A Lone Tree In The Middle Of The Night – Photo Of The Day
St Francis Bay 2024 Canals Winter Doubles Challenge – Pam Golding Properties
Greg and Hein win the Pam Golding Challenge again!
The 18th Pam Golding Properties – St Francis Bay 2024 Canals Winter Doubles Challenge, held on Saturday, a lovely calm sunny winter’s day, was won by national paddlers Hein Van Rooyen and Greg Louw (both previous winners) in a very quick 1hr 29min 53secs, ahead of the 60 other hopefuls.
Greg is a multiple Fish River Marathon winner, and Hein, apart from being a sensational sportsman, is co-owner of surfski manufacturer, Carbonology.
They bagged the trophy and the first prize of R3000, plus other smaller prizes.
The other top placed paddlers
The rest of the podium for the 20km race consisted of 2nd placed exciting under 18’s Matt Coetzer and Liam Stephenson from Plett, and rounding off the podium was last week’s grueling Berg River Marathon winner Tom Lovemore, with his apparently less illustrious friend Kelvin Trautman.
Three minutes behind the first three were PE father and son team of Andrew and U18 son Leo Stone, and Werner Kruger and well-known Fanta Gous, both also from PE.
A further few minutes back were the first mixed (and married!) boat, Brandon and Tracey van der Walt. And not far further back were the first ladies, the under 23 pair, Georgia Stone and local lifesaving ace Nicola Harcus.
Sponsor wins the over 65’s
As sponsor and paddler for the last 18 years (and organiser for the first few years), I enjoyed paddling with Andrew Knight, winning the over 65 category (the only boat in the category!) … with a wonderful slip for about 19.9km from Paul Gerrard and Robert Lee!
Our four Sea Vista teenagers also paddled very well, showing us what they learnt from their coaching in Germany last year.
The short course winners
We also always hold a shorter 10km race, won this year rather easily by local father windsurfing ace James Moore and talented under 12 son Jack, ahead of two more daughters from the very fit Harcus family, Jess and Dani, with slightly older Byron Andrews and Ana Marie Hay in third place.
This race is always a doubles race, but singles are welcome, but sadly aren’t recognized in the prizes, but club captain Pete King is worth a mention for his excellent 20km race, finally fit after injuring his shoulder in a surfski accident in the river mouth in January.
Not held at the Quays this year
After eight years of holding our races at Quays, we returned to our old venue at the Cove, which is also a lovely spot, with lots of parking, shade, shelter, toilets and space for a crowded start.
The course was, as always for this race, our regular Wednesday evening time trial 5km route, paddled four times for the main 20km race. So by the end, we were very familiar with some of the spectators, torn between watching the New Zealand rugby, and our paddling!
Paddlers from Plett, Knysna, PE and lots of locals
We were pleased to host a number of Knysna and Plett paddlers, as well as the usual big group from PE. Surprisingly, very few East London paddlers this time, considering how well they usually support our events. And obviously plenty of locals. But we missed Andrew Bowren!
Well done
Huge well done to all the paddlers, 20km is a long way … and there are no downhills on this flat paddling course!
To put yesterday’s times into context, the winners effectively paddled our regular 10km time trail twice, in a super quick time of 44min 56sec for each 10km. The over 65 winners did 50min 53sec for each of their two 10kms, showing that the conditions were conducive to fast times.
Our races are sadly (but for good reason) only open to CSA registered paddlers, with the relevant proficiency level as well.
Video by Jane Arderne
The 90 sec video of the St Francis Bay 2024 Canals Winter Doubles Challenge features the start, a few clips of groups along the way, featuring some commentary by Raffy, and then the prize-giving.
Thank you’s
As always, lots of St Francis Paddling Club volunteers, thank you so much. Chairman Charlie Jonsson and his fine team. Also to braai master Frank Harpur who served complimentary boerie rolls and cokes. Pam Golding provided coffee and rusks before the race, and cold beers afterwards.
Huge thanks to the unsung heroes, the supporters, either at the event, or making it possible for us to paddle. Such a lekker day all in all. Just a pity about the drop kick at the end of the rugby game later in the day!
And of course thanks to Carbonology Sport for their R3500 lucky draw paddle (their 25th over the last ten years) and Rack & Paddle also for some wonderful prizes.
Kouga Municipality reseals total of 24 roads in 2023/24 financial year
– During the 2023/2024 financial year, Kouga Municipality resealed a total of 24 roads, amounting to 12.03km kilometers at a cost of more than R19.4 million.
This extensive project also included additional pothole repairs, kerbing, and line painting to ensure the durability and safety of roads across the region.
Kouga Deputy Executive Mayor, Timothy Jantjes, commented on the progress, stating, “The resealing of these roads is a testament to the municipality’s commitment to improving transportation infrastructure for our residents and businesses.
“By addressing longstanding road challenges and enhancing connectivity throughout the region, we are not only improving daily commutes, but also fostering economic growth and development.”
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Finch Road
Jacana Drive
Karee Avenue
Wild Plum Crescent
Beech Avenue
Petal Street
Disa Avenue
Tulip Avenue
Angelswings Crescent
Nerita Street
Omdraai Street
Cowrie Street
Jeffreys Street
Azalea Road
Joey Fourie Drive
Dirk Fourie Drive
Immergroen Drive
Baracuda Road
Lorstan Avenue
Piet Uys Street
Du Plessis Street
Bureau Street
Sandile Mjacu Avenue
Johny Ferreira Road
More roads are scheduled for resealing in the 2024/2025 financial year.
Among the roads earmarked for resealing are Duine Road and Prospect Street in Pellsrus. This work is part of the R9.7 million project that will see the installation of a pipeline from the La-Mer sewer pump station in Diaz Road, Jeffreys Bay, to the sewer pump station 4A in Koraal Street.
Additionally, sections of Anne Avenue and Neville Road in St Francis Bay will also undergo significant improvements, while the Seekoei Estuary Causeway will be reconstructed at a cost of over R6.4 million.
Jantjes said, “The municipality is, furthermore, in the process of securing funding to facilitate the resealing of more roads across all towns in Kouga.”
Welcoming President Manfred Burkert – President of Rotary Club of St Francis 2024-2025.
The Rotary Club of St Francis salutes our President for 2024-2025 – Manfred Burkert.
Manfred was inducted as President at our annual induction dinner on July 9th 2024, held at St Francis Links, accepting his chain of office from outgoing President Lindsay Pearson.
On this occasion, the Rotary Club of St Francis awarded Paul Harris Fellow Awards to six Rotarians for their outstanding contributions to Rotary and our community.
The awards went to Rtns Ann Knight, Lyn Aitken, Ivan Beaumont, Craig Northwood, David Truter and Tom Roux (awarded posthumously and accepted by his widow, Patsy).
A seventh award was also presented to Mr Wayne Furphy, chairman of the St Francis Property Owners NPC which is responsible for the Long Term Coastal Protection project to restore St Francis’ beaches and Kromme River for which over R100 000 000.00 has been raised to date. The project is set to commence this year with the construction of the first four groynes. Our hearty congratulations to all of these worthy recipients.
Kouga Municipality partners with DMRE for energy efficiency arts competition
– Kouga Municipality, in collaboration with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), hosted an arts competition aimed at raising energy efficiency awareness among primary school students in the Kouga region.
The competition’s objective was to nurture young talent and educate students on the importance of energy conservation.
The competition invited students to submit their work in three categories: A3 design posters or paintings, short videos or films (maximum of 10 minutes), and devices or models (60cm x 60cm) crafted from recycled materials.
Kouga Municipality selected the top three entries in each category to determine the winning schools.
“Through this initiative, we aim to not only highlight the importance of energy conservation, but also to uncover and encourage the incredible talent within our primary schools,” said Deputy Executive Mayor Timothy Jantjes.
The total prize value for the competition was R40 000, which was distributed among the winning schools based on their category placements.
On Friday, 12 July 2024, the municipality hosted an event to announce the winners and present certificates to all participants.
“This program has been a tremendous success, showcasing the raw talent of our primary-level learners,” remarked Jantjes. “Although only 9 out of 41 schools participated, we are optimistic that this initiative will grow in the coming years, further promoting energy awareness and conservation.”
Pellsrus Primary School distinguished itself by securing both first and second places and was the only school to submit an educational video, showcasing their exceptional talent.
The winning team will now advance to the provincial level, where they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and potential further.
“We are hopeful that this initiative will open new avenues for our young students and broaden their horizons,” added Jantjes. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participating schools and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
See also: Ocean View Housing project set to recommence – Kouga Municipality
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