CHAIRPERSON: Janet Holwill, P.O. Box 22125 Fish Hoek 7974
Tel: Cell: Email:
Newsletter for 4th Quarter 2010
NOTICE OF QUARTERLY GENERAL MEETING VENUE: FISH HOEK CIVIC CENTRE.DATE: THURSDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2010. TIME: 19h30. MEETING AGENDA
Mr. Lewis Walter Flame Lily Foundation and Fish Hoek Valley Historical Association TOPIC: “Voyage to Antarctica” An epic voyage from South America to Antarctica in a century-old barque.
[The Minutes, which are also available at the Fish Hoek Library, are attached herewith.]
Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the meeting. ALL WELCOME. |
NEWSLETTER FOR 4th QUARTER 2010.
OUR SPEAKER FOR THE QGM ON 25th NOVEMBER 2010 is….
MR LEWIS WALTER : Title of Presentation:
“VOYAGE TO ANTARCTICA”
Lewis Walter was born in Rhodesia, but his family has been connected with Fish Hoek since the early 1900s. He attended Fish Hoek Primary School during 1943/44. He was later employed in the Rhodesian district administration, serving mainly in very remote tribal areas.
In 1983 he and his wife came to live in Fish Hoek and twenty-seven years later he just about qualifies as a “local”. Lewis was closely involved with the preservation of our Peers’ Hill sand dunes and the Lower Silvermine River Wetlands.
He is Chairman of the Cape Peninsula Branch of the Flame Lily Foundation, an organisation which assists former pensioners of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe who are in need.
Lewis’s presentation is based on a three-week voyage in February 2010, from South America to Antarctica, as a trainee seaman in a century-old barque, the “Europa”.
It involved five days sailing across the Drake Passage, daily landings on islands and Antarctic mainland, and finally back across the Drake Passage via Cape Horn.
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PLEASE NOTE: SUBSCRIPTIONS
Your address label indicates the current status of your subs at 21 April 2010.
Annual Subscriptions (R50 per household for 2011) become due in January 2011.
Your address label / Email letter indicates the current status of your subs. We appeal to members in arrears to pay their outstanding subscriptions. (Return slip for subscriptions overleaf).
Members unable to afford the subscription fees are advised to contact the Association’s Chairperson (Tel: ), in full confidence and no obligation, to discuss a reduced fee.
Details of our bank account and convenient points of payment for Subs.
Bank deposits or EFT payments: Indicate: “subs-your initials-your surname” in the payment reference.
A/C Name: FHVRRA. Bank: Standard. Branch: Fish Hoek. Branch Code: 036009 A/C No: 91
Subs can also be posted to P.O. Box 22125 Fish Hoek 7974, or paid at the following establishments:
Regal Cycles, Weavers, Pennylane (Valyland) and Thundercloud Music (Sun Valley Mall).
Please make out cheques to: “Fish Hoek Valley Ratepayers & Residents Association”.
Subscriptions: Membership: Allen Rose-Innes – Tel/Fax: E-mail:
Postal Address – PO Box 22125, Fish Hoek, 7974
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RATES RELIEF FOR PENSIONERS: PROPOSAL.
The Simon’s Town Civic Association (STCA) has launched an initiative to urge the City to take cognisance of the plight of pensioners on a fixed income when determining rates rebates.
It is planned that they will present the proposal to the City through the Far South Peninsula Community Forum (FSPCF). The FHVRRA are among the Civic Associations who support this proposal.
The proposal addresses the issue of retired people who are now finding themselves unable to afford rates based on municipal valuations of their properties. Typically, these are people who bought a house 15 – 20 years ago when they were working; they are now retired and its value has shot up with the new valuations. Being on fixed pensions/retirement incomes, they now cannot afford the new rates, even though their gross household income might be in excess of the City’s R8499 rebate limit. The proposal is based on the existing City rebate system. The STCA have, with the support of the FSPCF, invited City representatives to come and have the proposal presented to them and discussed.
EGG ATTACK:
Please talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic now in use. Stay safe!
If you are driving in the dark at night and you find an egg, of all things, suddenly splattered on to your windscreen, don’t stop to check the car and do not operate the wiper. Just keep going, even if you have to slow down somewhat. Eggs mixed with water become milky and can block your vision through the windscreen by up to 90%. Police are reporting that this is a new criminal tactic, aimed mostly at women, the idea being that you are caused to stop by the side of the road and get out of the car. ZAP! You then become the victim of an attack.
Report what you saw as soon as possible, but don’t stop! (Emergency Centre Tel. ).
These days, desperate people are taking desperate measures to get what they want. Be aware!
BUILD AND BE DAMNED:
Do you have some building going on near to you (perhaps too near), that doesn’t look quite right? Perhaps a little close to the logical plot boundaries, too close to the house next door, too near to the road or pavement, too high, etc.
It is a known fact that there are operatives in our area who deliberately build or extend houses without building plans being officially approved. The further they progress with a building the more difficult it becomes to reverse the process.
There are of course legal provisions. Council may stop building operations, but if it ends up in the courts it could take months or longer to settle the issue.
Prevention is thus better than cure.
There is one very visible case going on in an upmarket area in Fish Hoek as this is being written; the house is already half-built, so the time taken to now solve the matter could be inestimable.
It is also a fact that there are not enough Building Control Officers to cover all of the area, all of the time.
Please report any suspicious-looking building action, without delay.
The telephone number is ; this is the South Peninsula Municipal Office, Planning and Building Development, located at the Plumstead Administration Building, Cnr. Victoria & Main Roads, Plumstead. Attention: District Manager, Southern District.
Alternatively, it can be reported directly to the local Sub-council Manager, either by Email to , Tel. , or Fax , or by personally completing the form provided at the Sub-council offices at Fish Hoek.
Each complaint report should contain the Date (of submitting the request), the Category (Building Regulations), a detailed description of the problem (including the exact location) and the name and contact details of the person submitting the complaint.
Such reports are put on to the Council tracking system and are subject to follow up.
WELCOME TO THE SILLY SEASON! The end of the year is fast approaching and with it, its own set of problems.
South Africa has been relatively spared crime-wise so far this year, especially with everybody being on their best behaviour for our hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2010. The much increased police visibility did wonders; however, the well-publicised logistical problems with the SAP show that this high state of readiness can’t be maintained forever. We now need to be alert, in more ways than one, as the “Christmas shopping spree” is about to start.
The anti-social elements in our midst are starting to look at opportunities to score before the holidays start. You might want to take a closer look at the way you, your family, your house and your business can improve and further secure your personal safety and security.
Check that your alarm system is fully functional. (To do this, consult your security services provider with regard to the procedure to follow to test your system, please do not just press your panic button).
If you don’t have an alarm system, think about getting one… it could help lower your monthly insurance premiums. Do get professional advice at the outset. Most companies will also do a quick security assessment of your premises at the same time. We are in a technology-oriented domain in security today.
Check if there is a Neighbourhood Watch operating in your area and then join them! (There are 21 NhW’s in the Fish Hoek Valley, so there should be one near you!). It will cost you next to nothing and the more you give to your community, the more you will receive in return.
Get to know your immediate neighbours. This is vital, not only for social interaction, but we all need to look after each other. Keep record of their names, addresses, telephone and email numbers and especially their security service provider contact numbers.
Think like the bad guys and you will quickly find gaps around you. Most crimes in our valley are of opportunistic nature; less opportunities means less crime and the culprits will move on to another area, preferably out of the valley altogether!
To all Members and Friends of the Fish Hoek Ratepayers and Residents Association,
Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year filled with good health and happiness.
TOWN and AROUND.…A quick round-up of what’s going on in our Valley.
Jager’s Walk: The news gets better. There are now wooden steps and railings down to Skelley’s Pool (near Sunny Cove Station) and there are foundations in place for railings at the start of the popular walk. The final arrival of the railings will be welcomed by all.
Clovelly Station and surrounds: If you’ve ever thought that Fish Hoek Station leaves something to be desired, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! With graffiti, filth, vagrants and general rubbish piling up, the disused Clovelly Station is a deplorable disgrace to the whole neighbourhood. The Clovelly Neighbourhood Watch group has done a first class report on the matter, together with compelling photographs. This has been forwarded to the MEC for Transport and Public Works, Robin Carlisle with a request for action by Metrorail. An appeal has also been lodged for Clovelly Station to be included in the proposed plans for the upgrade of the railway line from Muizenberg to Simonstown.
Emergency Control Centre: The stellar work done by the volunteers at the Emergency Control Centre (EEC), once again fell under the spotlight at the EEC Annual General Meeting, held at the False Bay Hospital Blue Room on Thursday 11th November. The EEC is in touch with everybody and everything and processes in excess of 200 emergency calls every month. As a voluntary operation, they deserve all the support they can get.
The EEC Control Room contact Tel. No. is .
Wheelie Bin Pickers: The CPF (Community Police Forum), have appealed to residents to avoid putting wheelie bins out overnight. Night time rummagers and vagrants have been caught and arrested as a result of Neighbourhood Watches, Police and Law Enforcement doing joint clean up patrols. Some of them have been found to be confirmed criminals looking for some more action.
Also, be careful what you place in the bins, especially documents of a sensitive nature such as bank statements and even envelopes with printed names and addresses. A smart and opportunistic criminal can do plenty of damage with this seemingly innocuous information in his possession.
Shark signage: The new shark-warning system/signage has not been well received in some quarters. The main problem appears to be that the signage is too complex to read and understand easily. Also, some say, too negative, to the point of “scaring people” away from the area altogether.
The Amenities Portfolio Committee is reportedly re-assessing the shark warning system.
Big House Numbers: Large and visible house numbers make all kinds of sense in this day and age. It beggars belief that there are so many houses in our area which do not display their street numbers prominently, where they can be clearly seen by visitors, postmen, police, emergency and security services, neighbourhood watch patrols, etc. Lives could depend on it. You have nothing to lose by displaying your house number so that the whole world can see it, day or night.There is even a facility for the provision of luminous numbers. The numbers are large and visible at night. (See contact details below).
We also re-visit the piece in our February 2010 Newsletter:
Is the street where you live without a name? That is, it would normally have one but it doesn’t any more, perhaps because the sign has disappeared, been demolished or is now illegible, the kerbstone has been replaced or stolen, or for some or other bizarre reason you just don’t have a street name on display. City Council addresses this need about once per year and they do them in batches. Thus, if there is a list on record with Council for our area, we are likely to get as many as possible fixed when the time comes.
For more details regarding these important issues, please contact Exco committee member:
Flip Rossouw on or .
A DATE FOR YOUR 2011 DIARY:
OUR 1st QUARTER GENERAL MEETING FOR 2011 IS ON THURSDAY FEBRUARY 24th, 19h30 at the
FISH HOEK CIVIC CENTRE
