The annual Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies (L2L) Awards Evening took place on Thursday 25 April in a nautical-themed setting at the Hermanus Golf Club.

The evening was attended by just over 100 walkers, sponsors, and friends of L2L were invited to celebrate 21 walks over 19 years with the L2L committee, as well as to witness the handover of the funds raised to Overstrand Hospice (main beneficiary for 2024), and Kleinmond Animal Welfare and Huis Lettie Theron (the two secondary beneficiaries). 

From the 6 practice walks and 34 Wednesday walks, L2L was able to hand over R30 021 to each of the secondary beneficiaries, with Overstrand Hospice receiving an incredible R1 204 021 – the highest amount L2L has ever fundraised for a single charity. The top fundraiser was Carol-Ann Connel who raised more than R50 000.

During the evening it was announced that L2L committee members Roeleen Wessels and Michele Serfontein (chairperson) would be stepping down, leaving some very big shoes to be filled (the new L2L committee and chairperson will be announced after their AGM later this year). 

Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies would like to thank each and every one of their sponsors and supporters, without whom each year’s walks would not be possible, as well as the individuals and businesses who donated towards this wonderful cause.

Overstrand Hospice will be using the funds to continue the renovations on their newly purchased offices in Hermanus next to their second hand shop in Aberdeen Street. The premises will act as a storage space for any overspill from the shop, as well as a clinic for hospice patients. 

The Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies have done it again! 

This amazing group of women have raised a staggering R1 204 012 for the Overstrand Hospice. This is the most that they have ever raised for a single charity in their 21 annual walks.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for the full story in the coming days. 

The Mount Pleasant Saints Soup Kitchen & Community Outreach (MPSSK) is a registered NPO which serves warm, cooked meals, food hampers, second-hand clothing and blankets to needy people within the community of Mount Pleasant, Zwelihle, and to anyone referred to their soup kitchen. 

MPSSK would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Hermanus Redcross, Postnet Hermanus, Postnet Sandbaai, Robyn Diederichs, Free to Care, and Roniel Sherie Weber, as well as to every single person who donated. 

Thanks to the Overstrand community’s generosity, MPSSK was able to feed almost 200 people daily at their soup kitchen last week.

If you would like to make a donation, please contact Maria on 073 465 8961.

Grootbos together with the Grootbos Foundation have been awarded Gold in the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards. 

The award is in recognition of the exceptional work done in employing and upskilling local communities. 

For over 20 years Grootbos and the Grootbos Foundation have been upskilling and empowering people in our neighbouring communities through the Green Futures College, Enterprise Development programmes and Sports Development initiatives.

Stefan Botha from Hermanus High has been excelling in the school’s photography club this year. 

In January this Hermie photographer entered the monthly Photographic Society of South Africa (PSSA) Youth Division competition where he received six awards for his image ‘Honey’: Best Junior, PSSA Monthly Category Winner, Monthly Overall Winner, Best Scholar, Certificate of Merit, and Best One Star Photographer. 

Most recently Stefan participated in the German International Photocup 2024 as one of 92 students from fifteen schools / clubs across South Africa (entering as The PSSA Youth Photographers of South Africa).

A total of 51 students received 165 acceptances which included several awards, and Stefan is one of them with his photo above of beloved, local elephant seal, Buffel. The image got 4 acceptances and also received a Certificate of Merit (over 90%) in the monthly PSSA Youth Division competition. 

Creative Notions Bernina Overberg was excited to announce that they have been selected as the Bernina Dealer of the Year at a celebratory event at their shop in Hemel-en-Aarde Village on Friday 5 April.

Creative Notions established themselves in Hermanus in 2017, however the shop has been in business for well over 12 years, having started in Pretoria in 2010. In October 2020, they became a Bernina dealer for the Overberg.

The event was attended by several of their loyal clients as well as Ivan Stevens (Dealer Manager of Bernina South Africa), who handed over the trophy to owners Louis and Mireille Pretorius (second and third from left). 

After receiving the award, Louis thanked their clients and the community for their ongoing support and announced the winners of a lucky draw which included special prizes such as gift vouchers and a sewing machine. Finally, he thanked the Creative Notions staff for their commitment and hard work.

The Hermanus Duplicate Bridge Club hosted their annual International Bridge Tournament at the Hermanus Municipal Auditorium hall from 6 – 7 April.  

The tournament, sponsored by Personal Trust, saw 96 bridge players taking part from South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. 

The winners at the end of the weekend were Overberg residents Ian Holdsworth from Hermanus and Sue Botha from Stanford. 

Second place went to Omphemetse Moedi and Dinier Minwalla from Botswana, with third place going to Cape Town residents Imtiaz Kaprey and Jill Rabie.

Congratulations to all the local participants on their fantastic results.

Just Care held their annual Golf Day on Friday 5 April at the Hermanus Golf Club. The players took to the course at 11:30 and ended off the day with a dinner and auction in the clubhouse.  

“It was a fun-filled day and the weather played along,” says Marlinda Wright, member of the Just Care team, “We had great sponsors and wonderful support from players, donors, caterers, volunteers, Hermanus Golf Club, and our team. We are still counting the money raised from the event.  

“Just Care is so full of gratitude to everybody involved in our big day and the ongoing support from the community of Hermanus.”

The winners of the golf day were Wayne Taylor, Fergus Macloed, Philip Clemens, and Ian Wilson.

The annual Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies (L2L) Walk took place from 14 to 17 March.

Approximately 100 ladies walked 100km over four days to raise funds for their main beneficiary for 2024, Overstrand Hospice, and their two secondary beneficiaries, Huis Lettie Theron and Kleinmond Animal Welfare Society.

On the final day of the walk, the ladies made their way to Danger Point Lighthouse in Gansbaai before being bussed to Grotto Beach in Hermanus where family, friends, and supporters of L2L were waiting to welcome them back. 

The total funds raised will be announced at an awards evening later this year.

On Saturday 16 March, learners from Curro Hermanus took part in the Overberg Schools Chess closed tournament at Swartberg Secondary School in Caledon. 

Twenty-six of their learners received their Overberg Chess colours and will be taking part in the Western Cape Schools Chess Tournament in Langebaan on 4 and 5 May. 

Curro Hermanus would like to wish the learners all the best and congratulate them on their outstanding results!

The popular running organisation, parkrun, turns 20 this year with people across the globe walking, jogging, and running 5 km routes every Saturday morning. The first event took place on 2 October 2004 in Teddington in the UK, with 13 adventurous parkrunners, and nearly two years later, parkrun spread to a second venue in Wimbledon. 

As the number of venues increased, the registration and barcode result system was born, allowing hundreds of thousands of parkrunners to be processed each week. The parkrun community continues to grow but is still based on the simple principles formed by the founders from the start: weekly, free, for everyone, forever.

On 16 March, a new parkrun will be starting in the Overstrand at the beautiful Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate on the R43 just outside Hermanus. The run starts at 8am, and apart from parkrunners, spectators are welcome to attend and enjoy themselves amidst breathtaking vineyards and views over the Bot River Lagoon. There are also parkruns in Caledon, Betty’s Bay, Gansbaai and Hermanus.

These weekly parkruns are community driven, run by volunteers, and have huge benefits for participants: running and walking are both great for mental health (especially in nature), strengthen bones and muscles, reduce the risk for obesity, boost heart and lung health, and more.

Parkrun is free to join but it is important to register prior to attending. Click here for more information. 

Marina’s Dance Education Centre celebrated its dancers’ excellent results achieved at the International Dance Exams on Friday 8 March at their AGM and Awards Ceremony. 

The results took almost four months to be announced and all the dancers, who waited patiently to see if their hard work paid off, received medals and certificates for their Merit, High Merit, and Distinction achievements. 

The centre, owned by Marina Rautenbach, teaches several different dance styles including ballet, hip hop, modern, tap, jazz and contemporary. She also offers adult ballet, ballroom and Latin dancing on Mondays from 17:00 – 20:00. For more information contact Marina on 083 721 6994.

The Absolute Pets team at Whale Coast Mall hosted a successful adoption day with Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) last weekend. The aim was to educate the surrounding communities on the adoption process of animals in rescue organisations, and to also get our furry friends into loving homes.

Absolute Pets pledged to double-up on the food donations made by their customers on the day and managed to raise a record-breaking total of 612 kilograms. Executive Mayor of the Overstrand Dr Annelie Rabie also showed her tremendous support towards HAWS, donating 50 kilograms to the initiative. These donations will be of great assistance with the winter period ahead.

A big thank you to the Absolute Pets team who joined us for the morning, and to Rinaldi Meyer (General Manager at Hermanus Animal Welfare), Dr Annelie Rabie, every volunteer from the HAWS family, and each member of the public who donated so generously to this cause. It is heartwarming to see communities rally to support our animals, which really deserve the best care that we can provide.

For more information on adoptions at HAWS, please contact them on 028 312 1281 or adoptions@hermanusanimalwelfare.co.za 

The 172nd commemoration of the sinking of the HMS Birkenhead took place on Monday to remember those who lost their lives on 26 February 1852. The day began with a boat trip by Marine Dynamics to the site of the rock which caused the wreck, and was followed by a service at Danger Point Lighthouse, organised by Glenda Kitley of Gansbaai Tourism. It was attended by descendents of the HMS Birkenhead survivors, special guests and interested residents.

The HMS Birkenhead, a paddle steamer, left Portsmouth, England in January 1852, travelling to Ireland before setting sail for Cape Town. She carried nearly 640 men, women and children. The ship's captain, Robert Salmond, was tasked with taking troops to fight in the Frontier War. 

Having been instructed to make every effort to get the troops there swiftly, Captain Salmond followed the South African coastline tightly, steering the ship just three miles (4.8 km) from shore. 

In the early hours of 26 February 1852, with most of her crew, soldiers, and passengers asleep, the HMS Birkenhead struck an unseen reef off a point now called ‘Danger Point’ near Gansbaai, which immediately penetrated her hull. Water flooded in and hundreds of soldiers drowned in their sleeping quarters. 

The surviving men made their way to the deck where the captain instructed them to lower the lifeboats, but due to lack of proper maintenance, much of the lowering equipment would not work. Two cutters and a gig were launched and the 7 women and 13 children on board were given preference and rowed to safety. This act established the naval tradition of 'women and children first', also referred to as the Birkenhead Drill.

The order was given to cut free the horses that were on board, and to push them into the sea in the hopes that they would make it to shore. It was then that the soldiers were told to abandon ship and swim for the boats. Lieutenant-Colonel Seton quickly realised the danger that a rush of men would pose to the women and children on the boats, and so commanded his men to stand fast. 

The ship split in two and just 25 minutes after striking the rocks, she sank beneath the waves. Only her topmast, where 50 men hung on, fighting for their lives, was still visible above the water. 

The sea was scattered with soldiers, desperate for anything to cling on to. Many drowned while trying to make it to shore while others were taken by sharks. The next morning the Lioness, a schooner, reached the lifeboats and rescued those on board before making her way to the site of the wreck to rescue the remaining survivors. Only 193 were saved. 

A letter written by survivor, Ensign G.A. Lucas to his father, recounts the wrecking of the Birkenhead:

"Many pieces of timber passed us as our boat slowly drifted, men on them, as some got done up and let go their hold and went down. The most painful sight was two men swimming side by side. For a long time they struck out well together, after a time one got tired, the other helping him along, it was no use. At last his comrade left and swam towards the land but returned again to his friend but it was of no avail, he went down exhausted, his friend then swam towards the shore. Poor fellow, he had expended his little remaining strength in helping his companion and went down." 

To read the complete letter click here 

Source: Historic UK 

The Hermanus First Fridays Artwalk (HFFA) took place on 3 November with galleries in the Hermanus CBD staying open until 8pm to welcome art lovers to their galleries.

There were many different artworks to be explored and enjoyed as gallery owners and curators had changed some of the pieces since the previous artwalk on 6 October. 

Also fresh on the HFFA scene was a new gallery in The Courtyard by local artist Louisa Kruger. Born and raised in the Overberg, Louisa is a self-taught, recognised and applauded contemporary expressionist with a passion for creativity.

“It was so wonderful to see so many art lovers enjoying our First Fridays Artwalk,” says the HFFA committee, “What a fantastic atmosphere which we all enjoyed!”

Be sure not to miss out on next month’s particularly special artwalk, the ‘Night of 1000 Drawings’, on 1 December in aid of local charities.

Eight fledglings and two adult African penguins who have been under care were released at Stony Point Penguin Colony in Betty's Bay during the annual Penguin Palooza held by SANCCOB and CapeNature in collaboration with SANBI and WWF on Saturday.

The event was opened by the CEOs of CapeNature and SANCCOB saves seabirds, Dr Razeena Omar and Natalie Maskell, as well as ward councillor for Betty's Bay, Theresa Els.

Adopt A Penguin

‘Adopt’ and name a wild penguin or choose one of the home pen birds which live permanently at SANCCOB as they are unable to survive in the wild. A great gift for an environmentally-conscious friend, or for yourself. 

Source: SANCCOB

For information about 'adopting' a penguin please click on this link

Creation Wines hosted a unique tasting experience at The Wine Glass Hermanus last week titled “Chapters of Taste”. 

The tasting led by Louis Fourie (VIP Service Manager at Creation Wines) was the first in a series of masterclasses hosted by Creation at The Wine Glass, and participants were taken on a sensorial journey, experiencing both the depth of taste and perception of flavour with the vineyard’s award-winning wines. The first tasting was of Creation’s Sauvignon Blanc.

Louis explained how the sense of smell can be used to enhance the flavour of the wine by asking guests to smell fresh granadilla before taking a sip of their Sauvignon Blanc, which has aromas of elderflower, papaya, cassis, passion fruit and kumquat. The passion fruit seemed to come through more strongly after smelling the granadilla.

He also showed how sound can affect taste by asking guests to put their ear to a sea shell while sipping the Sauvignon Blanc, and to imagine the beach, the sea, and the salt. Immediately different flavours were brought out in the wine. 

After the Sauvignon Blanc, the guests moved on to Creation’s Chardonnay, featuring “layers of sun-kissed pear and peach, enhanced by fresh minerality and hints of spice”. To illustrate the importance of food pairing, Louis heated slices of lime, which again completely changed the taste of the wine. He also explained how the temperature, alcohol level and even the shape of the wine glass can alter how each wine tastes.

The Creation Pinot Noir was next, and for this wine Louis focused on the sense of smell. Each guest was given three different scents to smell (ginger, violet and vetiver) and was asked to smell each scent individually and then together, while tasting the Pinot. 

Lastly, Louis used the smell of singed wood, cocoa-coated coffee beans and spices with juniper – as well as the taste of liquorice-flavoured dark chocolate – to introduce the Creation Syrah Grenache, which has “intense flavours of ripe plum, black pepper, tapenade, and umami”. 

Each smell, taste, and sound altered how the wines tasted, creating a different experience of the same wine with each sip. The masterclass was truly enlightening, and guests were able to enjoy Creation’s same outstanding wines in a new way.

Only a limited number of guests can be accommodated per masterclass. For more information on the next class and to book contact Joy on 063 789 2775 or reservations@creationwines.com.

Hermanus High’s annual Gentlemen’s Evening took place on 13 October in the hall. Organised by the Fab Mom’s of the PTA, the event is one of the fundraisers for the school.

170 men bought tickets and were treated to an evening of excellent food and conversations with guest speakers Stormers captain John Dobson, ex-Springbok Schalk Brits, ex-Springbok captain Corné Krige and previous Hermanus High teacher and emcee Niel du Toit.

The chef for the evening, Tullishe Le Roux from The Restaurant at Newton Johnson, and her team made mouthwatering steaks with roast potatoes and vegetables; while Hermanus Brewing Company and Cruxland Gin provided each guest with a welcome drink. 

Hermanus High would like to thank all the attendees for their support as well as the speakers who took the time to be there. 

They would also like to thank KWV Brandy and Cruxland Gin for their support over the past five years; their anchor sponsors De Jagers, Rola Ford Hermanus, Rola VW Hermanus, Rola Haval Hermanus and Rola GWM Hermanus; Tullishe le Roux and her team, the PTA moms, and all the businesses and individuals who sponsored, donated, gave discount and assisted (Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, The Whale on Main B&B, Century City Conference Centre And Hotel, Food Lover's Market, The Beanery Hermanus, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages, Manzi Water Hermanus / Kleinmond, Old Harbour Brewery, Function Hire, Sugarberry Distribution, Van Blommestein Butchery, Market Liquors, Pesto Princess, BUCO, Le Marchand, Hermanus Factory Shop, Pegasus Security, Eliasgat Boerdery, Hedgeware Trading, The Burger Brothers from Build it Hermanus, Ataraxia Wines, and Luddite Wines.

The Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies (L2L) held their first Sponsors Expo at Whale Coast Mall from 6 – 8 October. Organised by committee member Leatitia Dry Coetzer of Walker Bay Pest Control, the expo gave passersby a chance to learn more about the work done by L2L.

“We want to thank Whale Coast Mall for hosting the expo, and to give special thanks to all our sponsors – we appreciate your continued support!” said the L2L committee.

“Thank you to Hermanus Toyota, who has been supporting L2L since 2006; Food Lover’s Market Hermanus for supplying and sponsoring some of the food (and transport thereof) for the L2L Ladies on the official walk; Hermanus Office National for supplying the stationery for the very popular colouring-in competitions at the expo and Ocean Basket Hermanus for the prizes.  

“And of course thanks to Lighthouse Construction, Refine Anti Ageing Clinic, Manzi Water Hermanus / Kleinmond, Azure ONE Group, Crazylicious Cookies, Walker Bay Pest Control, Hermanus Factory Shop, The Beanery Hermanus, Laser and Lace, and Bierman Malan Optometrists. Thank you all for offering your family-time in selflessly serving L2L and the charities.”

Also at the expo were Overstrand Hospice and the Overberg Wheelchair Association who exhibited their services and products, as well as the Volmoed Youth Drummers and the Hermanus Senior Centre’s Trim Gim who entertained spectators.

The damage caused by wind and rain is still being assessed in the aftermath of the Level 9 storm which hit the Overstrand over the Heritage Day long weekend. 

Several roads including Clarence Drive, the N2 near Bot River, the Palmiet Bridge near Kleinmond, and the Hemel-en-Aarde Road (on the Hermanus side) have been closed due to sections of the road being washed away or damaged by flood waters.

Lagoons and rivers swelled with the rising water levels eroding banks and causing devastation to the Onrus Lagoon in particular, where mud, silt and reeds were washed into the ocean and then spread across the usually pristine beach. Early indications and some hydrology calculations have indicated that the flooding was most likely a 1-in- 200 year event.

It is now just three days since the storm has passed and already clean-up initiatives have been started at Onrus Beach, with volunteers showing up eagerly to assist in clearing the reeds and other debris ahead of the inaugural AIDA Onrus Bodyboarding Championships which start on 2 October.

Hester Finberg of Hermanus Women in Business and Kalfiefees has been instrumental in the clean-ups and has funded/organised donations for workers to remove debris from the Onrus lagoon and beach. They are also selling driftwood removed from the beach to further fund the workforce.

There are many other individuals and businesses who have donated their time and/or money towards this massive clean-up initiative in Onrus. The Overstrand community thanks you!