When Sunday’s weather turned out to be near perfect it was destined that the fundraiser organised for Talhado Children’s Haven at the Seal Point lighthouse was going to be a success.    The morning kicked off with yoga on the grass in front of the lighthouse tower, overlooking the ocean.  This was followed by a gentle walk or run for the duration of 67 minutes.  67 is the number of years that Nelson Mandela gave of his life to service for his country.  

The first 67 people to buy tickets were issued with a beautiful pen from Andy Cartwright’s “I am South African” collection, sponsored by Carey Olsen, as well as a personal Thank You card made by the children of Talhado.  Around 80 people meandered around the lighthouse and its surrounding fynbos reserve.  It wasn’t a race, which meant that people of any age and any ability could participate.  

When everyone had built up an appetite from exercising they could indulge in some delicious burgers and donuts supplied by Chef Wesley and Juliet Randles of Nevermind Restaurant, washed down with thirst quenching, freshly squeezed orange juice from Fresh Beets.    And if that wasn’t enough there was a huge table of cakes and pastries to choose from, kindly supplied by St Francis’s talented bakers.   

Children tried their hand at the classic old fishing game, while parents could take in some local art and purchase crocheted “Oumie” hats and bags lovingly made by Greta Dias or some seedlings and herbs for the garden from The Farmyard Nursery.  And what’s a visit to the lighthouse without climbing to the top of the tower itself?  Many families made their way up the Old Lady to take in the views and capture a few snapshots from atop the tower. 

Meanwhile, down on the sprawling lawns Dirk Ellis Volkswagen, as the main sponsor of the day, displayed their latest range of VW buses while the gentle sounds of the Talhado marimba band floated on the airwaves. 

Speaking of airwaves, the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio were transmitting from inside the lighthouse to connect with people in lighthouses all around the world to tie in with International Lighthouse Weekend celebrations.   Inside the foyer of the lighthouse were some beautiful art pieces which were on silent auction.  

At the end of the day the organisers tallied up the takings and in excess of R116 000 was raised for Talhado.  As the ability to hold fundraising events had ground to a screeching halt in early 2020 due to Covid restrictions, this event has provided much-needed funds which will assist the school in its day to day running while it continues to offer quality Montessori education and cooked meals to nearly 100 local learners aged 3-6 years. 

Organisers of the event, Cathryn Hempel (Talhado principal), Christina Tancredi and Janet Duval, wish to thank all of our generous corporate and private sponsors and everyone involved who came out to support and enjoy the day.    Talhado also wishes to thank Clinton, Paul and Haydn of Petrel Ventures for allowing them to host such a wonderful and successful fundraiser at the beautiful Seal Point Lighthouse.

Article by Cath Hempel

This beautiful photo of Seal Point From Landscape Collection by Photographer, the late Martin Barbour.

This coming weekend is International Lighthouse Weekend where Lighthouse managers, keepers and owners are encouraged to open their lighthouse or light station and related visitor centre to the public with a view to raising the profile of lighthouses and preserving maritime heritage.    Lighthouses all over the world have become involved in one or another lighthouse activity.   

One of the major international events is the ILLW (International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (see illw.net) run by the Amateur Radio Group and attracts over 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries.  It is one of the most popular international amateur radio events in existence.  There is little doubt that the month of August has become “Lighthouse Month” due largely to the popularity and growth of the ILLW.

For the first time ever Seal Point lighthouse in Cape St Francis has been chosen by local amateur radio presenter, Keverne  Burger from the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society to be a participating lighthouse.  Keverne will spend Saturday and Sunday inside the tower of the lighthouse communicating with other radio enthusiasts based in or near lighthouses around the world.  Keverne says “The aim is to make contact with another radio station, wherever they may be.  We give the reference of the lighthouse, the signal report and the name of the person talking.    Under normal circumstances we chat with people around the world and make friends.  It’s a great hobby!   We have also worked successfully with a youth development programme where we train underprivileged youth and get them licensed.”

Sunday also happens to be Family Day at Seal Point Lighthouse to raise funds for Talhado Children’s Haven and Montessori Preschool in Seavista which educates and runs a feeding scheme for close to 100 children aged between 3 and 6 years old.  A yoga session with Jade Dace will kick off the day at 9am, followed by a fun run/walk around the pristine grounds surrounding the lighthouse at 10am.  Food, juice, baked goods, seedlings, art and other goodies will be available to purchase.  Talhado’s very own marimba band will be playing in the grounds of the lighthouse.  And, of course you can take a trip up the tower of the lighthouse to enjoy the views from the top, and on the way up you will probably see Keverne in action, connecting with lighthouses around the world.

Clinton Hempel, one of the owners of Petrel Ventures, the leaseholder of the Seal Point Lighthouse Estate, said he and his fellow shareholders are delighted to welcome Keverne and all Cape St Francis residents and visitors alike to the Seal Point Lighthouse on this special weekend.  “We have spent an enormous amount of time and energy over the past 18 months refurbishing the Seal Point Lighthouse Estate, to bring this iconic Cape St Francis fixture firmly back within our community.  We look forward to a fun-filled weekend, all in aid of an excellent local cause”.

If you would like more information on the fundraiser please visit our Facebook page, Talhado Childrens Haven, or contact Cath on 0764126090. ‘

Article by Cath Hempel

FOSTER as an organisation is managed by a small committee of dedicated volunteers with different portfolios and responsibilities which is ably chaired by Richard Cowling.

To maintain the reserves and the various trails and paths used by walkers, cyclists and trail runners, funds are needed, and these are generated through membership fees, donations, or fund-raising initiatives. In addition, there are people in our community who give of their time, others who help financially or find ways to help FOSTER with its work, most of whom would like to remain anonymous. Having these generous and open-hearted residents as part of our community makes the work that FOSTER does rewarding and restores ones faith in humanity.

Foster recently received a most generous donation of R50 000 from a local homeowner, to put this in perspective that is equivalent to 166 family memberships. (Foster currently has 196 members) This unexpected and welcome contribution will go a long way in helping stretch our maintenance budget for the reserves and allow us to upgrade some existing paths.

Then there is the CSF resident who personally maintains and cuts back the encroaching vegetation onto the paths in the Seal Point Nature Reserve with his trimmer and cutter. One of our active members pays the monthly admin fees to ensure that our books are accurate and up to date and whose company donates building materials for the maintenance of the paths.

Not to forget the St Francis Bay resident who was concerned about the increase in Rooikrans in the Cape St Francis Nature Reserve and came forward and offered to fund a project to help eradicate this alien species that is beginning to reappear. He is passionate about our area and the reserves and the need to protect what we have and is putting his money where his mouth is.

As is John Lagaay, another St Francis Bay resident who is an avid fisherman and decided to fund the removal of rubbish and debris brought in by the sea from the boats along the shore of Shark Point, which is part of the Cape St Francis Nature Reserve. Apart from making this an ongoing initiative, he also contributed substantially to the cost of having the wreck of the Barcelona largely removed and the area cleaned up so that it can no longer be used as a shelter by poachers and other undesirables. When asked why he replied, partially for selfish reasons, as I love fishing in a pristine environment and whilst many of my fellow fisherman obviously don’t, I want to keep my favourite fishing area as nature intended, the fact that this helps FOSTER is so much the better.

FOSTER will shortly be launching its new logo and an updated website. A huge amount of work has gone into the redesigned website by one of our committed members, and together with the generous help of Alex & Dominique Gotte from local media company DNA Online, will now be much more user friendly and includes updated easy to follow trail maps. DNA Online also hosts our website for a nominal annual fee.

The new logo will feature the endemic flower Satyrium princeps Bolus or commonly known as coastal Satyr which is on the red list of South African plants.

There are of course numerous other supporters of Foster, too many to mention, who make regular donations, or simply pay a much higher membership fee or find ways of supporting the work of FOSTER. The time and work that my fellow committee members contribute to FOSTER with no or little thanks also deserves a mention.

So, if you have ideas, want to give of your time or financially support Foster in any way, please contact us at info@foster.org.za.