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Edition 124 January 2013

DUSI TO DETERMINE BATTLE OF THE JOCKS

The Unlimited Dusi 2013 will showcase a star studded line-up of South African celebrities with the announcement that

East Coast Radio DJ Damon Beard has signed up to paddle the gruelling three-day canoe marathon in the colours of The Unlimited.

Adding his name to an already illus-trious field, Beard will be joining fellow radio jocks Unathi Msengana of Metro FM and Idols fame, 5FM sports presenter Sias du Plessis and Liezel van der West-

huizen of Kfm. The four will be battling it out over the three-day race to see who re-ally is the top jock when it comes to tack-ling the greatest canoe marathon in Africa!

Beard is a household name in Funsunzi Province having worked as a DJ for ECR for over 20 years! Currently he presents the weekday afternoon drivetime show together with the rest of the Drive Team. An avid fan of all things KZN and Durban, Beard says

the opportunity to paddle The Unlimited Dusi is a prospect he just couldn’t pass up.

“I like to set new goals for myself ev-ery year and I’ve got a bucket list of things that I want to do on my fridge. One of these is to complete The Unlimited Dusi so I jumped at the opportunity as I just love a challenge. The fact that I’ll be partnering with Trenton Lamble who is a great pad-dler just adds to the adventure,” says Beard.

Damon Beard gets some help with his workout from Dusi Floozies Ursula Brown (left) and Rebecca Coet...Photo: supplied

continued on page 2...

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Page 2 edition 124 January 2013

Pietermaritzburg- The Unlimited Dusi 2013 is set to produce some of the most exciting ladies racing

seen in the last few years, with most of the top contend-ers in South African river paddling committed to racing the three day spectacle that starts on 14 February. Amongst the big names already slated to race are three times race champion, Robyn Kime, 2011 and 2012 runner up, Abby Adie, Gauteng’s Jen Theron, and the ever pres-ent Hilary Pitchford, widely respected as one of the most competent roughwater female paddlers in the country. With Pitchford’s 2012 racing plans derailed just two weeks before the 2012 Dusi, as a result of breaking her hand during a training session, she is back and hungry to race.

It was a slow road to recovery for the plucky 28 year old, but she is both determined and hope-ful that the months ahead will remain injury free.

“Getting back into training was really hard and I think I really felt it at the Avon Descent in Australia last year. I returned home with such bad tendonitis, so I had to rest for a long time, which put me on the back foot again. Because of this it has been quite difficult trying to manage my train-ing, while at the same time staying injury free. I’m hold-ing thumbs that everything will stay intact for Dusi 2013! For Pitchford, having placed third three times in the

The Unlimited Dusi will not be Beard’s first time in a canoe. He has dabbled in the sport in the past but has only ever par-ticipated in short distance dices at The Kingfisher Canoe Club in Durban. “Pad-dling is a KZN thing. With our fantastic weather (most of the time anyway) it’s just a great fit with the Durban lifestyle.”

Whilst Beard is in great shape as he regu-larly does boxing and mixed martial arts, he is taking the race between the jocks very seri-ously and has already embarked on a rigorous training schedule for The Unlimited Dusi.

“I’m finding out that being fit and be-ing paddling fit are two completely different things. Trenton and I meet five mornings a week and we are alternating between pad-dling and sessions in the gym. We will be adding running to the mix in January. I am absolutely astounded at the level of com-mitment that this sport demands - getting fit for The Unlimited Dusi takes endur-ance to a whole new level,” Beard says.

During the run-up to the event in Feb-ruary 2013, Beard will be participating in a number of canoeing races. “This is going to be the real acid test of my fitness but it will also be the first time that I get to battle it out against the other jocks. This is the second Dusi for Sias and Liezel so they’ve got expe-rience as a drawcard and Unathi is just giv-ing it her all. But I am quietly confident that I’m going to show them that KZN is tops!”

For more information on The Unlimited Dusi, visit www.dusi.co.za

Pitchford Puts her hat in the ring for the unlimited dusi 2013

DUCT’s Bart Fokkens and Working for Water’s Karen Hope, both members of the Aquatic Weeds Working group, are confident the few Water Hya-cinth blockages along the 2013 The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon route won’t be an issue when the race gets underway on 14 February. (Photo: Andrew King for Gameplan media)

Despite the presence of some Water Hyacinth both below and above the bridge at the headwaters of Inanda Dam the work of Working for Water, Umgeni Water and DUCT members has had a dramatic positive effect on the aquatic weed’s presence in the area resulting in the situation being under control and highly unlikely to cause any hassles to participants in the 2013 The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Mara-thon. (Photo: Andrew King for Gameplan Media)

past - twice in a K2, and once in a K1, the Team Race-food/Matelec athlete has been upping her running and will be looking for that elusive top podium position.

“I think that the most important elements in racing a good Dusi are firstly, getting your running up to speed, and secondly, knowing the river at all levels,” said Pitchford. If anyone knows the river at its many levels, it’s Pitchford, having raced eleven Dusi Canoe Marathons in the past, and having twice won the Ladies Non-Stop Dusi title in a K1. With her racing pedigree including many big wa-ter titles, it should be no surprise that Pitchford lists some of the Dusi’s trickiest rapids, generally avoided by a vast majority of the field, amongst her favourites.

“I really enjoy Tops Needle, and rapids such as Island 1 and Island 2. The risk involved is high but the reward and feeling of making these rap-ids is a really great! Confluence is also a lot of fun.” Pitchford recently got engaged to former Dusi win-ner Deon Bruss, and will be eager to get to the star-tline on Valentine’s Day next year to cement what promises to be a very special year for the couple. Competitors line up for the start of The Unlimited Dusi on the 14th of February at Camps Drift, and ends in Durban on 16 Feb-ruary 2013. More information can be found at www.dusi.co.za

hyacinth not a Problem for dusi 2013 continued from page 1...

edition 124 January 2013 Page 3

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With investors desperately trying to improve the cash flow or income and

yield on their investments, many are casting covetous eyes at the historical returns that bond investors have achieved over the past few years.The million dollar question, as always, is whether this trend will continue. Of course investing is never without risk and bonds have already given back some of their gains. Yields on government bonds have weakened by 10 to 20 percent since their recent lows.

Still, as Governments try to destroy the value of their currencies, it really is a race to the bottom, interest rates world-wide may still retest their lows and may in fact even be driven lower.

Bond prices generally fall when interest rates rise and vice-versa so the still favourable outlook for inflation is supportive of bonds, but higher than expected wage settlements have put a damper on this. Nevertheless, it seems the Reserve Bank will achieve its infla-tion targets and inflation could be less of an is-sue this year.

Another cause for concern would be a sharp increase in the supply of bonds, as the government is forced to raise funds to cover a larger than expected budget deficit resulting from lower than budgeted revenues.

The chief culprit for this is the rand, the strength of which has decimated the earnings of exporters and damaged the profitability of mines.

Bond investors must also be concerned that the precipitous drop in interest rates in the United States seems to have come to a halt. The yield on 10 year US treasuries is in fact 20 percent weaker than its recent best levels. With growth prospects improving and interest rates bottoming out, US bonds also seem more vulnerable.

We could have another cut in interest rates in South Africa and this would obviously be supportive of bond returns.

So, what bonds should investors be look-ing at and what are the risks?

Government bonds are the safest and are

the benchmark against which other bonds are measured. By using the yield on government stock over a suitable term as a base line and making various adjustments, one arrives at the risk free rate of return, which is used in many bond valuation models.

Of course bonds issued by companies po-tentially yield a greater return as the risk of these bonds is generally higher than on gov-ernment bonds. Of vital importance are the terms of the issue, which set out when interest and capital will be paid to you and where you rank among creditors if the company defaults on any of the promised payments. If the com-pany fails, only a portion of your capital may be returned, while if the financial position of the company deteriorates, the returns of your bonds will be negatively affected.

To assess the quality of company’s bonds, you need to be able to read annual financial statements, assess the outlook for the company and rate the company’s sensitivity or vulner-ability, which is a complex exercise. These are the same skills required to assess any share in-vestment, so if you decide to invest in bonds, particularly those issued by a company, you really should consult your investment advisor. Don’t try this at home.

In a nutshell, international interest rates may have bottomed out, and while domestic rates are still falling, rising interest rates in the major economies will at the very least severely curtail the Reserve Bank’s manoeuvrability.

Bonds have had a magnificent run and at current levels are pricing in a lot of good news, so valuations are perhaps a bit stretched for the time being.

The flip side of this coin is that, as the yields on cash and near cash investments tend towards zero, some stalwart dividend paying stocks are starting to look quite exciting.

The central banks of the world decreased interest rates in aggregate 75 times in 2012. Every Government wants a weaker currency. This, obviously, means that low interest rates are here to stay. This is not necessarily good news for bonds but it certainly is nirvana for growth stocks.

BONDS: aN iNveStOr’S NirvaNa Or NemeSiS?

Dear Readers,Now that the Mayan predictions are behind us and we can get on with the job of living, we wish our readers, our advertisers (whom we hope are also our readers), our contributors and our suppliers another year of happiness in the Midlands! According to a Harvard Medical Report that reached my desktop Happiness =Health so that is our mission for the year, and we’re not even vaguely daunted

at the prospect, despite the daily reminders that all is not perfect in this lovely land! It’s a personal mission, but it’s one that we carry through to our publication since it’s in the Midlands that we manage to find monthly stories that make us happy. The report identifies some pathways to happinessand these include: “ Feeling good: which focuses on reaching happiness by maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain: Engaging fully. Pursuing

activities that engage you fully. Doing good. Searching for meaning outside yourself.” We are in no doubt that the Midlands can help fulfil each pathway! (According to the report you will know you’re “in the flow” when “you lose awareness of time, you aren’t thinking about yourself, you are active”...)In pursuit of happiness then, must fly!Phillippa and Caroline

Page 4 edition 124 January 2013

Treverton College announced their school and boarding house prefects for 2013 at their annual prize giving on the last day of the school year in 2012.

The head boy is Lebo Mdakane and the head girl Ciara Botha. Lebo was also appointed Head of Harland House and Ciara Head of Lind House.

Grace College past pupil, Carmen Watson, was

inducted as a member of Golden Key International Honour Society, based on truly exceptional academic performance at the Universi-ty of Stellenbosch. Carmen will be graduating next year with a BComm in Financial Management and Market-ing. She was nominated to attend the 2013 Inter-national Scholar Laure-ate Programme Student Delegation on Business in the USA. We at Grace College are very proud

of Carmen and this well-deserved achieve-ment and wish her all the best with her future endeavours.

TREVERTON COLLEGE, bosses and brains... GRACE collegetwO trevertON LearNerS achieve PLaceS ON NatiON-wiDe ieB achieverS’ LiSt

Treverton College has had outstanding results in the IEB 2012 examinations, with a 100% pass-rate and 72-subject distinctions. Two girls; Amy Paterson and Kerry Elgin’s outstanding results placed them on the IEB

nation-wide Outstanding Achievers’ List and the Commendable Achievers’ List.

Amy was one of the 78-students listed on t h e Outstanding Achievers’ List. She obtained eight distinctions and an aggregate of 91% (she

missed her ninth A by 2%),and achieving over 90% for five of her subjects. Three of which were in t o p 1% of marks in the subject for all candidates.

These were History, Physical Science and Life Sci- ence. Kerry Elgin was placed on 63-student

Commendable Achievers’ List, obtaining seven dis- tinctions in all seven of her subjects and an ag-

gregate of 88%.These were only two of the Treverton learners

who excelled in 2012 IEB results. Karen Emby o b t a i n e d 8As for her eight subjects, with over 90% for four

Lebo Mdakane, Mr Dave Cato: Headmaster of the Treverton College and Ciara Botha.(photo:supplied)

The Midlands Meander Association Educa-tion Project began in 2003 with one

volunteer who began by going to local under resourced schools to read stories. Soon it expanded into a project to co-teach envi-ronmental education and life skills around many schools in the midlands area of KZN.

The project won the prestigious Mail & Guardian ‘Greening the Future’ award in 2010 and addresses whole school improvement through the internationally renowned Eco-Schools pro-gramme. Schools enrol in the Eco-School pro-gramme and begin a process of auditing their resource use, linking curriculum with action proj-ects and begin to identify weak and strong areas at their school and in their school environment.

The MMAEP facilitators who are known as the ‘Bugs’ because of their colourful costumes and creative teaching methods visit schools on a regular basis, assist with planning projects, source resources and co-teach with educators. Learners are always excited to see the Bugs ar-rive at their school and the project adds a whole new dimension to learning through doing.

Over the years the MMAEP has run a helpline for vulnerable children, hosted monthly Enviro clubs and trained community gardeners. The focus recently has been on setting up fully functional li-braries at schools, training community librarians,

of them and an aggregate of 89%. Her marks for Physical Science and Life Science were in the IEB’s top 1% for the subjects. Sophia Wolmarans and the school’s 2012 head girl Emily Marshall each received 5 distinctions, with Sophia’s 95% for Afrikaans in the IEB’s top 1% for the subject. Uys Louw also scored in the top one percent cat-egory for Mathematical Literacy.

With the exception of Karen Emby, who comes from Clarens in the Free State, all the other top students are from KZN. Amy and Kerry are both from the Mooi River- Nottingham Road area. Emily lives at Glen-side and Sophia and Uys come from Winterton.

L-R: Amy Paterson and Kerry Elgin

introducing Alternatives to Violence Project meth-odology through drama, a local history project called ‘Stories of Change’ and a youth newspaper.

The project currently has two food garden facilitators, two environmental education fa-cilitators, one library facilitator, two community librarians, one creative facilitator, one admin-istration person and a project manager. In 2012 the Bugs worked with 17 schools with approxi-mately 4000 children in a radius of 150 kms.

The project has reached a stage where many local volunteers have come forward to offer as-sistance at schools in their vicinity. In 2013 the Bugs are translating these generous offers into a ‘Bugateer’ system. Schools request specific help such as assistance with implementing food gar-dens, a reading circle or school maintenance and the MMAEP matches ‘Bugateers’ with schools for a set time period, initially introducing the ‘Bugateer’ with lessons done by MMAEP fa-cilitators so there is a seamless transition. The MMAEP aims to address better communication and bridging between communities and their lo-cal schools through this process. If you feel that you have some time or skills that would be of help at a school near you please feel free to contact us and become a local change maker! Email info@mmaep.co.za or phone Jenne on 033 3307260 on weekdays 8am – 12pm.

MMAEP: Become a local creator of positive change!

January 2013 already! With

all the rain we have had and the very hot days in-between the garden is in full bloom. Large gardens need many ‘fillers’ and one of my favourites is the Rose Scented Gera-nium - Pelargonium Graveolens. This lovely indigenous bush produces lovely pink flowers and leaves that give off a wonderful aroma. Easily grown from slips, or if a branch breaks,it will re-root itself to form a new plant.

The name pelargonium and geranium both come from the Greek Pelargonium means “stork”, and geranos means “crane”. and refer to the long, bill-like seed that each plant pro-duces. Although this is a tender perennial, and will die at the first frost, it will regrow in spring.

Well suited for growing in pots as they like their roots to be crowded, but not root bound. They thrive in bright sunlight, and good drainage, even preferring to be kept a bit dry. Don’t over fertilize them, as too much nitrogen will lessen the fragrance.

Taken to England in the early 1600’s by John Tradescent, a botanist and plant “head hunter” for Charles the First of England.

Scented geraniums became popular for perfume making, and were soon cultivated in the coastal regions of France and Spain, as well as Algeria and the coast of what was the Belgian Congo. The colonists took scented geraniums with them to the new world. Even Thomas Jefferson grew them in his gardens at the White House. The Victorians of Eng-land, raised them in heated greenhouses.

Synthetic rose oil is made using rose scented geraniums. The dried leaves are also used in sachets and potpourri. In aro-matherapy, rose scented geranium is used for facial steams as it is reputed to have anti-aging effects on the skin, as well as to ease insomnia and have an antidepressant effect.

A tea of the leaves are used for their calm-ing, de-stressing, tension easing properties. They are also used to fight anxiety, premen-strual tension (PMS) , menopausal problems, poor circulation, and as a gargle for tonsillitis. The dried leaves are ground to a fine pow-der and used as a fungicide and deodorant.Try this delicious recipefrom Margaret Roberts Rose-scented Geranium Mousse2 TBS gelatine; 6 TBS boiling water8 Geranium leaves and 1 /2 cup flowers; 2 large eggs, separated; 4 TBS castor sugar; 200 ml cream cheese; 200 ml plain Greek yoghurt 200 ml whipped cream:Dissolve the gelatine in a little of the hot wa-ter and pour the rest over the geranium leaves, leave to cool. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl whip the egg yolks with the castor sugar until light and creamy, add the gelatine and then the cream cheese. Blend well, add the yoghurt and then the wa-ter from the soaked leaves. Fold in the flow-ers, whipped cream and finally the egg whites. Pour into a glass bowl and allow to set in the refrigerator. Decorate with leaves and flowers before serving.A wonderful summer dessert! Until next time, Yours in herbs Diane Aldworth.

edition 124 January 2013 Page 5

TANYA MARCH-BSc Dietetics & Cordon Bleu Chef

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THE LAZY LIZARDBOOKS & GIFTS

MEET THE AUTHOR BRENDA GEORGEWith her new book

SONG OF THE SHENANDOAHthe awesome sequel to

FALLING LEAVES & MOUNTAIN ASHES Saturday 26 January 10.00 – 12.30Greendale Acres, Howick North,

Tel 033 330 4308email: books@iafricatalks.co.za

snow in Pietermaritzburg

A Pietermaritzburg researcher, Dr P Alcock, is investigating the rare occurrence of snow below the Hilton ridge (roughly where Crossways Hotel is situated), and extend-

ing into the valleys below the ridge. He is particularly keen to make contact with anyone who records their own weather information or who has photos, or who can suggest other people whom he can contact. If you can help, please phone 033 342 6226. Dr Alcock intends to publish his findings in a journal known as Natalia. See www.natalia.org.za.

Pietermaritzburg - He’s a triathlon swim-mer, a league ten-pin bowler, a skier,

a drummer, an avid outdoorsman, and he drives his own van. He is also a licenced attorney, but don’t think that means he has no heart - he is all about heart because Craig Dietz, who also happens to be an open water swimmer, has no limbs and he is coming to South Africa to swim the aQuellé Midmar Mile. It is little wonder that one can add motivational speaker to his repertoire.

Dietz was born in April 1974 with-out limbs, but he has never allowed that to stand in his way. After school he at-tended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where he graduated with a B.A in politi-cal science in 1996. Three years later, he passed the bar exam on his first attempt, without any special accommodations. It should come as no surprise then that when he decided to take up open wa-ter swimming in 2008, he completed a 1 500-metre swim in the Pittsburgh Triath-lon, clocking 40 minutes and 20 seconds. Two years after that, in 2010, his time in the Pittsburgh Triathlon swim was a stag-gering 30:14. In 2011, he attempted the 4.4-mile (7-kilometre) Great Chespeake Bay Swim, but had to pull out after 3.5 miles when lightning began to strike. Undaunted, he completed the swim in the 2012 event. So inspiring is Dietz that he was profiled in ESPN The Magazine by 11-time Na-tional Sportscasters and Sportswriters As-sociation (NSSA) National Sportswriter of the Year Rick Reilly, who called him “a marvel, a phenomenon, a wonder”. He was subsequently nominated for the 2012 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year. Midmar Mile race director Wayne Rid-din, who was also up for the award, said Di-

US motivational SpEakEr hEadS to SoUth africa for aQUEllé midmar milE

etz had been his choice out of the 15 nominees. Dietz’s nomination read, “With one speech, Craig Dietz moved the world at the Global Open Water Swimming Conference. His delivery was so riveting; his message was so powerful; his courage was so compelling that race direc-tors from around the world invited him to their events throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. He had luminaries of the sport breath-less as he captivated them with his sense of mis-sion, humility, humour, and hunger to succeed.

Dietz and two-time 10km World Open Wa-ter swimming champion Keri-Anne Payne will be the speakers at a breakfast to be held at the Golden Horse Hotel and Casino on Friday, 8 February, the day before the 2013 aQuellé Midmar Mile. The word is that hearing Dietz’s amazing story is a not-to-be-missed opportunity. For more information on the aQuellé Midmar Mile, visit www.midmarmile.co.za

Midlands Seed Savers Gathering: 19 January 09h00 – 11h00Share and swop seeds and learn from other Midlands food gardeners. Wit’s End Farm, Petrusstroom Road, DargleContact: Eidin Griffin: 083 429 2867

(Cost R20)

what tO DO iN JaNuary? Lemonwood Forest – Dargle20 January 09h00 to 11h00. Steep forest trail with marked trees and birds, butterflies and monkeysContact: Katie Robinson: 082 052 6072Donation: R20 to Dargle Conservancy

Beacon Hill - Howick27 January 09h00 to 11h00. Meet at top of Lake View Road for walk in the grassland. Contact Eve Hughes : 082 872 4333Donation R20 to Friends of Beacon Hill

Craig Dietz, triathlete, ten pin bowler and licenced attorney..... pic: supplied.

edition 124 January 2013Page 6

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The Karkloof Mountain Biking Club held a memorial ride on Sunday the 6th of Janu-

ary in honour of South African cycling legend Burry Stander who sadly passed away on the 3rd of January 2013 following a collision with a taxi whilst on a training ride in Shelly Beach on the south coast. The memorial ride was attended by 145 people. The morning began with a short speech recounting Burry’s plethora of success-es and urging riders to remember Burry for the proud South African ambassador, gentleman and sportsman that he was. The speech was followed by a prayer for the legendary cyclist and his family, after which the group depart-ed for a ride along some of the trails which Burry rode when he won various Karkloof Classic events during his exceptional career.

Burry’s death was tragic and senseless but as his father Charles said, cyclists should re-frain from becoming emotionally distraught and angry. The members of the Karkloof Mountain Biking Club and community will al-

ways remember Burry for his humble manner and fiercely competitive streak. It was a great honour to have him ride in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Karkloof Classic events where he Mara-thon in 2009, the Sprint Shootout and the Mar-athon in 2010 and the Cross Country in 2011.

The club collected R3200 on the day of the memorial ride and wwthis will be donated to the Burry Stander Foundation http://www.bur-rystander.org/ to support their efforts to lobby for changes in legislation in order to make our roads safer for cyclists.

Burry has left cyclists in South Africa with a solid legacy and numerous gifts such as the realisation that if you put your mind to some-thing, you can achieve it. His success was born out of hard work and the love and support of his family, friends and the entire South Afri-can cycling community. Rest in peace Burry. You will always be remembered fondly in the Karkloof.

SchoolNet South Africa reported in July 2012 about the development of a digital world

atlas application for tablets that would allow children from around the world to teach each other about their own countries. SchoolNet had become involved through Ed Gragert of IEARN (International Education and Resource Network). Developer Tudor Clee, made anoth-er flying visit to South Africa in December; this time to donate 10 Google Nexus tablets to each of the schools that took part in the creation of videos for the world atlas app.

Touchable Earth is an application for tab-lets that provides engaging, hands-on informa-tion for children in countries across the world. The project has captured children in their au-thentic environments showcasing indigenous culture, schooling, friends and every day facts about their country. Now it was time to test the app and find out whether it really is as easy and as engaging as everyone had hoped.

Tudor arrived in Johannesburg after a whirlwind sprint from Auckland via Sydney, New York and London. He sourced the hard-ware in New York and arrived at O R Tambo with 30 tablet computers as carry-on luggage. Once in Johannesburg SchoolNet’s Omashani Naidoo helped him source some serious an-tennae for boosting the internet speed to the schools and then spent many hours configuring the devices and loading Touchable Earth. De-livery to the various schools commenced, and one of the recipient schools was Isibongo Pri-mary School in Mpophomeni, KZN Midlands.

With his load a little lighter now, Tudor was able to fly to Pietermaritzburg, and arrived at Isibongo Primary, Mpophomeni in the KZN Midlands carrying all the tablets, the modem and the rest of his connectivity paraphernalia.

Mrs Ndlovu, principal of Isibongo wel-comed Tudor warmly to the school and was the first person to eagerly use the tablet, soon followed by other teachers and ably assisted by Hlengiwe Mfeka from SchoolNet SA. Mrs Ndlovu expressed her gratitude on behalf of the school and the Department for the generous donation of tablets from Tudor. She promised to make every effort to ensure full use of the potential for these new devices.

As Tudor spent time with the handyman erecting the antenna outside, those children who had taken part in the filming for the South African part of the project, were called into the principal’s office to see themselves on video for the first time and to see how other children around the world would see them.

The learners occupied the principal’s office for hours and hours; some of the boys were eventually lying on the floor to carry on watch-ing, listening and reading, simply because they were too tired to stand or sit in the same posi-tion any longer. At four in the afternoon the tired bodies were sent home after reluctantly handing back the tablets. The learners said they could not wait to get back to school next year!

Further uses in the classroom SchoolNet SA has worked closely for many

years with all of the high schools in Mpopho-meni and will now be supporting teachers at Isibongo Primary. Hlengiwe Mfeka will be assisting teachers to explore other effective learning uses for the donated tablets - apart from using Touchable Earth. SchoolNet SA has recently developed a comprehensive course for teachers to help them use tablets in the curricu-lum and in their professional lives generally. The course takes teachers on a learning jour-ney through the use of a tablet as an e-reader, a planning tool, a writing tool, a creator of content (using the camera and the recorder) as a communication tool, for research and assess-ment as well as an educational content provid-er. SchoolNet will be sourcing digital content and e-text books as well as allowing the teach-ers to join the SchoolNet Premium Member-ship programme that provides resources and peer support for teachers using technology in their teaching.

The potential of the tablets to revolution-ise learning is well-documented in first world countries but the Touchable Earth initiative has given children in some of the poorest areas of South Africa the chance to participate in this digital revolution.

Touchable Earth… moving forward Although there are a number of countries al-ready available and featured on the app, Tudor is promising to have Touchable Earth updated with more countries included over the next few months. He left South Africa to continue on his whirlwind tour to deliver tablets to children in other parts of the world. His next stop was Iraq.

Visit these Facebook pages http://www.facebook.com/touchableearth and http://www.facebook.com/schoolnetsa as well as School-Net’s website www.schoolnet.org.za

touchable earth – touches down in sa local bikers honour legend burry stander

Burg Wheelers Cycling Club presents the

NOODSBERG ROAD RACESunday 24 February 2013

@ The Noodsberg Country Club2 Weeks before Argus! Cane season over!

Water bottles to first 400 through...Registration, medals to first 600 finishers...

R10,000 prize money!A surprise for all the kids in the 1k ride!

This is a Roag administered eventRegister with Roag before the event, then enter on-line @

www.roag.co.zaTiming by finishtime – red mr price foot chips - winningtime and

racetec chips• Catering and refreshments available at the club / finish

• Lots of lucky draw prizes• Not riding? Come swim, walk, play golf – bring your family – its stun-

ning out there!Unlicenced cyclists required to pay extra r35 day licence to csa (not the

1km ride)Held under the rules and regulations of cycling kzn and csa

Clockwise from the top...

L-R: Hlengiwe Mfeka of Schoolnet, Nokuthula Buthelezi and Mrs Ndlovu (Principal of Isibongo School in Mpho-phomeni.

Siphokazi sees herself on video for the first time!

Tudor Clee arr ives in Is ibongo. Pics:supplied.

Check it out on http://www.facebook.com/touchableearth and http://www.facebook.com/schoolnetsa and meet kids from all over the world.

Pics and story supplied.

CO A C H I N G . . .NOT JUST FOR SPORTS

edition 124 January 2013 Page 7

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Bring your Value Proposition to Life

It is time to bring your Value Proposition to life. You’ve spent the time thinking about

and asking others “Why do you do business with me?” Their answers are the clues to the “feelings” that your customers get when they do business with you – which is the essence of your value proposition. Now, it is time to bring that new understanding to life in your business. I want you to ask yourself…”What do I need to do EVERY DAY in my business to make sure I deliver my Value Proposition to my custom-ers?” If you are in the business of Building High Self Esteem, then how are you going to do that? What are the activities that will do just that? It may be using your customer’s name when you greet them, and using uplifting words with your customers, and making your customers feel important. Get specific. What will you do to deliver on the “feeling” you want your custom-ers to have when they do business with you. Make a list of these critical behaviors. My bet is that you will need to change your behavior

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082 441 7429 / karene@bundunet.comwww.midlandsphotographers.wordpress.com

The Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg bid farewell to their Rotary Exchange Student,

Lebohang ‘Lucky’ Dube who leaves on a year-long student exchange program in Germany this month. His school, Alexandra High School, recognized his potential and approached Rotary to nominate him as a candidate for the Exchange program. His name was put forward by Rotarian Aubrey Bowles mentors the Alex-andra High School’s Rotary Interact Club. Rotarian Peter Keyworth played a key role in making the arrangements and even drove Lebo to Pretoria for fingerprinting and an interview with the German Consulate. Lebo managed four distinctions with an 80% aggregate for his

matric finals and is an artist at heart, enjoying drawing and moulding. He came second in the Wildlands art competition in 2012. He is also an athlete enjoying cross-country running and has represented Midlands and received school colours for athletics. Lebo is a Church leader, enjoying Christian fellowship and serving the Lord. He was an active member of the Rotary Interact Club at Alexandra High School. Born in Sweetwaters in 1994 he lost his mother in 2010 and went to live with his uncle who has been his sole means of support. He thanked the Club for assisting with his final year at Alex-andra High School as well as the opportunity to travel and study abroad. He will be living in

Schlitz, a small town in former East Germa-ny, where he will stay with three families during the period of his exchange year.

The Rotary Club presented him with a Bafana Bafana T-shirt to wear when he at-tends soccer matches in Germany. He is on ‘face-book’ and his extended fam-ily will be sure to see him off at the airport.

Well presented and well spoken English speaking lady required for live-in position at upmarket, boutique Resort in Fort Nottingham, KZN Midlands. Position includes both Reception and

Housekeeping duties and therefore computer experience is essential. Position available immediately. Contact Mrs Van der Spuy on 0724182528.

Members of the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg bid Exchange Student, Lebohang Dube, a fond farewell at a luncheon meeting recently. From left to right are Rotarian Peter Keyworth, exchange student Lebohang Dube, Rotarian Aubrey Bowles and Club President Rotarian Brian Bassett. Photo and pic: supplied.

exchange student leaves for germany

and many behaviors of your team in order to deliver your true value proposition. This will be hard. You will certainly stumble from time to time. But, if you truly work at it, I can guar-antee you that you and your business will set itself apart from your competition – and your customers will reward you for your efforts! Make the commitment that you will do the following:

1. Translate your Value Proposition (the Feelings) into a list of activities that you will do everyday when you are face to face with your customers or prospects.

2. Communicate your list of activities to your Team and hold them accountable to be-have differently from this week forward.

3. Recognise yourself and your team members when they perform the daily activi-ties that you have listed. (They won’t be pre-fect at first, but rather than be critical, find the successes and reward them!)

It’s that simple – three action items for you on this stage. Set aside the time to get this done. This is truly where the “rubber meets the road”. Anyone can come up with a clever value proposition statement. Only few will do the work necessary to bring it to life. Visit: www.actioncoach/patrickgreenaway.com or e-mail: actionkzn@actioncoach.com; Phone: 033 343 2960.

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The Meander Chronicle's intrepid photographer, Karen Edwards, who is based in the Kamberg, KZN

Midlands, popped into one of the local schools to capture one of the most significant days in a child's life - the first day at Big School. Makonjane Primary welcomed a happy bunch of learners at the school in Kwamkhize location, Hlatikhulu. Principal Mrs Nosipho Hlongwane was on hand to make the new environment as happy as possible.

Page 8 edition 124 January 2013

Getting to know the neighbours.Working toward a stress-free co-existence with snakes.

With her trademark neon hair Sharlene McGillvray (left) started the process of training and quali-fying for The Unlimited Dusi during the cold winter months with her partner Shelley Bloy (right) (Photo: Gameplan Media)

This series of articles started out as a sort of “slowly-slowly, don’t be scared” toe

in the water for those who either absolutely hated snakes, or were not too sure about what to do when they came across one. A wave of reader revulsion and street protests could have sunk the whole project at the launch, but, thanks to you and the editresses of this splendid chronicle, that didn’t happen. The intention was to get those so inclined, to actually read about snakes and learn some new things about them that might help to soothe the troubled mind. I still can’t under-stand why we were put on the sports page? However, based on some of the feedback and phone calls I’ve had since the first article appeared – proof that there are still those out there who can read - there has been a noticeable softening of attitude towards the little blighters. It’s heartening to say that there’s been a reduction in the sort of calls that I used get from people telling me about the snake they had to chop in half because they were worried about the kids, or the one they’d bludgeoned to a pulp because it was lying on top of the pool pump and the garden fella couldn’t backwash the pool. Nosiree, now I get calls along the lines of, “we’ve got a rinkhals outside the kitchen – will it worry if we take photos of it?” or “ we’re going away for three weeks, should we put some

water out for the puff adder that lives in the garden?” O.K. so I’m exaggerating, but I do sincerely want to thank all of you who have put consideration for the environment and the laws of nature above the deeply entrenched but hugely unjustified fear of snakes.

To kick off the year - having softened you up with some gratuitous puffery - I’m going to briefly mention some of the more commonly held snake-related beliefs and try to ‘unpack’ them for you. All snakes are ven-omous; no they’re not. Only about 25 out of our 160 or so species are considered to have life-threatening venom - unless you’re a frog, in which case ignore the last statement. All snakes bite; Quite correct! Anything with a mouth can bite. What’s the problem? A snake with no patterns has no venom; Tell that to any black or green mamba. A puff ad-der can strike so fast that it can hit a balloon twice before the balloon starts to deflate; I’ll leave this up to you to work out in your own time – you’ll need two pins and some bal-loons. Spitting cobras aim for the eyes; Spit-ting is a defence mechanism and they aim at the movement they see in front of them. It’ll make a difference if you’re on your knees only 30cm away, in which case, Bingo! © pat mckrill. 2013 herpet@eastcoast.co.za Cell: 0833036958 Fax: 0866128120Home: 031-7851410

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Pietermaritzburg - Feisty 53 year old Shar-lene McGillvray celebrated a sporting

milestone on the calm waters of Inanda dam on Sunday. With her peroxide white hair, she punched the air in delight as she finally qualified to take part in The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon that starts on 14 February. McGillvray is a legend in the BMX frater-nity where she is the world champion in her Challenger class, and her trademark neon dyed hair, which ranges from pinks to green and yellows reflects her irrepress-ible bubbly personality. So how did she get lured into the process of starting canoeing and trying to qualify for The Unlimited Dusi?

A DTP graphic design expert, McGill-vray shares an office with Shelley Bloy, the daughter of Dusi legend Lyall Wheeler, who had done more than 40 Dusi, and she tentatively approached the BMX star to see if she would be keen to try a new sport-ing challenge, and partner her on a Dusi.

“I told her there was NO WAY that I was getting into a piece of resin and going down any river coz I have a fear of water,” recalls McGillvray. “Then during the 2012 Dusi I got so wrapped up with her phoning to see where Lyle and his partner Billy were. She had printed out a map of the route on placed it on my desk -sneaky cow- so on the third day she asked me again, and before I knew it I had said “bring it on!”, said McGillvray. “Once I commit to something I go all out, so there was no turning back.” The slightly built McGillvray is totally unphased about starting the sport at the age of 53. “Age is just a number - be-sides my ID book lies - I’m 18 till I die!” McGillvray changes her hair colour as often as most people change clothes. Her loud voice and colourful vocabulary have made her hard to miss at Camps Drift, with her neon hair ini-tially reinforcing this impact on the canoeing scene. Suddenly the neon shades disappeared to be replaced by snow white short peroxided hair.It’s so much easier but the colours are my trademark so I’ll go back to them after Dusi for the MTB Masters World Champs. BUT we are planning something very funky and differ-ent for Dusi, so watch this space ...” she added. (Gameplan Media)

master bmx star set for dusi debut

Pat Mckrill, doing what he does! Photo: supplied

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compassion and compassion

Research has shown that those who value animals are more tolerant and compassion-

ate towards their fellow man, especially those who are different from them. It is a fact that compassion for animals leads to compassion for our fellow human beings. The opposite is also true, where cruelty to animals is found, crime grows.

Love and compassion for animals goes hand in hand with love and compassion for people. This is what Funda Nenja, an NPO working with young people in Mpophomeni near Howick, is working to achieve. Funda Nenja loosely translated, means learning with the dog.

A handful of volunteers and their helpers from within the Mpophomeni community meet with 65 or so school children after school on Fridays. The children are taught how to train their dogs with only gentle techniques. It is wonderful to see the bonds which form be-tween these young handlers and their dogs. The children are taught the basic needs of animals, how to be gentle and caring of their furry wards. They are taught the value of vac-cinations and sterilization. Responsibility and self discipline are promoted and these boys are turning into confident helpful polite teenagers.

The Dalai Lama says ”Love and compas-sion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” He also says in his book, The Art of Happiness, which was co-authored with Howard Cutler, that in order to be happy you have to give of yourself to the community around you. If you are look-ing for somewhere to do this and would like to join us at Funda Nenja on Fridays (no dog handling skills are required) contact Adrienne on 083 636 0891 or me on 083 2774 358 or jmgsgoe@gmail.com.

I wish you and all your fur-kids a happy year filled with good health and smiles in 2013.

Digs Creation & Innovation In The Midlands!Wayne Muller - 033 330 3046, 1 Exchange Lane, Howick