Save the date for our Open Day & 70 year celebration!
💙Saturday 13 April 2024
💙2-4pm
💙Midlands Veterinary Hospital
💙We will have some fun for the whole family from Hospital tours to Tea & Cake and even some fun kiddies activities!!!

As usual time is flying past, and you can already feel the nip of winter in the air in the mornings and evenings. It certainly makes for more pleasant playing conditions compared to the heat of the summer days.

Unfortunately, there was no wintery feeling in the air at all last week Tuesday when we hosted our J Leslie Smith & Company 2-4-2 competition. Despite the heat all 22 teams had a great morning of bowls and camaraderie and a wonderful morning was had by all. Congratulations to Stephanie Crause & Rusty Ikin who won first prize, followed by Alan & Sharon Willey in second place, and also to Ann Monarch & Rowena Muir who won the plate prize. A big thank you to J Leslie Smith & Company Inc for their ongoing support and while we’re about it we’d like to mention that they will be sponsoring a full day event at UWBC on the 21st of April. This is set to be a great day of 3 bowl trips with some great prizes up for grabs. Keep an eye out for more information or contact Lisa Nagel on 084 586 6984 to enter a team.

That’s all for this week… see you on the greens!

Events to keep an eye out for…

Saturday, 6 April: Greendale Spar Drawn Trips/Pairs. Tabs in 13h15
Wednesday, 10 April: Halfway Toyota Drawn Trips 4-3-2-1. Tabs In 13h15
Sunday, 21 April: J Leslie Smith & Co Sponsored Trips all day competition (Book with Lisa on 084 586 6984)
Friday, 26 April: Dormehl Nominated 2 Bowl Trips. Tabs In 08h45 (Book with Pippa on 083 467 8140)

Regular tabs in times are:-
Tuesdays at 08h15
Wednesdays at 13h15
Saturdays at 13h15.

Visitors are always welcome. Coaching by registered coaches is available.

For more information contact Sharon on 082 900 5944.

Photo: Winners of the JLS Monthly 2-4-2 competition, Rusty Ikin & Stephanie Crause pictured with Lisa Nagel of JLS

More about Umgeni Waterfall Bowling Club

A victorious day for the 1st Boys' Hockey team as they were the overall winner of the Boys' competition at the Treverton Co-Ed Hockey Festival.

The day began with a 3 - 0 win against Harrismith High School, followed by a 2-1 loss to Treverton. Taking into account Friday's results, Howick made it through to the final against Treverton.

In an exciting and evenly contested game, Howick scored a goal in a short corner as the buzzer went to signal the end of the match, winning the final 1 - 0.

Morgan Sparrow received the trophy for the most goals scored in the boys' competition and Tapiwa Mukono and Captain, Darryn Whitehead received the trophy for Boys' Players of the Tournament.

We take this opportunity to thank Treverton for hosting the festival and everyone who came to show their support. Thank you to Timber Solutions for our awesome new shirts. We congratulate our team and their coaches, Mrs Hayley Salzwedel and Mr Nathaniel Napier on a successful start to their season.

Age Quod Agis!

Not even the Easter bunny needs large hearing aids!

Butlin Hearing offers a range of hearing devices including the Signia Silk which sits inside the ear canal offering a superior hearing experience, without the bulk of the “old fashioned” hearing devices.

Treat yourself this Easter to a FREE hearing screening, comprehensive hearing test, or new hearing device from Butlin Hearing.

Contact Claire on 033 330 3966, or Mark on 033 342 2330, and let Butlin Hearing welcome you to the world of sound!

Support local, at this, our inaugural Exhibition, featuring both new and established Midlands Artists, at the stunning Taste Buds Farm Stall venue. (Lions Gate Estate, Corner of the D128 and Main Dargle Road)

There is no entrance fee.

Browse the various Artists, (and purchase a piece or two of unique art), while listening to live music. Rhiannon & Vince, the dynamic Dad and Daughter duo will be performing for our pleasure.

Enjoy a delicious meal or have a drink at the pub.

10% of the proceeds will go to the Funda Nenja Charity, an amazing group of people with an innovative approach to animal education for under privileged communities.

Looking forward to seeing you there!!

Call 078 760 5436.

Eskom is aware of transformer OSB273, in Osizweni, Newcastle, which failed due to overload on 07 November 2023. The transformer supplies electricity to 73 legally connected customers, and of these, only 24 (33%) are paying for the electricity they consume.

Eskom is experiencing a significant increase in transformer failures in residential areas due to meter tampering, illegal connections and vandalism of Eskom’s infrastructure. The existing infrastructure has been installed to cater for supply requirements of Eskom’s legal customers. The transformer that is supplying electricity to Osizweni failed due to overload caused by a high number of bypassed meters and illegal electricity connections.

Due to the increasing number of the transformer failures, replacement thereof without addressing the root cause has become unsustainable, costly, and unsafe for Eskom’s technicians and members of the public, more specifically the innocent children.

Therefore, before the transformer can be replaced and supply restored, an audit must be conducted, and the network normalised. The community members who are found to have tampered with the metering installation will be issued with remedial fines and illegal connections will be removed and/ or normalised.

Eskom will require 75% of the customers to be in good standing before the transformer is replaced. As per the NERSA published tariffs, the customers that have bypassed the meters have to pay a tamper fine of R6052.60, where at least R3000 upfront payment must be paid with a balance payable as and when the customer purchases an electricity token.

Eskom has had engagements with the community leaders in this regard and will continue to work with the community until the matter is resolved. Communities are urged to cooperate with Eskom teams on the ground by granting them access to the Eskom metres in their homes when audits take place.

Eskom wishes to encourage the public to report information regarding illegal electricity sales, fraud, meter tampering and all other electricity-related crimes to the Eskom Crime Line: 080011 27 22. Reporting can be done anonymously.

Supplied.

The grade Twos concluded their theme of Healthy Living with cooking up a storm. They took over our school kitchen and with the help of Sam Hunt from Culinary Kids and the most capable mums they made a starter, main course, desert as well as a delicious milkshake.

A very big thank you goes to Pick n Pay at Fairways for the generous donation of dough for the delicious cinnamon rolls. Thank you to the Phillips-Page family who also donated 14 Liters of milk for the milkshakes.

Suprema Quaero

More about Howick Preparatory School

We need your help! The Angels Care Feeding Scheme aims to bring joy to 350 underprivileged children this Easter by providing them with Easter eggs. Could you spare some eggs to make their day extra special and filled with sweetness and kindness? Every contribution counts.

Drop off - The Old Agricultural Hall Howick (near the Howick Falls). Please also conatct us for other drop off areas or we can arrange to collect.

Thank you for your kindness.

Samuel Beckett's Endgame is one of the great existential works. The play is set in a bunker in an apocalyptic world, occupied by four characters Hamm, Clov, Nagg and Nell. Through the process of trying to tell a story, Hamm, the blind and disabled tyrant and protagonist, takes the audience on a journey of quirky and absurd dialogue with his servant Clov. Hamm's parents, Nagg and Nell, are confined to ash-bins, Hamm is confined to his chair, and Clov cannot rest.

Performed by extremely talented matric learners at Michaelhouse, Endgame will offer a wonderfully entertaining ponder at the state of the world we live in from the voices of teenagers full of hope, and from a prophetic writer who helped shaped our existential thoughts through plays like Waiting for Godot.

Howick High School recently hosted the U16 and U18 Midlands District Rugby trials on our stunning fields.

A number of schools participated, including Greytown, Treverton, Weston, Wembley, Wartburg, and Hermannesburg, amongst others.

It was an incredible platform for players to showcase their skills, and the level of play was impressive.

Howick High School is proud to share that the following boys have been selected to represent Midlands District teams:

U16: Ethan Galtrey, Zothani Goniwe, Letho Mbelu, Caleb Lukas, Ayabonga Mdakane

U18: Callum Moran, Tristan Heron, Thando Nkala, Elijah Wessels, Logan Reece, Jayden Trusler, Caleb Galtry

Age Quod Agis, boys!

More about Howick High

A magic morning in the Karklooof, thanks to the Karkloof Country Club A long steady climb up to the fire tower above Howick gave spectacular views over the Midlands. With a large group of super keen hikers, we broke into three groups - the fast, the ones who wanted to get home early and the stop and check out the fungi group. This hike catered for everyone!

Thank you to the three leaders for making this happen!

More about Midlands Hiking Club

In the unpredictable world of South African farming, risks abound. Let Cooke Fuller be your shield and put your mind at ease with our specialized Farming Insurance.

Our unique package combines domestic and commercial insurance, tailored to meet the distinct needs of every farmer. From your home and household contents to tractors, equipment, sheds, liability, and livestock – we've got you covered at every corner.

Worried about runaway fire risks or the transit of livestock? We've got options for that too! Explore the peace of mind that comes with Cooke Fuller Farming Insurance.

Click the link https://cookefuller.co.za/long-term.../risk-insurance/ to customize your coverage and protect your farming legacy. Act now!

HOWICK: 033 330 3601

National Water Week (20-26 March) and World Water Day (22 March)

‘Water for Peace’ is the theme for World Water Day which coincides with South Africa’s National Water Week (20-26 March). Green Corridors, the Durban NPO, that collaborates to connect people to the planet, urges citizens to be mindful of the role they play in being custodians of our water resources.

Green Corridors is motivated by numerous Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 6 which aims for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. Green Corridors works on a number of project areas that educate and empower communities which lack resources and help them to restore natural areas for the benefit of both humans and the environment. The organisation’s Green Spaces team recycles waste caught by its innovative litterbooms on many of the City’s riverways stopping the waste from reaching the sea. Working with surrounding communities, Green Corridors clears spaces that have been used as dump sites, and restores them back to their natural states, and helps to develop market gardens in urban areas. Green Corridors’ work also includes developing natural sites for ecotourism with a goal to supporting economic development.

“We need citizens to be increasingly mindful of practices that can impact on water quality, and how this affects fellow citizens and natural resources too,” says Musa Shange from Green Corridors. “We see the ongoing devastation of our rivers and streams, and the natural spaces around by alien invasive plants and irresponsible waste disposal that contaminates water and harms surrounding communities and ecosystems.”

The recent dumping along Riverside Road near the Green Corridors material recycling facility site at Connaught Bridge is a case in point. “So much of the waste illegally dumped will end up in the Umgeni River alongside, and ultimately onto the beaches and in the ocean.”

Green Corridors stresses the importance of collective action to address water-related challenges, which are intrinsically linked to effective waste disposal. The organisation embodies this ethos through safeguarding water sources essential for local livelihoods, and importantly, tourism in eThekwini.

The UN World Water Day campaign this year explains that when water is scarce or polluted, or when people struggle for access, tensions can rise; that water cooperation needs to be at the heart of the plans for conflict resolution; and harmony can be fostered between communities and countries by uniting around the fair and sustainable use of water – including actions at the local level.

Green Corridors has partnered with numerous organisations including WESSA and Adopt-a-River with support from SAPRIPOL, PETCO and RMB, other conservancies, and eThekwini Municipality Cleansing and Solid Waste, Parks Department and Sihlanzimvelo co-ops to remove alien plants and waste to restore water health. Much of the organic and non-organic waste materials are collected through the Roadhouse Crescent Materials Recovery Facility at Connaught Bridge, and litterbooms on the rivers. This was is then processed at the KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre where products such as pavers, compost and building materials are being produced from this waste

“When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges. We must act upon the realization that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life,” cites the UN World Water Day Observance Website: (https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day)

By focussing on the local needs, and fostering collective action, Green Corridors encourages sustainable water management and fair access to water, promoting a future where water serves as a stimulus for peace and prosperity.

For more information about Green Corridors go to https://durbangreencorridor.co.za/

Top image: Tourists enjoying the natural beauty in the Valley of 1000's around Green Corridors site Isithumba.

Below: Clearing Blue Lagoon of waste during a Green Corridors affiliated clean up with Safripol.

Supplied.

On this World Water Day, WILDTRUST reflects on this year's theme - 'Water for Peace' and recognizes the vital role water plays in fostering stability and prosperity worldwide. Over 3 billion people rely on water, therefore safeguarding this precious resource is crucial, given the negative effects of climate change and population growth.

At WILDTRUST, we are fully committed to this cause through our 'Water for Trees' campaign. This campaign is raising funds to provide clean drinking water to communities in KwaZulu-Natal and planting indigenous trees to restore crucial ecosystem services that can help them adapt to climate change.

To get involved in this initiative and help us reach our fundraising goals, click here
https://different.org/.../wildlands.../water-for-trees/

We had the most delightful Story Book Character Dress up Day at Heritage House Preschool.

There was an array of costumes - Princesses, Mickey Mouse, Fireman Sam, Paddington Bear, Jack from Jack in the Beanstalk, Pirates and many many more.

The Teachers joined in with the fun dressed as Noddy, Cat in the Hat and Little Red Riding Hood just to mention a few.

Great fun was had by all.

Congratulations to the four Howick Prep learners who have recently participated in the KwaZulu-Natal Canoe Union Sprinting Championships at Nagel Dam. Tanith Cameron, Ruben Crous, Gabriel Gonzales and Rorke Bain.

Ruben Crous (Grade 3) received three bronze medals for finishing in third place in three canoe sprinting events (Under 10 Boys 200m, 500m and 2000m guppy races) on Sunday 10 March at Nagle dam. He finished in fourth place in the 1000m race. He participated in the KwaZulu-Natal Canoe Union Sprinting Championships as a member of the Midmar Canoe Club and Midlands Paddling School.

The previous weekend Ruben participated in the second Guppy league race on the Lions river. He finished this 3.5 km race in 6th position in the U10 boys category. Gabriel Gonzalez (Grade 4 learner at Howick Preparatory School) finished 3rd in this age category despite having a problem with his pedals during the race.

Sunday was KZN sprints at Nagel Dam. Tanith did extremely well in a big and competitive field. Her results were 8th in 1000m, 9th in 500m and 8th in her 200m. In the 2000m race Tanith was pushed out of her boat and fell in. She then helped the girl who bumped her boat over try and save her boat from sinking. The girl also panicked and Tanith got her to hold onto her boat. Tanith and the girl were rescued and brought to shore. Tanith then emptied her boat and promptly got in and despite the other paddlers already on their way back from the first beacon, paddled her heart out to catch up and pass the last two paddlers. She was drained and tired from the beginning of her race mishap but finished the 2000m despite all odds packed against her.

Well done to these four learners.

Suprema Quaero

More about Howick Preparatory School

Last week was a bit of a busy week at UWBC.

We hosted our monthly Halfway Toyota drawn trips competition on Wednesday afternoon and have a really great turn out with a full green. What a mixture of games with some teams having a small shot difference, and some having runaway games. The winning team had one such game with a winning score of +20. Congratulations to Ed Speed, Pat Norris & Neill Birdsey on their win, and to Peter Burton, Jo Boonzaier and Eunice Gage who came second with a score of +12. Thank you to Halfway Toyota for their sponsorship and we look forward to seeing what next month’s competition will bring.

While that competition was on the go, there was another match being battled out between Sindi Hlongwane and Kevin Palmer for the Novice Club Champion. What a game to watch with the score peeling after every few ends. Going into the last end, both bowlers were peeled on 20 and Kevin was holding three shots when Sindi managed to take the prize with a wick from the very last bowl of the game. Congratulations to both our bowlers on a great match.

Sunday saw a fantastic crowd on the greens to celebrate the 80th Birthday of our very own Tabs Master, Koos Marais. Koos is a very dedicated member of UWBC and is always willing to put in extra time and effort for the good of the club and we wish him all the best on this amazing milestone.

In other news, we have some exciting things coming up in the winter. We’re going to be hosting the Duzi Pigeon Racing Club on Thursday evenings where they’ll prepare their pigeons for racing. Not only does this sound like it’ll be a festive evening, but certainly something different and interesting to come and watch and learn about. Anyone wanting more information regarding pigeon racing can contact Albe Hassbroek on 082 457 5432.

That’s all for this week… see you on the greens!

Events to keep an eye out for…

Saturday, 6 April: Greendale Spar Drawn Trips/Pairs. Tabs in 13h15
Wednesday, 10 April: Halfway Toyota Drawn Trips 4-3-2-1. Tabs In 13h15
Sunday, 21 April: J Leslie Smith & Co Sponsored Trips all day competition (Book with Lisa on 084 586 6984)
Friday, 26 April: Dormehl Nominated 2 Bowl Trips. Tabs In 08h45 (Book with Pippa on 083 467 8140)

Regular tabs in times are:-
Tuesdays at 08h15
Wednesdays at 13h15
Saturdays at 13h15.

Visitors are always welcome. Coaching by registered coaches is available.

For more information contact Sharon on 082 900 5944.

Pictured here: 80th Birthday Celebrations for our tabs master Koos Marais

Does your son dream about going to an agricultural high school?

This Friday, 15 March at 10:00, Weston Agricultural College will be hosting interested boys and their parents at our Open Day.

As is tradition, the boys will go for a tractor ride around the farm and school, while our Principal and Educators address Parents in Westgate Hall.

There are several reasons why someone might choose to attend our agricultural high school:

1. Weston offers a high standard of academics along with practical learning experience related to agriculture, including farming techniques, animal husbandry, land management and agricultural technology.

2. Career preparation: For students interested in pursuing careers in agriculture, attending our agricultural high school provides focused training and preparation for future employment in the agricultural industry.

3. Exposure to diverse opportunities: Weston exposes students to a wide range of opportunities within the agricultural sector, including agribusiness, sustainable agriculture, horticulture, and agricultural technology.

4. Connection to the land: Attending an agricultural high school can foster a deeper connection to the land and an appreciation for nature, as students learn about the importance of agriculture in feeding and sustaining communities.

5. Community and networking: Our school fosters a strong sense of community among students who share similar interests and career goals. These connections can be valuable for networking and support throughout a student's academic and professional journey.

6. Work ethic, responsibility and problem solving: Weston requires students to develop a strong work ethic as they engage in physical labor and tasks that are essential to the operation of a farm or agricultural enterprise.

7. Your son will leave school with an NSC
Matric Certificate AS WELL AS a number of SETA accredited certificates such as:
Artificial Insemination
Tractor Safety
Irrigation Principles
Wool Classification
Sheep Judging
Labour Law
Soil Practicals
Chainsaw and Electric Fencing courses
and many more ...

7. There is nothing better than walking out of your classroom or boarding house onto a beautiful working farm and being part of a team that
works together towards the common goal of a supportive and collaborative learning environment where students can thrive and grow.

Be sure to contact Mrs Pollock on 033 263 1328 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let her know if you will join us.