TOTT 21 March 2019

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4 Talk of the Town ADVERTISING / NEWSDESK: (046) 624 4356 Find us on Facebook March 21, 2019 Tribute to Talk of the Town writer Bob Ford Port Alfred resident Bob Ford, who has been a contributing writer for Talk of the Town for the past 18 months, died suddenly in the early hours of Monday morning. Ford, well known in bowls circles, had a past career in journalism many years ago, and offered his services as a writer for what he jokingly referred to as “beer money”. In those 18 months, he revealed his excellence as a listener to people’s stories, finding an array of people with interesting careers and backgrounds which we might be poorer for not having known about. He was also a skilled writer and required very little editing. Ford provided the following story of his own life six months ago, for when we might need it. He wrote it in the first person so we have adjusted it when necessary. Ford first spoke isiXhosa before English while growing up on a farm in the Sterkstroom district. Little did he know that he would become mayor of Fort Beaufort in later life. “My early recollections on this Earth go way back to the mid-1940s when my brother Peter and I started our lives with our parents on Bellevue Farm in the Sterkstroom district just north of Queenstown [Komani]. Looking back today on those years they were, without doubt, probably our happiest, though we were not aware of this at the time,” he said. Fo r d ’s parents had both lived through the tough years of the great depression, resulting in the family living a very conservative life. “We grew up the way children should and did in those years,” he said. “Without us realising it, they were BOB FORD tough, but happy simple years. “Now, many years later, when the mood prevails and I speak about them to my own son and grandchildren, it becomes obvious that the thoughts going through their minds is one of disbelief that the ‘old man’ has definitely lost it,” he said. “As was the case with most children growing up on farms in those days we had African ‘nanny’ who looked after us during the days when we spent all our time playing outside and only went indoors at meal times. The result was that it was natural that our friends were the sons whose fathers were employed on the farm. It was also natural because of this that the first language we spoke was Xhosa and we would jabber away while p l ay i n g , ” he recalled. “Meal times were interesting in that our father could not speak the African language, but our mother could. This resulted in conversations taking place in Xhosa and mom having to translate to our father when we spoke to him and vice versa. This went on for some time until we learnt to speak English.” The brothers spent their time amusing themselves with their friends in the sunshine, when shoes were just not a necessary item of clothing such as a hat. “Our feet became like leather and we would think nothing of walking anywhere and everywhere. On those occasions when our parents went visiting their friends on neighbouring farms on a Sunday, the hours spent there were agony in a pair of shoes that had not had the opportunity of being worn in,” Fo r d said. Toys were a luxury and were few and far between. So the boys made their own. “I remember well retrieving sardine tins and spent hours making these into little wagons complete with a ‘disselboom’ (shaft). The axles were made out of number 8 wire and the wheels comprised of discarded wooden cotton reels from my mother, sawn in half,” he said. The dreaded day of having to go to school arrived after a few years. “Instead of it being an exciting time as it is for children of today, this turned out to be a nightmare. I was taken from the secluded sheltered life I was accustomed to and dumped at the local John Vorster High School where there were hundreds of children running around,” Ford said. With Sterkstroom being a predominantly Afrikaans area the school catered for English speaking scholars in a single classroom from Grade 1 to Grade 7. Although the farm was a mere 5km from town, Ford’s parents considered it too expensive to take him to town every day, so he became a weekly boarder with one of the town’s residents. Fo r d ’s father eventually sold the farm and the family moved to nearby Queenstown, where they boys attended Queen’s College for a few years. But as their father had attended Grey High School in Port Elizabeth, he was determined that his boys would do the same. “And so it was in 1958 that we were packed off to Port Elizabeth and literally dumped there and had to fend for ourselves. Given our sheltered upbringing up to that stage, it was tough in the boarding house and the homesickness was something you just had to handle,” Ford said. However, once they eventually settled into their new surroundings the following years proved to be happy, with many new experiences. “I was fortunate enough to play in the first cricket XI for a few years and had the honour of playing alongside the great Graeme Pollock. We played in the Port Elizabeth senior men’s league, which was tough as we played against seasoned provincial players and a few Springboks. And so it was a proud moment for all of us when we won this league in 1961 for the first time in the history of Port Elizabeth c r i c ke t . ” After school and a stint in the army, Ford worked in Queenstown and Port Elizabeth before he bought his own business in Fort Beaufort. During his 20-odd years in the town, he served on the local council for eight years and was elected mayor for two of these. “Looking back on all these years, I would do it all again with some minor changes,” he concluded. Our condolence to the Ford family on the loss of Bob. Lana Richards 076 927 7787 Johan Richards 083 925 3641 Adrian Purdon 082 567 4973 kentonwatersolutions@gmail.com WATER STORAGE AND PURIFICATION SOLUTIONS Bathurst Show will be a bright beacon of fun ROB KNOWLES With just over two weeks to go, anticipation of the biggest agricultural event in the Eastern Cape is building, but concerns have been expressed about the impact of load-shedding on the Bathurst Show which will run from April 5 to 7. Bathurst Agricultural Society (BAS) chair Danny Wepener has organised sufficient electrical power to keep at least essential services at the show operational even if load-shedding is experienced over the weekend of the show. “BAS would like to reassure visitors that electricity will be available to power lights and other important services at the show irrespective of whether Eskom cut the p o w e r, ” said Wepener. He also mentioned the potential for more protests in the area as Nolukhanyo residents remain unhappy with the lack of importance the municipality appears to be attaching to their problems with water and housing. NO WATER? NO ELECTRICITY? NO PROBLEM! “We know the majority of Bathurst residents don’t want the rioting we have seen in the past as they realise it will only cost them money in the long run. But there are some radical elements and we want to ensure the safety of our visitors so we are employing additional security for the duration of the s h o w, ” he commented. This will be the 111th Bathurst Agricultural Show and 2019’s theme is “Save the Planet from P l a st i c ”. The theme of 2018 was, “Eaten Today? Thank a Farmer”, which had a strong impact in recognising the critical importance of farmers. The aim in 2019 is to reduce or even eliminate the proliferation of single-use plastics for wrapping that ends up at the landfills, or worse in streams and rivers, choking wildlife and destroying the environment. As usual, the show will be focused on agricultural activities and rural hobbies and p a st i m e s . As far as farming is concerned, there will be cattle, sheep, pigs, fowls and many other animals to see at the show and, as usual, the kids can get to hug a piglet or look at the striking and unusual assortment of fowls, or witness a sheep shearing demonstration. One would also be able to view artwork at the show, ranging from cake decoration to fine art paintings or see a blacksmith at work at the forge. And don’t forget the equestrian events, one of the most popular aspects of the Bathurst Show, with dressage, show jumping and more. Local and national companies, schools, car dealerships and others will have stands at the show and demonstrate their products and services, and there will be a cattle auction with top-quality livestock, K9 dog unit demonstrations, classic cars and a whole lot more fun at the show. Added to this, there are a few events that have also proved popular at previous shows. This includes a cook-off where local chefs receive a box of ingredients and have to design, cook and serve their best dishes using the products supplied. Best of all, when finished, spectators get to sample the dishes. Make sure you don’t miss the ride-on lawnmower races where, unlike in 2018, Wepener has promised to at least finish his race on the same day as the rest of the competitors. There will also be a fun fair and carnival rides, dancing displays, food stalls, pubs and live entertainment. ĞĂŝŶŐĞ ĞĂŝŶŐĂŝĚůΘĮŶŐŽ ŝŶĞŶĂŽŶĂůďĂŶĚ ĞĂŝŶŐĂŝĚďĂĞŝĞ Please contact 043-7485121 for an appointment. ŽŶůŶŐĨŽŵŽŵŝĐĂŽŽŵ ŽŚĞůůĚŽůĨĞĚ Sole Mandate. Beautiful gem of a home in a gated complex comprising of only 4 houses. North facing for winter warmth and very light and airy with spacious living areas. Easy to access with no steps, impeccably neat and in immaculate condition. With 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms, this property is one of a kind, in an extremely sought after complex. Double garage on remote, completely private, walled and secure. An added bonus of a very low levy makes this home a real treasure, but don’t delay as this is going to sell very quickly. Call Kathy today! www.thecandocompany.co.za 44163KZNR www.ayandambanga.co.za
March 21, 2019 ADVERTISING / NEWSDESK: (046) 624 4356 Find us on Facebook Talk of the Town 5 Readers talk about improving efficiency in state departments NTOMBENTSHA MSUTU For our latest Facebook question we asked our readers, what they think should be done to improve efficiency in government departments. Bram Coetzee s u g g e st e d they need to be thinned from the top. Angela Liesenberg said: “Change the entire government.” Urshi Behrens Wiblin said: “Teaching communication and customer relations skills.” Angi Bezuidenhout said: “Retrench all without compensation. If they need their jobs back, motivation letters and upskilling needs to occur at their own costs.” Wendy Williams said it would be hard to install some commitment to service when the general attitude is that they couldn’t care less. Loraine Briggs Campbell Loader suggested government employees need training in skills, education, training for the job, respect, knowledge of the different languages in SA, and telephone etiquette. Sue Gordon said: “For starters, thin down the number of employees, then ensure they are properly trained for the jobs they do. Thirdly, ensure they have superiors who evaluate their productivity. Just about any job can be broken down into quantifiable goals (eg, “my daily target is to serve x number of the public satisfactorily today”). Terri Elkonin Harrewyn said: “Pay them minimum wages and give them their benefits and bonuses at the end of their term according to what they have achieved.” Robyn Timm Taylor said they need consequence management enforced at all levels. Dawn Hains said: “Employ the correct person with the correct qualifications for the position, and forget about quotas, etc. We need effective efficient government employees.” Luke Strugnell said the government need to privatise as much as possible and shrink government to as small as possible. Ian Jamieson said a person should be paid per job completed. “Let public servants only get paid for time effectively spent in achieving a goal that benefits everyone, not an individual or a party.” Marius van Deventer said: “Wow, you are now opening a big can of worms!! But starting with people who are dedicated to ‘The People’ and not just a salary and holding individuals accountable. Problem is ‘if the bosses can go home at 2pm, why can’t I?’ Is the norm.” Lyn Lapham said: “Fire the whole lot of them and elect people who are willing to work for us. People, who care, are interested and whose minds are not so fully occupied with the salary that they get at the end of the month.” Russell Deutschmann agreed. “Stop the ‘boetie boetie’ s y st e m of employment and open to all races, not just blacks. Production bonuses to be agreed by the affected people, the public paying taxes and not the free grant-getting people,” he added. Amanda du Toit said: “Get rid of BEE and employ people who are properly qualified to do a job. Put performance-based increases in place with supervisors or managers who are committed to service delivery. If people don't do their jobs, get rid of them.” Roy Smith agreed. John David Burman disagreed, saying that is not possible at present. Colleen Dennis: “Agree totally with Amanda, also stop employing family members who are not qualified for the position being offered and retire those who reach the age of retirement. Also stop paying people who are on suspension, as well as their legal fees. if someone has done wrong, fire them.” MUSIC FOR HOSPICE: Music is a strong positive force in ever yone’s life. Hospice and the Kingswood College Music School support the ill and the dying among us. Join the cause for the good on Friday March 29 for the annual Hospice Grand Band Concert with Kingswood College's First and Concert Band – over 60 instrumentalists, boys and girls ranging from Grade 4to Grade 12. Pictured, from left, are Neliswa Ntintili, Nici Coleman (director of music and band conductor), Cheren Pepper and front, Simeon Smit (concert band leader). The concert will be held in the Kingswood High Performance Centre and begins at 7pm. Tickets cost R120 per person. For more information and bookings contact Alke Bradfield a . b r a d f i e l d @ k i n g s wo o d - college.com / (046) 603-6670 SOLE MANDATE 31 v d Riet Str Port Alfred 046-624 2901 Pig & Whistle Bldg Bathurst 046-625 0308 info@ipcportalfred.co.za www.ipcproperties.co.za BATHURST R550 000 2 2 2 This well maintained home consists of a large open plan lounge/dining area with an enclosed verandah area leading onto a patio overlooking the tranquil treed garden. There are 2 beds each with their own en-suite baths plus a separate WC. Situated in a quiet part of Bathurst this home has plenty of potential. Gill Turner 082 450 7720 HOW IT WORKS If you are suffering from colds and flu or secondary bacteriological infections of the nose, throat, lungs and ears, using Linctagon for support makes more than just sense. NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC ACTION The actives in Linctagon’s plant base display both anti-bacteriological and bacteriostatic properties. This fact makes Linctagon an obvious first line of defence against bacteriological respiratory infections associated with conditions such as sinusitis, ear infections, tonsillitis and bronchitis. GETTING OVER COLDS AND FLU In addition research studies in the early 2000’s indicate that Linctagon’s actives also assist the body to get over colds and flu quicker through its active support of the immune system. Linctagon users generally report that complaints associated with colds and respiratory infections (like coughing, a sore throat and runny nose) clear up fairly fast. Heritage Mall, Port Alfred Tel: (046) 624 1648 Fax: (046) 624 3547 E-Mail: leachpharm@border.co.za
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