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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

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