Chairman’s News

Karen’s Verge
It was the height of Aristea season in Betty’s Bay. Karen Fry phoned to say the verge across the road – Fourstreams – was stunning. There they were a stand of stately brilliant blue heads of Aristea  capitata (please put in italics). Alas the adjacent verges showed just short, cropped plants. Karen had especially asked the municipal workers to leave her verge; the result was this splendid display. We can all take steps to beautify our own patch of verge bearing in mind that in some cases visibility for traffic is important.

Old Hacker Honoured
Many hackers of earlier times will remember Reinhard Huyssen, his wife Ursula, instigator of the purchase of the Brodie Link Reserve and their musician and composer son, Hans. On Sunday 17 December Hans’ early music group, Cape Consort, performed “An Advent Concert of Chants, Cantatas and Carols” in the Rondebosch United Church dedicated to the memory of Reinhard who had died exactly ten years earlier.  Hans spoke of his father as a music lover and horn player.

The music was sublime. Hans played his Baroque cello and his daughter Manu a Baroque violin; she was on holiday from Utrecht where she is studying that instrument; Ursula and Hans’ son were in the audience.

The Betty’s Bay Hack was very important for this family. Hans actually dedicated a major work, “The Protea Suite” to our Hack, a unique honour. This must have puzzled concertgoers reading the programme when the work was performed in  the Cape Town City Hall some years ago.

Penny Palmer’s Ashes

Some of the friends afterwards – Ericas so lovely!

Penny stated in her will that she would like her ashes scattered in the fynbos so on Wednesday 31st January a group of her friends gathered in Harold Porter NBG just above the Attwell Bridge. There we took turns to carefully throw the ashes into the fickle wind using two of Penny’s spoons. Louis Mostert of Kleinmond spooned his into the stream – he’d been driven to the spot by Gardens staff member, Llowellon Arendse. Christopher New had a marvelous epitaph for Penny as he flung his spoonful “She may have been crusty but never so dusty” How Penny would have loved that.

There had been a service for Penny at Clareinch Nurses War Memorial Home, Pinelands in November, taken by Presbyterian minister, Eleanor Gaunt who coincidentally has a house in Betty’s Bay. Two very fitting gatherings to celebrate Penny’s life.

Anita Walters scattering ashes. Judy & Christopher New at right.


December Presentations

Kogelberg Branch has many hard-working stars. In a small way we can say a warm thank you with an official BotSoc Certificate of Appreciation. Christine Dreyer was the latest recipient. At a small end of year gathering in December – drinks and snacks in our garden – she was handed this attractive flower-filled certificate. Christine’s task was to painstakingly do a translation check of ‘Jou Plek in die Kogelberg’. This book will, we hope, soon be available as an e-book. The original translation was done by Louise du Toit who used to live at Rooi Els; she was given a Certificate of Appreciation at the end of 2015. We are hugely grateful to Christine and Louise for making Tim Attwell’s book available in Afrikaans. Incidentally, Christine’s husband Tom has a C of A for his many years of hacking.

Jane Forrester, a very familiar figure in Harold Porter NBG for so many years – she started there in 1993 – has retired. Over this time she has given amazing support to Kogelberg Branch, giving talks and advice on gardening matters, identifying plants. She was the go-to person for so many queries. In the later years it was Jane who produced stunning information boards all over the garden. The Branch gave her a Certificate of Appreciation way back. Jane plans in retirement to have time to study the natural world even further so this time we gave her, from the Branch, an amount of money to buy books. Thank you Jane, for all you have done for our special area.

Author – Merrilee Berrisford