SHELLEY POINT NEWS. Terry. September 2016

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1 SHELLEY POINT NEWS Terry September 2016 shelleypointne A community newsletter dedicated to fostering a sense of community and the free flow of information at Shelley Point m FROM THE EDITOR Hi All As I am writing this, I am looking out of my office window at the glorious display of wild flowers. It reminds me how blessed and privileged we are to be living in such a beautiful and pristine environment. Coupled to the comparatively low rate of crime and the (usually) good weather, this must surely be one of the best places to live in South Africa. While on the subject of amazing sights to behold.the 2016 Olympics are now behind us and I have to admit to a sense of relief that I can finally get my life back on track. I pretty much sat glued to the TV for two solid weeks, constantly telling myself that I would just watch for fifteen minutes and of course, three hours later, I was still there! As a result, I had to really scurry around to get this newsletter published in time! Enjoy the return of warmer weather and longer days. Summer is definitely on its way! Have a great month Terry Obituary It is with regret and a deep sense of loss that we inform you of the passing of Heinrich Gerstner, one of the trustees on the SPHOA. Hein passed away on 29 July after a gradual decline in health. He is survived by his sons, Ricci and Kristian, and his sister, Helena. HOMEOWNERS HAVE THEIR SAY Hierna n briefie van Mev Havenga: Hiermee wil ons net ons dank uitspreek aan die personeel van ADT. My man het onlangs n hartaanval gehad en ADT het ons so baie gehelp met hulle vlink diens en bystand. Ons het so n jaar en n half na Shelley Point verhuis vanaf die Kaap en ons het nog nooit sulke puik diens gehad nie. Nie net is hulle vriendelik nie, maar hulle het ook n groot passie vir hulle werk. Ons kan enige iemand aanbeveel wat in nood is om hulle maar te bel, hulle is altyd daar vir Shelley Point se gemeenskap. Baie dankie aan ADT: Shelley Point. Michelle sent a letter of enquiry to the SPHOA requesting that the board 1

2 consider the possibility of providing a small playground for children a few swings, slides or a jungle gym as well as a couple of benches for parents to sit while their children are playing. New homeowners and residents of Shelley Point have requested a list of recommended locally-based providers of various services. Obviously, homeowners would prefer to engage the services of companies or individuals that have been recommended by the community, rather than simply select these online or from media advertisements. As promised in the August edition of Shelley Point News, here follows a list of recommended contacts: Let asseblief daarop dat hierdie lys opgestel is slegs met name wat deur Shelley Point inwoners voorsien is. Shelley Point News aanvaar dus geen verantwoordelikheid vir die kwaliteit of vakmanskap van werk gelewer deur diensverskaffers op die onderdstaande lys. Let asseblief verder daarop dat ons geen advertensies van persone of maatskappye wie hul besighede wil bevorder, plaas nie. Hierdie lys bevat slegs name van persone wie aanbeveel is deur ons plaaslike gemeenskap. Handyman/General repairs o Pieter (including electrics) o Kat House cleaning: o Carina: o Dot & Linkie: / Garden service/maintenance o Barney: or o Roy: House painting o Carina o Kat o Robert Window cleaning: o Christo o Carina Plumbing o We have not received any recommendations as yet. If you have any other recommendations which you feel should be added to this list, let me know and I will then update and re-circulate in a few months time. UPDATE FROM THE SHELLEY POINT BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Unfortunately at this time there is no further news regarding the future of the hotel. The developer is apparently in discussion with several interested parties. However, no decisions have been made. The golf course is now officially being managed by Golf Data and to anyone walking the course now, it is clear that they have made a positive impact in a very short space of time. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Durbanville on 7 September. Since this will occur after the publication of the September edition of the newsletter, salient points and issues arising from the meeting will appear in the October edition. Dates of the next Trustees Meetings: 07 September 2016, Durbanville 04 November 2016, Shelley Point 2

3 SECURITY REPORT (Ian Mackintosh) There were no major incidents reported during the course of August. However, two incidents of ADT failing to respond appropriately to alarm systems malfunctions were reported. This issue has been raised with ADT Senior Management and appropriate steps are being taken to address this failure. Specifically, I am working with the ADT Area Manager to rewrite all Standard Operating Procedures and to retrain all personnel on these procedures. Access control continues to present a challenge to the Security Team but this is being aggressively addressed. The Chairman of the HOA and myself undertook a benchmarking visit to Devonvale Golf and Wine Estate, near Stellenbosch, to evaluate their security system and to determine what we could learn from them in terms of our system at Shelley Point. Devonvale is similar to Shelley Point in that they have a golf course, a hotel, a restaurant, residents etc. all accessing the estate and we were impressed by the manner in which security and access is managed. 1. Security is a no compromise issue and Devonvale employs a full time professional estate manager whose primary role is the management of estate security. 2. Extensive use is made of technology such as license plate recognition cameras, thermal imaging cameras (similar to those at SP), biometrics, drivers license and car license scanners etc. Technology is however not the answer to all problems and human resources as well as the community are critical to an effective security system. 3. There is direct communication between each residential unit and the guardhouse/control room via an intercom system. 4. Access devices for residents / owners are ONLY valid for three months after which they need to be renewed (avoids the problem of owners giving friends and relatives unauthorized access). 5. Only two access tags are issued per residential unit. 6. Access to ANYONE other than a bona fide resident is VERY STRICTLY MANAGED IRRESPECTIVE OF PERCEIVED INCONVENIENCE TO PARTIES. Further benchmarking visits are planned to other estates in the near future. In the meantime, ADT, and various technology suppliers, have been requested to develop a detailed, fully-costed proposal for the phased upgrade of the Shelley Point Security System. Their draft proposal will be tabled at the Trustees meeting on the 7 th of September and the final proposal will be submitted at the November trustees meeting. The goal is to implement an integrated security system that has been benchmarked against the best in the country but which recognizes the specific environment in which we live. PHOTO OF THE MONTH Our photo competition appears to be one of the most popular sections of the newsletter. We obviously have several very talented and enthusiastic photographers at Shelley Point as each month many photographs are received from homeowners and residents. As such, it is becoming more and more difficult to select one to publish. So, this month we have decided to publish two photos. The first one, taken by Craig, of the Shelley Point lighthouse at night is simply stunning and deserves to be on a calendar or a screensaver. Unfortunately the small 3

4 format of the newsletter does not do the shot justice. ontwerp. Die fotos moet egter beslis op ons webwerf vertoon word. SPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Maandelikse Skemerkelkie Shelley Point by Night by Craig The second one, taken by Chris, is a different take on a typical Shelley Point sunset seen through a wineglass. Maak asseblief n nota dat die volgende een op Vrydag 30 September vanaf 5 7 by die Klubhuis plaasvind. Hierdie maandelikse byeenkomstes is besonder gewild en is n baie genotvolle manier om mede-huiseienaars te ontmoet. Bring n bord peuselhappies om te deel. Golf Loer in by die Buiteklub indien u wil speel of indien u meer besonderhede oor aansluiting benodig. Kom gesels met Johan Blaauw of skakel hom op Of, stuur n e-pos aan Johan Louw by johanbev@mweb.co.za Rolbal Rolbal begin weer op 2 September om 10h00 noudat die warmer en droër weer terug is. Beginners is welkom. Vir meer besonderhede, kontak Bev by johanbev@mweb.co.za. Al wat jy nodig het om deel te neem is gemaklike klere and n paar plat skoene. Tennis Vir meer inliging oor tennisspeel by Shelley Point, kontak Niel by ddt@vodamail.co.za Bridge Sundowners by Chris Albei hierdie fotos sal, saam met die ander, by die Foto van die Jaar Kompetisie ingeskryf word. Dan sal huiseienaars gevra word om vir hul gunsteling te stem. Miskien kan iemand met die nodige kundigheid selfs n Shelley Point kalender met die fotos Brugspel gaan voort elke Woensdagmiddag by die Buiteklub. Beginners is welkom. Vir verdere inligting kontak Terry by didge28@gmail.com Book Club Stel u belang in n boekklub? Kontak Yvonne by lycoll@wol.co.za 4

5 NATURE CORNER The Cape Dune Mole Rat (Bathyergus suillus) This months Nature Corner will feature a creature which usually elicits cries of anger or frustration whenever its name is mentioned the mole. Surprisingly, true moles do not exist in Africa at all and what we know as a mole is actually not a mole at all it is a rodent called a mole-rat. Mole-rats are strict herbivores and this is the culprit that eats our bulbs and makes the mole-hills on our lawns. (These sometimes can contain a stone or two ejected from the burrow so beware when you are mowing the grass!) Mole rats actually do a lot of good. They fulfill an important ecological role by aerating and increasing drainage properties of the soil as well as preventing overpopulation of other organisms, be they animal or plant. However, that is sometime difficult to accept when one is confronted by the destruction of ones lawn or carefully nurtured bulbs! So, how can you get rid of them? Methods of eradicating them are usually those solutions offered by gardeners from the northern hemisphere who are dealing with true moles. However, since our garden digging creatures are not moles, these methods do not work. Putting garlic down the holes, is just a waste of garlic they eat it! Bottles in the holes they push them out. Dog faeces and urine they couldn't care less. Trying to drown them by inserting a hose-pipe in the burrow won't work either as their burrows go to a meter or more under the ground and their tunnel system may cover distances of well over 100m. In fact, people who swear that their particular method has solved the problem are alluding themselves. True, the animals may have moved over the road or to your next door neighbour but the real reason for this is simply that they have eaten their fill of what your garden can provide and have moved on to greener pastures. They will definitely return again once your plants have had a chance to recover and can once again provide sustenance. So, what is the solution? Sadly, there isn't really one. Perhaps it is simply best to come to terms with their presence and cope with it as best you can. Try and make your bulbs inaccessible to them. Keep a rake handy to spread out the mole-rat hills when the soil is still soft and loose. Remember too, that many of the eaten bulbs can frequently be salvaged. Leaving uneaten sections in the ground will, in time, produce new roots and the flesh of the bulb can regrow, thus saving the plant. If any of you have any other comments regarding your experiences with mole-rats and would like to share with our readers, feel free to send them to shelleypointnews@gmail.com VRAAG VAN DIE MAAND: Last month we asked homeowners to enlighten us regarding the history behind the tragic passing of the two young men who are commemorated by the benches at Shell Bay. I received numerous replies but the most comprehensive came from Alta and from Bob. Since one reply was in Afrikaans and the other in English and each were of interest, I decided to publish both of them. Alta het geskryf dat die twee seuns wie se name op die bankies staan was die seuns van 5

6 skryfster Esta Steyn. Hierdie familie was destyds eienaars van een van die rietdakkompleks huise maar ek weet nie of die huis nog aan hulle behoort nie. Hein is in n motorfietsongeluk dood en Daniel het verdrink met sy surf board. Hy het hier by Shelley Point naby hulle huis die see ingegaan en sy lyk is ver noord hiervandaan gevind. Esta Steyn is n bekende Afrikaanse skryfster van verskeie boeke en televisiereekse onder andere, Kinders van die Sabbatsee en Meeulanders. Sy het n boek geskryf oor hoe sy die dood van haar seuns verwerk het - Die Grafte Jubel. Sy is woonagtig te Saldanha. Ben basically confirmed the facts given above by Alta but also provided some additional details for anyone who is interested in obtaining the book. He writes as follows.the mother of the two sons that passed away published a book about these tragic accidents entitled DIE GRAFTE JUBEL by Esta Steyn and published by Lex Verdi. The book provides details about how the elder one died in a motor cycle accident at the age of 17. The second oldest son went windsurfing at Shelley Point when they were staying at their holiday home and never returned. His body was washed ashore at Donkins Bay. He was 24 years old. Similarily, we have a holiday home at Shelley Point and the book was recommended to us after we lost our son tragically three years ago while we stayed here. VASCO SÊ: Olà! Soos julle kan sien is dit nie net die huiseienaars wat probleme met honde het nie. Aborrecido! Thank you to both Alta and Ben for their time and effort to provide us with this information. What a tragic and heartrending story. 6