From 10 to 12 March, the Hermanus Senior Centre, Huis Lettie Theron, and SOFCA Hermanus organised a workshop focused on individuals living with dementia, titled The Person Behind the Disease.

Experts in dementia care shared their knowledge and insights with healthcare professionals, social workers, facility managers for the elderly, family members, and other stakeholders from the Overberg region. Managers of Badisa old age homes from as far as Milnerton, Kraaifontein, Parow Valley, and Durbanville were also present.

Professor Rayne Stroebel, CEO of Gerontological Research and Training, Education and Catering Company (GERATEC), focused on the dignity of people living with dementia. His core message was that dementia is a disease of the brain, not the soul – a condition that impairs a person’s ability to express feelings and emotions. He also discussed the five geriatric giants that affect the way we age: falls, incontinence, confusion, impaired homeostasis, and iatrogenic disorders.

Ide-Marie Venter, Managing Director and dietitian at GERATEC, emphasised the importance of a healthy diet in maintaining brain health. She also highlighted brain-supporting foods and the MIND diet.

Willem Myburgh, Director of Training and Development at GERATEC, spoke about the domains of well-being, namely connectedness, joy, growth, identity, and autonomy. He explained how stigma damages identity and highlighted the power of the language we use when speaking to people. He also unpacked the Eden Alternative, a person-directed care philosophy designed to transform institutional long-term care environments into vibrant habitats for living.

A highlight was the screening of the acclaimed Dutch documentary Human Forever, which captures Teun Toebes’ powerful journey living alongside people with dementia in a closed ward of a nursing home in the Netherlands. The documentary explores the resilience, dignity, and human spirit of people living with dementia.

A matter of concern for family members of people living with dementia is the medico-legal implications of capacity – the person’s ability to make decisions and have those decisions recognised as valid. Edna Lambrechts, a social worker in private practice at FAMWELL in Cape Town, addressed this issue and highlighted the risk factors involved in medical and legal decision-making. She also spoke about psycho-geriatric services for patients and family members affected by neurocognitive impairment.

The audience fell silent when Vic Hamilton Attwell shared his experiences as a spousal caregiver for his late wife, who lived with dementia. Hamilton Attwell wrote the book Om twee maal te sterf, which reflects on this journey.

The final session focused on services and resources available in Hermanus for people living with dementia:

• Residential care offered by Huis Lettie Theron and SOFCA

• Social work services provided by the Hermanus Senior Centre
  Support groups for family members of people living with dementia, facilitated by the Hermanus Senior Centre

• Weekly day care for people living with dementia, provided by the Hermanus Senior Centre

The workshop fostered greater understanding of and compassion for people living with dementia, reminding everyone that behind every diagnosis is a person, a family, and a story that deserves patience, care, and empathy.

BY GREENPOP

Greenpop's annual festival of restoration, music, and community returns to Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat in the Uilenkraal Valley in just two weeks. Most Western Cape festivals are designed with the traveller in mind – the tourist passing through, looking for an experience to take home. Reforest Fest is different. If you're a resident of the Overberg, then this festival was built for you first. Reforest Fest welcomes visitors, but it was made by and for the people who live here.

That’s because the work Reforest Fest does only matters if the people doing it are still here to see it continue. The milkwood forests, the fynbos, the rivers and reserves you pass on your way to town – this is the landscape the festival is working to protect. And the people best positioned to protect it are the ones already living in it.

Greenpop has always believed that restoration led by locals lasts. In a region that has seen more than its share of fires in recent years, that conviction carries real weight. The goal isn’t just to plant trees. It’s to leave the land and the people who depend on it more resilient than before.

That work already has deep roots here. Since 2011, the Uilenkraal Forest Restoration Project has been quietly rebuilding what was lost. Based in Africa’s southernmost forests, Platbos Forest, Bodhi Forest, and surrounding properties, the project goes well beyond tree planting. 

It clears invasive alien vegetation that raises fire risk, replants indigenous forest species, and focuses on genuine reforestation: restoring areas that were historically forested, rather than simply adding trees where they don't belong. 

Seedlings are grown from seed collected within the forest itself, which means the trees going back into the ground carry the genetic memory of this specific place. Slowly and sustainably, the project is rebuilding not just the land but the whole living system beneath it: the shade, the soil, the biodiversity that depends on it.

Bodhi Forest sits between Platbos and Grootbos Reserve, and the land is being actively rehabilitated to connect these two ecosystems. Reforest Fest is a living part of that effort. On the Saturday morning of the weekend, the whole festival community comes together to plant 5 000 indigenous trees to restore the Bodhi Forest. It's the most visible moment of the weekend, and the heartbeat of what Reforest Fest is all about.

The rest of the programme builds is of the same mind. There are nature walk-shops led by ecologists, hands-on permaculture and regenerative living workshops, panels on conservation and local climate action, and creative sessions for kids and adults. None of it is just decorative. The festival is intentionally designed to send people home with practical knowledge about the land they live on, the pressures it faces, and, most importantly, what they can actually do about it.

That same thinking carries through to how the weekend runs. Food is sourced from nearby farms and producers, local wines get a proper showing, and the festival makes a point of hiring locally and working with local suppliers. 

The benefits of the weekend are meant to stay in the Overberg community, not just pass through it. It's the same principle that drives Greenpop's work everywhere they go – leave every place better than you found it. Not just the soil, but the people too. The communities, the landowners, the farming families who are here long after the last tent comes down.

That's what makes Reforest Fest worth more than a weekend away. It's a chance to understand this landscape a little better, to be useful to it, and to do that alongside the people who share it with you.

If you live in the Overberg and you've never been, this is a good year to go. Not because it's a bucket-list experience, but because it's happening in your backyard, it's doing something real, and there's something genuinely good about being part of that alongside your neighbours.

For more information and tickets, visit www.greenpop.org/reforest-fest

When Chris and Charné Oosthuizen left Cape Town for a temporary stay in Stanford during the 2020 lockdown, they didn’t know that they were laying the groundwork for what would become Honeybee Heroes – a venture centred on conservation, community, and a deep respect for one of nature’s most essential creatures: the honeybee.

It was during those early months, while staying with family in Stanford, that Chris found himself drawn to the plight of honeybees which are increasingly under threat from habitat loss, changing climates, and a lack of natural forage. 

Starting with just 50 hives, the project took an unexpected turn and became the foundation of Honeybee Heroes. Chris and Charné invited friends and family to “adopt” hives, with their names added to the hives they sponsored. The response was immediate and enthusiastic, and what began as a simple idea quickly gained traction. 

More and more people wanted to get involved, and by putting a name to a hive, people felt invested, became curious, and asked questions about bees. In turn, they shared what they had learnt. From individuals to major brands such as Puma and Takealot, hive adoption became more than just funding support; it became a way to educate people.

Today, the operation has grown to around 1 000 hives, carefully spread across the Western Cape. Placement is intentional, as bees require sufficient forage within a specific radius, and overpopulation can be just as harmful as decline. Partnerships with landowners allow hives to be placed on properties, sometimes in exchange for honey, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem.

The Overberg is an exceptionally important honeybee area in the Western Cape. It serves as a hub for both commercial pollination services and honey production, largely due to its diverse agricultural landscape and natural fynbos vegetation which provides foraging for a large number of hives.

Behind the scenes, a strong dedicated team keeps everything running. From experienced beekeepers to those trained along the way (often after a few inevitable stings), the project has become a collaborative effort grounded in sustainability and care.

Central to this growth has been a close relationship with Honey House in Stanford, who co-manage the hives and purchase the honey for resale, supporting both Honeybee Heroes and its broader initiatives such as female empowerment, hands-on bee experiences (available in the warmer months) and school visits to educate learners about honeybees.

The goal around the initiatives is simple: if even one person walks away with a deeper appreciation and understanding for bees, it’s worth it. Awareness leads to action, whether that’s choosing buying raw honey over processed, supporting local beekeepers, or simply planting bee-friendly flowers at home.

This year, Honeybee Heroes has also placed an even stronger focus on female empowerment. Women from disadvantaged communities are being trained and upskilled in beekeeping, each entrusted with their own hives for a year. It’s a model designed not just to support, but to uplift.

However, the past few years have seen everything from drought and erratic rainfall to devastating fires, and this has put immense pressure on beekeeping and honey production. Around 100 of Honeybee Heroes’ hives were lost in the recent fires, and with over thousands of hectares of land affected, forage has become scarce as fynbos ecosystems need time to regenerate. 

If anything, these challenges revealed the support of the community. Charné says that when they put an appeal out on their Instagram for temporary land to relocate affected hives, the response from individuals and businesses was overwhelming.

If you would like to support Honeybee Heroes and their initiatives, you can help by sponsoring a hive, donating on their website, booking a bee experience, or buying Honey House products which are available at several local shops in the Overstrand including OK Onrus, OK Voëlklip, Fusion Restaurant, Daan’s Bakery, Mr Write, Stanford Agri, Ou Meul Stanford, Coffee on Clarence, and Carry Me Home Deli. 

Supporting local honey brands instead of imported alternatives is a simple way you can help to protect our honeybees.

For more information on Honeybee Heroes, visit www.honeybeeheroes.com or visit their Instagram profile (@honeybeeheroes). 

BY JENNY PARSONS

Autumn marks the transition between summer and winter, beginning around the March equinox, which occurred on the 20th this year. This is when the sun is directly above the Earth’s equator, and day and night are of equal length. The days start to shorten, temperatures drop, and the wind shifts from the prevailing summer south-easters to the rain-bearing north-westers. The fynbos enters a new phase of activity, making autumn feel like a second spring!

After months of relentless summer heat– the highest temperatures recorded in the Cape – and parched earth with low dams, autumn brings the first meaningful rain and cooler temperatures. This is a biological signal that triggers an extraordinary response. Unlike the “fall” of the Northern Hemisphere, where colour comes from dying leaves, fynbos autumn colour comes from flowers emerging from bare ground. Suddenly, the March lilies (Amaryllis belladonna) begin to bloom, followed by other autumn bulbs of the family Amaryllidaceae, including Haemanthus, Brunsvigia, and Nerine.

Amaryllis belladonna (March lily) is a sign that summer is coming to an end in the Cape. It is a large bulb that produces clusters of beautifully scented, trumpet-shaped pink or white flowers on a tall green stem. The inflorescence often faces the sun, while the strap-like leaves appear only after flowering. This unusual phenomenon of flowering before the leaves emerge is known as hysteranthy. Large carpenter bees visit the flowers during the day and are considered the main pollinators of this bulb. In the fynbos, they are usually found in small, dense groups among rocks and emerge prolifically after fires.

Haemanthus coccineus (April Fool) is commonly seen in the coastal scrub along coastal paths. One of the surprises of early autumn is these paintbrush-like flowerheads emerging from underground bulbs. This geophyte usually has two strap-like leaves, which also appear after flowering. The main stem is often spotted. The flowerhead is surrounded by large, conspicuous bracts that encase the numerous scarlet flowers. These flowers are soon followed by fleshy berries containing one to three dark maroon seeds. Sunbirds, moths, and bees are the likely pollinators. Interestingly, these plants contain a toxic principle that prevents them from being eaten by moles and mole rats.

Brunsvigia orientalis (Candelabra lily) is always a delight to see, often flowering when little else is in bloom. Each flower has six petal-like segments that are pink to red in colour and are soon followed by three-sided seed capsules. Sunbirds perch on the sturdy flower stems, enjoying the nectar while helping to pollinate the flowers. The leaves appear only after flowering. Many remember the dry flower stalks that remain once the inflorescence has withered: the stalks snap off, and the wind disperses the seeds.

These species can be seen along most of the coastal paths of the Overstrand, but the Hangklip Lighthouse Trail is a particularly wonderful autumn hike. The route feels surprisingly wild, as the Cape Hangklip peninsula is a remote, ecologically rich area characterised by rugged coastal fynbos and rocky shores. Sandy paths wind through indigenous, shrubby flora, and along the way, you can see all these autumn bulbs in their natural setting while enjoying magnificent seascapes.

On a side note, members of the Amaryllidaceae family are often attacked by the highly destructive black-and-yellow striped lily borer caterpillar (Brithys crini), a moth of the Noctuidae family. The caterpillar bores into the leaves and stem of the lily, causing the flowering stem to collapse, and may eventually enter the bulb. If you have these plants in your garden, the caterpillars can be removed by hand, or the affected foliage can be cut off.

In the whirlwind of pregnancy and a baby’s first year, the focus is naturally on the mother and child. We celebrate the bond, we check the milestones, and we provide extensive resources to support the recovery and mental health of the mother. ​But what about the father?

​For Adam Richardson, founder of the ‘DADit’ app, the experience of early fatherhood was defined by an isolating realisation – he felt like a "second-class citizen" in his own parenting journey. His experience began at the gynecologist’s office during one of his wife’s check-ups. Adam says he felt like he was simply "just there”. 

Usually a very patient person, Adam began experiencing irritability and anger around three-to-four months after his son was born. He chalked it up to exhaustion and tried to push his way through, but eventually realised this wasn't something that was going to go away on its own.

Seeking therapy was the turning point that allowed Adam to recognise his struggles as Paternal Postpartum Depression (PPD), a condition that, for many men, is masked by a society that centres pregnancy and new parenthood around women.

While it is well-known that women experience dramatic chemical shifts, research shows that men also undergo physiological changes during a partner’s pregnancy and in the months that follow. PPD affects about 1 in 10 fathers, but rather than crying or visible sadness, it manifests as anger, escapism, or a complete emotional shutdown. Impulsivity and loss of motivation are common.

Drawing on his own experiences, Adam created DADit, an app designed to help fathers feel, and be, more involved. ​Unlike other apps, DADit moves beyond basic tracking to become a comprehensive​ assistant. Features include:

• ​Family Sync: recognising that parenting is a team effort, DADit allows access for up to four family members to stay connected and coordinated.

• AI Parenting Assistant: Adams’s favourite feature, it is a game-changer for midnight anxiety. Instead of a new dad frantically Googling for answers at 3am, they can turn to the app. It picks up the child's age and previously logged activities to give tailored, relevant advice.

With DADit, Adam is helping to shift the traditional narrative – moving away from the idea of a father who is "just there" toward one who is a supported partner and parent.

For fathers stepping into the complex world of new parenting, DADit is available on the App Store and Google Play.

For more information or to contact Adam, visit https://dadit.app/landing.

Adam, creator of the DADit app, is originally from the UK, but moved to the United States at age 17. He later met his South African wife, Linde, online. After chatting for three months, they met in person for the first time during a two-week holiday to Cape Town, for which Adam traveled from the U.S. and Linde from Johannesburg. Their transition to life in Cape Town held its own set of challenges, including a six-month period of unemployment. The couple married in 2019 and settled in Onrus in 2025. They are now proud parents of a 9-month-old son. Image supplied by Adam.

From fashion design to working on yachts, Tammy Richmond of Mayura Life has taken an unconventional path to wellness. Now living in Hermanus, she teaches yoga, breathwork, and gentle movement, helping people reconnect with their bodies and minds.

Tammy discovered her love for fashion at just six years old and turned it into a career, eventually opening her own business in Johannesburg. She thrived on the creativity and fast pace of fashion, but over time her passion began to fade, prompting her to pause and explore a completely new direction – yachting.

She stepped into life at sea and travelled to Greece, where she spent two years working on yachts. The experience gave her distance from her old life and space to breathe in a new way, both literally and figuratively. It was during this time that yoga (which Tammy had always enjoyed) began to take root in a deep and meaningful way.

What started as a personal practice slowly deepened into curiosity, and Tammy became fascinated by how breathing with movement could influence both body and mind. Wanting to learn more, she spent hours researching different branches and styles of yoga, looking worldwide for reputable courses. Two in India captured her interest: Hatha yoga and Kundalini yoga*. 

After completing her work on the yachts, she travelled to India for an intensive six-week course, learning about traditional yogic philosophy and practice. In 2020, Tammy began studying modern breathwork under global facilitators, exploring how different breathing techniques affect the nervous system. She later trained further through Breathwork Africa, deepening her understanding of the functional and transformational aspects of breath.

Tammy was fascinated by the science: how breath influences sleep, stress response, physical performance, and emotional regulation. Equally powerful was the releasing side – how intentional breathing can release stored emotion, trauma, and energetic weight held in the body.

Three years later, Tammy moved to Hermanus from Johannesburg, and in 2025 she joined Wholeness Haven. Here, she not only runs breathwork and yoga sessions, but also helps manage guesthouse operations and communications, facilitating retreats and supporting practitioners.

Late last year, Tammy was contacted by IMD Breathwork, a company seeking a practitioner in Hermanus. IMD, or Immersive Multi-Dimensional Breathwork, uses headphones with “sound journeys” designed to release stored emotion, regulate the nervous system, and create calm and clarity. While considered a more modern entry point for beginners compared to the traditional Conscious Connected Breathwork, Tammy warns that these sessions are profound and can be emotionally intense, or rejuvenating. It all depends on what your “body is ready to release on the day”.

Beyond Wholeness Haven, Tammy extends her work into the broader Hermanus community. She volunteers at the Hermanus Senior Centre, helping elderly participants, including those living with dementia, reconnect with movement and gentle physical engagement. 

She has also worked with youth at a Stanford retreat, teaching breathing to help manage stress and anxiety. She hopes to bring these techniques to schools in the Overstrand.

Looking ahead, Tammy is expanding Mayura Life into the digital space with an online ‘Gentle Nervous System Journey’, a six-week programme designed to help people understand and support their emotional and physiological states. She is also collaborating with local artist Mardee Cita on wellness wear, blending movement with a classy African aesthetic.

Tammy’s offerings include Monday and Wednesday yoga classes, and twice-weekly IMD Breathwork sessions. To learn more about her or to get in touch, visit www.mayuralife.co.za and www.wholenesshaven.co.za.  

*Hatha is a slower-paced style of yoga that synchronises breath with movement. Kundalini yoga, known as the “yoga of awareness,” is an ancient practice combining breathwork, movement, mantra, and meditation. It focuses on enhancing mental clarity, reducing stress, and fostering self-awareness rather than just physical flexibility.

Set against the beautiful Klein River mountains, Landskein Wines in Stanford marks a new chapter for what was once Sir Robert Stanford Estate. Under the guidance of Nadine Stritzl, the farm is being reimagined as a place that brings together wine, nature and culture in a thoughtful, contemporary way, while remaining rooted in its landscape.

Nadine’s connection to the Overberg began during a gap year, when she first spent time in the region and was immediately drawn to its atmosphere and sense of community. That early impression stayed with her long after she left. 

A few years later, when her family heard that Sir Robert Stanford Estate was available, it felt like a natural return. With a shared business background and a long history of working closely together, the family took on the farm with a collective vision to restore the land and become part of the local community. Nadine’s background in fashion management adds a thoughtful layer to the project, balancing aesthetics with function.

The name Landskein comes from an old Gaelic word describing interwoven horizon lines: a visual effect often seen in layered landscapes. Beyond the visual, it is used to symbolise the weaving together of "lifelines" of a landscape – people, stories, memories, and music. 

“I came across it while reading about forgotten words, and it immediately resonated with me,” says Nadine. “The surrounding mountains reflect this idea beautifully, with shifting forms and perspectives. Some people even see the outline of a reclining woman in the Klein River mountain range. Because the meaning of Landskein already leaves so much room for interpretation of these horizon lines, it felt like a perfect fit for us and our setting.” 

A key part of the estate’s winemaking journey is Tariro Masayiti, who Nadine first met during her earlier time in the region. He joined Landskein as head winemaker and director, leading both the vineyard and winemaking. “It felt natural to work together,” says Nadine. “What made him the right fit was our shared understanding of how to approach the land and the wines – with patience, care and a long-term vision. That alignment has created a strong and trusted partnership.” 

With more than 20 years of experience in the South African wine industry, Tariro trained in Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University and has worked at estates including Fleur du Cap and Nederburg. He later served as General Manager and Winemaker at Springfontein Winery, shaping an approach rooted in site expression, balance, and long-term thinking in both vineyard and cellar.

Although Nadine continues to divide her time between South Africa and Europe, she is largely based on the farm and closely involved in its day-to-day operations.

When the team took over the farm in 2022, the first priority was restoration rather than production. Vineyard renewal, soil health and vine balance became the foundation for everything that followed. The estate now spans 165 hectares, with just over 50 hectares of vine, while the remainder is dedicated to fynbos, open space and hospitality.

The first wines (2023 and 2024 vintages) were released in September 2025. The current range includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Petit Verdot, with future plans for Cap Classique and Méthode Ancestrale styles. The wines are available at their new tasting room, ‘The Parlour’, as well as selected local retailers and restaurants.

Much of the estate’s transformation has focused on honouring what already exists while gently shaping what could be. The historic farm building has been restored into the tasting room, preserving original elements while introducing contemporary design influences.

Another defining feature is the amphitheatre – an open space designed for music, film and shared experiences. It has been created with the same intention as The Parlour – relaxed, inviting and connected to the land. Across the estate, Nadine says they are gradually developing the grounds in a way that highlights its natural beauty and overall potential. 

Today, a small but dedicated team of six permanent staff members work on the estate, supported by seasonal workers throughout the year. The hospitality team is equally close-knit, with three core members managing guest experiences and growing during peak periods.

Looking ahead, the vision for the estate is still unfolding. For Nadine, Landskein is a place that sparks inspiration. “It is a place that brings people together, invites them to step outside the familiar and discover something new,” she says. “It is not defined by convention, but by a willingness to create experiences that engage all the senses and leave a lasting impression on our guests.“ 

Landskein is closing the season with a series of outdoor events including a Harvest Feast with spit braai and live music (29 March), an open-air screening of A Good Year (3 April), a concert featuring Freshlyground and Congo Cowboys (4 April), and a Wine & Cheese Market (5 April 10:00 to 16:00) at the estate. Tickets are available via Webtickets.

The Parlour tasting room is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 18:00, and Sundays from 11:00 to 15:00. They are also open on Mondays until mid-April. The Parlour is located next to The Zesty Lemon and can be contacted on 028 054 0422. For more updates, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

BY HASHER FAMILY WINES

The 2026 harvest across the Overberg regions will be remembered as a season of two halves – one that tested growers’ resolve, before rewarding their patience.

After a dry and settled summer, conditions pointed to an early, smooth picking season. Then, on 9 February, the Western Cape received significant rainfall of more than 100mm across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with the Bot River region bearing the brunt of it. Harvest paused across the valley as growers waited for vineyards and fruit to dry out.

The concern in the days that followed was not fruit dilution, as a period of dry weather typically resolves that quickly enough. The real risk lay in the warm, humid conditions that often follow heavy rain, creating an ideal environment for botrytis and powdery mildew to develop. Vigilant canopy management and close vineyard monitoring proved essential. Growers across the region responded swiftly, and the fruit came through cleanly.

Despite the interruption, 2026 is shaping up to be a bountiful vintage, with bunch weights notably higher than average.

To understand why, one has to look back an entire year – and this is where grapevine biology quietly surprises most people.

The reproductive cycle of a grapevine actually requires two full seasons to complete. The flower inflorescences that will become next year’s bunches are formed within the dormant buds during the current growing season – meaning the generous clusters picked this harvest were already being determined in the vines during the last months of 2024.

Research has shown that conditions around flowering in season one – particularly light, temperature, water availability, and nitrogen – can account for as much as 65% to 70% of the following year’s yield. The favourable 2024–2025 growing season quietly wrote the blueprint for this year’s harvest long before a single berry had formed.

It is a reminder that a vineyard’s story is never just about the year on the label. Every bottle carries the memory of the seasons before.

Quality indicators across the board have been strong, with bright natural acidity and firm structure pointing to wines with excellent balance and ageing potential.

Natasha Williams, winemaker at Hasher Family Wines, described the moment the cellar doors opened: “The aromatics hit you the moment you walk in – it’s one of those harvests where the fruit practically announces itself. Incredibly expressive, with a freshness and energy that is very exciting.”

While the season demanded careful management, it is now rewarding growers with fruit of notable quality.