CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION

Merrilee Berrisford Rooi Els resident, Louise du Toit, jeweller, weaver, naturalist, has made two big contributions to Kogelberg Branch; first by creating a wonderful pendant which we raffled, raising nearly R6000 which went towards the publication of Your Place in the Kogelberg, and secondly by translating that book into Afrikaans for us. In both cases, Louise has acted on her own initiative, without being asked. We have a really good way of thanking her and recognising her special efforts: awarding her the Botanical Society’s Certificate of Appreciation. This was presented to her recently outside her beautifully…
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JANUARY WALK

Leopard’s Kloof, 16 January 2016 Tim Attwell  Yes. There they were: A trail of Disa uniflora midway up the second last waterfall in Leopard’s Kloof, in plain sight. A second group graced the waterfall high above the pool at the head of the kloof. Mission accomplished, smiles all round. A strong wind made any other trail in the Kogelberg’s mountains distinctly uninviting, but Leopard’s Kloof provided both shade and windless conditions for eleven eager Botsoc walkers on the annual pilgrimage to see the icon of Western Cape mountain flowers strutting their stuff. We were not…
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JANUARY TALK

Botsoc Talk 16 January – Richard Starke on his Scientific American cruise round Iceland and Norway. Peter Berrisford The ‘Pharoah of Plateau Road, Betty’s Bay’, Richard Starke, treated us to a stunning tour of Norway and the islands around the north Atlantic Ocean. Unsurprisingly, his opening slide was of a Viking-style rowing boat, this being a lifelong passion of his. He jumped right into the boat and with smooth, powerful strokes took us to amazing places, places most Kogelbergers only dream about. He wondered why anyone actually wants to live on the Shetland Islands -…
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PRINGLE BAY HACK N0 110

Chris Geldenhuys, Convenor On one of the hottest days this summer, the Pringle Bay Hack Group convened on 31 January 2016 to perform a very productive hack in Andre and Allen Roads of Pringle Bay. The major challenge was the Rooikrantz bushes. See the before and after photos below. Despite the heat the attendance was overwhelmingly good with a total of 27 members! Due to the severe heat we were compelled to stop hacking at 11h00 and retired with a fresh cold beer!   The following hackers performed the hack: John Whitehead, Edward Silberbauer, Sue…
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BETTY’S BRAND!

Anli Theron Met die brandseisoen op hande gaan ons gedagtes terug na die verwoestende brand in Bettysbaai in Maart verlede jaar. Ter herinnering daaraan publiseer ons hiermee die laaste deel. Bettysbaaiveldbrand 3 – Ons tel ons wonde Donderdagoggend 5 Maart word ek voordag wakker. Dis doodstil, net die branders raas so nou en dan. Dis stil. Niks voëlsang nie. Niks paddasang. Niks krieke. Dis aardig. Wanneer dit lig word, begin die Suidoos opstaan, meedoënloos. Ek trek aan en gryp my kamera. Begin foto’s neem, dis nog amper te donker en aanvanklik kan ek sien dit…
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WALKS PLANNED FOR 2016

February - Explore the Hangklip Ecological Corridor and hear its story with Allan Heydor Saturday 20 February Meet at the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens at 09h00. Explore breathtaking views and outstanding natural beauty in the Hangklip Ecological Corridor. Hear its rich human story from Allan Heydorn, the role of the WWF-SA, the vision and generosity of the donors who made it possible, the dreams and sorrows that make this area special and visit the memorials that quietly commemorate their vision. To join this February walk in the mountains between Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay,…
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TALKS PLANNED FOR 2016

Saturday 20 February: Sean Privett of Fynbos Trails will speak on ‘Forests in the fynbos, the southernmost Forests in Africa’. At 18h00 at Nivenia Hall, HPBG. Saturday 19 March: Keir Lynch of the Overberg Lowlands Conservation Trust will speak about Renosterveld and the work of the Trust. (Harold Porter now has a Renosterveld garden.) At 18h00 – Venue: Pringle Bay Community Hall
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