When asked why he had started his own school in 1948, David Black answered “I am going to open my own school and make it interesting, make it fun. I am going to make them (the pupils) want to learn so you can’t stop them.

 

I want them to get so excited about learning that they don’t want to stop. I know that once they know something, it leads to wanting something else. They must learn to express themselves and find out things for themselves. They must know that living is the most exciting thing around.”

Today the corridors of Cowan House still resonate with the values imbued by the school’s founding principal – echoing a sense of fun, curiosity and interest about learning.

 

At Cowan House we have the best of both worlds, where your child can learn and explore in a caring, nurturing environment with well-equipped and vast play areas, whilst benefiting daily from the broader experiences offered by the ‘Big School’ such as computers, interactive white boards, library, music and sporting facilities.

 

We invite parents and children age 0 to 5 years old to join us for our Pre Primary Open Day tea at 09h00 on Saturday, 7 October.

 

Together with the Cowan House Pre Primary ‘Art in the Park’ exhibition on display, Neil Berndsen and fellow Pre Primary and Grade 1 teachers will share their motivation to encourage Cowan House children to be bold and not afraid to make mistakes.

 

 

For enquiries please contact Tracey Wood on 033 343 3261 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

News supplied by Cowan House Co-Educational Preparatory School.

Ross Lowe, a Grade 7 pupil at Laddsworth Primary school took part in the Brookside Mall Super Chef Competition on Saturday 23 September 2017 in Pietermaritzburg.

 

10 Children and 20 Adults were chosen to take part in the finals.

 

Ross won the children’s competition with his Chicken and Prawn Gumbo, and won R3000.

 

Ross has been chosen to cook on television with a South African Masterchef winner.

 

L-R: Ross Lowe, Mr Gavin Lambooy (Headmaster)

 

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Don't miss this weeks Hot specials at the Rotunda Farm Stall!!!

 

Broccoli punnet R6.99
Cauliflower pack R6.99
Hot house cucumbers R7.99
Farm fresh cabbages R7.99

 

Special valid from: 27th September to 1st October or while stocks last....

 

T's & C's apply.

 

So I have spoken often of this man called Andre. A regular guy who in 2016 couldn't run 3km. Well to witness this man complete his first 100miler (153km) was an absolute treat and heart ache to witness. (because of the long suffering)

 

Why do we do such crazy adventures as humans? Why push oneself to the limits, where the elements are sleet rain, dark and wet conditions, temperatures dropping below 0.. Then add to that no sleep for almost the entire journey.

 

Why do that? Well I guess you do not know how strong you really are until you try. With over 20 contestants dropping out, due to sheer fatigue, mental struggles, lack of sleep and sheer feeling of being wet and cold.

 

There are some people who rise to the challenge like Andre. In one year he managed to run 250km in the Morrocan dessert in 6 days hitting temps above 45 degrees. Here the extremes were almost opposite. A lot harder and more mental. (non stop running to try finish below 36khours) I didn't hear Andre ever use the word -give up. He had a goal, that was to finish. The reason, that its a privilege and running for more than himself but for Ryan Walker and his Foundation, using running to raise awareness.

 

When one puts the bigger picture in place it makes one dig deep and go beyond oneself..I waited for 5 hours to have a chance to pace Andre for the last 30 odd kms to the finish, the tracker not working, the rain pelting, the cold temp dropping and thinking, is this guy going to make it? Having worked with him for a year, I knew the mental stuff wasn't a problem, he is strong, is his body strong enough.

21:30pm I saw a very wet and cold individual, big grin happy to see me. Eating his sweet potatoes meal..(changed into dry clothes)

 

One thing is for sure, Andre wouldn't have survived the previous 14km or so without his amazing pacer, who knew the terrain and guided him through to get to me.

 

Having a team is vitally important, they there to support, encourage, and put things into perspective.

 

The goal was to finish before 10am Sunday.

 

We were on track, we walked right though the night, the legs were too sore to run, so one step at a time we took ground and the goal was to keep to the path and not let Andre fall asleep on me.

 

Not once did he complain or grumble, he was strong, if it wasn't for the swelling he had from running for endless hours.

 

Hard work pays off, he did everything we asked of him leading up to this event.

 

Do you have people in your life who can give advice, perspective and help you on your journey, ones who've had experience, skill sets and been on.

 

Not to keep you on the whole hour journey I was with him, but to say after Andre having a 10minute power nap he was rearing for the last 17km to the finish finishing around 32 hours at 6:45am in the morning this past Sunday.

 

Too see him walk over the finish line, smiling, making the distance, was very emotional for me.

 

I'm all behind people achieving their dreams. Big or small we at Adventure Fitness and Velocity are here to help you.

 

I hope you are inspired of this one mans journey, you may never do the 100miler, Whatever your dreams or goals, do not let anyone deter you from them.

 

Success starts with a goal and working consistently for it and you can do anything!!!

 

News supplied by Adventure Fitness @ Grace College. 

 What it means …

“The Ellenbird” is named after my grandmother. I was blessed to have both of my grandmothers for a long part of my life, and they taught me to stand tall and proud, that working hard could only make me stronger, and that having a heart that wants to give will only stand me in good stead wherever I might go. It is only fitting that Gran’s place of honour in my heart, is now also on the wall of my dream.

 

What it is…

The Ellenbird is a family centre, that gives children a safe and healthy environment to play in whilst parents can relax and enjoy something indulgent at the coffee shop, or browse through the gift shop. It’s a place where you will be made to feel welcome, all the time. A place to rest, or take a breather, in between the hectic schedule of your day. A place to catch up with old friends, and to make new ones. A place for small business meetings, conferences or social gatherings. With everything under one roof, a convenient setting and a willingness to go the extra mile for whatever it is you may be looking for – we hope The Ellenbird will be somewhere that suits everyone’s needs.

 

What we have to offer …

A cosy Coffee Shop – Somewhere comfortable to come, sit, relax, catch up and enjoy something that suits your tastebuds. Simple but nice, and affordable is what we are aiming for. And with daily/ weekly specials I am sure everyone will enjoy a visit.

 

The Ellenbird Gift Shop – we host our own gift shop, which incorporates many smaller shops being managed by us. This gives smaller businesses an opportunity to be able to display and market their goods. Also including already established businesses in Hilton and surrounds, we offer their patrons a convenient one stop, under one roof, shopping experience. The Ellenbird is stocked full to the brim with some special, tasteful items.

The Party Area is an outdoor, covered and paved, venue in the garden – you have a blank canvas to create a party which suits your wishes, or we can assist you with the planning, catering and decorating of the party for you .

Conference and weekly room rental areas: We have space to host workshops, small business meetings and conferences, pop up shops, and space to use the facility on a daily / weekly rotation.

In our Health Centre we house the following professionals:

Janet Anderson – Remedial Therapy (HDE, FDE)
Laura Cole – Speech Therapy (B.Communication Pathology – Speech-Language Pathology)
Kerry Egner (B.E.S.T. System Practitioner)
Nicky Hockey – Integral Coach

 

News supplied by The Ellenbird.

Laddsworth Primary School’s Annual Grade 7 play was once again a huge success, under the guidance of Mrs Di Smythe.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. which was adapted by Mrs Smythe from the story ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was very entertaining and witty.

 

Well done to Mrs Smythe, the Grade 7 Staff and Grade 7 pupils for a very successful production of ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.’.

 

Front Row L-R: Olwethu Mavundla (Amalia), Calvin Tyne (White Rabbit), Ayanda Makhaye (Door Mouse One), Amy Robertson (Door Mouse Two), Victoria Lindsey (Alice)

 

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Dear Friends in Music,

 

MiTH is evolving in two important ways – and we need to make all our musical friends aware.

 

1. As of the beginning of October, 2017, MiTH will BECOME A VENUE THAT PAYS MUSICIANS (our door charge will go up to R30 per person to help facilitate this).

 

2. At the same time, MITH WILL BECOME FORTNIGHTLY instead of weekly. OUR FIRST MEETING IN OCTOBER WILL BE ON THE 11th.
The obvious question in response to both changes is: “WHY?” Let’s answer each question in turn.

 

PAYING MUSICIANS: the truth is that, while MiTH started out as a jam among amateurs and anyone else who wanted to join in, increasingly professionals are now gracing us with their talents. The organisers have decided, after three years of maintaining a purely amateur ethos, that it’s important to recognise this. Also – we have now purchased more or less everything we need in terms of equipment (which is why we charged in the first place), and we aren’t in this to make a profit – so we’d like to pay the musicians. At the same time, we will keep space for amateurs, too. So: the FIRST FEW SETS will be dedicated to open mic and amateurs, and will remain unpaid, and the LAST FEW SETS of each meeting will be for musos who get paid.

 

FORTNIGHTLY MEETINGS: Our meetings have been going strong, so there's no reason to think MiTH is suffering in any way, but the simple truth is that the organisers are finding it a lot of work, and halving the number of meetings will halve the workload and enable us to remain fresh, enthusiastic and keep MiTH sustainable. The process of finding and marketing our artists, being at MiTH on a Wednesday evening to set up, mix sound, run the door and emcee is highly demanding.

 

It is also important to note that we are in contact with the Maritzburg Musicians’ Club and we will ALTERNATING WITH MMC – so there will be live music you can go to every week…one week in Sleepy Hollow at MMC on a Tuesday, and one week in Hilton at MiTH on a Wednesday.

 

OUR FIRST MEETING IN OCTOBER WILL BE ON THE 11th.

 

There are, of course, pros and cons to being weekly and to being fortnightly – we don’t deny that at all, but our first priority is to have MiTH continue – and in a way that is sustainable for the volunteers who make it happen. We think this is good for music. Thank you, again, for your continued support. We promise to keep the amazing music coming.

 

AGAIN - OUR FIRST MEETING IN OCTOBER WILL BE ON THE 11TH.

 

With great respect and love to all

 

MiTH organisers.

 

News supplied by MiTH.

There are those who are struggling with a particular subject and would benefit from extra tuition. This does not necessarily imply a problem with the school, as even with the smaller classes, teachers cannot always give all their pupils the attention they need. Or it may be that a different approach can provide that “light-bulb” moment, when it starts to make sense.

 

Contact ASP Tutoring for more information. 

Contact Postnet Hilton for more information.

 

39 Hilton Avenue

Hilton

3245

 

+27(0)86 006 1004.

 

News supplied by Postnet Hilton.

 

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH:

 

ROADWORKS ARE COMPLETE! The approach to MiTH is now safe and well-marked, so don’t let a bit of mist (or MiTHt) keep you away.
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 Old Main Brewery) 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 Farm.

 

7.00pm – 7.30pm – ERIN MUIRHEAD

Erin Muirhead is a sparkling young talent who makes a return to the MiTH stage after charming us with her flourishing skills last time around. This is what MiTH was created for...whether it's seasoned professionals or newcomers to the stage, we give talent a platform - for the love of music. Get there early so you don't miss out on this budding songstress.

 

A singer/songwriter (contemporary pop) who uses keyboard to play indie, classical and modern music, Mumford and Sons are among her influences. She started composing from a young age and has been channelling what she sees around her into her songs and instrumental pieces ever since. Her goal is to eventually be involved in the scoring of movie soundtracks.

 

7.30pm – 8.00pm – CHAD JUBBER

At only 19 years old, Chad Jubber can best be described as ‘the next best thing’ in the South African music industry. A contestant on season two of The Voice South Africa, the charming guy with the brooding good looks did not allow his premature exit from the show to stand in the way of his dreams.

 

His debut EP has been released, and was written over a period of four years by Chad himself. Each song tells a beautiful story of love, loss and the sometimes unkind journey towards finding oneself. The EP contains five tracks, and speaks volumes about the kind of guy Chad is when no one is watching: compassionate, sincere, profound.

 

8.00pm – 8.50pm – NOT FAT JUST FLUFFY

Not fat, just fluffy is a band born and bred in Durban. It came to be on the eve of the 13th of February 2015. The band has lost and gained members along the way, and has gone by a several names, including ‘Your Mom’, ‘Don’t Jazz on my Tash’, ‘Naimless Hobros’ and many more. They finally settled on 'Not fat, just fluffy" because they are in fact not fat and arguably fluffy. When it comes to genre we have many different sounds and cater to a variety of tastes, but generally we just go with anything that sounds good. The band played at a few open mics around Durban, some with our full band and others just doing some cool acoustic numbers. Their aim is to have fun while sharing their music. We can't argue with that!

 

9.00pm – 10.00pm – SLEEPY HOLLOW HOUSE BAND

A Pietermaritzburg local and a very skilled and entertaining performer, Gerry Van Rensburg, will have you smiling, singing and stomping your feet. His covers range from old favourites to contemporary blue-chip hits…and his searing sense of humour will have you smiling, guaranteed. These days he has a band backing him – we look forward to having them on the the MiTH stage again.

 

ABOUT MiTH:

MiTH is a semi-open mic music club. An opportunity for musicians to share the joy of their music with a friendly audience which includes fellow musicians – who have all “been there” too. (Non-musicians welcome too!) Whether you’re a newbie looking for your first opportunity to perform publicly, or a more experienced / mature musician simply looking for people who are as passionate about music as you are – come along and join us!

 

Visit www.mith.co.za for more details and directions.

 

News supplied by MiTH.

 

 

These young ladies from Grace College have been selected for the KZN Inland Soccer Squads; Olwethu Basi, Kaitlin Grobler, Keziah Phillip, Ruth Taylor and Channell Da Rosa. We wish them well.

 

Pictured L-R: Olwethu Basi, Kaitlin Grobler, Keziah Phillip, Ruth Taylor and Channell Da Rosa all from Grace College in Hilton, KZN. 

 

News supplied by Grace College. 

 

The day we have been waiting for is here! So excited to introduce our NEW LOGO! Inspired by the need to create a more authentic look and feel for our brand, we worked alongside our designer to produce a whole new visual identity for Cookin, something that is more in line with who we are and what we are passionate about. So happy with how it came out and can't wait to roll it out throughout our stores and across our online platforms in good time ❤.

 

Let us know what you think?

Time: 7pm, entry R25, bring your own booze. Food and soft drinks are available for sale. Musicians who want to play at MiTH, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Bill Pocket cell +27 (0)76 684 7647 or Charles Webster cell +27 (0)82 331 7271 or Doug Borain cell +27 (0)72 340 7034.

 

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH:
ROADWORKS ARE COMPLETE! The approach to MiTH is now safe and well-marked, so don’t let a bit of mist (or MiTHt) keep you away. 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 Old Main Brewery) 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 Farm.

 

7.00pm – 7.30pm – OPEN MIC

 

7.30pm – 8.00pm – KEVIN and NICOLE GURNEY
Kevin and Nicole are a brother and sister duo from Eston. They are playing at MiTH for the second time. They play a variety of covers in an acoustic style.

 

8.00PM – 8.50PM – SUMMER DU PREEZ
Summer du Preez is a musician based is Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Afrcia. From originals to covers Summer makes her style of music shine through. Even though it's just her and her guitar Summer aims to capture the audience with her sweet yet powerful voice. Her Music is described as follk indie. With influences such as Alanis Morissette and the Cranberries, Summer wants to be an artist with a distinct difference from the other musicians. Music has been her passion from a young age. Her favourite musicians are Ben Howard, Daughter, Birdy, James Bay and many more the list could go on forever.

 

9.00pm – 10.00pm – GAVIN FERGUSON
This Durban-based original songwriter and Cover artist has a unique rock, smooth soulful sound to his singing with an acoustic guitar influence. He performs a variety of jazz, rocka and flamenco strumming and classical finger style picking. Smooth, honeyed melody...pouring over the strings of a gleaming acoustic guitar. Gavin Ferguson's voice is just like honey: sweet but not over saturated, best served warm! The musician is slowly making his mark. "Smooth, honeyed melody...pouring over the strings of a gleaming acoustic guitar. Gavin Ferguson's voice is just like honey: sweet but not over saturated, best served warm! The musician is slowly making his mark.

 

ABOUT MiTH:
MiTH is a semi-open mic music club. An opportunity for musicians to share the joy of their music with a friendly audience which includes fellow musicians – who have all “been there” too. (Non-musicians welcome too!) Whether you’re a newbie looking for your first opportunity to perform publicly, or a more experienced / mature musician simply looking for people who are as passionate about music as you are – come along and join us!

 

Visit www.mith.co.za for more details and directions.

 

News supplied by MiTH.