Talk 12 May 2022

12 Advertising & Newsdesk: (046) 624-4356 Find us on Facebook 12 May 2022 TALK OF THE TOW N
The city is renowned for its
educational institutions, for
being the national seat of
the judiciary and for its
cultural events
makhanda
festival city
with SID PENNEY
Send your news of local events
and achievements, or of any
issues you might be having to
sidp@imaginet .co.za
or call (046) 624-4356
picture © bernard mackenzie / 123RF.com
PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY …
Makana Municipality celebrated its
firefighters last week and publicly
acknowledged its appreciation for the
selfless work performed locally by these
staff members to save lives and protect the
c o m m u n i t y.
A short ceremony was held to
commemorate International Firefighters’
Day in front of the City Hall on Church
Square. International Firefighters’ Day is
observed annually on May 4.
Addressing the gathering, Executive
Mayor, Cllr Yandiswa Vara, said it was
important to appreciate the dangerous
work performed by firefighters to protect
citizens, and it should not be taken for
g ra n t e d .
Firefighting is not just about extinguishing
fires but about saving lives as well, she
said, adding that their work does not go
unnoticed.
Fire chief William Welkom said, “We pay
tribute to firefighters who have died in the
line of duty and also honour current and
past firefighters.”
KEEPING MAKHANDA CLEAN …
Makana Municipality has committed itself
to clearing and cleaning dump sites all
over Makhanda, and has urged residents
to play their part in keeping the
community clean and safe.
In a statement issued last week, the
municipality said that illegal dump sites
are a direct result of knowingly dumping
domestic refuse in areas not meant for
dumping.
“This creates a health hazard for the
community, environment and animals,”
said the statement. “This also creates a
financial burden on the municipality
because of the cost of clearing illegal
dumping sites.”
Last week, Makana Municipality cleared
a massive pile of rubbish around the JD
Dlepu sports stadium in Joza.
Executive Mayor, Cllr Yandiswa Vara,
encouraged residents in the area to ensure
that no illegal dumping takes place in
their area, urging them to make sure that
no-one dumps refuse there anymore.
“This is our town – we must be
responsible for keeping it clean,” she said.
RED BUS A FREQUENT VISITOR …
The mobile unit of the SA National Blood
Service (SANBS) based in Gqeberha (Port
Elizabeth) visits the Dutch Reformed
Church hall at 59A Hill Street (on the
southern side of the traffic lights) between
12 noon and 6pm each Tuesday.
In recent weeks there has been a shortage
of blood both regionally and nationally,
and Elize Scheepers, head of donor
relations at the SANBS for the Eastern
Cape, is well-pleased with the blood
donations by Makhanda (Grahamstown)
donors for 2022 thus far.
During April, 109 units of blood were
collected at the weekly clinic in Hill
Street. Scheepers had this to say to
Makhanda donors: “Thank you for your
continued support of our life-saving
c a u s e .”
PORT ALFRED BRIDGE CLUB
BBO Pairs Wednesday, 04. May 2022
Board 16 Dealer W, E - W vulnerable. No 53333
One would think that this deal would be
relatively straightforward, but it did not
work out that way in practice.
Most West’s will open the bidding with 1H
and now the deal result may depend on
East’s response. East has a trump suit
containing two of the top three honours;
a useful singleton and a 5 card club suit
which may, or may not be useful. With
only three spades and partner showing a
hand with 5 hearts a bid of 2H indicates
weakness and leaves you vulnerable to a
spade overcall: your hand is worth a raise
to 2.5H; i.e. much better than a simple
raise to 2H, but not really worth a raise to 3H. However you decide on
3H; which effectively blocks out South. East has a good 15 point hand
with probable control in every suit except spades, so raises to game.
The defense will start with three spade tricks so if South continues
with the thirteenth spade West will need to ruff with the heart 10, to
protect against a freak diamond holding by the opposition. Then West
must play AD and ruff a Diamond low, followed by
a club back to the Ace, a third diamond can now
be ruffed with the Ace of Trumps. Then cash the
trump Queen before leading a trump back to hand
to win all the remaining tricks.
Results (Scored for E - W)
3HW+2 (67%; 4HW-1 (2) 17%; 4HW= 100%
1st J Browning & Z Kucera. …..…67.5%
2nd K Botha & A Osinski.............58.3%
3rd E Clayton & M Newport…….55.8%
GRAEME WINS FIRST TEAM DERBY
…
In difficult conditions on Lower field on
Saturday afternoon – wind, drizzle and
cold – visitors Graeme College 1sts
defeated their St Andrew’s College
counterparts 11-5 after leading 8-5 at the
changeover. The teams scored a try
apiece, with Graeme adding two
penalties for the win.
All the results between the two schools:
1sts – Graeme won 11-5
2nds – Graeme won 19-17
3rds – St Andrew’s won 19-14
4ths – St Andrew’s won 26-22
5ths – Graeme won 17-10
U16A – St Andrew’s won 19-17
U16B – St Andrew’s won 19-7
U15A – St Andrew’s won 24-17
U15B – St Andrew’s won 28-7
U14A – Graeme won 22-10
U14B – Graeme won 38-5
U14C – Graeme won 32-0.
THAT WAS A BIG HOLE …
Many Makhandans, as well as business
owners in the area, will have been
mightily pleased to see that the huge
trenches dug on the western side of
Bathurst Street (outside the old Olympia
Café – remember it?) have been filled in
after repairs were completed. Now, please
don’t forget to tar it over!
STOCKWELL REACHES TRIPLE
CENTURY …
Veteran road runner Peter Stockwell, who
has numerous marathon and ultramarathon
finishes under the belt, was the
toast of Makana botanical gardens last
Saturday when he completed his 300th
parkrun.
He joins Stavie van Aardt in the local ‘300
Club’, and next up in this category should
be Lynne Marshall who completed her
288th on Saturday.
First finisher on a cold and drizzly
morning when 49 people took part was
Jonathan Gouws in a new personal best
time of 21 minutes 38 seconds, while firsttimer
Briggie Duk was first in the ladies’
division in 28 minutes 29 seconds.
Siviwe Moyake has two to go to his 100th
parkrun, Ezra Dassah has one to go to his
50th and Joe Orsmond two to go to his
50th.
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday
from the entrance to the botanical
gardens in Lucas Avenue.
GALA CONCERT …
Victoria Girls’ High School (VG) presents
a gala music concert in the school hall
from 5pm on Friday, May 13. Entrance is
free, and school pupils are requested to
attend in uniform.
Carinus Art Centre in Beaufort Street
holds its annual art auction on May 21
(6.30pm) and this year’s theme is
“Connect the Dots”. Tickets are R150 per
person and the evening takes the form of a
cocktail party with designer finger food.
The auction will be conducted by Anton
Krueger. For more info and tickets phone
046 622 4543.
NEXT UP IN THE CHAPEL …
Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello) and JF
Viljoen (piano) visit the Kingswood
College chapel on Tuesday, May 26 (7pm)
for the Music Society of Makhanda’s next
concert. They will perform works by
Bach, Arvo Part, Respighi, Poulenc and
Po p p e r.
Tickets at the door are R100 (adults), R80
(pensioners) and R50 (tertiary students),
while school pupils and society season
ticket holders have free entry.
FILTHY …
It was recently mentioned in this column
that upper Bathurst Street, between
Beaufort and Market, was very grubby
indeed with paper, cardboard, plastic
packets and fast food containers strewn all
over the place.
Well, the breaking news is … the situation
has not changed, and it was as grubby as
ever last weekend. I will say no more.
REBELLION IN THE CBD …
In the past couple of months there have
been several social media posts
mentioning a new coffee shop that has
opened its doors in Bathurst Street. The
posts stated that “Retro Rebellion” had
started trading at 18 Bathurst Street.
Where, I wondered, could that be, so I
went and had a look. Oh, so that’s where
it is, I exclaimed to myself. Retro
Rebellion (I really like the name) can be
found upstairs a couple of doors down
from Patel’s general dealer store.
In fact, it’s on the first floor above those
friendly people who test your eyesight
and give you “I can see clearly now”
spectacles.
Prior to the ‘spectacle people’ o c c u py i n g
the premises, another business
specialising in lenses was the occupant –
it was Fotonik photographic studio.
Retro Rebellion serves food ranging from
burgers, pastas and sandwiches to
breakfasts, salads and, of course, coffee.
So that’s Retro Rebellion!
A DUKE AND A GOVERNOR …
Brookshaw Home’s annual fete, when
Covid-19 lockdown restrictions
permitted, was held a fortnight ago, being
the 2022 edition after a break of two
years. As many locals are aware,
Brookshaw Home lies between Donkin
Street and Beaufort Street.
According to the listing of local streets
compiled in the 1960s, Donkin Street was
FUN TIMES: : Upper
High Street, at its
intersection with
Somerset Street, took
on a quirky look at the
weekend, what with
the National Arts
Festival (NAF) just
around the corner. The
Opposite the Arch
business hub was
adorned with attractive
art work last year, and
the Barista coffee shop
tuk-tuk was
accompanied by a
fancy-looking VW
Kombi. The festival
runs from June 23 to
July 3. And the pavement
trees certainly
added to the vibe.
Pictures: SID PENNEY
named after Sir Rufane Donkin, Acting
Governor in 1820 and 1821. It was he,
according to the listing, who “welcomed
the Settlers”.
Beaufort Street was named after the Duke
of Beaufort, father of Lord Charles
Somerset.
SALON ESCAPED THE BLAZE …
A fortnight ago a story appeared in this
column dealing with the Church Square
blaze that destroyed or damaged six
buildings. One neighbouring business
that escaped damage or destruction,
despite being only a matter of metres
away, was Salon Tippin.
Tippin Perkins (nee Richardson) had
owned the hairdressing salon for 49 years
when she sold it in 2011. She was 19
years of age when she started Tippin’s in
the early 1960s, and after the sale retired
to Port Alfred with husband Terrence
‘Tu r k ’ Pe r k i n s .
She remembers that the salon was
situated behind Leader & Krummeck
Jewellers and Stirk’s Hardware, and that
the fire was “all around” her salon.
In August 1987, Salon Tippin placed an
advertorial in Grocott’s Mail with the
headline: “Ti p p i n ’s – Grooming
G ra h a m s t ow n ’s hair for 25 years”.
A staff photograph accompanied the story
on the page and, appearing in the group
picture were, among others, Tippin
Perkins and Ann Maritz (managers),
Meriel Nel, Juanita Dreyer, Suzette
MacDonald, Loretta Wessels and
Florence Biko.
Advertisers contributing to the page
included L’Oreal of Paris that stated,
“Congratulations on your 25th
anniversary, and may your success
continue for the next 25 years.”
Tippin Perkins sold Salon Tippin in 2011
and it continues to wash, shampoo and
cut hair, apply highlights, trim nails and
apply fancy nail polish, operating from
within Pepper Grove Mall.
CHEQUE TOWARDS FUND …
It was a rather moving moment shortly
before Saturday’s First XV derby rugby
clash between St Andrew’s College and
Graeme College on Lower field.
The occasion saw St Andrews’ interim
headmaster Aidan Smith handing over a
cheque for R20 000 to Graeme
headmaster Kevin Watson.
Standing with them was a smiling Graeme
pupil Simnikiwe Bosman who suffered
serious injuries last year during the
Graeme/St Andrew’s 1st team rugby
m a t ch .
So serious was the injury to his leg that it
resulted in an amputation. The donation
towards his rehabilitation was made to the
Simnikiwe Bosman Trust.
HONOURS FOR MUSIC …
A St Andrew’s College Honours award for
music has been made to Aidan Reynolds
(flute) who earned a 100% mark for his
practical component at the end of 2021.
He has been a member of the St
Andrew’s/Diocesan School for Girls wind
orchestra since 2018, and is also currently
mastering the saxophone.
ONE OF THE OLDEST …
About 100m down Hill Street from the
towering Cathedral of St Michael and St
George is GBS Mutual Bank, originally
known as Grahamstown Building Society.
The building housing the bank is one of
several in Makhanda’s CBD that have
their construction date or opening date
emblazoned on their façades.
In the case of the GBS it is “1877”, and
states on its website it is proudly one of
the oldest banks in SA.
GBS Mutual Bank’s head office is in
Makhanda, while it has branches in Cape
Town (Claremont), Gqeberha (Walmer)
and Port Alfred.
The date 1877 reflects the year the then
building society “opened its doors”.
COLOURS IN THE WATER …
Kingswood College swimming Colours
have been awarded to Dominique de
Jongh, Matipa Karimozondo and Jasmine
Wi t h u h n .
DERBY HOCKEY …
Results of hockey matches played last
week between St Andrew’s College and
Graeme College:
St Andrew’s 1sts beat Graeme 1sts 2-0
St Andrew’s 2nds drew with Graeme 2nds
2-2
Graeme U15A beat St Andrew’s U14B 4-
0.
STACKS ON OFFER AT FETE …
A date to diarise for ‘fete fans’ is Saturday,
June 4 when Oakhaven and Settlers Close
Cottages hold a fete from 10am to 3pm in
the Oakhaven gardens in Caldecott Street,
just below the flyover.
On offer will be a white elephant stall,
plant stall, crafters’ tables, curry & rice,
milk tarts, pancakes, vetkoek, biscuits,
cakes, tea and coffee.
MATCHES COMING UP …
Following their derby clashes last
weekend, the rugby teams of St Andrew’s
College are off to East London on
Saturday, May 14 for matches against
Selborne College, while the rugby sides of
Graeme College travel to Graaff-Reinet to
play Volkskool.
A week later on May 21, St Andrew’s
returns to East London for games against
Cambridge High School, then it’s home
matches for St Andrew’s on May 28, and a
big day it will be too when Grey High
School brings quite a few teams up from
Gqeberha.
Graeme hosts Grey High School on May
21, and there are more ‘home’ fixtures for
the Somerset Heights school when they
host Kingswood College on May 28.
Local schools and clubs wishing to have
their rugby, hockey and other fixtures
published in this column can e-mail them
to sidp@imaginet.co.za
MALL NEWCOMER: Following extensive alterations and additions by the
developers at Pepper Grove Mall shopping centre, Clicks Pharmacy opened
its doors last week and has been busy since. Crazy Store (centre) will soon
be moving across the parking lot, while the unfinished building on the left
will soon house Clicks. Meanwhile, Wallace’s Pharmacy in the mall has closed
its doors and the staff moved into Clicks Pharmacy.