Prince Albert Friend: October 2008
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:55 PM 0 comments
Daar is ‘n noue band tussen ‘n dorp se erfenis en sy ekonomie – en as ‘n mens dit nie verstaan nie, kan erfenis – oor die politieke boeg gegooi – ‘n verdelende faktor word.
In Prince Albert het ons wonderlike oop ruimtes wat ander dorpe ons net kan beny. Besoekers stap deur ons strate en verwonder hulle aan ons geboue en staan verstom voor inwoners se vriendelike gesindheid jeens vreemdelinge…As ons na ons dorp kyk deur die oë van ons besoekers, sal ons dit sóveel meer waardeer.
In perspektief gesien, behoort ons hele gemeenskap dus dankbaar te wees vir ons beduidende dorpserfenis. Ons is geseënd met ‘n indrukwekkende historiese dorpsprofiel – heel anders as in ander dorpe waar die argitektoniese juwele afgebreek is om plek te maak vir nuwe geboue.
In Prince Albert hang werkskepping ten nouste saam met die inisiatief van die meer welgestelde huiseienaars. Ou geboue word met agting en teen ingrypende uitgawe herstel en in stand gehou – en daarvoor word plaaslike vakmanne en werkers in diens geneem.
Verhoogde belastings word op herstelde geboue betaal, en dit stel die munisipaliteit in staat om meer werkers in diens te neem. Stukwerk om armoedeverligting te bewerkstellig, is nog ‘n voordeel.
Werkgeleenthede vir honderde bouers, plaaswerkers, tuiniers en diegene wat by die leivoorstelsel betrokke is, is ook geskep met die bewaring van Prince Albert se ryk landbounalatenskap en sy historiese landboubasis.Saam dra al hierdie faktore by tot vreedsame saambestaan en kos op die tafel… Dit is dus eintlik logies dat ‘n hoë waarde geplaas moet word op ons dorp se erfenis en kulturele hulpbronne.
Ons dorp se ekonomiese hartklop hang nou saam met ‘n lewenskragtige toerismesektor, en:
die erfenis-trekpleister lok Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale toeriste na Prince Albert;
die gehalte en diens van ons gastehuise (wat staatmaak op honderde plaaslike werkers) dra grootliks by tot die sukses van plaaslike besighede.
Binne die munisipalitiet funksioneer die Erfenis- en Boukomitee – hul werk is om advies te gee oor erfenisbewaring en ontwikkeling. Die munisipaliteit verdien ‘n kompliment vir die befondsing van die Erfenisopname wat tans deur die Prince Albert Kultuurstigting onderneem word.
Onthou, ons erfenis sit vir ons kos op die tafel – dit is belangrik dat ons dit almal insien en verstaan. Waar ‘n dorp saamstaan en sy bates beskerm, groei ‘n sterk en vooruitstrewende gemeenskap.
Marlene Loedewyk, gewilde sanger van die Prince Albert Kieliebeentjies Orkes, is op Vrydag 27 September getroud met Karel Willemse.
Hoewel Marlene en haar man geen ouers meer het nie, het die Here vir hulle op die dag vreugde en sonskyn geskenk en die saal van die Bejaardesorgsentrum was pragtig in blou en silwer versier.
Die tagtig gaste kon, ná die vonkelwyn se prop hard geknal en deur die lug ge-vlieg het, die gebraaide hoender, skaapvleis en heerlike slaaie geniet.
Die tannies wat van Worcester en die oom wat van George gekom het, was verheug oor die mooie fees wat Marlene en Karel vir almal gehou het.
Gudrun Toelstede het vir hulle ’n groot troukoek gebak, dit sorgvuldig versier en die mooiste foto’s van hul bruiloffees geneem.
Dit was waarlik ’n groot dag vir die twee, wat hulle hul hele lewe lank sekerlik nooit sal vergeet nie. Ons wens hulle alle voorspoed toe op hul lewenspad saam.
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:50 PM 0 comments
Labels: Troue, Weddings
Andy Botha, Bokkie Botha’s French-speaking and ex-chef daughter married Don Millar, Jo’burg accountant, at Abrahamskraal on 27 October. The theme of the wedding was red and white, beautifully highlighted by giant red Barberton daisies hanging in the trees at the splendid, old farmhouse outside Prince Albert.
After a week of blowing and inconsistent weather, one of those ideal days that only the Karoo can offer materialised. As Prince Albert is remote from everywhere and Abrahamskraal is remote from Prince Albert, guests made extraordinary efforts to come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Prince Albert, Cape Town, Israel and many other places. The marriage was particularly blessed by the attendance of Tate, the couple’s one-year-old son.
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:49 PM 0 comments
23 April 1926 – 18 September 2008
- Hennie Pretorius -
Ek kyk nog soms straat-op om te sien of oom Jan en Jessica nie in aantog is nie – oom Jan met sy wonderlike hinkstappie en die poedeltjie ewe neus-in-die-lug.
Vandat oom Jan weg is, bly Bokser die papegaai by ons. En my ingedagte straatkykery is eintlik net moontlik terwyl Bokser ‘n bietjie dut, want terwyl Bokser wakker is, is oom Jan as’t ware by my en Elsofie aan huis. Bokser is eintlik “Bokser Booyens, telefoon drié drié drié sés ágt.” Dis altans hoe hy hom aan ‘n mens voorstel.
Die kêrel is ‘n diep denker; ‘n ekspert as dit kom by sonneblomsaad en vingerbyt; hy praat en fluit nés oom Jan en hoes op aanvraag.
Hy is ook ‘n luidrugtige bron van tong-in-die-kies vermanings: Jy raas! Eet jou kos! Jy’s ‘n morsgat, né!
En nes oom Jan, ‘n koelkop raadgewer. So gebeur dit dat ek (nogal dikwels) my lot by hom bekla as Elsofie (en/of haar vriendinne) my lewe interessant kom maak het.
Nes oom Jan luister hy gewoonlik met groot empatie na my treurmares, want hy ken sekerlik ook die vroulike geslag – en dan oordink hy die saak ‘n bietjie, en dan sê hy (met groot deernis): “Kom, kom ons gaan piepie.”
Ek groet, Jan Booyens. Jy het ‘n leemte gelaat in Leebstraat, maar jy het nog altyd ‘n sê hier in die Pretorius-huis.
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:45 PM 0 comments
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:44 PM 0 comments
Alfred Hinkel, the Artistic Director of the Cape Town-based Jazzart Dance Theatre believes passionately that Prince Albert has the potential for the successful establishment of a creative arts centre. Two years ago Jazzart held a week of highly-successful dance workshops in Prince Albert for youngsters in the area and followed this up with performances in the town by the company’s trainee dancers. Alfred and his colleagues have since raised the funds to fulfil their hope of developing a community arts project in Prince Albert leading eventually to a fully-fledged centre where young people can be trained in the performing and visual arts.
Jazzart propose to use their twelve year involvement with the communities of Okiep and Clanwilliam as a model for their plans in Prince Albert. In both these rural towns, they initially focused their workshops and performances in the local schools. As part of their Living Landscapes project in Clanwilliam, Jazzart and their partners host a week-long series of workshops in Clanwilliam each spring. Young people learn the art of lantern-making, puppetry, fireworks, dance, mask-making, rhythm and story telling. The week concludes with a parade through Clanwilliam at sunset and an open-air performance by the community, for the community. According to Alfred, community enthusiasm has increased every year and about 5 000 people joined this year’s parade.
“I believe that this would be easier to achieve here. After all you have artists and people with a range of skills living here and their contributions and ideas are vital,” Alfred told a group of Prince Alberters, who were interested in finding out more about Jazzart’s ideas for the town. He proposed that next year’s Olive Festival offered the perfect opportunity for a community arts project culminating in a parade and an open-air performance featuring the Jazzart dancers and local youngsters. Samuel Delport, Deputy Headmaster of Prince Albert Primêre Skool, enthusiastically endorsed the suggestion and offered his commitment to the proposed project.
“If you want to make something really work, you can’t expect it just to happen overnight, Alfred said. “If the community is interested in taking on this challenge, the time is now.”
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:42 PM 0 comments
Hoërskool Zwartberg se Gr 1 – 11 leerders het met die aanmoediging van hulle entoesiastiese wiskunde onderwys, Me Lola Bothma, in hierdie jaar se CAMI Wiskunde Kompetisie uitgeblink. Die skool se span is eerste geplaas in die Suid-Kaap – Karoo afdeling van die kompetisie met die meeste aantal leerders wat deur is na die finale rondte wat op Sondag, 19 Oktober, in George plaasgevind het.
Baie geluk aan al die leerders – gelys hieronder – wat deurgedring het na die finaal:
Bianca Vorster - 4de plek
Hegan Pipes - 2de
Pieter Koorts - 4de
Shaun v Zyl - 5de
Antonio Charles - 14de
Monique Klue - 1ste
Willie Gouws - 2de
Drieske Marais - 3de
Andrea Adams - 5de
Deodette Philander - 8ste
Shurwynne Roberts - 11de
Louis van der Nest - 11de
Thomas Gous - 13de
Driekus Marais - 10de
Bradley Maans - 4de
Kayla Jantjies - 5de
Beandri Tolken - 6de
Niel van der Nest - 7de
Kiewiet Grootboom - 8ste
Kallie Floorse - 5de
Cornelis Swanepoel - 1ste
Brendan Visagie - 5de
Nina Vermeulen - 1ste
Joshua Marais - 3de
Truwede Deelman - 5de
Melvin Apies - 7de
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:39 PM 0 comments
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:38 PM 0 comments
Zwartberg runners were once again loyal supporters of the 2008 Oudtshoorn Lamprecht & Meyer relay race. We entered three high school teams: "Zwartberg A, B en C spanne", as well as a walking team: "Zwartberg Stappers".
Our "A Span" came 2nd in the High School category, narrowly missing the gold medal, as well as finishing 9th overall. All our young folk gave their all and enjoyed cheering each other on.
We might not have won any gold medals, but we did get a special mention at the prize-giving, as well as a thanks for having made the effort to come over the mountain.
We then celebrated our efforts with Steers burgers sponsored by the Zwartberg Runners club. Most of all we came back all fired up and ready to start serious training.
We would like to thank Billy van Rooyen for his efficient taxi service and a very special thanks to our club members who helped cover the transport costs. Without you we could not have participated.
Posted by Prince Albert Friend at 9:21 PM 0 comments