As a single parent, Agnes lives each month on her pension and to add to her difficulties, she is also the only guardian and caregiver to her disabled brother who lives with her.

She describes life as tough, yet every time we meet her she has a smile on her face. When asked what she does with the money she earns from The Care Bear Project, Agnes looked at the ground and very embarrassed, explained that she uses it for food to feed her children and brother as they cannot live on her pension alone.

 

We would love to find a sponsor for Agnes, to guarantee her a regular, reliable income each month. One complete knitting kit (6 bears) costs R400, of which R300 is paid directly to Agnes, the balance being the cost of the wool, needles, stuffing etc.

 

The Care Bear Project is a fully registered NPO and PBO, so all donations qualify for S18A tax certificates, and as all our beneficiaries are disadvantaged black recipients, companies can use their donations for BBEEE and CSI points. All admin staff are volunteers, and as such, we guarantee that 100% of your donation goes to the project.

 

Please visit our website www.carebears.co.za where you can donate via Paypal and Zapper, or sign up to become one our very special Bear Buddies.

On behalf of our knitters like Agnes, we thank you for your support. Watch our facebook page The Care Bear Project for updates...

 

News supplied by The Care Bear Project.

 

The hamper colour is subject to availabiity. Your choice of ribbon

 

Contact Cell: 071 6848 026
Cell: 076 3852 291
Tel: 033 3434424

 

News supplied by Chocolate Sensations Hilton.

 

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 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. (Dennis Shepstone Drive is currently under heavy construction – so please be very cautious.)

 

7pm ***NEW - OPEN MIC***

If you have some talent and you'd like a shot at the MiTH stage, now's your chance. Speak to the MC on the night.

 

7:30pm - Ilan Lax

 

Local human rights lawyer, Ilan Lax, graces the MiTH stage once again. This time it's just Ilan and his guitar, doing a unique mixture of blues and folk. Major influences include CSNY, John Martyn, (many old blues legends) Marley, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, etc. More recent favourites of Ilan's are Ben Harper, Dave Mathews and Norah Jones. Says Ilan: "I have been a singer and songwriter for more years than I can remember. Music was around me in my mother’s womb and remains a mainstay and fundamental component contributing to my life-force. I write songs that reflect the many facets of my life experience, from love and family to work, the world around me and the things that move me – in the words of Douglas Adams: “Life, the Universe and Everything."

 

8:00ppm - Tim Parr

 

South African guitar and songwriting legend, Tim Parr, shot to fame at a very young age with the Joburg-based cult band Baxtop. In the 80s Tim Parr and Heather Mac formed the band EllaMental. They were huge in SA during the mid-eighties and regarded by many as the biggest pop rock act in the country. They recorded two albums and many singles for EMI Records and had several Number One hits in South Africa. The head of the Warner Brothers in New York heard EllaMental live at the Marquee club in London and signed them up to do an album with Simply Red producer Stewart Levine, after which EllaMental supported Joan Baez at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1989. In 1985, they performed to a crowd of 125,000 people at Ellis Park. In 1994 Tim returned to SA and started the very popular South African grunge/Afro folk punk band the Zap Dragons, which included Josh Hawks on bass (now with Freshly Ground), Kholeho Mosala on marimba and Ashley Reed on drums. The Zaps quickly drew a large, enthusiastic and diverse following; playing to jam-packed rooms each time they took to the stage in many trendy Joburg night spots. Sadly the group disbanded before taking to the studio. But Parr wasted no time and 1996 He released a solo album, "Still Standing," from which the single “If you Rush You Crush” reached No. 4 on 5FM SA, and the songs “Love Will Find A Way” and “Still Standing” both reached No. 1. A timeless gem, 19 years after the album was released, “Still Standing” reached the top 4 in the International Songwriters Awards of 2015 in USA. The album, a treasure of afro jive rock which has a truly unique South African sound, was released in limited quantities, now regarded as a collector’s item. Tim has performed to audiences in South Africa, USA, Ireland and England and has shared the stage with international artists such as Crowded House, The Hothouse Flowers, Joan Baez, Paebo Bryson, Rory Gallagher, Champion Jack Dupree, Little Steven (guitarist for Bruce Springsteen band), Tribe after Tribe, Millie Jackson, to name but a few. Tim now lives in Cape Town and performs regularly with the all star team of the Tim Parr Greenworld Collective

 

9:00pm - Gerry van Rensburg

 

A Maritzburg local, and a very skilled and entertaining performer, Gerry Van Rensburg will have you smiling, singing and stomping your feet in a heartbeat. His covers range from old faves to contemporary blue-chip hits...and his searing sense of humour will have you smiling, guaranteed. Gerry's mixture of blues, rock and pop appeals to every ear, and he's well-known for getting many a KZN party going.

 

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!

 

News supplied by MiTH.

 

The concept of a speed traverse was first established in February 1999, when a team lead by Gavin Raubenheimer completed the route in 105 hours and 39 minutes and established a set of rules for what would become the Drakensberg Grand Traverse Record Race. The current record holders are Ryno Griesel and Ryan Sandes in a time of 41 hours and 49 minutes, set in March 2014. While many have attempted to complete a speed traverse, very few succeed in completing the challenging route.

 

In March 2016, while taking a leisurely stroll around the Mnweni Cutback, I mentioned to 15 year old Mike “Hobbit” van Wyngaard of Grace College that I was thinking about having a go at something that had never been done before – doing two consecutive Drakensberg Grand Traverses. I told him to take a week or so to consider whether or not he would like to join me. It took him about 8 seconds to make a decision.

 

Over the next 269 days, we did 800km of hard Drakensberg training together – aside from hundreds of kilometres of training in other locations. We did night hikes, difficult passes, and long days over big ridges. Neither of us had ever trained so hard, and we were both nervous, but eventually the big day arrived.

 

The start was rocky – arriving at Bushman’s Nek the night before the start, Mike had forgotten his headlamp and food. The delay of having to drive back to Underberg the next morning wasn’t too costly and we set off only 5 minutes after our planned departure time of 9:00AM.

 

Upon reaching the escarpment, we were greeted by a hail storm and gale-force winds. Being hit in the eye with hail is no fun, and we soon found ourselves wondering what we were actually doing up there! We pushed on, but eventually decided to call it a day 15km short of our goal for the day.

 

Day two went much better, but after sitting out a massive storm in a cave that we shared with twenty or so goats, we remained behind schedule, with the first checkpoint – Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest point in Southern Africa – being delayed till day 3.

 

By the end of day 3 we were back on schedule, but after narrowly missing being struck by lightning on Giants Castle, the second checkpoint, we were absolutely sopping wet inside Giants Cave – once again making us wonder what we were doing on top of these mountains! With the summit of Giants Castle, Mike had become the seventh individual to complete the Khulu Challenge – which requires a hiker to summit all 26 peaks above 3300m in South Africa, as well as Thabana Ntlenyana. The storm cost us the chance for a decent summit shot, but fortunately we would be back in a few days.

 

Day 4 went considerably better, with 48km covered entirely in daylight, and two more checkpoints ticked off – Mafadi and Champagne Castle.

 

Day 5 was largely uneventful, with the fifth checkpoint – Cleft Peak – being ticked off. Mike had also wanted a few summits in the area, so we went up Mahout, Ntonjelana Knife and Ntonjelana Ridge Peak as well, none of these being checkpoints. I usually refer to these kinds of summits as “bonus peaks”.

 

Day 6 was our earliest start – the end was only 40km away, and a warm meal and proper bed was starting to sound very good! The toll of 5 hard days of hiking was clear as the Stimela Ridge and final checkpoint of Mont-Aux-Sources took significantly longer than expected.

 

We raced down the Chain Ladders and hit the finish line of Sentinel Car Park in a time of 127 hours and 6 minutes. This was the fifteenth fastest time ever recorded on the route, and only the third time ever recorded in the south-to-north direction – a route that requires around 800m of additional altitude gain due to Sentinel Car Park being significantly higher than Bushman’s Nek.

 

We proceeded to rest for four days before we were ready to set out again. Drakensberg legend and solo-speed-traverse record holder, Andrew Porter, had decided to join us for our return traverse. So at 10AM on 31 December 2016, we set off to do the route again, but this time shooting for a time of 80 hours.

Day one went mostly smoothly, and we reached our cave in 11 hours, covering 40km.

 

Day two was another matter entirely. Mike had never done more than 49km in a day before, and I had never done more than 56km in a day – so a 59km day with over 2600m in ascent was taxing for both of us. Even Andrew, who recently ran across Nepal in under a month, admitted that this was a tough day!

 

Finishing the day after midnight resulted in a later-than-planned start on day three, and reaching Giants Cave on day three, morale was low. I decided to suggest that we call it a day there, and add an extra day to ensure that we still finish the traverse – everyone agreed.

 

Our trip up Giants Castle – the fifth checkpoint this way around – was slow, but no urgency was required. This time we had a good view and got a good summit shot to commemorate Mike’s completion of the Khulu Challenge a few days earlier.

 

Day four started very well – we knew that 80 hours was no longer an option, but hiking through the night would make a four day time possible. Covering the first 14km in under three hours did help, and we soon found ourselves on top of the final checkpoint a full hour ahead of schedule.

 

As we crossed the Sehonghong Ridge, however, the mountains reminded us why the Zulus called them the “Barrier of Spears”, and why the Dutch called them the “Dragon’s Mountains”. Without much warning, a summer storm unlike what any of the three of us had seen before came in. Within 15 minutes our raincoats had been soaked right through. We were all cold and wet, and we knew our unsupported traverse was over.

 

After over an hour of hiking in the pouring rain, we found ourselves at Sani Stones Lodge – merely using the roof for shelter had cost us our unsupported traverse, but we knew that the odds of a tragic end to our tale would be quite high if we didn’t do this.

 

After some hot coffee, a hot shower and a few hours in front of the fire, all our wet items – some of which had been within three layers of waterproofing in our backpacks – had dried once again.

 

An early alarm time on day five woke us up to more rain. The lodge only accepted cash and we had no more cash, so we had to relocate 9km up the road to Sani Mountain Lodge where payment by card was permissible. Rain continued throughout the day, and we discussed our options. The weather forecast looked grim, and we knew that the odds of being forced to bail so close to the end was very high.

 

An early alarm on day 6 revealed a cold wet mountain, but it was not raining at the time. We knew that continuing on top was risky, but if we were forced off the top, we could at least get back to the car via the Giants Cup Trail. The final day was not on the fastest route – walking up the Sani Road had placed us well off the usual route, we completed the final 50km in just over 12 hours.

 

Our time of 126 hours and 55 minutes won’t count as a speed time as we did not meet the requirement of being fully-unsupported, but our time of 15 days 7 hours and 50 minutes for two Drakensberg Grand Traverses is still a first. Andrew pointed out that it would take roughly three times the effort to complete a double traverse as it would to complete a single traverse – mostly due to fatigue and lack of recovery time between traverses.

 

Our total distance was 463km and our total altitude gain was 18 701m.

 

With this, Mike joins a rather small group of individuals who have completed more than 1000km of Drakensberg hiking in a calendar year, and one of very few individuals who have actually completed three full Drakensberg Grand Traverses, including having completed the traverse in both directions.

 

News supplied.

Jog and Grog began when a small group of runners set out to run from Crossways Hotel to Hilton College and back.

Most of the runners had been running independently but were brought together by Gillie Hay.

The actual term “Jog and Grog” was coined during a session in the Crossways pub when the runners present felt that a motto that suitably described their chosen hobby was required.

 

We invite past and present members to join us to celebrate on Thursday, 26 January at the Lions Club at 6:30.

 

Please RSVP to Steph 072-670-3544 or John 082-806-6749.

 

News supplied.

 

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 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. (Dennis Shepstone Drive is currently under heavy construction – so please be very cautious.)

 

7pm ***NEW - OPEN MIC***

If you have some talent and you'd like a shot at the MiTH stage, now's your chance. Speak to the MC on the night.

 

7:30pm Chelsea-Belle Gevers

Chelsea-Belle is a folk singer/songwriter who performs contemporary music accompanied by her guitar. Country music is a major influence for her, as well as local artists such as Matthew Mole, Ruby Gill, Majozi and Jeremy Loops. Needtobreathe, Florida Georgia Line and Lady Antebellum as well as Dustin Lynch are some of her favourite bands. She got her first guitar when she was eight and has been known to avoid doing work by spending hours playing guitar in her room.

 

8pm Josh Bull Band

An alternative folk band hailing from the ever so small town of Howick. Made up of members all attending different universities, their claim to fame is seasonality, meaning they only gather in season (The University holidays), a few times a year to fuse their musical talents. With their musical influences ranging from Passenger, to Ed Sheehan, to John Mayer, they bring a new vibey take the on the stale title that is ‘alternative folk’. All in all, the band provides an all round entertaining act fusing their interesting personalities with their love for music.

 

9pm The Sinners

The Sinners are inspired by Tarantino films, counting cards and hangovers. It's gritty, hillbilly rock 'n roll with a blues heart. They’ve been called Sleeze Rock before and they kind of liked that. From Durban South Africa, The Sinners have proclaimed themselves Durban’s Finest Rock and Rollers. The debut album titled Tales of Youth and Revenge was been released in June 2016 as a free download on Bandcamp.com at https://thesinnersza.bandcamp.com/releases

 

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!

 

News supplied by MiTH.

 

1. Get the best light

Photo speak says natural light is the best light. This means that wherever possible, ditch the flash. Throw your curtains open wide, or move your subject closer to the window.

And while you're at it, whenever you can always shoot in golden light. Golden light is the beautiful, warm, soft light that occurs just after sunrise and just before sunset. It's so much more flattering on your subjects, and has so many creative possibilities.

 

2. Get to know your camera

If you have a camera that is a little more than a smartphone, then do yourself a favour and get to know it! Spend time figuring out what the different functions do, and familiarise yourself with the various terminology. You don't have to switch to manual mode off the bat if that seems intimidating, but be conscientious about figuring out the technical stuff. Your camera has amazing capabilities!

 

3. Get in close

Though it doesn't have to be a universal rule for every photograph you take, a tip that almost always creates a beautiful image is to get in close. Filling your entire frame with your subject can create a compelling picture.

 

4. Get real

You know that life isn't perfect. It doesn't come wrapped in cheesey smiles with perfect poses every time. It comes in stolen moments, and caught glances, and tantrums, tears, giggles and faces smeared with chocolate cake. Don't sacrifice the picture for picturesque! Take pictures of moments, and don't insist on a cheesey smile.

 

5. Get in the picture

Postnatal Depression Support Group: Wednesday 9:30-11am. 8 week program. R1200.00 for the 8 weeks.

 

The sale starts from this Thursday, 26th January, for you, our email customers, and from Friday, 27th January, for the general public, and ends on Sunday, 29th January. From 9am to 4pm daily.

 

As with previous sales, please understand that we cannot keep or reserve plants, as this is not fair on everyone else.

 

News supplied by Tanglewood Nursery.

 

 

South Africa, unlike many other countries that provide a social security safety net, provides ‘no bail out’ if members have insufficient savings for their retirement years.

Saving for one’s retirement is extremely difficult, as there are many unknowns i.e. what will the cost of living be when you retire? How long will you live after you retire? What investment return will you have achieved?

 

Saving for one’s retirement should be planned over a period of 40 plus years. Even after retiring we can realistically expect to live for another 20 to 30 years. Retirement investing should have a long term investment horizon and selecting an investment strategy aimed at meeting that long term objective should be done with great care and professional assistance.

 

Sadly, what often happens is that fund members, constantly bombarded with news about investments, end up either being too conservative in their investment strategy, as they are fearful about losing money or try to “time” the markets. Members need to block out the noise about what is happening in the short term and stay the course with a long term investment strategy.

 

Over the past eighteen months investment markets have delivered low investment growth, together with high levels of uncertainty and volatility. Investors are understandably concerned and asking whether they should continue with their long term investment strategy.

 

Over this period, members would have probably achieved a higher return investing only in cash but recent market volatility does not negate the strong performance of the markets over the longer term.

 

No one is able to predict the future and political uncertainly with low economic growth does not bode well for investment performance. The benefit of investing in the markets over the longer term is by the compounding of investment returns and not market timing. The problem with investing in cash is deciding on the right time to invest back in the markets. Old Mutual Multi-Managers amongst others has, over the past number of years, introduced inflation plus targeted investment strategies. These strategies state the recommended time horizon for an investor to invest in a fund in order to achieve the targeted return and the higher the target above inflation, the longer the time horizon for delivery. These strategies reduce market risk as members know the time horizon expectation for the fund to deliver and then should not, be concerned about short term market volatility.

 

The reality is that uncertainty has always existed and the most significant threat retirement fund members face is inflation risk, rather than market risk. There have always been geopolitical conflicts, policy uncertainty and natural disasters and investors who sat on the side-lines and went into cash as a safe haven until the ‘dust settled’ missed out when markets started to recover.

 

Often the most dangerous times to invest have been when the future was looking particularly rosy and everyone was confident, such as in 2007 or 1999, which were followed by periods of significant market losses. Inflation is a cancer that slowly and consistently gnaws away at the real value of savings. It steadily corrodes capital and, unlike market volatility, offers no respite.

 

The only asset classes that consistently outperform inflation over the longer term are equities (shares) and property and both require the investor to accept market volatility. The regulations for pension fund investments protect members from concentration risk (having too large an exposure to a single asset) and all funds approved for retirement fund investments are required to be reasonably diversified when investing outside cash. Diversification actually reduces market risk and volatility.

 

A carefully thought-out long term investment strategy, together with a reputable asset manager with a consistent performance history, will deliver the ultimate long-term investment goals. Although past performance is no guarantee of future performance, history tells us to patiently stick to our long term investment strategy if we want to achieve our long term investment targets.

 

Investment returns are not the only means of securing a retirement future and members should assess whether they are contributing enough to their retirement funds. Most employer-sponsored funds do not maximise the tax deductible contribution allowance.

 

So, instead of trying to predict what the markets will do, members should review their budget and try to increase their monthly contributions. The tax system assists members as it allows a tax deduction for all contributions of up to 27.5% of the greater of remuneration and taxable income, capped at R350 000 per year. This assistance in saving for your retirement is significant, plus all investment returns within a retirement fund are tax exempt.

 

Disclaimer:
Old Mutual Wealth (“OMW”) is an elite service offering brought to you by several licensed Financial Services Providers in the Old Mutual Group (“the Old Mutual Group”).

 

This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice in any way or form. It is important to consult a financial planner to receive financial advice before acting on any information contained herein. OMW, the Old Mutual Group and its directors, officers and employees shall not be responsible and disclaim all liability for any loss, damage (whether direct, indirect, special or consequential) and/or expense of any nature whatsoever, which may be suffered as a result of, or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to the use of, or reliance upon any information contained in this article.

 

News supplied by Janine Player CFP®, Financial Planner and Employee Benefits Consultant for Private Wealth Management.