HAPPY Workers Day for yesterday. Perhaps it’s just me but, there seems to be a lot of public holidays happening over this period. After a very rainy end to April the predictions for this weekend are above 25°C and there is only a slight chance of rain. Let’s hope the country can cope with the over-abundance of holidays and that the final two-thirds of 2019 will be more productive.
WELL, another Royal St Andrews Hotel Amanzi Challenge is done and dusted for the year, and the visitors who accompanied the participants, plus those who came for the Easter holidays but stayed for the excitement of bodyboarding, surfing, beach handball and the rubber duck inflatable boat races have now mostly packed up and returned to their homes. First, we thank all the visitors who travelled to Port Alfred (despite the Sanral roadworks along the R72) and hope you had a great experience while hoping to see you again over the Christmas holidays. With the Bathurst Show having taken place earlier in April and then the RSAH Amanzi Challenge, there was certainly a great deal of excitement in the month of April. Well done to all those who beat their competition and commiseration to those that didn’t quite make it. We hope to see you all again at the next event. Well done to the organisers, BS Sports CEO Zwelimzima Nkwinti and the sub-organisers from the various disciplines for all their hard work.
THE Bathurst Book Fair, held in Bathurst last Sunday, was another huge success with local authors and poets exhibiting their published works and the hundreds of people who attended the event. There is so much talent in our area with regard to writers, historians and poets (not even taking into account musicians, visual artists and many more talents besides) and a lot tend to congregate in Bathurst. I would suggest it might be something in the water, but there is usually not that much water in Bathurst.
TODAY the PA Art Club is holding its monthly meeting at the Don Powis Hall at Settlers Park and then this afternoon the Forum for Astronomy, Science and Technology (Fast) group has Dr Steve Gregory giving a talk on cancer research at the Royal Alfred Marina Clubhouse. On to the weekend, Saturday sees the Christian Men’s Association meeting for its monthly breakfast at Tash’s Craft Bar where retired construction contractor and MP Clement Abrahams will be giving the talk. On Sunday, it’s another Classics at the Castle, this time with Quintessence, an ensemble of piano, clarinet, French horn and cello. For these and other events in and around the Kowie, see the Diarise This section, below.
HAPPY birthday greetings and many more to everyone celebrating a special day in the week ahead, especially Rowena Collin, Trish Reed, Zel-Rene Jacobs, Caitlyn Japp, Tristan Clayton, Elize Esteves, Anna Foonk, Helen Thompson, May Bennett, Richard Msesiwe, Rob Joiner, Meryl Bodill, Siyamthanda Rungqu, Wilma Sieker, Daphne Smith, Roma Young, Albert Johnson, Loretta Hawkes, Gerhard Strydom, Gavin Muir, Pieter van Niekerk, Sharon Hammond, Yvonne van Gass, Anet Fraser, Gavin Dell, Jean Hope Bailie, twins Darcie and Olivia Squires, Charmaine de Klerk, Dylon van der Spuy, Matt Wood, Gerald Denston, Len Holford, Keith Reid, Carlynn Garden, Marge Strange, Vici Champion, Dick Schuurman, Basil Rudman, Glynis Mather-Pike, Justin Sheffield, Ntombise Diamond, Bess Nel, Anton Maclean, Marguerite Smit, Pumza Rungqu, Jenna Barnard, Kathy Duffy, Deane Eales, Ntsikelelo Nodwala, Nigel Coster, Ryan Lisher, Brandon Rademan, Kirsten Baart, Tyler Pullen, Lynn Rodgers, Juanita Lax, Lindy Hulley, Margie Stephenson, Ross Purdon, Kristen Fletcher, Storm Olivier, Angela Sousalis and Estelle Estevez.
OUR heartiest congratulations to George and Zelda Petzer and also big brother Rueben on the arrival of their beautiful baby girl Anya Elizabeth. We know she will bring heaps of joy and happiness to the entire family.
BUSINESS anniversary congratulations followed by good wishes for continued success go to the following businesses and organisations, especially Pam Golding Boknes, Kenton Standard Bank, Oxygen Fitness (Rosehill Mall), Buco (PA), and certainly not forgetting the AA which was founded in Port Alfred in 1961, and which has been a godsend for many folk and their families since then and still going strong.
THE most worrying thing that has happened recently is the increase in the price of petrol on Tuesday midnight when fuel prices increased by 54c per litre but diesel only saw a marginal increase of 1c per litre. How South Africans are supposed to absorb these increases and still function is a real mystery and, although government is not responsible for increased fuel prices internationally (Brent Crude oil prices are not under South African control), passing these increases on has made fuel almost inaccessible for many people. And, of course, the national elections and all the politicking that goes with them mean that less time is spent by politicians on subsidies, challenges and other ways to stabilise the rand. At the time of going to press (Tuesday) and with last year’s figures in brackets to compare against), the rand was trading at R14.34 to the dollar (R13.38), R18.54 to the pound (R17.25) and R16.00 to the euro (R14.60). Commodities such as gold were trading at $1,280.47 per fine ounce ($1,258.24), platinum at $900.40 per fine ounce ($929.50) with price of Brent Crude Oil at $71.79 per barrel ($50.90).
SPECIAL thoughts and prayers are with all those folk who are not well, having or have already had tests, operations and treatments. ‘Sterkte’ to Roy Potter, Andrew de Vries, Jenny Groenewald, Chris de Wet Steyn, Marian Eaten, Martin Bekker, Trish Solz, Brenda Shelton and Theo Snyman.
WEDDING anniversary congratulations with best wishes for many more years of happiness ahead for all couples having an anniversary, especially Michael and Moira Schnehage, Ivor and Lesley-Ann Phillips, Paul and Gillian Lacey.
CONGRATULATIONS to angler Taylor Bowdler on making the international team to represent SA Juniors next year.
THOUGHT for the week: “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”
BEST regards as always,
The Team
