well-rehearsed, and several of the younger pupils could not resist joining in. The main event then got underway, the wedding of Fiela Vlooi  (played by Phinando Winnaar) to Draadkar de Kok, played by Jenny Damons. Phinando was chosen to play the part of the bride, as he is the smallest boy in the grade, and he looked very “pretty” in his pink outfit. Jenny, who towered over the bride, was a very convincing and handsome groom.

 After the procession of the bridal party, dominee Leonor Maulpy performed the ceremony, with many spirited and amusing objections coming from the “guests”. The younger pupils were enthralled, and took great delight in the fancy dress worn by the Grade 7s and some of the teachers.

Special guests Frans Frazenburg and Arthur Raymond then spoke a few words to the school. Frans is an old Aberdonian, having been educated at Kamdeboo Primary School. He now lives in Springbok in the Northern Cape, where he is on the governing body of three schools, and he runs the Namaqualand Legal Advice Centre. He spoke passionately to the children about the value of education, and the importance of giving back to your community. Coming from a humble background himself, he had worked hard to get where he is in life, but has never forgotten his roots. This is his first involvement with Aberdeen Primary, although he has been an active sponsor of vulnerable children at Kamdeboo Primary for many years. He pledged a donation of R50 per child for the tour, a most generous total of R2500. Principal Mr Johan Minnaar thanked Frans for his spontaneous generosity, and expressed the hope that Frans would continue his relationship with the school.

The bridal party then moved outside and boarded their wedding vehicles – three donkey carts performed the honours! After posing for the traditional photographs, the donkey carts set off around town, pursued by Grade 7’s with collecting cans, and, it seemed, most of the school.

A grand total of over R1300 was raised, not including the donation from Frans, and this will go a long way towards making the tour a success. Mr Minnaar thanked all who had taken part, and would also like to thank the townsfolk who made donations.

Two of the “lady” guests with Mrs Limador Basson

The wedding party with Andre Lawrence (chairman SGB), Frans Frazenburg and Arthur Raymond

The bride and groom head off on the donkey cart

 

 

Nursing Success

Trainee nurse Eleanore Frazenburg of Aberdeen was honoured recently at a ceremony in Cape Town. Frazenburg (28) matriculated at Aberdeen Secondary School in 2001, and her introduction to nursing came when she completed the Home Based Carers course five years ago. This sparked her interest, and she spent a year in Oudtshoorn training as a nursing assistant.

Two years ago she moved to Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town to study further, and she is currently working on an orthopaedic ward.

At the ceremony on Sepember 21st Frazenburg received a certificate for “Excellent  nursing performance in the ward” – the only nurse from her ward to receive an award. Her mother Yvonne is justifiably very proud of her daughter’s achievement, and appreciates all the hard work that led up to her daughter’s success.

Eleanore Frazenburg proudly shows the certificate for excellence that she was awarded recently

 

Vanity Fair Reopens

Local antique and bric-a-brac shop Vanity Fair reopened last month in Aberdeen with a hugely successful sale. Owners Jason McPherson and Maureen MacAndrew have many interesting new items, and are now also offering a service to residents of selling on consignment.

A special feature of the shop is their ongoing support for Aberdeen Kennels –there is always a shelf of interesting knick-knacks on show, all proceeds from which go to support animal welfare work in the town. Any donations of unwanted items towards this cause would be most welcome.

The shop is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am until 1pm.

Maureen MacAndrew at the recent sale at Vanity Fair

 

Poetry Emotion at Luxolo

Luxolo Intermediate School last week hosted a programme called Poetry Emotion for all the schools of Aberdeen. The programme was organized by Xolile Jacobs, who is involved with the peer educator groups at all four schools. The peer educator programme, run by the department of education, aims to equip specially selected children from a school with the skills and knowledge necessary to act as counsellors to their classmates. Jacobs has been involved in training ten learners from each school weekly, after school, mostly from grade seven, working with the life orientation teachers.

This particular programme was organized to address social issues, particularly HIV/aids, crime, substance abuse and the high drop-out rate from school. These are all issues that have been identified as being of particular in the area.

Each school performed poems, in English and Afrikaans, and a small prize was awarded to the school whose learners most impressed the judges. The learners of Aberdeen Primary were awarded the prize, a delicious home-baked cake to share, as the judges, Natasha Noni and Yvonne Minnie, felt that they worked best as a team.

All those who had taken part were thanked for their hard work and interest.

The wiining team from Aberdeen Primary

The organizers of Poetry Emotion

Luxolo’s peer educators who performed a moving song about HIV/aids

 

Computer literacy graduates

Another group of five young adults has successfully completed the Basic Computer Literacy course, held under the auspices of ABET at Luxolo Intermediate school.

These classes aim to teach adults basic computer literacy, in order for them to gain a working knowledge of information technology. The aim is also to enable the learners to be competent to handle information technology in a business environment, and to make them more employable.

Although the course is aimed at ABET students, some school children have also completed the course, from grade nine and grade seven.

The computer room is a wonderful resource for the school, and once they have mastered basic skills, the school children are able to research assignments on the internet and prepare professional-looking reports and projects.

Since the inception of the course, 42 adults have been trained in computer literacy, and many of these have now been able to secure employment as a direct result of these skills.

Earlier this week five successful students were awarded certificates, issued by the Department of Education. Henry Mintoor, the ABET computer educator, and Luxolo principal Jan Mathiale congratulated the learners, and wished them well for the future.

Anyone interested in attending a course should contact Charlene at Luxolo on 049 846 0482

The successful computer literacy graduates, with Luxolo principal Jan Mathiale and educator Henry Mintoor

Back:    Jan Mathiale and Henry Mintoor

Front:    Fltr Nomathamsanqa Matai, Trudy Plaatjies, Ulrich Fick, Loretta Coetzee, Ronelle Gertse-Breda

 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Aalwynhof relaunches Club 60

Last week, by popular demand, Aalwynhof Old Age Home relaunched Club 60, a monthly get-together for residents and community members. Debbie Barnhardt of Aalwynhof welcomed everyone who attended, and spent some time determining what members expect and would like from the club.  Many ideas were suggested, and it was decided that a variety programme of talks, entertainment, music and some comedy would be put together each month.

It was proposed that an outreach committee should be formed to contact and visit those people who were housebound or isolated and may need help. A list of those needing help would be drawn up, with details of their needs, be it shopping or just some company. Those present were asked to help compile the list, and ask the elderly people they know if any help is needed.

The business concluded, Christa Beyers read a most entertaining story about false teeth which had become separated from their owners, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Gina de Beer then told a humorous story which was also much appreciated. Tea and cake were then served, and all tucked in with gusto.

Aalwynhof is very fortunate to have the services of many volunteers, many of whom work quietly behind the scenes. Some come to chat and help the residents with errands and shopping, and others come to entertain the residents. June Chamen visits almost every day and helps many with odd jobs such as filling in forms and running errands, and also just providing a friendly ear to those who want to chat. Christa Beyers is another of the regular visitors, who provides a lovely personal “spoiling” touch of washing and styling hair.

This first meeting of Club 60 proved to be a great success, and all those present said they were looking forward to the next social meeting. Anyone who would like to become involved with Aalwynhof, in any capacity, would be very welcome, and should contact Debbie Barnhardt at the Home.

The outreach committee of Aalwynhof :  Marthie Swanepoel, Yvonne Moore, Prudence Vorster, and Ray Holdt

Regular volunteers at Aaalwynhof, June Chamen and Christa Beyers with Debbie Barnhardt

 

Sector Police Forum A.G.M.

The AGM of the Aberdeen town Sector Police Forum was held recently at the Aberdeen police station. The outgoing chairperson, Samantha Jankovich, gave the sector report on the events of the past two years. Despite repeated requests, the previous committee had been unable to get any involvement from the municipality, but Jankovich stated that she would be on the new committee ex officio as a councilor, so that hopefully some cooperation would now be possible. Some of the previously elected committee had resigned, and other members of the community were co-opted in their places, but unfortunately in the past year, for various reasons, the SPF had not been able to function effectively.

There were however several achievements in the two years. A successful function was the Meet and Greet held at The Homestead, where an informal tea was held for the members of the forum to meet with the top management of the police.. The installation of the community notice board was an initiative of the SPF which has benefitted the community, although it was pointed out that many oversized and out of date notices were often seen. It was suggested that the new committee monitor the board regularly.

Members of the SPF had also visited Aberdeen Primary School for a question and answer session, which proved very fruitful. The dog unit had also performed a demonstration at the school which was very much enjoyed by the children.

The SPF had tried very hard to address the problems at the Fonteinbos nature reserve, requesting regular patrols against poachers and wood theft, but this seems to be an ongoing situation that is difficult to police.

Another area of concern is the lack of available public toilets in town. There are toilets in the town square, but these are always locked. Many people have made attempts to have these open and available without success, and unfortunately there has been no cooperation from the municipality in this regard in the past. It is a serious problem, and there have been many complaints about the leiwater channels being used as toilets.

In March 2010 a letter was sent to the municipal manager requesting permission for a farmers’ market in the town square, where locals could sell fresh produce and crafts, but there has been no response to this.

Jankovich thanked all who had served on the outgoing committee for their hard work, and handed over to Const Akona Mbi, who gave the police report.

Constable Mbi stated that the main problem in the town was housebreaking. In August alone there were seven instances reported, in private homes and business properties. The majority of these offences are committed by young offenders known to the police. Warrant Officer Willie van Zyl then detailed the various cases. The showgrounds have been broken into twice, with doors and windows being stolen. The main problem seems to be that there is no one there at weekends, which is widely known. The police have asked the municipality to provide guards or alarms, but there has been no response. The police are also unable to gain access to the showgrounds to patrol as the gate is locked, and the municipality are not prepared to give a gate key to the police.

Constable Mbi also asked that residents should not give food to the children who come begging at the door. There have been cases where seemingly innocent young children have been sent to see who is at home, and to determine which households are vulnerable. She stressed that there are no homeless children in Aberdeen, although admittedly there is a huge poverty problem. There are several feeding schemes currently in operation, and all primary school children receive a hot meal daily. A gap seems to be that the education department does not have a feeding scheme for secondary schools , and this was seen as a possible project for the new committee.

The establishment of a new SPF then was considered. Nicola Woods was unanimously elected as secretary, and six interested residents were also elected to serve on the committee. Jan Muller, Sonette Muller, Noluthando Witbooi, Isak Job, Meredith Kraut and Daniela Hamblin all indicated their willingness to serve. Const Mbi and w/o van Zyl will continue to act as liaison with the police.

A chairperson for the new SPF will be elected at the next meeting, which will be held at the police station on Tuesday 27th September at 5pm. Anyone else who is interested in serving on the forum is most welcome to attend.

Jan Muller, Nicola Woods, Meredith Kraut, Daniela Hamblin, Isak Job, Const Akona Mbi, Noluthando Witbooi.

Absent: Samantha Jankovich, W/O Willie van Zyl, Sonette Muller

Pep Stores Long Service

The five staff members of Pep Stores in Aberdeen have an incredible 93 years of service between them!

At a glittering function at the Casino Queens Hotel in Queenstown last month, branch manager Esm̩ Finnis and assistant David de Jager received long service awards РDavid for 20 years service, and Esm̩ for an amazing 35 years.

Esmé started out as sales assistant in July 1976, in the Aberdeen branch, and she has worked there ever since, apart from a four month spell in Graaff-Reinet in 2003 as relief manager. In April 1995 she was appointed as branch manager for Aberdeen.

The most recently employed assistant, Connie, has been at the store for eight years, and the other two staff, Gladys and Annmaer, both started work at the store in 1996. The low turnover of staff is surely an indication that Esmé is a very well-respected and successful manager!

Esmé Finnis and David de Jager proudly display their long service awards in the Aberdeen branch of Pep Stores

Soccer Balls

Councillor Samantha Jankovich recently handed over a donation of 31 soccer balls from the Unogwaja 2011 team to the clubs in Aberdeen. This donation was the result of a chance meeting at the Two Oceans expo in Cape Town, where Jankovich was helping on a stand for Pink Drive, an NGO supporting breast cancer.

The Unogwaja team of four young men was created to commemorate war soldier and Comrades winner Phil Masterton Smith (also known as Unogwaja- meaning the hare) who in 1933 could not afford the train fare from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg to take part in the Comrades. He then put himself in the history books by cycling a distance of 1,730km to get to Pietermaritzburg and then raced the Comrades and placed tenth. The group raised funds for the Amabeadibeadi charities, one of which is Pink Drive.

The team left Cape Town on May 19th and spent ten days cycling to the start of the Comrades, staying in Aberdeen on May 22nd. Jankovich arranged accommodation for them at The Homestead, and whilst in Aberdeen the team offered a donation of thirty one soccer balls, sponsored by Toyota and Spur.

Jankovich collected the balls when in Cape Town recently, and in conjunction with the Local Organising Committee for soccer, it was decided that each of the six clubs should receive five balls, with the extra ball being kept for tournaments. Three of these balls were given to the clubs as practice balls, and the others have been kept by the LOC for tournament use.

The clubs are particularly excited about the balls for practices, as apparently on many occasions they have been unable to practise due to having no ball available. They are very grateful to Unogwaja, Pink Drive, Toyota and Spur for the donation, and to Cllr Jankovich for coordinating the arrangements.

The Local Organising Committee for soccer in Aberdeen with cllr Samantha Jankovich

Fltr Hermanus Minnaar(chairman), Samantha Jankovich, Steven Minnie, Daniel Pieterse

Absent: Mike May

Donations For Luxolo

Luxolo Intermediate School in Aberdeen has been the beneficiary recently of two magnificent donations.

As reported last month, the Luxolites, a group of past pupils of the school, donated money for new school uniforms for 27 needy children. These pupils range from Grade 1 to Grade 9, and in many cases two or more children from the same family are the recipients. They were very proud to come to school on Monday in their brand new uniforms for a photograph for the Advertiser!

The other very welcome donation came from Biblionef, a charity organization based in Cape Town.Their focus is to provide new books to needy children's schools and libraries throughout South Africa with emphasis on organisations in townships, informal settlements and in remote rural areas. Biblionef SA was established in August 1998 as a result of the conviction that literacy and education will be of prime importance to guarantee the success of the new South Africa. Its aim is to promote reading in disadvantaged communities. Biblionef firmly believes that all children should have the right to develop themselves in their home language. Their focus is to support under-resourced children with new, high-quality storybooks in our 11 official languages, including books in Braille.

By donating books, Biblionef is supporting schools in making resources freely available by helping to develop libraries and resource centres. Most of the funding is from corporate donors, both in South Africa and from overseas.

Luxolo was nominated by Mzikazi Nkele, the SES Librarian of the provincial education department in Graaff-Reinet. After completing the necessary forms, 166 books were received, mostly story books, in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. Christo Frazenberg, the teacher in charge of the library at Luxolo, was delighted with the gift, as indeed are all the teachers and pupils.

In return for the donation, the school has been asked to identify a project to help their local community. Luxolo has chosen to help by organizing a litter clear-up in the community, which will be much appreciated by all. The school also has to submit a report to Biblionef, on how the books are being used, and the learners’ reactions to them. Judging by the delight on the faces on the children when the Advertiser visited the school, the response is very favourable indeed!

Principal Mr Jan Mathiale and Head of Department Mrs Janet Tinus would like to express their thanks to both the Luxolites and Biblionef for these most generous donations.

Some of the recipients proudly show off their new uniforms provided by the Luxolites, with Muriel Holmes, teacher in charge of uniform distribution, and Janet Tinus (HOD)

Keenan Witbooi (7) Nesipho Dunjana (7) and Estrolita Peters (10) reading from the new books donated by Biblionef, with Grade 2 teacher Nosipho Sota and Janet Tinus (HOD)

Post Office Hand Over

Last Thursday saw the handing over of the new post office in Aberdeen. The contractors, Sirlah Construction, local subcontractors Jacob de Jager and Marius Martinus , local councillors, post office staff and many officials from SAPO Properties were present, and all enthused about the wonderful new premises.

The contractors, who are based in Port Elizabeth, were commended for using local labour and subcontractors, and they in turn praised the standard of workmanship and the cooperation received from the municipality. The whole project was completed in just eight weeks.

Karabo Rapoo , the MD, of SAPO Properties had spent the previous few days visiting sites around the Eastern Cape, particularly around Mtata, and said that she had grown increasingly despondent with the standards of the facilities she saw. She was thrilled that her trip was ending with a positve story, where everyone was satisfied. Rapoo was pleased that a new Post Office was being launched at a branch which had previously won Branch of the Year, twice, as those employees deserve to be working in better surroundings. She also commented that it was also good that the SAPO was giving service delivery to smaller, rural towns and not just in the big city centres.

The contractors also made special mention of the wonderful job performed by Portia de Jager, the community liaison officer. Portia was responsible for ensuring the smooth running of day-to-day operations, liaising between the contractors, subcontractors and employees. It was felt that she would be an asset to any organisation – high praise indeed!

Leone Raulstone, postmistress of Aberdeen, expressed her thanks to all those involved in the new premises – it seems that she and assistant Helena Swanepoel are particularly looking forward to having an airconditioned building!

Contractors and post office staff relax after a successful hand-over of the new Aberdeen post office

(fltr) Idris Sirkhotte, Leone Raulstone, Shane Alher, Helena Swanepoel