SHELLEY POINT NEWS June 2017 A community newsletter dedicated to fostering a sense of community and the free flow of information at Shelley Point FROM THE EDITOR FROM THE EDITOR: Hi All Well, winter has certainly arrived with a cold blast and it is now only a few short weeks before the solstice is here. One consolation however, is that after 21 June the daylight hours begin to get longer and before we know it, we will be planning for the summer again. As usual, there is plenty in the newsletter which we hope will interest and inform you. But, if you can think of any kind of news or information that we are not supplying and that you think will be of relevance to other homeowners, please feel free to drop me a line and we will include it. Unfortunately, last month due to unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to provide an Afrikaans newsletter as promised. I am happy to report that we can do so this month. Neels Kornelius has provided a beautifully translated newsletter for our Afrikaans readers. Depending on the time and effort it requires, we will decide whether we are able to continue with two separate newsletters in the future or whether to revert to the dual language publication. There have been numerous queries and letters from residents asking for feedback regarding the feral cat situation and in this issue, I will attempt to address all your concerns as best I can. We are in communication with the local SPCA and hopefully, will soon be able to sterilize more cats. Keep warm and have a great month! Terry shelleypointnews@gmail.com PS All previous newsletters can be found in the archive section of our website www.sphoa.co.za MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN: About 2 500 years ago, Heraclitus of Ephesus famously wrote that the only constant in life is change. Things have certainly been changing at Shelley Point recently with the creation of a professional management team and the implementation of the new security system being two of the more obvious changes. I believe that these two changes have added great value to our estate and the results of both are clearly visible to all. As always, not everyone is thrilled by the changes, but from the many positive comments I have received, I think I can say, without fear of contradiction, that the changes have been welcomed by most Shelley Pointers. Your trustees are also working hard on several other areas where we believe we can make a positive difference and we appeal to all members of the association to support us in our efforts. Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcomed, as is polite disagreement. 1
As we move closer to the rainy season may I take the opportunity to once again remind everyone of the dire situation we face in respect of our water supplies. Long range forecasts are suggesting a late onset of the rains and below average rainfall again this year. Please continue with your efforts to save water before all our taps run dry. (Someone else has now come along and said these pests that plague us in Feb/March are actually chiggers. And so, the debate goes on. Editor) Foxes at Shelley Point. Diana writes that while she was out cycling near Lampies Baai recently, she came across a fox that had been killed by a car. She was surprised by this as she was unaware that there were foxes living in the area. Yes, Diana apparently, the animal you saw was a Bat Eared Fox. They are common in the area but are predominantly nocturnal and not often seen in the day time. Editor Kind regards Ian Mac HOMEOWNERS HAVE THEIR SAY: Kiddies Play Park. Shaun sent the following email I was wondering if in your next edition, you could send a belated thank you to the HOA for the newly developed park that has been constructed on the estate. I have not been up for quite some time and it was so nice to see the park which I had requested, having been completed. My daughter had so much fun on all the new equipment and it has added another dynamic to our stays. Stinging goggas. There is still a huge amount of debate raging over the identity of the goggas that attack us while we sleep during the months of February and March. Henri believes that it is a stinging insect (refer to his article in the May 2016 edition) and he has managed to take a few photos of them this past season. In the photo, the sting can clearly be seen. The match in the photo gives one an idea of the size. According to Henri, the Western Cape Midge which Charles wrote about in his article last month is commonly found only on the Sandveld and Swartland farmlands and is prevalent during the months of August and September. Feral Cats at Shelley Point. Dusty and many other homeowners have sent in letters asking about whether any cat-catching team will be coming to Shelley Point again. Apparently, there are two tame cats at the golf club which will be easily caught as well as some kittens looking for rehoming. (Please see update on Feral Cat situation on page 5). Emergency Numbers. Warren asked if we could add a small segment at the end of the newsletter of emergency numbers. Homeowners could then make a copy and put it up on the fridge or near a telephone in case of emergencies. (A great idea, Warren. I have done just that see a list of numbers on the last page of the newsletter Editor) 2
UPDATE FROM THE SHELLEY POINT BOARD OF TRUSTEES: The quarterly meeting of the Board of Trustees was held at Shelley Point on 12 th May 2017. The following points are highlighted: There is no new information available from the developer regarding the hotel. The Code of Conduct for the estate is being extended and updated to take cognizance of the new security protocols and to provide additional clarity on aspects of the code. A new section is being added dealing with the management of short term rental properties. Once this work has been concluded, owners will be notified regarding any substantive changes. The pathway from the playground to the beach has been completed while boardwalk maintenance has begun and will be completed by end June. The roads contract for the year has been completed including refreshing all road markings. Weed control on road verges will be completed by end May as will repainting and repair of streetlights. Upgrading of storm water kerbing has been completed while catch points and soak pits will be completed by end June. Repairs to irrigation system for palms on the golf course have been largely completed. The outstanding items will be completed by end May. Fountains will not be maintained until water restrictions are lifted. Da Gama monument will be cleaned after the rainy season. While the growth of the debtors book has slowed, we have not yet seen any significant decline in the total debt outstanding. Members are assured that the trustees are focusing very heavily on this aspect. SECURITY REPORT: (Chris Sivertsen) A quiet month on the Security front - well done Daniel and the ADT team. The biometric access system is working well and there have been very few problems in the last two weeks. The same goes for the License Plate Recognition (LPR) system. Thank you to the many Homeowners who are complying with the request to advise the office when expecting guests; it does make the access process far easier and quicker. Most short-term rental owners and agents are also complying with the request to forward information regarding tenants. This gives Security a better picture as to which houses have tenants and this enables them to monitor those houses as well. In general, the new systems are settling down well, and we say a big thank you to all of you for your patience as we addressed the teething problems. Please continue to give us feedback when you note problems or have queries. LEAPFROG PROPERTIES PHOTO OF THE MONTH: Many excellent entries this month made the choice a tough one for the editorial team. Once again, we have gone for two winning photos. Prize money from Leapfrog Properties for the 2017 winner, runner-up and third place photograph is now R500, R250 and R150 respectively. There is also a lucky draw prize for one lucky voter. 3
Country Club Facilities Report: Golf course: Rainfall recorded for the month of April was 3mm. Removal of broad leaf weeds on fairways and rough is ongoing as is fertilization of fairways and tees. Re sprigging bare areas on fairways and resodding and levelling tees on 6 th and 8 th. Water and soil chemistry remain problematic with high ph and salinities recorded in both irrigation water and soil. These issues are being managed by cultural practices, treatments and water applications / management. Sunbird by Charmaine A three-week rotation system of general maintenance is being followed: Week 1- Bunker maintenance. Week 2 - Sprinkler and valve box edging. Week 3 Cart path and greens edging. Greens are being hand weeded continuously and repairs are made as and when required. Stompneus lighthouse by Trevor SPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES: Country Club: The draft constitution of the country club has been completed and has been circulated to all trustees for input and comment. Once the trustees have approved the draft, it will be circulated to all members of the HOA for comment before being put to the vote at the AGM in December. In the interim, the Management Committee of the Country Club will continue to manage the affairs of the club as mentioned in last months newsletter. Tennis and bowling facilities: The bowling green has been needle tined and hollow tined and top dressed. The lawn area surrounding bowling green is being mowed weekly. Weeding and cleaning of paving and trenches is ongoing. General: Several items of new equipment are to be purchased including 2 new triplex mowers, fertilizer spreaders etc. Equipment currently doing duty is being effectively maintained. Staff are receiving hands-on training to improve quality of final product and turnaround time. Irrigation system and pump station - Cleaning of filters and sprinklers, valve boxes and replacing broken sprinklers and housings is ongoing. 4
Monthly Sundowners Get Together This month Sundowners will take place as usual at the Country Club on Friday 30 June from 5.30-7.30pm. This will include a short discussion with members of the board during which homeowners can ask questions or raise any issues and concerns. Please bring a plate of snacks to share. Bridge: (Terry Mackintosh) In addition to the regular duplicate bridge held every Wednesday, a mini-tournament also takes place each month with the eventual winner to be decided at the end of the year. Local players from Shelley Point are currently lying in 2 nd, 7 th and 9 th place! Current leaders are a pair from Langebaan. Golf Report: (Anne Ainsworth) The Sanlam Golf Challenge will be taking place later this month. Please see details at the end of the newsletter. Other activities in and around Shelley Point West Coast Fossil Park. Every day there are Paleo Tours to the famous dig site at a cost of R45 per person. Visitors to the park have raved about how interesting it is and well worth the entrance fee. Contact them for more information on 022 7661606. Pottery Workshops and Classes. These take place at Stone Fish Studio in Paternoster. Contact 082 8248917 for additional information. Friday Market at Vredenburg. Happens every Friday at the Pick n Pay Ipic Centre. Contact 083 2556610 for more details. LIFE AT SHELLEY POINT Geological Hiking Routes around Shelley Point Are you aware that there are four walking routes in the area which emphasize the geological aspects of the area? If you are interested, contact Manerva at sthelena@sbto.co.za and request a copy of the brochure. This will supply information about the various routes, the GPS coordinates for the start of each route as well as detailed facts and history about the different kinds of rocks you will encounter on the hikes. Interestingly, rocks in the area date back from the neo- Proterozoic and early Paleozoic ages (600-500 million years). Examples of the oldest rock assemblage in the area, the Malmesbury Group of sediments can be seen at Shell Bay Point while granitic intrusions are visible at Stompneuspunt, Britannia Point and Cape St. Martin. The map pinpoints where you can find these features and provides photos of what you can expect to see along the way. So, why not brush up on your geology? Put on your hiking boots, slap on some sunscreen and go! The four walking routes are as follows (all four routes can be walked in either direction): 1. Green Route (easy). Shelley Point. Approximately one hour in one direction. 2. Yellow Route (intermediate). Britannia Bay. Approximately 1.5 hours in one direction. 3. Orange Route (intermediate). Duyker Eiland. Approximately 1.5 hours in one direction. 4. Red Route (difficult) Paternoster Nature Reserve. Approximately two hours in one direction. An update on feral cat situation: As mentioned previously, there have been numerous emails from residents asking for an update on the feral cat situation as well as many homeowners also offering to assist with the process of trapping. Still others have kindly offered to help with any financial costs that may be incurred with the sterilizations. Shelley Point homeowner, Nicky Brouwer, is closely involved with the SPCA in the Western Cape and she has been in touch with local chairperson, Colette Mang as well as NSPCA to get a programme sorted out. This 5
will hopefully allow them to assist in the many remote outlying areas (like Shelley Point) that need their help. Obviously, they will need assistance from our local residents to check traps and aid with transport to the vets. As soon as more information is forthcoming, I will communicate it via the newsletter. VASCO SÊ: The area requiring the most urgent attention is the golf club where there are several unsterilized cats and as such, new litters of kittens are arriving with alarming frequency. Fortunately, most of these cats are reasonably tame as they are used to people and should be easy to catch. There are also kittens that need rehoming. If anyone knows of someone who is looking for a kitten (or two), please let me know. I currently have two beautiful feral kittens that are now tame and will make wonderful pets as they are affectionate and not aggressive at all. So, if you know of a good home for one or both, please contact me at shelleypointnews@gmail.com. Apparently, there are also tame feral kittens at the golf club that are available for rehoming. An old-time explorer called Vasco Didn t much like the taste of Tabasco So, he went a different way And found St Helena Bay Now he s famous and not just mad Vasco! 6
SANLAM GOLF CHALLENGE 2017 Venue: Shelley Point Golf Club Date: Saturday, 24 June 2017 Entry Fee: Prepaid Members R 100 Non-Prepaid Club Members and Visitors R 220 ALL SAGA Affiliated Members may participate but ONLY Club Members qualify for Regional Finals. Prizes sponsored by Sanlam - They reserve the right to limit the number of prizes per division depending on the size of the field. Mens Regional Finals: Robertson Golf Club - 12 August 2017 Ladies Regional Finals: Arabella Country Club: 6 August 2017 Entry into Regional Finals is free of charge. Divisions and Handicaps Men Ladies Division A: 0 9 0-16 Division B: 10 18 17 24 Division C: 19-30 25-36 It is vitally important that all Shelley Point Members help us in hosting a memorable day in the fight against cancer. This you can do by: Supporting our efforts during this important addition to our annual golfing calendar. By entering this special day in large numbers. Inviting visitors to participate. Donations towards Cancer. Donating prizes for Longest Drive / Nearest the pin There will be an auction of various items and a lucky draw with all proceeds going to Cancer. We also plan on having braai packs (at a nominal fee) for all participants and their Better Halves upon completion of the round. (Sponsors / donations for salads would also be welcomed.) Please contact Pieter or Anne should you wish to donate anything towards this day! Golf Data will be donating 20% of the green fees for that day to cancer. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE 7
SPHOA Directory Position Name E Mail Telephone Estate Manager Norman Cowen manager@sphoa.co.za 082 784 2920 Administrator Lindy Cowen admin@sphoa.co.za 022 742 1309 Security Manager Daniel Plaatjies dplaatjies.za@adt.co.za 071 631 1853 ADT Patrol Car Supervisors NA 083 636 6466 ADT Control Room Controllers NA 022 742 1380 Pro shop /Club house Pieter van der Merwe shelleypcc@gmail.com 022 7421037 Golf captain Anne Ainsworth britanniaza@yahoo.com 083 455 5321 Bowls captain Liz Roberts chezroberts@mweb.co.za 083 327 4349 Tennis captain Niel du Toit ddt@vodamail.co.za 082 579 9692 Bridge captain Terry Mackintosh didge28@gmail.com 076 6004641 Community notice board Chris Roberts chezroberts@mweb.co.za 076 7832035 Fire alert (ADT) ADT Response Vehicle 0835560052 Police St Helena Bay 0227368060 National Police 10111 Ambulance 10177 Cell phone emergency 112 8