Our Darts Club

Former resident, Lora van der Merwe, recently told the author that she and her late husband, Hennie, started the Darts Club in 1995. She could not remember the exact date. They lived in U35 at the time. Lora is currently a resident of Palms Renaissance in Pretoria.

According to Hester Botes (U130), who appears in the back row on the extreme left, this photograph was taken circa 2000

Mark Twain referred to adults playing darts (and billiards and tiddly winks and …) as a sign of a misspent youth. Yet, the game has been very popular with residents for the past 23 years. In fact, it is possibly the most enduring of all the social activities in our village.

A recent picture of a darts game in progress

The Darts Club meets in the Lapa on Thurdays at 16:30. John Scheepers (U48) may be contacted for further details. 

Die Haarhoffs van Bloemfontein

Helena en Nico Haarhoff

Nico (76) en Helena (68) Haarhoff het onlangs hulle intrek in E56 geneem. Hulle het voorheen in Bloemfontein gewoon en het hierheen verhuis omdat dit nader aan 5 van hulle 7 kinders, 19 kleinkinders en 8 agterkleinkinders is.

Nico is in Cradock gebore en het die Uitenhage Tegniese Hoërskool (tans die Hoër Tegniese Skool Daniël Pienaar) bygewoon waar hy in 1959 matriek behaal het. Hierna het hy in 1962 ‘n vakleerlingskap in motorwerktuigkunde suksesvol voltooi.

Nico sê dat sy beroepslewe twee hoogtepunte ingesluit het. Hy was aanvanklik ‘n geruime tyd lank ‘n onderwyser aan die Bloemfonteinse Tegniese Hoërskool (tans die Hoër Tegniese Skool Louis Botha). Daarna het hy by die Suid-Afrikaanse weermag in Bloemfontein aangesluit. Hy het met die rang van AO1 afgetree nadat hy lank in beheer was van die beplanningskantoor van die Kommandement Oranje-Vrystaat se tegniese werkplaas.

Helena is in Graaff-Reinet gebore. Sy het in 1967 matriek aan die Hoërskool Hartswater behaal. Nadat sy haar skoolopleiding voltooi het, het sy ‘n haarkapster geword.

Nico en Helena het in die Welgedacht-aftreeoord in Bloemfontein ontmoet en is in 2007 getroud. Albei was voorheen getroud.

All the way from Zimbabwe

Pieter Wessels

With a name like Pieter Hermanus Marthinus Wessels one would expect the new occupant of Unit 85 to be a diehard Afrikaner. Right? Wrong.

Pieter is a third generation Zimbabwean. He was born in Masvingo (formerly Fort Victoria) 56 years ago and grew up in Kadoma (formerly Gatooma) where his family still farms. He attended Jameson High School in Kadoma, matriculating in 1980.

After completing his school career, he became an apprentice motor mechanic, but gave it up after two years. Since then he worked in various capacities before joining a waste water treatment company in Maun, Botswana. Here he lived and worked for ten years before accepting a position at his company’s Bela-Bela branch at the beginning of this year, mainly because it brought him closer to his son and daughter who live in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Pieter investigated various residential options before leasing a unit in our village, mainly because of its affordability and comfort. He is also impressed with the attractive surroundings and the state of our security.

Nuwe inwoners Ernst en Rosa Kruger

Rosa en Ersnt Kruger

Ernst (78) en Rosa (72) Kruger het onlangs vanaf Krugersdorp hierheen verhuis op aanbeveling van hulle dogter, Anita Swart. Anita werk as ʼn ontvangsdame by die mediese praktyk van drs. De Villiers en Grobler op die dorp.

Dié innemende egpaar is baie ingenome dat hulle hul dogter se raad gevolg het. Hulle sê hul wooneenheid is gerieflik en hulle voel veilig in ons oord.

Ernst is op Kugersdorp gebore en getoë. Hy het sy skoolopleiding aan die Hoër Tegniese Skool Randfontein voltooi. Hierna het hy ʼn vakleerlingskap in pas- en draaiwerk by die Randfontein Estates-goudmyn gevolg en na aflegging van sy vaktoets, by Amalgamated Packaging Industries in diens getree. Later het hy by Nola Industries gewerk waar hy in 1990 as ʼn voorman afgetree het.

Rosa is op Randfontein gebore waar sy grootgeword het. Sy het haar skoolloopbaan aan die Hoërskool Riebeeckrand voltooi waar dr. Connie Mulder, wat later ʼn Nasionale Party-kabinetsminister geword het, een van haar onderwysers was.

Ernst en Rosa is 53 jaar gelede op Krugersdorp getroud. Hulle het een dogter, twee kleindogters en vyf agterkleinkinders.

Birdlife in our village (4)

As indicated previously, during the next few months this blog will post information about the birdlife in our village. The text and photographs are supplied by one of our residents, Philip van den Berg (U34), who is an acclaimed environmentalist and wildlife photographer, provided the text and photographs.

This month we feature Hornbills (Afr. Neushoringvoëls)

PHILIP VAN DEN BERG writes: Hornbills are typical Bushveld birds. They are medium to large in size and all have huge decurved bills that are often brightly coloured.

Three species of hornbills occur in our area, i.e. Southern Red-billed Hornbill (Afr. Rooibekneushoringvoël), Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Afr. Geelbekneushoringvoël) and African Grey Hornbill (Afr. Grysneushoringvoël). Of these the African Grey Hornbills regularly visit our village. They are quite regular sightings when certain trees are fruiting. For a couple of weeks they often visit to feed on the fruit of Natal Mahogany.

Southern Red-billed Hornbill (Afr. Rooibekneushoringvoël)

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Afr. Geelbekneushoringvoël)

 African Grey Hornbill (Afr. Grysneushoringvoël)

Hornbills have extraordinary breeding habits. They use holes in trees and the entrances are sealed with dung and mud leaving a narrow slit.

Hornibill nest

What is most interesting, however, is that the female remains inside and she then proceeds to seal herself in with excrement and mud provided by the male. She gets the undivided attention of the male that keeps on feeding her. She lays eggs, drops her feathers and becomes very fat. Once the eggs hatch, she stops eating and during this period she utilizes the reserve fat stored in her body and starts growing feathers again. The chicks get all the food provided by the male. When the female is of normal size again and has grown feathers, she breaks out of the nest. The chicks in the nest then start to close the opening again from the inside using their own droppings. Both parents are then available to feed the growing chicks. When the chicks are nearly fully grown, they break the entrance open and leave the nest.

The large Southern Ground Hornbill does not occur in our village and its breeding habits are not the same.

A Southern Ground Hornbill (Afr. Bromvoël)