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Page 4 GO & EXPRESS<br />
GOT A NEWS STORY? Call our news desk on (043) 702-2<strong>12</strong>5. Find us on<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2018</strong><br />
GO! IN KING<br />
E-mail: goexpress@tisoblackstar.co.za<br />
Special treat<br />
for parrots<br />
PLUM CRAZY: The<br />
Cape parrot is a yearly<br />
visitor to King and is a<br />
fan of wild plums<br />
GO REPORTER<br />
THE reddish fruit of the<br />
Harpephyllum caffrum, or<br />
wild plum, may be too sour<br />
for humans to enjoy, but<br />
there is one species that<br />
can’t seem to get enough,<br />
Cape parrots.<br />
Also known as Levaillant’s<br />
parrot (named after 18th<br />
century naturalist François<br />
Levaillant), these dark green<br />
birds are endemic to South<br />
Africa and can be found in<br />
the forests and mountainous<br />
areas along the Eastern Cape<br />
and KwaZulu-Natal coast.<br />
Every year, the birds travel<br />
to the King area to enjoy the<br />
freshly-ripened fruit, often<br />
gathering in flocks of up to<br />
40 birds per tree. The wild<br />
plums in King provide the<br />
parrots with a much-needed<br />
supply of food in winter when<br />
other supplies might be low.<br />
This is especially important<br />
because the Cape parrot is<br />
listed as “vulnerable” on the<br />
IUCN Red List, though some<br />
analyses mark it as<br />
“endangered”. There are only<br />
an estimated 400 Cape<br />
parrots left in the wild and,<br />
like all wild animals, their<br />
numbers are constantly<br />
threatened by increased<br />
urbanisation and the<br />
destruction of habitat.<br />
Thankfully, there are<br />
organisations like the<br />
Hogsback-based Cape Parrot<br />
Project who are working to<br />
protect them so, for now, it<br />
seems that our feathered<br />
friends can go on enjoying<br />
their plums.<br />
The Ark aims to help<br />
the disadvantaged<br />
SIPHOKAZI VUSO<br />
TO aid the King<br />
William’s Town<br />
community, the Ark<br />
Christian Centre is<br />
embarking on a<br />
community outreach<br />
programme to lend a<br />
helping hand to<br />
d i s a d va n t a g e d<br />
households.<br />
Leader of the<br />
programme, Thembi<br />
Mbatha, said they<br />
would supply food<br />
parcels and soup to the<br />
needy as part of the<br />
programme.<br />
She said the initiative<br />
targeted families with<br />
no source of income.<br />
“We identify these<br />
households and provide<br />
them with food parcels<br />
and clothing,” she said.<br />
“The outreach<br />
programme is a church<br />
initiative to support the<br />
disadvantaged. We are<br />
doing this as the vision<br />
of the church is souls<br />
and society.”<br />
Mbatha added that<br />
The Ark Christian<br />
Centre Outreach<br />
Programme supports<br />
d i s a d va n t a g e d<br />
households in King<br />
by donating food and<br />
other items<br />
they also identified<br />
schools with children in<br />
need and provided<br />
them with school shoes<br />
and uniforms.<br />
“We are still in need<br />
of more people to<br />
partner with us to<br />
support this initiative so<br />
that we can touch more<br />
lives and make this<br />
outreach a success,”<br />
she said.<br />
If there are people<br />
who are interested in<br />
taking part contact:<br />
071-176 7845<br />
Josh bowls ’em over<br />
BRIAN McLEAN<br />
GRADE 11 Dale College pupil,<br />
Josh Turner has found a new<br />
love – bowls.<br />
Turner, who started playing<br />
the sport in 2016, has<br />
progressed rapidly, so much<br />
so that he has been selected<br />
to represent Border at an U30<br />
national bowls tournament in<br />
Pietermaritzburg in<br />
S e p t e m b e r.<br />
He has also been invited to<br />
join the Border EZ squad,<br />
which is aimed at grooming<br />
young up-and-coming bowlers<br />
in the region.<br />
The U30 team will be<br />
captained by Tarquin Ormston,<br />
with Conrad Potgieter (third),<br />
Tyler Pitcher (second) with<br />
Josh at lead.<br />
Earlier this year, Josh,<br />
Pitcher, Ethan Grunewald, and<br />
Andrew Lentz walked away<br />
with silver at the annual U20<br />
National Bowls Tournament<br />
staged in Bloemfontein.<br />
Josh, who also plays<br />
squash, water polo, and<br />
soccer for the Dale first teams<br />
as well as lock or hooker for<br />
the school’s third rugby team,<br />
said he was proud to have<br />
been selected for the Border<br />
U30 team.<br />
“I think the team is a strong<br />
BOWLING ACHIEVEMENT: Dale College pupils, from left, Ethan<br />
Grunewald, Josh Turner and Andrew Lentz take time off from<br />
training at bowls to pose for a picture Picture: BRIAN McLEAN<br />
one which can go all the way,”<br />
he said.<br />
He said: “Generally people<br />
don’t expect new bowlers to<br />
do well, but if one regularly<br />
practises and plays in<br />
competitions, they can<br />
improve their game.”<br />
“I try and train between<br />
three and four times a week<br />
along with Ethan and Andrew<br />
and when we play tabs-in we<br />
all learn something new from<br />
the more experienced<br />
bowlers,” he said.<br />
Both Ethan and Andrew<br />
were happy at Josh’s Border<br />
selection.<br />
Asked why they had taken<br />
up the sport, Ethan said:<br />
“When I play I forget about<br />
everything and just<br />
concentrate on the game.”<br />
Andrew, who is in Grade 10,<br />
said: “You can’t really<br />
compare bowls with other<br />
sports as there’s no running<br />
around.<br />
“A lot of concentration is<br />
needed and one has to be<br />
precise with every shot.”<br />
Both players said they loved<br />
the sport and would play for<br />
as long as they could.<br />
Josh said he would like to<br />
thank the King Bowling Club<br />
members for all their support.<br />
“Without the club I would<br />
not be where I am and I<br />
encourage other youngsters to<br />
take up the sport.”<br />
King<br />
We at h e r<br />
TODAY will almost be<br />
like summer in King,<br />
with a maximum<br />
temperature of 26°C<br />
after an early morning<br />
start of <strong>12</strong>°C. The sun<br />
will shine and it will<br />
be very warm.<br />
Don’t be fooled,<br />
however, as winter<br />
temperatures will<br />
return from tomorrow,<br />
when the minimum<br />
will be just 6°C,<br />
warming up to 16°C. It<br />
will be mostly cloudy<br />
and much cooler.<br />
On Saturday there is<br />
the possibility of a<br />
morning shower. The<br />
temperatures will<br />
range between 5 and<br />
14°C.<br />
Sunday will<br />
definitely be a day for<br />
indoors as it will be<br />
mostly cloudy with a<br />
chilly start of just 4°C<br />
and intermittent rain.<br />
The maximum will<br />
only reach 14°C, so<br />
make the most of the<br />
selection of sport on<br />
television. –<br />
w w w. a c c u w e a t h e r. c o . z a