Matt Sates booked a place in his first ever World Championships final in Budapest on Tuesday.

 

The 18-year-old from Pietermaritzburg swam 1:57.74 to finish third in his 200m individual medley semi-final on Tuesday night to secure a place in Wednesday’s final as the eighth quickest swimmer.

 

Earlier in the day Sates was second behind Japan’s defending champion Daiya Seto in his morning heat in 1:58.61 to qualify seventh fastest overall for the semi-finals.

 

Sates reached the semi-finals in the same event at last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo but progressed no further, making this his first major championship final at international level.

 

The teenager has been recovering from a cold he picked up before the start of the championships and his coach, Wayne Riddin, explained: “He definitely is not where he was two weeks ago, but he is getting stronger after those five days of antibiotics."

 

“I keep reminding him that the focus is Birmingham [Commonwealth Games]. If we can get close to the 1:57.43 he swam in Monaco [at the Mare Nostrum series], I will be happy.”

 

Meanwhile, Chad le Clos has withdrawn from the Championships after struggling with breathing issues following his 50m butterfly heat at the start of the event. The former Olympic champion has headed to the UK and hopes to be fully recovered in time for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month.

 

On Tuesday evening, one of the events Le Clos should have swum was dominated by Hungary’s home hero Kristof Milak who shattered the 200m butterfly world record. He powered to victory well clear of any of his rivals in a blistering time of 1:50.34.

 

Earlier in the day, there were two other South Africans in action. Olivia Nel finished seventh in her 50m backstroke heat in 29.06 to claim 23rd spot overall while Clayton Jimmie also finished seventh in his 100m freestyle heat in 50.68 for 55th place overall.

 

Brenden Crawford was the only South African swimmer in action on Monday, finishing 26th overall in the 50m breaststroke after securing fourth place in his heat in 28.21.

 

The SA women’s water polo team had a tough start to their tournament coming up against the Olympic champions, USA, on Monday and going down 24-2, while the SA men’s side went down 22-4 to Italy on Tuesday.

 

Artistic swimmer Xera Vegter Maharaj finished in 27th place in the women’s solo free preliminaries on Monday. A day later she finished 32nd in the women’s duet free preliminaries with partner Skye Macdonald.

 

Supplied.

We are pleased to announce that the Laddsworth Night Fun Run/Walk will be making its eagerly-awaited return on 23 June 2022. This event was last held in 2019 and is open to the Laddsworth and Hilton community.

A 5km night course running through the Laddsworth, wetland, and surrounding areas, get ready for a ‘Glow in the Dark’ themed night of fun, fitness, and fellowship.

ENTER the Raffle to stand a chance to win a 2 NIGHTS STAY FOR A FAMILY OF 4 at the Kamoti Gorge Lodge in Mpumalanga.

Food donated and prepared by The Hilton Quarry Spar will be sold on the night and there will be plenty of lucky draw prizes.

(All proceeds from entries, food, and ticket sales will go to Laddsworth Primary School)

To register, download and complete the REGISTRATION FORM, where you will find all entry processing information as well as pre-ordering of raffle and food tickets.

Just weeks before South Africa went into lock-down, award winning artist Guy Buttery was invited to perform a concert tour of India. It was on this trip that Buttery collaborated with tabla master, Mohd. Amjad Khan and sarangi virtuoso, Mudassir Khan. The tabla is the principal percussion instrument from the Subcontinent and the sarangi is the 43 stringed “Indian box cello”. The fruits of this collaboration resulted in their celebrated trio album One Morning in Gurgaon, which was released in both the UK and on vinyl in Japan. Garnering rave reviews from across the globe, their record made the Album of the Year list for NPR and also charted at #10 on the World Music Charts in Europe. This Winter Guy is returning the favour and has invited both of these artists for a National tour of South Africa, kicking off at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda before moving through the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Prior to their first performance in India together, all three musicians had never actually met before, let alone made any music together. Before their first concert they had only ’practised’ via voice recordings and exchanged texts somewhere between Hindi and English to break down the various parts of the set. Ultimately it was this unrehearsed approach, combined with the inauspicious and eleventh-hour nature of their first meeting, which provided the stardust for their collaboration. Guy explains, “Due to Delhi traffic, our intended dry run was shaved right down to a single 60 minutes, giving us just enough time to shake hands, share a chai and tune our instruments. As a result, we went in totally blind to that first concert, yet what unfolded on stage over the next hour left me in complete awe - so much so that after our performance I immediately set about asking anyone who would listen how we could track down a local studio to capture our newly formed trio. As luck would have it, the very place where we had performed that first night had a basic recording set-up and we somehow managed to secure a single morning to record.”

Both Mohd. Amjad Khan and Mudassir Khan are renowned masters of their respective instruments, steeped in the Indian classical traditions from a young age. Although guardians of their musical heritage, One Morning In Gurgaon highlights their willingness to push the envelope of their instruments, expertly highlighted by Amjad whose tabla playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity. Likewise, Mudassir has harnessed the potential of the rare and notoriously difficult sarangi, an instrument whose sound most resembles that of the human voice, and an instrument which Guy confesses to, “Being overly obsessed with.” The combined experience of Guy’s acoustic guitar wizardry with these two Indian master musicians culminates in an experience which is as pure and uninhibited an example of empathetic collaboration as you’ll find anywhere: A musical conversation between musicians exchanging each other’s ideas in the spur of the moment and feeling out the areas of crossover with a depth that goes far beyond mimicry.

Since their spontaneous recording session in India, the trio have not seen each other. The upcoming SA performances will reunite these three artists in a once-off, not to be repeated national tour.

 

TOUR SCHEDULE:

29th June - 1st July – National Arts Festival, Beethoven Room, Makhanda (4 concerts)
2nd July – The Slave Church / 8pm / 40 Long St. / Cape Town City Centre - https://qkt.io/HlceOH
3rd July – The Olympia Bakery / 8pm / Kalk Bay - https://qkt.io/QcB2eg
8th July – The Hilton Theatre / 7pm / Hilton College, Hilton - https://qkt.io/gamhilton
10th July – NIROX / 2pm / Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng - https://nirox.howler.co.za/NiroxGurgaon

“A spontaneous dream. A compendium of enrapturing sonic stories.” - PopMatters

“Dexterous, defiant and delicate all at once.” - Texx and The City

“magically spirits you away to this land of enduring mystery and majesty.” - The Herald

“these masterly improvisations weave from strands of several musical traditions a rich tapestry that is downright mesmerizing.” - Minor7th

A team of 66 swimmers, divers, water polo players and artistic swimmers and their coaches are headed for Budapest to represent South Africa at the FINA World Aquatics Championships from 18 June to 3 July.

Heading the medal charge will be a strong team of swimmers, many of them competing at their first World Championships. Among them is Matt Sates, who last year made a name for himself by claiming the overall FINA World Cup title in the short course pool (25m) and recently took the Mare Nostrum series by storm, securing nine gold medals from his nine events contested in the long course pool (50m).

“I have really enjoyed my time in Europe preparing for worlds. Being able to race long course again and have some of the best competition in the world was really exciting,” said the 18-year-old from Pietermaritzburg. “Since then I’ve been training in Turkey with a fast bunch of guys and that has been really good. We all push each other and have a great time doing it.”

Sates will swim in the 200 and 400m individual medley, the 100m butterfly and the 200m freestyle, but a recent cold has meant he will not add the 400m freestyle to his already hectic schedule.

Also training in Turkey was 19-year-old Lara van Niekerk who will be flying the flag for South African breaststrokers in the absence of Olympic champion Tatjana Schoenmaker who has chosen to focus on the Commonwealth Games and will not compete in Budapest.

 

After beating Schoenmaker in the 100m breaststroke at the National Championships in April, Van Niekerk also put in some impressive performances at the recent Mare Nostrum series, setting a meet record in the 50m breaststroke along the way.

 

“I am really excited about competing in my first world champs. My performances at the Mare Nostrum series gave me a boost in confidence because I was racing the best in the world and could see where I was in terms of my preparation and what I still needed to work on,” said the Pretoria swimmer. “The time in Europe now racing and training has been exactly what I needed leading up to worlds, and I am feeling ready to race for South Africa.”

 

Another of the young guns, 18-year-old Pieter Coetzé, has tested positive for Covid and will not be able to participate in Budapest.

 

Former Olympic champion Chad le Clos will be competing at his seventh World Championships, eager to add to his impressive haul of seven medals – four of them gold.

 

OPEN WATER
Elsewhere Ruan Breytenbach will take on his first international meet as part of the open water swimming team.

 

“Training has been hectic, the mileage is way out of my previous experience with swimming… but I’m confident that it will pay off when the racing starts,” he said.

 

“This will be my first major event in open water as I only competed at nationals due to a friend that encouraged me to do it. My aim is to just enjoy my race as I did at nationals. I will also do my best to get a good position during and after the race,” added Breytenbach who will compete in both the 5km and 10km events.

 

DIVING
Meanwhile, also heading to her first World Championships is 16-year-old diver Zalika Methula (pictured here), who will be competing in the individual 1m springboard event.

 

“I’m very excited and nervous to be competing at world champs,” she admitted. “This will be my first international competition and first time overseas. I’m looking forward to learning and experiencing new things as the competition goes by. I definitely think this is a big step into my diving career.

 

“World champs is one of the goals I set for myself to accomplish one day, and to accomplish this dream at only 16 years old made it even more startling. Throughout the competition I’ll keep a positive mindset and enjoy every moment of it.”

 

WATER POLO
South Africa will be represented by both a men’s and women’s water polo team in Budapest. SA women’s coach Delaine Mentoor explained that for the first time the team would hold a training camp before the competition starts.

 

“No water polo team has had an international training camp ahead of a competition – not even for Olympics – so this is a really positive start for us, that we get to spend time together and go through things and get some rhythm going.

 

We’re very excited that we’ve got some prep time, we can acclimatise so that’s great,” she said.

 

“All of these girls have been coached by me at some point in the last two years, so I know them well and they know me, so it’s just getting this combination of players to find their rhythm and find what works for us.”

 

ARTISTIC SWIMMING
Meanwhile, history will be made in the artistic swimming (formerly synchronised swimming) pool as Ayrton Sweeney becomes the first man to represent South Africa in the sport. Having represented the country in swimming for numerous years, Sweeney made the switch a few months ago and will compete in the mixed duet with Laura Strugnell.

 

“I think Ayrton can vouch for the fact that he had no idea what he got himself into until he was in because it was very different to the training and competition prep he was used to, but he has taken this challenge and succeeded,” said Strugnell, who represented the country at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

 

“I love swimming with him, I laugh for almost all of the session and I don’t think there is another male swimmer I would rather swim with,” she added.

 

The swimming programme in Hungary will take place from 18-25 June with the diving being contested from 26 June-3 July. Open water swimming will take place from 26-30 June. Artistic swimming will be contested from 17-25 June with the men’s and women’s water polo tournaments being played from 20 June-3 July.

 

Supplied.

 

 

 

 

 

To commemorate Youth Day, the Music and Drama departments put on a wonderful production A Night In Soweto for the Grade 8’s and 9’s. The show was the result of a collaboration by Ms Simone Van Niekerk, Mr Sipho Moniwa and Mr Luke Holder and featured the Hilton College Jazz Band and a number of our Dramatic Art boys. It told the story of how music played a role in the struggle against Apartheid.

The Grade 10’s to 12’s attended a panel discussion led by one of our interns Ms Coco Mamabolo by some staff and Senior boys around issues facing education in our country and the role that the youth are called on to play.

 

More about Hilton College

It's another Newsy Tuesday, following on from an awesome dawn sky in Hilton, KZN Midlands. The highlights include; more about Hilton Health, D3 Studio, Style De Vie, Clarendon House Care Group and Liliko Kids coming up for Father's Day at The Quarry Centre. 

Subscribe to our newsletter and read the latest issue online here.

Have fun while you #LoveLocalRealHard!

Photo credit: Miranda Wilson captured this stunning sky in Winterskloof this morning.

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge
Ten Teams
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof: 23 and 24 July

The tenth edition of the Grand Finals of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge is set to take place at St Mary’s D.S.G. over the weekend of 23 and 24 July.

Two days of highly competitive hockey is expected to unfold on the astro as the top ten regional winners from the KZN challenge descend on Kloof. Leading up to the Grand Finals, the tournament travelled throughout KZN to ten regions, where 70 schools in total participated.

The first to cement their spot for the Grand Finals this year was the intrepid team from Pionier Hoërskool. This is the second time that the dynamic team from Vryheid have hoisted the trophy in the Northern KZN Regional but due to CoViD interruptions, they will be making their first appearance at the 2022 Grand Finals.

The second team who secured their spot are no strangers to the Grand Finals. St Anne’s College will be making their ninth visit, representing the Pietermaritzburg North Regional. In their eight runs at the finals, they have featured in the medal games in every year, including winning gold in the inaugural tournament in 2011.

The third team to have earned a place are the determined St John’s D.S.G. waving the flag from the Pietermaritzburg Central Regional. This is the second time that they have made it all the way, with their first outing five years ago where they ended fourth overall.

Being crowned the Durban North Regional champs, Our Lady of Fatima have played at the Grand Finals three times, finishing a notable fifth overall at each of their previous excursions.

Host of the weekend, St Mary’s D.S.G. were the fifth team to score an invite after they won the Highway Regional. Similarly, to St Anne’s College, they have already featured at the Grand Finals eight times, with an impressive collection of silverware over the years, including being the overall defending champion and having their name engraved on the trophy five times.

Making their second trip to the Grand Finals, the hard-working team from Amanzimtoti representing the Durban South Regional, Kuswag Hoërskool made it all the way in the first tournament back in 2011, where they finished ninth overall.

Back for the fifth time, the Ugu and Sisonke Regional winner, King Edward High School have earned the reputation as the Grand Final dragon slayers. Over the years they have been a thorn in the side for a number of the more established teams, causing a bit of a stir in the pool games. This feisty team’s stats reveal that they have finished as high as sixth a couple of times in their four previous tournaments.

Another newcomer to the finals is Domino Servite from the uMvoti and oThukela Regional. In recent years, the team have grown from strength to strength, with a flourishing display on the field in their regional, ensuring their first outing to the Grand Finals.

For the tenth time and the only team with a 100% record being at every Grand Final, Durban Girls’ College are back. Representing the Durban Central Regional, College have a fantastic record at this tournament including three golds, three silvers and a bronze and have participated in a medal game every year.

Returning for their fourth run are the North Coast Regional winners, Grantleigh College. The last team to earn an invite to the Grand Finals have finished a consistent eighth in their three previous contests.

If you can’t get to the side lines, you can catch all the action from the Grand Finals on SuperSport Schools. All the games will be livestreamed on either their mobile app or via their website.

For more info, like the tournament’s Facebook page or follow on Instagram.

Tenth Appearance
Durban Girls’ College - Durban Central Regional Winner - Gold (2013, 2014, 2015), Silver (2012, 2016, 2017), Bronze (2019), Fourth (2011, 2018)
Ninth Appearance
St Anne’s College – Pietermaritzburg North Regional Winner - Gold (2011), Silver (2018, 2019), Bronze (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Fourth (2013)
St Mary’s D.S.G. – Highway Regional Winner - Gold (2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Bronze (2011, 2013), Fourth (2015)
Fifth Appearance
King Edward High School – Ugu and Sisonke Regional Winner –Sixth (2016, 2017), Seventh (2018) Eighth (2015)
Fourth Appearance
Our Lady of Fatima – Durban North Regional Winner – Fifth (2011, 2017, 2018)
Grantleigh College – North Coast Regional Winner – Eighth (2011, 2016, 2017)
Second Appearance
St John’s D.S.G. – Pietermaritzburg Central Regional Winner - Fourth (2017)
Kuswag Hoërskool – Durban South Regional Winner – Ninth (2011)
First Appearance
Pionier Hoërskool – Northern KZN Regional Winner
Domino Servite – uMvoti and oThukela Regional Winner

Pictured here; Sticks at the ready, ten teams from around KZN will be heading to the tenth Grand Finals of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge that takes place at St Mary’s D.S.G. Looking forward to getting on the turf are Anandi Strydom from Kuswag Hoërskool; Sarah Bright, captain from Our Lady of Fatima; Olivia McDonald, captain from St John’s D.S.G.; Bianca Borrageiro, captain from Durban Girls’ College and Paige Webber from St Mary’s D.S.G..

Photo credit: Val Adamson

Supplied.

On the 8th June, our Grade 7 Service Committee made a visit to Seventh Heaven Old Age Home. The children in the committee put together a programme of speeches, poems and musical items for the residents of the home to enjoy. This was followed by handing out home made cupcakes and playing board games together.

What a privilege to spend time with these special seniors.

Images shared with permission.

 

More about Cowan House

MiTH 15th June 2022

ALL COVID-19 PROTOCOLS OBSERVED

INFO: 082 331 7271

ENTRANCE: R50.00 - Cash or Zapper at the Door

VENUE: The Knoll Historic Guest Farm

9pm: Steve Umculo

Steve Umculo is an upbeat and energetic singer/songwriter born and raised in the culturally rich and bustling city of Johannesburg, South Africa. His music is a unique blend of afro-centric grooves and folk harmonies. Steve maintains a beautiful balance between sing-along melodies and dance-inducing grooves, and his live show is just as zestful as his personality. Steve’s positivity is as contagious as it is refreshing, and manages to seep through into his music and his live shows. Any audience is guaranteed to walk away with a smile.

8pm: Matt Vend

South African born singer/songwriter/journalist/traveller and nomad Matt “Beard” Vend has been playing music in bands since 1999, from the “tender” age of 14. His projects include the long-running punk band, Sibling Rivalry, which managed to gain a loyal and cult-like following throughout South Africa and even parts of Thailand, and the short-lived, but extremely well-received Tubby Wilsons, which delved into both Matt, and fellow writer and musician, Yusuf Laher and The Nader's affection for nostalgic pop and punk music. He was also involved in Durban’s first folk-inspired punk/rock ‘n roll band Car Boot Vendors.

He is no stranger to the studio and has collectively recorded over 80 songs with the various projects he has been involved with, including guest appearances with Fruits and Veggies (Durban afro/reggae misfits), Misled (Joburg’s finest new school hardcore/punk band), and Blaq Hitler (Durban MC and hip hop producer).

He has delved into the production side of making music, and helped record and produce his first solo offering which was released in 2012 with the help from Kurt Peinke who co-produced the record. He has done a few shows in and out of Bangkok and also embarked on an adventure through Vietnam in early 2012, busking and playing shows from Hanoi to Saigon. Although recording is a big part of this musician’s repertoire, live is where he shines. With hundreds of shows across South Africa and Thailand under his belt, appearing on every stage imaginable from street corners and dingy bars to major festivals, Matt Vend is sure to create an impression on the MiTH stage.

7pm: Adagio

Adagio is a four-piece band that plays retro rock and folk music, mainly from back in the day. The band consists of Andrew Frangs on acoustic guitar and vocals, Rod Robinson also on acoustic guitar and vocals (plus a little harmonica), Garrick Dunstan on bass, and Michelle Anderson on drums.


ABOUT MiTH: Arguably the KZN Midlands’ best-loved music venue, Music in The Hills (MiTH) is an opportunity for beginners, professionals, and passionate music fans to share the joy of music at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm. Visit www.mith.co.za for more details and directions. Musicians can contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for slots.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: MiTH takes place every second Wednesday at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm, Knoll Drive, Hilton. Doors open at 6pm and the music will kick off at 7pm. Entrance is R50 at the door. Bring your own booze. Food and soft drinks are available for sale.

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH: Take the N3 to Hilton, take the Hilton turnoff and go South into the Village (away from Hilton College). Travel 5,2km along Hilton Avenue (past two sets of traffic lights and Crossways Pub) and keep going straight as Hilton Avenue turns into Dennis Shepstone Drive. At the 5,2km mark, Knoll Drive will be on your right – the entrance to MiTH is the *second* entrance on your left into The Knoll Historic Guest.

It's another newsy Tuesday, from a wintery Hilton, KZN Midlands. The highlights include; Laddsworth's Fun Night Run/Walk, Wicken Way Development,  a Photo Call and Notice of the Hilton Ratepayers Association AGM.

Subscribe to our newsletter and read the latest issue online here.

Have fun while you #LoveLocalRealHard!

A guest speaker at Hilton’s St Anne’s Diocesan College on Youth Day urged the young audience to focus on their goals, to find their own cause for which to fight, and to let no one, no rejection, and no disappointment, deviate them from their path.

Rejection, said actress and activist Nomzamo Mbatha, “is what makes us grow”.

A school outing to Westville Prisons to watch a concert by inmates was the catalyst that inspired Mbatha, as a 13-year-old, to choose her pathway in life.

“I had to stand up and thank them… after which I realised I wanted to go on to advocate for something better in life, to become a public speaker and to help people,” she recalls.

And so in Grade 9, when Mbatha was invited by the Save the Children foundation from Sweden to travel to Kenya, being one of only three teenagers representing South Africa, she quickly accepted.  She’s never looked back.

On 16 June this year, the public speaker, actress, chartered accountant, humanitarian, and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency, among others, was invited to St Anne’s Diocesan College in Hilton to talk about Youth Day.

It’s an annual reminder of the 1976 Soweto uprising, when scholars started what was planned as a peaceful protest, united in one common cause: to object to being taught in Afrikaans.

Their cause has forever been linked to that day’s transformation into a violent tragedy, the police’s fatal shooting of teenage Hector Pieterson, and nearly 200 other children, a symbol of that march, and SA’s injustices at the time.

The messages from the effervescent, articulate Mbatha to Grade 8 to 12 girls attending a very different school from Soweto’s in the 70s, were clear: find your OWN cause and fight for it, grow from rejection, learn to approve of yourself, and don’t let disappointment or depression tear you apart.

UCT graduate Mbatha, who divides her time between her homes in Cape Town and California, shared anecdotes peppered with empowering wisdom.

She said her visit as a teenaged goodwill ambassador to Kenya changed her life.

“We went to South Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia… seeing each other in ourselves and one another. If ever I had a dream to work for the United Nations, this confirmed it.”

Visiting UN refugee camps, “meeting people who were fighters”, forged into steel, her determination to achieve her goals and how she would lead her life. It also, she said, expanded her empathy for others, today one of her strongest qualities.

“From then, I also realised I owned my own identity: I liked myself, my own company, I had a vision bigger than the miniscule happenings around me.”

She never wavered from her identity; never let herself be affected by negativity, she told the teenaged audience.

“The fundamental thing to ask yourself is ‘who am I?’ Not the role you have – that of sister, daughter, friend, etc – but who am I? Because when you know who you are and hold on to that, no one can ever take that away from you.”

Mbatha related a personal encounter of how someone close had lived with mental illness before tragically ending her life. She said: “In those moments of darkness the enemy stole her life.

“If someone tells you your life is worthless, call it out if you need help, speak to someone. We all need someone who can receive our hurt."

“There’s nothing worse than not knowing where to lay down your hurt. You have to find someone who you think can carry it for you; reveal it so you can heal. Dig deep into yourself, dig in your heels, before the enemy destroys you. And if someone asks you for help, don’t judge, just be there for for them.”

It was a powerful and empathetic message, an acknowledgment that still today, our youth are under immense pressure: social, academic, emotional and otherwise. Every day, millions of teenagers around the globe face these issues. Many can’t deal with them, and the pressure can have tragic consequences.

And while, perhaps, some of their lives might be very different from those of Pieterson and his schoolmates, our children, regardless of circumstances, can still be afflicted by depression, fears, and loneliness.

Mbatha’s was a sobering, fitting and worthwhile reminder on Youth Day 2022.

Pictured here: Nomzamo Mbatha and Head Girl, Bahati Dakile

Supplied.

 

Two of South Africa’s teenage swimmers reached their respective semi-finals at their first World Championships in Budapest on Sunday.

Lara van Niekerk finished fifth in her 100m breaststroke heat to progress to the evening semi-final after finishing in a time of 1:06.75. The 19-year-old from Pretoria then led in the first 50m of her semi-final but slowed in the second half of the race, swimming exactly the same time as her morning swim to finish in seventh place and did not progress to Monday’s final.

Speaking about competing in her first World Championships semi-final, Van Niekerk said: “It was actually an amazing experience… I enjoyed that moment so much, walking out there and experiencing all that. I definitely felt a bit nervous but it was good nerves.

“I saw at the turn that I was in front so I just tried to keep that gap, but I did die a bit at the end. I’m happy – we were focusing a bit more on the first 50 than the second,” she added.

Van Niekerk’s front-end speed bodes well for the 50m event which will be contested on Friday.

“I’m excited about the 50. With all the speed and all the starts that we’ve been practising I think the 50 is going to be the better one – and we focused more on the 50 for world champs,” added Van Niekerk.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Matt Sates finished seventh in his 200m freestyle heat but his time of 1:47.28 was fast enough to progress to the evening semi-final. There he swam a quicker 1:46.63 to finish joint fifth but missed out on a place in Monday’s final, with 17-year-old Romanian David Popovici swimming a world junior record of 1:44.40 to win the other semi-final and qualify fastest.

Earlier in the day Stephanie Houtman finished second in her heat but 21st overall in the 1500m freestyle in a time of 17:08.12 while Olivia Nel was 25th overall in the 100m backstroke after finishing eighth in her heat in a time of 1:02.95.

On Saturday Sates finished 11th overall in the 400m individual medley heats in 4:14.81 and just missed out on making the final, which was won by 20-year-old Frenchman Leon Marchand in a championship record time of 4:04.28.

In the artistic swimming (formerly synchronised swimming) on Friday, Olympian Laura Strugnell finished 22nd in the women’s Solo Technical preliminaries while the combination of Skye Macdonald and Xera Vegter-Maharaj finished 30th in the Duet Technical preliminaries.

 

Supplied.

'Come get your pot!!! Spend R350 and get a free pot....not just any pot, it's original, bespoke, hand painted and beautiful!'

 

AND for Dad...

'Come in to Hilton Garden Centre...we are having loads of fun with this idea, come get your Father's Day gift! Beautifully handmade leather wallets, cozy, warm fleece blankets as well as a lovely range of indigenous trees, fruit trees indoor plants and shrubs for Dad.'

 

This friendly garden shop specialises in custom made bespoke items, be sure to ask for what you cannot find!

 

Find Hilton Garden Centre at Rotunda Centre, 1 Cedara Road, Hilton in the KZN Midlands.

 

Hilton Ratepayers Association Notice of Annual General Meeting

Date: Wed 13th July 2022 | Venue: ANEW Hotel Hilton | Time: 5:30pm

 

Dear Members and Hilton Residents,

Please diarise the above. We have not had a face-to-face meeting for some time due to Covid but there are critical issues that need to be decided, and this seems the most appropriate way to meet. This invitation extends to non-members who are residents in Hilton and who would like to contribute to the future of Hilton.

You will, hopefully, be aware of our efforts to create an Urban Improvement Precinct (also known as a Special Rating Area) in Hilton. This is now bearing fruit with the necessary policies adopted by Council. If everything goes to plan this will come into effect from 1st July next year. In the meantime, we will be embarking on an extensive consultation process and a referendum. The AGM will serve as a question-and-answer session for Hilton Residents on this and other matters relating to electricity, security, Love Hilton and infrastructure (Potholes etc)

Most importantly we will elect our Committee and hopefully a number of new members will make themselves available so please give it some thought. We would really like younger members so please; younger residents step up and make yourselves available. If we all pull together, we will make Hilton an incredibly special place, even more so than it is now.

AGENDA
1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Chairman’s Report
4. Treasurer’s Report
5. Adoption of Financial Statements
6. Election of Office Bearers
7. Other Matters
    7.1. Urban Improvement Precinct (Special Rating Area)
    7.2. Security matters
    7.3. Electricity Issues
    7.4. Roads and Infrastructure
    7.5. Love Hilton
    7.6. uMngeni Budget / Valuation Roll
8. General

Yours Sincerely,

Mike Tarr
HRA Chairperson

Download this Notice of AGM

Today is World Blood Donor Day.. so let's talk about dogs and blood donations …

Did you know dogs can donate blood? Like humans, injured dogs sometimes also need blood transfusions, so if your pet meets the donation criteria below your doggo might be able to help another dog in need.

Criteria to donate :
- Must be between the ages of 2-5 years old
- Must weigh a minimum of 25 kg
- Your pet must have no known health problems or be on any medications
- They must be fully vaccinated
- Your pet must have a calm & relaxed demeanor … Why? Because we don’t want to cause any stress or anxiety. Your pet’s mental and emotional health is just as important to us.

We have a number of blood donor dogs and are grateful for the contribution they make to our practice. If you would like to help your pet become a canine hero, or you would like more information, please get in touch with us.

Call 033 343 4602.

More about Hilton Veterinary Hospital

Take advantage of the Family Dental Care Group R895 Winter Special!

Special includes:
Consultation
Dental cleaning
X-ray

Valid for June only.

Find Family Dental Care in the Quarry Centre across from Woolworths.

Call 033 343 1677 or Whatsapp 082 218 9222

More about Hilton Family Dental Care

Don't know what to get Dad for Father's Day? Then pop into The Local Choice Pharmacy Hilton Health and buy him one of these beautiful WoodsmanWares gift boxes at only R600 each.

We have lots of special gifts in store that he'll treasure for years to come. Don't leave your Father's Day shopping until the last minute, visit us today. We are here for you!

 

More about The Local Choice Pharmacy