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FOOD
SAFARI IN PRINCE ALBERT
in the
December 2012 edition
of
Country Life!
The Olive Branch
May 2013
Our 20th Olive
Festival provided a weekend to remember. Congratulations and many
thanks to the organizing committee who introduced some new ideas, made
sure the entertainment and stall presentation were of the highest
quality and who are already reviewing feedback and planning ahead for
our 21st Olive Festival in 2014.
As one would expect after our
winning the Best Food Stall at the KKNK, the Olive Festival food
was a celebration of
Prince Albert's high quality produce and versatile local cooks, braai-kings,
bakers, jam and preserve-makers. Well done to the
Zwartberg
High School
stall for winning the Olive Festival Best Stall award and to Willem
de Bruyn of Beaufort West, who will be returning to enjoy his lucky draw
prize of two nights at Karoo
Views Cottages and
dinner at African Relish.
Locals Essie Esterhuizen and Amanda du Plessis won the hampers packed
with delicious
Prince Albert
goodies.
The Festival usually brings
Autumn weather so the last few days have been a little cooler and many
trees and the grape vines are changing hues and losing their leaves.
Prince Albert
is now looking forward to warm days and decidedly chilly nights for the
next few months. The cold nights are easy to handle: a goose-down duvet,
dover
stove, hot chocolate (or witblitz) and a friend to cuddle! One real
advantage of the warm days is that you can walk in the Karoo all day
long, no need to avoid the midday sun, so you'll be interested to hear
that the little Karoo Labyrinth at
St John's
has been joined by two full size labyrinths in the district.
Take a drive along the road
towards the
Weltevrede
Valley
and you'll reach My Shire,
the home of Lisa and Gary Smith where Terry de Vries of Rainbow
Labyrinths has constructed an eleven-circuit medieval labyrinth
based on that at Chartes Cathedral. Walking a labyrinth in the wide open
space of the Karoo is magical; add the fact that this one is wheelchair
friendly and imagine seeing
Gary
walking it with a horse and you know it is a very special place.
St Augustine
said: "All is solved by walking" and Lisa has taken this to
heart in her approach to counter-acting the threat of fracking in the
Karoo
. Come and walk the My Shire Labyrinth for your own
well-being and that of the
Karoo
. Tel 083 629 9196 for
more details.
Closer to town Bushman
Valley have established a seven-circuit labyrinth from
Karoo
stones - more details on 082 452 8134.
Speaking of Karoo stones ...
the Fransie Pienaar Museum's Eunotosaurus
fossil - the most distant ancestor of tortoises, has been inspected
by two world authorities on the creatures: Drs
Tyler
Lyson of the Smithsonian Institute and Gabriel Bever from the
American
Museum
of Natural History. This excellent specimen is the best they have seen.
The little fossil has left town on temporary loan for CT scanning to
reveal all its secrets.
Have you entered the Fernskloof
Wines maiden
race yet. Time is running out for entries for the 15km timed trail which
offers picturesque meanders through veld and mountain slopes of the
Prince Albert Valley which takes place on 1 June 2013. More details are
available at www.trailrunning.co.za.
Our forthcoming
events page will keep you up to date on all we're planning for
2013.
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The Olive Branch
April 2013
This month' in fact our stall did
Prince Albert
proud, winning the award for the best food stall with all our
tasty products. All of which you can enjoy at our 20th
Olive Festival later in April. Read on for news of our cycling
hero, a new novel, some very old pots, our horse whisperer at the
Prince Albert
Community
Riding
School
and a link to all the
attractions of the Olive Festival.
As usual a group of local
residents entered the
Cape
Argus
Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. Our own Chris Jooste enjoyed a
great ride, winning the u18 category as the first junior home and coming
in 18th overall.
Prince Albert
is VERY proud of you, Chris!
Former Prince Albert
resident, Carol Campbell, has published a gripping novel My Children
Have Faces about the Karretjiemense of the
Karoo
. Some years ago Carol found two donkeys wandering down Kerkstraat.
Their owners were a family of karretjiemense who had lost their animals.
The family and their donkeys found shelter on Carol's farm and provided
the inspiration for this moving tale set in Leeu Gamka and the
Central Karoo
. For more details visit www.randomstruik.co.za.
The March issue of The Prince Albert Friend carried
a fascinating article about two Khoe pots uncovered after heavy rain on
the outskirts of
Prince Albert
. Local expert Dr Judy Maguire was very excited by the find since in 45
years of association with caves and cave deposits, archaeology,
archaeologists, digs and museums she had never before experienced the
discovery of an intact Khoe pot, let alone one with special contents.
Enquiries at the
Iziko
Museum
in
Cape Town
revealed that their collection of Khoe pots numbers only 34, and of
these, only 4 are recorded as being complete. The Prince Albert Khoe pot
is very special! The contents were identified by Judy's husband,
geologist John Begg as magnetite, which might have been used as body
decorants, as trade goods and for marking the body for ritual purposes. To
read the full article and see photos of the pots: click
here.
Piet Vries grew up on a farm and still, at 45, has a
country boy's love of wide-open spaces, clear-mountain mornings and
animals... especially horses. In a community where there is little or
nothing to help kids pass the time he believed that a
Riding
School
would not only keep them off the streets but would also give them
something meaningful to do. Slowly his dream to use horses to lead
Prince Albert
's youngsters away from drink and drugs has become a reality. With the
help of local vet, Dr Brett Bard, Piet has established the Prince
Albert Community Riding School. Read all about how Piet's dream
is making a difference in our community click
here. The youngsters will be offering rides as a fund-raising
venture during the Olive Festival.
The
Prince Albert Olive Festival turns 20 and now has
a dedicated website with details being added daily. Old favourites such
as the ever popular open gardens, stargazing, the olive pip spitting
competition and live music in the Beer tent are joined by exciting
events, including Paul Eilers, renowned film director and actor, talking
about "The Making of Verraaiers" his recent award-winning film
set in the Boer War. A 22km cycle race will take place through the
Karoo
from Abrahamskraal to town, there’s Walks & Talks to suit everyone
and there’ll be a real focus on local products including woodwork,
knitting & crochet, pottery, photography, colour therapy, locally
made hats, jewellery and forged metalwork at the 'markie'. Tastes
include delicious local food, produce, preserves, and don't forget the
olives and there will be a lucky draw at the end of the festival for
a fabulous prize prize -
a week-end for two in Prince Albert plus a delicious dinner au deux! - 28 April. Click here for full
details.
On the accommodation front - make your bookings SOON and remember to
visit the Prince Albert SPECIALS
page where local guesthouses and self-catering establishments
advertise their special offers.
Finally, the Friends of the Museum have
asked us to remind you about the Witblitzstook
and Potjieaand on 20 April. For more details contact the
Fransie
Pienaar
Museum
023 5411 172.
See you at our 20th Olive Festival: 26 - 28 April 2013!
http://princealbertolivefestival.yolasite.com/
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The Olive Branch
March 2013
It's astonishing to find we
are entering the third month of 2013. Where is the year going and have
you visited us yet? Here are some of the attractions we have to offer in
the next few months.
Right in the centre of Kerkstraat you
will find the
Fransie
Pienaar
Museum
which tells our history from pre-historic times through to the 1960's.
Enthusiastic local volunteers ensure it is one of the best curated in
the country. Fund-raising is always an issue and the Museum has one
rather unusual way of generating some of its finances: it has a licence
to distil and sell witblitz, the white lightening of the
Karoo
and now is the time to restock the shelves. The Friends of the
Museum and Prince Albert Cultural Foundation will hold their annual Witblitzstook
and Potjieaand on 20 April. A great opportunity to see the still in
action, to enjoy good food, great company and to taste the local liquor.
Join us and decide if it really does live up to its name. For more
details contact the
Fransie
Pienaar
Museum
023 5411 172.
Another initiative which
supports the Museum is our local Film Club which meets every
second Wednesday in 'Die Dam' next to the
Fransie
Pienaar
Museum
. During the past six years those who gather have donated R12 090 to
Museum funds. If you're visiting on a Wednesday pop into the Tourism
Association office to find out what's being screened.
On the 26 & 27 April our
annual Olive Festival will take place in the grounds of the
museum and at the 'markie' next door - definitely a date for your diary!
We'll give you full details in our next newsletter.
The Kokkedoor cookery show team
has been keeping
Prince Albert
intrigued, entertained and well fed, with a Bazaar in the NG Kerksaal
during February and some delicious offerings at our Saturday Market on 2
March. They joined our
regular stall holders at the 'markie' and while we enjoyed their
contestants' culinary creations, they were able to sample Prince Albert
fare: Elin's French pastries, Andrea's nougat, Mari & Johan's
pannekoek, William's muffins, fresh produce from the Pete 'Pampoen'
Reinder's garden, Henriette's samoosas and Veltevrede's fresh figs.
We'll keep you posted as to when the programme will start airing
so you can join us on screen.
Duke and Kurt, owners of the Watershed
Prince Albert art gallery have received lots of press coverage
lately. The gallery was featured in the summer edition of 'South'
magazine and their home in an Australian design magazine. Last but not
least, Visi featured Watershed, focusing mainly on the Jurgen
Schadeberg Gallery. Check out the link: http://www.visi.co.za/ click on Decor/Shops.
Calling all runners ... Fernskloof
Wines are
launching their maiden race on 1 June 2013. The 15km timed trail offers
picturesque meanders through veld and mountain slopes of the
Prince Albert
Valley
in the Great Karoo. If you'd like more details, please visit www.trailrunning.co.za
where you can enter on the
Western Cape
events page.
We recently received a compliment from Nosy
Rosy's
newsletter when they dubbed The
Olive Branch a 'Noteworthy
Newsletter.' If you want to know what's happening along the West Coast
and Inland, Overberg & Cape Town and the rest of SA visit Nosy
Rosy who exposes the 'best kept secrets and fact...'
The Easter school
holidays are just around the corner.
We hope you are
planning to spend them in
Prince Albert
.
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The
Olive Branch
February
2013
We
start February with some congratulations ...
Four
of our restaurants, African Relish, Mix, the Karoo
Kombuis and Swartberg Arms, were recognised among the top
nineteen restaurants in the 2012 Klein Karoo Gourmand Awards initiated
by Chef Francois Ferreira and food expert Anne Hadley. The sponsors of
the award are Die Hoorn newspaper of Oudtshoorn and Suid-Kaap
Wineries. Each restaurant was
visited by at least twelve gourmets and assessed on their own merits,
not in competition with each other. Congratulations to one and all!
Prince Albert
is justifiably proud of our high quality local ingredients and the
delicious food our restaurants produce.
Talking
cooking... The Karoo auditions for the kykNet
cooking reality show Kokkedoor took
place in
Prince Albert
in January and
Errieda du Toit, RSG's in-house chef and a member of the audition panel
was astounded at the skills of local competitors. The 20 finalists from
across
South Africa
have now been chosen and filming begins right HERE on 11 February.
We’ve been promised "Hollywood
in the
Karoo
" for the next month!
Local
produce and creativity in all its forms can be found at Brent's "Made
in
Prince Albert
" shop, which opened on 1 February 2013.
The shop will stock a wide variety of products and goods made in
our wonderful little town. Contact
Brent for more details: 082 749 2128.
January
saw the grand opening of Brakdakkie's new family cottage!
Originally used as a shed for Esmerelda, the donkey who walked over the
Swartberg Pass to raise funds for donkey rescue and care in 1998, it has
been renovated, restored and extended, using straw bales and clay
plaster - the first guest house of its kind in Prince Albert! Click
here for more details.
The
Prince Albert Garden Club meets during the first week of each
month and on 6 February, they will gather at 09h00 at Dr Reinders'
vegetable garden. Nicknames abound in
Prince Albert
and Dr 'Pete Pampoen' is so named because of his expertise in growing
heritage vegetables. After a tour of the organic garden, refreshments
will be served. Visitors are most welcome (R10 fee for the event). For
more information on this and future gatherings, contact Sue Goosen on
023 541 1558.
One
of our pre-schools, Wildekanisland, will hold their annual
Valentine's Fundraiser
from 6pm on Friday, 15 February on the rugby field at
Zwartberg
High School
. A hamburger, chips and coke costs just R35 and tickets can be
purchased at the venue or beforehand from
Lydia
on 084 270 2966.
Prince
Albert's
Life Coach
We
have a date for the 2013 Prince Albert Olive Festival. Join us
for all the fun of the fair on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 April 2013.
This will be our 20th Olive Festival, and it promises to be a
bumper affair. More details as the date approaches...
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The Olive Branch
January 2013
Welcome to a New Year filled
with possibilities, may it be a very happy year for all our readers, one
which will bring you to visit us and share in
Prince Albert
's peace.
Our Tourism Association team
is thrilled with the results of their office transformation, brought
about by local handyman Richard Reinders. Besides the bright
paintwork, the new blinds, light
fittings and brochure racks add to the look. There's comfortable
seating where you can spend a while looking through the brochures to
make your accommodation choices and plan your excursions. Make sure to
pop in to admire the changes - you will find the welcoming smiles are
still the same!
 The
Christmas season brought many guests to enjoy our great cuisine and
people
The reality
cooking competition, produced by Homebrew Films in
Cape Town
, will build recipes and challenges around Afrikaans "legacy
foods" - or nostalgic meals: classic Afrikaans dishes, updated but
still relying on the original taste and history of the meal.
Rain
has fallen in the district and the proteas at the Gamkaskloof road turn-off
in the
Swartberg
Pass
are in flower with
Cape
Sugarbirds
swooping from bloom to bloom, the males displaying their extra-long tail
feathers. Japie Claasen's book Where to Watch birds in
Prince Albert
, is an ideal companion to Helena Marincowitz's excellent books on
the
Swartberg
Pass
and Gamkaskloof (Die Hel),
all are available at the Tourism Office.
Louis Botha is a professional photographer who runs photography courses
here in the clear, sparkling air of the Great Karoo.
Prince Albert
with its historic buildings, interesting people, nostalgia and
landscapes is an ideal venue. He will be offering his Introduction to Advanced Photography course several times during
2013. Suited to beginners and experienced photographers wishing
to increase the impact of their work, small groups assure personal
attention. Find out more by visiting his website at www.louisbothaphotography.co.za
As
the year progresses we'll keep you informed on all the special events,
courses, art exhibitions, festivals and everything that makes a visit to
our unique little town at the foot of the Swartberg a must for your 2013
diary. Some are already advertised on our forthcoming
events web page.
We look forward to
welcoming you to
Prince Albert
during 2013.
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The Olive Branch
December 2012
As our 250th
anniversary year draws to a close we look back on what has been an
AMAZING year!
We started
with the Municipality's 110th anniversary, went swinging into
Huis Kweekvallei's 40th birthday, the Friends of the Museum's
30th, our Library's and the NG Kerk bazaar's 150th.
We celebrated 10 years for the Art Gallery and 100 for the Prince Albert
Friend, 140 for St John’s Church Hall and we are heading for our
Saturday Market's 15th birthday... add to this the Autumn
School, PArt and the Leesfees, a host of special events for various
clubs and organisations in the town and you'll appreciate that 2012 has
been one long party. Our being voted the
Western Cape
winner of the
Kwela/Rapport - 'Dorp van die
Jaar' competition was the cherry on
the top.
Our final events for the year are the 15th anniversary of our Saturday
Market, with its Christmas theme from 8.00am on Saturday 15th
December followed by the Karoo Carols by Candlelight service at the Sidwell Williams Centre in North
End at 7.00pm on Sunday 16th December. Why not join us for
the long weekend to enjoy Christmas Cheer in the Great Karoo?
Our
last in the series of dustbin of the month isn't to be found on the streets of
Prince Albert
, it is a drawing, by local artist Lorna Verran, of the man behind the
whole idea: John McKenna. Throughout this anniversary year hundreds of
tourists have admired the bins, learnt lots about our history and have
commented how neat and tidy our streets are. John didn't just come up
with the idea, he spent hours of time, energy and his great persuasive
powers to bring it to fruition. Once again, thank you John and all the
artists who contributed their creative skills, especially Clive Heyne.
As the end
of year school holidays rapidly approach we hope you will consider
spending some time in
Prince Albert
. Join
Brian Finch for New Year's Eve at Mustang
Sally's
from 8pm. Tickets cost R80 per person and are available from the
Tourism Office. Mustang Sally's will also present the "Radio
Kalahari Orkes"
on Friday, 4 January 2013 at
8pm. Tickets at R150 per person are available from the Tourism Office.
This is sure to be a sell-out so book now to avoid disappointment.
African
Relish will be offering a range of
cookery courses during December. Hans and Tilanie Daehne of Astrotours
will
be available for stargazing in
Prince Albert
on 8 December and from 15 - 22 December and the Story
Weaver
will be wandering with her Ghost Walks from 7 December onwards. Add
farm and vineyard visits, art galleries, delicious food, fine wines,
fresh fruit and the peace which is
Prince Albert
... an ideal Christmas holiday venue!
The Prince Albert
Tourism Association Committee join Zelia in wishing you a very happy
Christmas and New Year. We look forward to welcoming you to our unique
home at the
foot of the Swartberg.
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The Olive Branch
November 2012
Our
farmers celebrated their Landbouskou
in the drizzle - some might think this would dampen the spirits but on
the contrary, we are always delighted to have soft, soaking rain in the
Great Karoo! Congratulations to all involved in the Agricultural Show,
the demonstrations of traditional crafts were a wonderful innovation and
the poultry exhibition proved extremely popular, a city-dwelling visitor
who saw a chicken lay an egg was beyond herself with excitement.
Speaking of birds ...
Abrahamskraal
Guest Farm invites you to join them for bird
watching with Japie Claasen on Saturday, 3 November at 07h30. R180
per person. Transport is available from
Prince Albert
(return) at R50 per person. Refreshments will be served on arrival.
Bring your own picnic basket for lunch or order delicious hot 'roosterkoek'
with various fillings at R10 each. To book kindly contact Hestie Fourie
on 023 541-1691 or 082 6494 235.
Next on
the list of our 250 year celebrations is the Prince Albert Leesfees. The
programme for the weekend of 9 - 11 November includes book signings,
discussions with well-known authors, performances for children, a
fracking debate... the organiser is Corina
van der Spoel, who co-directs the Mail & Guardian's
Literary Festival, organises literary events at the Aardklop
Kunstefees and has her own radio programme on RSG: Skrywers en
Boeke. So it’s no wonder that the Prince Albert Leesfees
promises a packed programme with authors such as Carel van der Merwe, Andrew Brown, Tim Cohen, Sydda Essop, Maritz
Spaarwater,
Antony
Osler and more.
On Friday 9 November, a Potjiekos
Evening has been organised in the Markie as part of the Leesfees.
Willem Freysen and Yolande Singery will cater for vegetarians and
meat-eaters! Tickets can be purchased for R50pp at the Markie on the
day.
Our dustbin
of the month is the Chess Board bin placed outside the
Prince Albert
Primary School
gates. The school will be the focus of much attention during the
Leesfees. Dignitaries from the Western Cape Education Department will be
present and guest of honour Louise Smit,
whose characters from Wielie Walie (Karel Kraai, Bennie Bookwurm,
etc) are well known to younger readers, will introduce a new puppet
character in a performance especially for children, to mark the official
opening of a brand new library
at the School. What better way to inspire our youth?
African
Relish
Cookery
School
will be offering two special weekend courses during November: Summer
Bistro Cooking -
Karoo
style with Stefan Marais and
a weekend of contemporary delights using local seasonal
produce with Bertus Basson, Maverick Genius.
Contact Virna for details: virna@africanrelish.com
On 25 November the NG Kerk
will host a Lofsangaand, where choirs and songsters from various congregations in the town will
raise 'a joyful noise' at their Christmas music evening service, which
begins at 6.00pm. Everyone
is most welcome.
Our anti-fracking stand was admired last weekend when David
Kramer made the following comment on
his Facebook page: Driving back to
Cape Town
from Boekbedonnerd in
Richmond
we came through
Prince Albert
. The town has made a strong anti-fracking
statement by tying black cloth around the trunks of the bluegum trees
that line the main street. Very cool. Hats off to Prince Albert.
Thanks David!
As the
school holidays rapidly approach we hope you will consider spending some
time in
Prince Albert
. Visit our website for details about our wide range of accommodation,
our restaurants and all the things you can do in and around our special
little town at the foot of the Swartberg.
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The Olive Branch
October 2012
Our
250th anniversary celebrations reached a
high point
in September with De
Beer
descendants visiting to honour our first settlers in the unveiling of a
memorial and trips to the three farms they established here:
Kweekvallei, Swartrivier and Vrisgewagd. This was followed by our first
ever and quite AMAZING Prince
Albert Art Festival
(PArt),
with internationally acclaimed artists visiting the village and
exhibiting their work. Read all about both in the Centenary
Edition of the local newspaper The
Prince Albert Friend / Vriend. De Prince Albert Vriend,
a bilingual Dutch/English weekly newspaper, was first published on 4
October 1912. Congratulations to editor Linda Jaquet and all involved in
producing this monthly treasure trove of local stories, which is
available by subscription to those who live beyond the village bounds.
During the weekend of 6 – 7 October the Heritage
Quilt designed and created by
Prince Albert
ladies will be unveiled at the St John’s Church Flower Festival.
The ‘Patchwork Dolls’ quilting guild have produced a spectacular and
evocative work of art which tells the story of Prince Albert across the
years. The Thursday Group will be hosting an ‘International
Tea Party’ from 10.00am – 4.00pm on Saturday 6 October to raise
funds for their charitable works, so once you have viewed the quilt and
flowers, step across to the Hall to enjoy a delicious treat.
St John’s
Anglican Church features on
our
dustbin of the month. The Mission School Hall is 140 and the church 117 years
old this year. Thomas Bain attended services in the Hall whilst working
on the
Swartberg
Pass
and several of the policemen from the Zwartberg Convict Station married
local girls there. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at 9.00am on Sunday 7 October.
The annual Prince Albert Landbouskou takes place from 19 – 20 October. The SA
Boer goat Inter-regional Championship and the Merino and
Dorper/Whitedorper Championships will take place and some of SA’s best
horses will be in action. There will be demonstrations of goose
plucking, olive soap making and coffee roasting and you can enjoy the usual delicious
boerekos including steak braai, potjiekos, skaapkop and tripe. Lots
of activities have been organised for children and rugby fans can catch the game on a Big
Screen! Full
details here.
For your
November diary: Corina van der Spoel, who managed the renowned bookshop Boekehuis
in Melville for many years, is co-ordinating the first Prince
Albert Leesfees from 9 – 11 November. The programme includes popular South African writers Carel
van der Merwe, Andrew Brown, Tim Cohen, Maritz Spaarwater and
Chef Sydda Essop, discussing their works; puppet performances for
children by Louise Smit of Wielie
Walie fame; cookery demonstrations by Bernadette le Roux (Roots,
shoots & leaves); the launch of two of local poet Jeanette de
Lange’s collections; the official opening of the Prince Albert Primêr
School library and a debate on fracking. More
details here.
Speaking of fracking…
Prince Albert
joined the world-wide Anti-Fracking Day demonstrations on 22 September
by wrapping many of its oldest trees in black bands. Dr Sue Dean of Renu-Karoo
held a public lecture on the threats facing our unique
Karoo
environment. We live in a beautiful, endangered area and have a great
responsibility to protect it. Visit www.treasurethekaroo.co.za to find out what you can do.
As
we celebrate our 250th year we look to the future …
come
and join us: farmers, patchworkers, poets, authors
and townsfolk,
in
the magnificent
Karoo
!
The
Olive Branch
September
2012
Prince
Albert IS
the Western Cape winner
in the 'Town of the
Year/ Dorp van die Jaar 2012' competition!
Congratulations
to Sabie
in
Mpumalanga
on
winning the the
'Kwela/
Rapport
Town
of the Year' Competition.
Lady Grey in the
Eastern Cape
came second and
PRINCE ALBERT
third. So we are, without doubt, the
best in the West(
ern
Cape
!)
A
special word of thanks to our enthusiastic Tourism Officer, Zelia
Mullins, who worked tirelessly to make sure every possible vote was
gathered. Her supportive team of tourism students: Jeremia Prens, Odile
Wanie, Elrikus Jooste, Dean Assegaai, Ivan Cupido and Donovan Ontong
were with her all the way and the experience has taught them a
tremendous amount about marketing the treasures we have to offer
tourists.
In
another competition our Post Office achieved first place as Best Branch
in the
Southern Cape
with an exceptional 97.18% for Operational Excellence. In honour of this
title our dustbins
of the month are the Penny Post Series featuring the Penny Black, Penny Red and 'Tuppenny'
Blue stamps issued during Queen
Victoria
's reign. (The dustbin feature had to take a back seat during the voting
campaign, but will run from now until the end of our celebratory year).
FNB's
latest newsletter made some suggestions for undiscovered travel gems and
included the Swartberg
Pass, with a link to our website. We are very pleased to
be able to report that the recent maintenance work on the Pass has been
completed and the road is once again open to traffic. Which is a very
good thing because lots of people will be heading this way soon…
The
New Apostolic Church Choirs (male voice, ladies', youth and
children) from
Kuils
River
and Tafelsig in
Cape Town
will be visiting
Prince Albert
to perform another music hour to celebrate our 250th anniversary
at 3.00pm on Saturday 15 September on the
Zwartberg
High School
fields - come and join us - entrance is free.
There
is still time to register for the De
Beer Re-union which will take place during the Heritage
Day weekend, 21 - 23 September. The programme and booking form
can be found on our 2012 page.
The
weekend of 28 - 29 September heralds the Prince Albert Art Festival, when the Prince Albert
Gallery will be hosting more than 30 of
South Africa
’s most renowned visual artists. The theme, The Vulnerable
Landscape, allows artists to explore all aspects of landscape:
interiors, the mind, urban renewal and destruction, the veld and closer
to home, the beautiful and vast landscapes of the
Karoo
. Art lovers will find work by painters, photographers, ceramicists,
print-makers, sculptors and land artists at the festival. New work will
be on display by David Goldblatt, William Kentridge, Hylton Nel and
Hermann Niebuhr. Other artists exhibiting include Standard Bank Artist
of the Year 2012 Mikhael Subotzky, internationally celebrated Philip W.
Badenhorst and land artist Strijdom van der Merwe. Further information
is on the Gallery's website: www.princealbertgallery.co.za.
Hands-on
art is part of the weekend with Louis Botha offering a landscape
photography course, Joshua Miles a two day reduction woodblock
workshop and food artist-gastronome Jacques Erasmus, a cookery
course at African
Relish Cookery School.
October
is filled with fun too, so consider adding these dates to your diary: 6
- 7 October: The Prince Albert Heritage Quilt will be unveiled at St
John's Church Flower Festival and 19 - 20 October our annual
Agricultural Show takes place.
P.S.
For those visitors who would like to bring their pets with them we now
have a link
from our index page on both our websites to those guest houses,
B&B’s and self-catering establishments who welcome
pets.
And
so our 250th year celebrations continue ...
come
and enjoy your own
Karoo
landscape experience!
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Branch
The Olive Branch
August 2012
Western
Cape
winner of
the
Kwela/Rapport - 'Dorp van die Jaar' competition
Great
news:
Prince Albert
is the
Western Cape
winner and a national
finalist in the 'Kwela/
Rapport
Town
of the Year' Competition. We now compete against the other eight
provincial finalists. The winning town receives R2 million worth of
marketing from Rapport and Kyknet - so once again we need your vote! There are lucky draw prizes throughout the competition for voters and
one fortunate voter will win the grand prize of a Kia Picanto.
The voting lines open on Sunday 29
July
and close again at 12 noon on Tuesday
7 August.
During this time, YOU can vote for
your favourite town.
To
vote simply sms
Prince Albert
to 33157.
A
maximum of 30 votes is allowed per unique cell phone number.
Each
sms costs R1,50
We
had great fun entertaining the crew from Kwela and Rapport and the
Sunday article making the announcement and the TV programme showcasing
our town were FANTASTIC. Kwela really caught the spirit of
Prince Albert
from the sunrise shot of angora goats being herded down the road to the
joyful dancing at the Moonlit Market. Our residents' hard work and
creativity, sharing and caring and good old fashioned
Karoo
hospitality were there for all to see, along with the delicious food
from our dairy, olive groves, veld and fields. We are most grateful to
the Kwela/Rapport team for spreading our fame nationwide!
Here's
one of the many wonderful responses we received when the news was
announced: "Congratulations
on becoming the chosen town. I really think you all deserve it.
Prince Albert
really buzzes in a nice way - it feels very alive and so many good
things are happening there - you are warm, friendly and hospitable."
Our aim is to make sure all our visitors feel this way.
With
the Women's Day weekend on the horizon why not come and share some of
our 'geseligheid' at the Dutch
Reformed Church's 150th
Bazaar. On Friday 10
August there's a potjiekos evening at the 'markie'. The bazaar
starts bright and early on Saturday
11 August, and for this very special anniversary the bazaar includes
events such as jukskei and cushion fights. You should remember to wear your beard and enter the first ever Prince
Albert Beard competition or don your high-heels for the
'hoehakresies' - gentlemen, if you're really adventurous, you can enter both
competitions! Phone Das Olivier: 023 5411 470 or 023 5411 530 for more
details.
Mustang
Sally's
have organized a
Music Fiesta on
Friday 10 and Saturday 11 August
at 8pm to celebrate
Women's Day. Wendy Oldfield, Brian Finch and Tigger Reuneurt will star! Tickets
cost R80 per person and
are available at the Tourism
Office. You can contact
Marion
on 072
1515 693
for more information.
The Karoo
episode of Jan Braai
vir Erfenis featuring
Prince Albert
will be screened at 17h30 on 16 August on Kyknet, DSTV Channel 111 - don't miss it!
Over
the weekend of 23 - 26 August Louis
Botha will be running his next Photography
Course which includes a landscape & portraiture workshop. You
can contact him on 082 453 5130 or e-mail lj.botha@iafrica.com
Book
now
for the
TEDx conference "Meet me
there: Working Beneath, Between and Beyond towards a thriving planet."
on
1 September 2012. International
and South African speakers, including
Prince Albert's Sue and Richard Dean (of Renu-Karoo)
and Ellen Joubert (from Handmade
Karoo and Pick-a-Piece recycling) will present their
perspectives. Click here for full details or contact
Helene helene@feather.co.za.
Remember
the De Beer
Re-union on 21 - 23 September and visit our 2012
page for the programme and
you can find out more about
the Prince Albert Art Festival
whose theme is The Vulnerable
Landscape (28 September - 1 October 2012) by clicking
here.
Wouldn't it be wonderful for Prince Albert
to be the
Kwela/Rapport
Town of the Year
in our 250th anniversary year?
WE NEED YOUR VOTE
sms
Prince Albert
to 33157
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The Olive Branch
July 2012
There
might be a chill in the Winter wind but the sun is shining and you can
always find a warm spot in
Prince Albert
to enjoy a cup of coffee and
Karoo
hospitality.
Saturday
7 July marks the first anniversary of Outa
Lappies'
passing. Gudrun and Bodo Toelstede have invited everyone to celebrate
his life and artworks at an exhibition of his work in their garden at
12 Church Street
from 10am to 2pm. Come along and chat to some of the people who knew him
well. Refreshments will be served.
With
the date for announcing finalists for the Town
of the Year rapidly approaching we are delighted to be entertaining
the film crew from Kwela and Rapport, who are visiting each of the
Provincial semi-finalists’ towns. We have arranged a moonlit
market for Thursday, 12 July
from 17h30 in the 'markie'. Come along and 'kuier' with our
visitors.
We’ve
had lots of organisations respond to the request that everyone in
Prince Albert
celebrate our 250th anniversary but Annette Coetzee decided to stage her
own personal celebration! She invited all her friends from far and wide
to visit her during 2012 and has now opened her home during July for
Prince Alberters and our visitors to view her Vriendskap
(Friendship) Art exhibition made up of works produced by her
friends: paintings, photos, books, wine, music... what a marvellous
idea. Call Annette on 083 290 7082 to arrange a visit.
On
25 July our local CANSA Association have arranged a "Koppie vir KANSA"
morning and in light of our
It’s
almost time for our local Dutch
Reformed Church to host their 150th
Bazaar and the celebrations will start on Friday 10 August with a potjiekos evening at the ‘markie’. The
bazaar starts bright and early on Saturday
11 August with coffee and breakfast in the church grounds, the
stalls open at 08h30 selling local produce, meat, cakes and preserves
and this year the bazaar promises great hilarity with pillow fights and
high-heel races and great skill in the whip and jukskei competitions.
The first ever Prince Albert Beard competition will no doubt combine both studious
dignity and a good laugh! It's a weekend not to be missed - come and
join us. Phone Das Olivier: 023 5411 470 or 023 5411 530 for more
details.
As
you may know by now, a TEDx conference will be held in
Prince Albert
from 31 August to 2 September. Hélène
Smit is co-ordinating TEDxPrinceAlbert
and
the theme is: "Meet me
there: Working Beneath, Between and Beyond towards a thriving
planet." Participants
will investigate, explore, identify and share ideas that enable us to
effectively resolve complex and deep-seated conflicts that occur in and
amongst the multiple relationships we have with ourselves, with others
and with the environment, so that we ensure a thriving planet.
Approximately 15 speakers will share their ideas with an audience of
about 300 people in the hall at Zwartberg High school. These talks are
filmed and then distributed free over the internet. The best TEDx talks
have been watched more than 5 million times. You can book
now to attend this event or
contact Hélène for more information helene@feather.co.za.
Three
months and counting until our De
Beer Re-union on 21 - 23 September and the programme
is now on-line. Visit our 2012
page for details and to make bookings.
Followed
on 28 September by our Prince
Albert Art Festival whose theme is The
Vulnerable Landscape -
details
here and more news next month!
And
so our 250th
year celebrations continue ...
come and join in!
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The Olive Branch
June 2012
Our
inaugural Creative Prince Albert
Autumn School has been great fun for everyone taking part. Local
residents and guests have discovered and developed new artistic and
culinary skills and learnt much about the
Karoo
environment and architecture and enjoyed illustrated talks,
demonstrations and story evenings. Congratulations
to Sonja McKenna for initiating what will become an annual event - watch
this space for news of 2013 Creative Prince Albert!
Handmade-Karoo-Handgemaak,
a local project where women make beautiful handmade items, now has a
website. Have a look at the lovely things these ladies make at www.karoohandgemaak.com.
They work on Monday and Wednesday mornings at Oppiehoek in Markstraat ,
so pop in for a visit. If you want more information, you can phone Ellen
Joubert on 023 5411 953 or Ronel McKnight on 023 5411 500 or Catherine
Spence on 023 5411 952. Please visit the Community
Projects page on our Tourism website for news about our other
thriving project: Pick-a-Piece,
a recycling project which aims to support our children while teaching
them to be proud of themselves and their environment.
With
just four months to go until our De
Beer Re-union we wish to extend the invitation yet again to all
De Beer descendants to visit the site of their forbears' original farm,
Kweekvallei, during the weekend of 21 - 23 September. A special
programme is being organised with visits to the farm, the De Beer
graveyards, the
Swartberg
Pass
and a performance by our Patchwork Theatre Children’s Theatre Group of
The Price Albert Story which traces our history from 1762 to today.
It’s bound to be a happy gathering of the clan - the first in ten
years. Contact Zelia to make your accommodation reservations: 023 5411
366.
Twenty
young people from our community are in training as Tourism Ambassadors under the auspices of the Western Cape
Government. They will be based in local accommodation and catering
establishments for a year to acquire the skills to truly convey Prince
Albert hospitality and that of South Africa to visitors.
Several have already accompanied Sue and Richard Dean on Renu-Karoo
excursions into the
Karoo
and Ailsa Tudhope, our Story Weaver, on her Ghost
Walk.
Our
dustbin of the month is the Bennie
Boekwurm bin outside our Library.
Painted by prisoners at the local gaol, it is a good introduction to
our Library Month
celebrations. Ours was the fourth Reading Room established in the Cape
Colony 150 years ago. It is a vibrant library where everyone is welcome.
The racks contain a wide variety of material, not just from the Library
Services but also donated books, magazines, DVDs and CDs. Every
afternoon you’ll find children doing research using the books and
computers and during the school holidays they watch films and spend time
building jigsaws and colouring in pictures. Reinie Smit, our vivacious
Librarian celebrates 20 years of service in this special year. Join us
at St John's Church Hall at 7.00pm on Friday 15th June to meet the
numerous authors who have made Prince Albert their home at our Homegrown
Authors evening.
Speaking
of books, congratulations to Japie Claasen, whose book, Where to
Watch birds in
Prince Albert
, is now available in
Prince Albert
at Prince of Africa and at the Tourism Office for R85. This fantastic
book includes colour pictures and maps showing you where you can expect
to see various birds in the district.
Swartberg
Pass
closed for maintenance
Please
note that the
Swartberg
Pass
will be closed to all traffic for routine maintenance every Monday to
Thursday starting on 4 June for approximately 2 months. It will be open
over week-ends. As work will commence low down on the
Prince Albert
side of the pass, it would be advisable if people visiting and
over-nighting in 'Die Hel' could drive via Oudtshoorn. We received this
information from the Roads Department in Beaufort West (office of Kobus
Theron). For further information kindly contact Andre on 083 280 4330.
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The Olive Branch
May 2012
We are thrilled to announce that
Prince Albert
along with
Caledon
and Piketberg has been selected as the one of the
Western Cape's 3 semi-finalists in the Kwela/Rapport Dorp van die Jaar
Kompitiesie 2012. Details can be found in the Rapport (Sunday 6 May)
and on Kwela on Kyknet on Wednesday, 9 May at 19h30.
When the Competition opened in March, you were all
requested to vote for your favourite town. The 5 top scoring towns in
each province were then put before a panel of judges who selected the 3
semi-finalists in each region.
Prince Albert
is now a semi-finalist in the
Western Cape
and we all need to VOTE AGAIN
by sending an sms with the name,
Prince Albert
, to 33157. Voting lines open today, 6 May and close at 12h00 noon on
Tuesday, 15 May 2012. There is a limit of 30 sms per unique cell
phone number. Each SMS costs R1,50.
For maximum effect we request everyone who can afford
it, to spend R45 and vote for
Prince Albert
30 times! According to De Rust they managed to submit 20 000 votes
during this second round of the competition. We therefore need every
single sms - so spread the word to all your various databases,
contacts and facebook friends and get EVERYONE
to vote for Prince Albert, remember there is R2 million of marketing
for the winning town at stake!
Please join the "Vote for
Prince Albert
" facebook page and spread the word https://www.facebook.com/events/409997689026511/.
If you have a facebook profile and have not received an invite please click on
this link, join the event and invite all your friends to participate.
SO
PLEASE SMS '
PRINCE ALBERT
' TO 33157 AND LET'S WIN THIS!
The
Museum Witbliz 'stoking'
and the Olive Festival were
two of our April highlights - both great fun and great opportunities to
share
Prince Albert
hospitality. The Olive Festival attracted so many visitors that all our
guest accommodation was fully booked and many local families opened
their homes to welcome yet more people. The two days of the festival
provided lots of music, loads of activities for the children,
interesting stalls and heaps of delicious food. The Open House and
Garden route and the Ghost Walk were extremely popular and our fig,
olive and wine farms attracted lots of interest. We’ll be doing it all
again next year!
Our stall at the KKNK
was very busy too. Visitors loved the backdrop of Louis Botha's
spectacular 3m long photo of the town which you can now see in our
Tourism Association office. Local products sold quickly and we had to
transport boxes and boxes of fresh figs through to Oudtshoorn each day.
What's
next in this our 250th birthday year? The Creative
Prince Albert Autumn School starts
on 25 May and runs until 2 June. We are very excited about
this innovative programme and hope many of our readers will join us to
discover their creative gifts in the courses and demonstrations on
offer. Here are a few details to tempt you:
Joshua
Miles will accompany students as they create colour
woodcuts, exploring the process of chiselling, mixing ink, rolling up
and spoon printing. Di van der
Riet Steyn offers a jewellery design workshop, JP
Meyer two beginners' workshops on art-making and colours and
his illustrated lecture 'dead sharks and unmade beds' is sure to unpack
some of the mysteries of modern art. Both Jeremy
Freemantle of African Relish and Bokkie
Botha of The Olive Branch restaurant, will offer a variety of one
day cookery courses to suit every aspirant cook. Jeanette
de Lange shares her secrets of floral artistry using Karoo flora and
Sue and Richard Dean of
Renu-Karoo offer walks and an illustrated lecture about our bio-diverse
Karoo
desert. Add a telescope course, demonstrations by our blacksmith,
furniture restoration, art talks, storytelling, a film festival and
visits to community projects and you have the Creative Prince Albert Autumn School.
The
full programme
and booking form
can
be found here.
Our
dustbin of the month
is the
Karoo
Olive bin.
With its gentle pun on a well-known trademark, it is a reminder that
even though our Olive Festival for 2012 is over, our olive farmers are
still harvesting a bumper crop and pressing the golden oil whose spicy
taste adds a touch of
Karoo
summer to any meal!
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Branch
The Olive Branch
April 2012
April
is Olive Festival time in Prince
Albert and the accommodation bookings are pouring in. Yet, before we start rolling
out the welcome mat for all our Olyffees guests, we will be celebrating
another special event: our Museum marks its 40th birthday and the
Friends of the Museum Association thirty happy, active years. A grand Witblitz
'Stook',
where local 'stokers' Judy Maguire, Jeremy Freemantle and Bokkie
Botha distil the local firewater, will take place on
Saturday 14 April. Potjiekos will be served with a glass of last
year's witblitz. Join them at the still behind the
Fransie
Pienaar
Museum
at 5.30pm for a glimpse into
Prince Albert's past and the warmth and friendliness of the present. Tickets are
available at R70 from the Museum and the Tourism Office.
Zelia
and several volunteers are running the
Prince Albert
stall at the KKNK in
Oudtshoorn from 31 March - 7 April, do pop into see them and
collect your flier advertising all the fun in store at this year's Prince Albert Olive Festival.
Besides the list of attractions we gave you in last month's Olive
Branch we are also going to host Olive Talks and Demos including an
olive pressing tour. Local musician Brian Finch joins the list of
musical entertainers, as do old friends Kosie and Wian. Visit our Olive Festival page to read all
about the fun we have lined up. See
you here on 27 and 28 April 2012.
The
entry form for the
Prince Albert
Olive
Festival
Swartberg
Pass
half-marathon
and 10km race, organized by the Zwartberg Runners, is available here.
Join the runners at 7.30am on 28 April for this unique race, or turn out
later to cheer them in at the finish line. All finishers are automatically
entered into a draw for a whole
Karoo
lamb (donated by Jakkalsfontein). If you're not a runner don't
despair, extra tickets can be purchased on the day. For more details
phone the Lazy Lizard 023 5411 379.
Speaking
of things energetic, we are very proud to report that local u/18 cyclist
Chris Jooste jnr is now a member of the RSAWEB cycle team. He finished the Cape
Argus Cycle Race in 2 hours 39.31 minutes, only three minutes after the
overall winner. Well done Chris! Another local resident had a special
Argus experience: Dawid Rossouw, riding his sixth Argus, was joined by
his son, Dawid and his grandsons Dawid and Daniel. The family shared six
wheels, since Daniel is only eleven and had to be accompanied, on a
bicycle made for two, by his dad. Another ten Prince Alberters rode in
our bright yellow team jerseys.
The full
programme
and booking
form
for our first Creative Prince Albert,
Autumn
School
is now on the website. From 25 May - 2 June, we are
offering a wide variety of courses, lectures, walks and talks. JP Meyer
and Joshua Miles will run art workshops, Di van der Riet Steyn a
jewellery design workshop, Jeanette de Lange will share her secrets of
floral design and Bokkie Botha's 'Men can Cook too!' will make
full use of his restaurant kitchen. Local history, ecology, geology,
stories, art and even ghosts are on the walks and talks list and we'll
have a Artists Film Festival. All this and much, much more, at the Creative
Prince Albert Autumn School. Download the booking form or
telephone 023 5411 366.
Our dustbin of the month is: Fransie
Pienaar, which was painted by school
children. It honours a local schoolgirl who started collecting 'outydse
goed' and grew up to have her own heritage collection in one room
on the farm Lammerskraal. When Fransie and her husband Giddy retired to
Prince Albert
the collection grew and grew until it filled a house to overflowing and
was eventually moved to the old hospital premises, where it continues to
grow! Visit Fransie's collection at the Museum
which bears her name.
We look forward to
welcoming you to our beautiful town at the foot of the Swartberg during
this year of celebrations!
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The Olive Branch
March 2012
During March our 250th year celebration spotlight falls
on Huis Kweekvallei, our retirement home, named after the de Beer's
original farm. This year our 'ouetehuis' celebrates its fortieth
birthday and the centenary of the ACVV, the Dutch Reformed Church
Women's Association which funded the building, with a luncheon for
sponsors and tea parties for locals to introduce them to the home.
Congratulations to all at Huis
Kweekvallei.
Other activities this month: Ds. Danie du Toit will be
running a life enriching week-end course called "Soeke na
Betekenis" on 16 - 18 March and Japie Claassen, well-known
Karoo
bird expert will lead a birding outing on Abrahamskraal on Saturday 24
March. Contact Zelia for details 023 5411 366.
You will be pleased to know that plans are in hand for
our annual Prince
Albert Olive Festival on 27th and 28th April 2012. After last
year's success the festival will again centre around the Museum and
Market Square
, flowing out onto the school fields beyond. Some of the attractions for
2012 are:
Stargazing
with Astro Tours
The
Historical Walk with
Lydia
Barrella
The
Ghost Walk with our Story Weaver
Viewing
Lydia
's mineral collection
Witblits
stook with Judy Maguire
Wine
& Olive Tasting
Short
cooking courses at African Relish
Chris
Chameleon maak musiek
Half
Marathon
and 10km run/walk
The
Eden
Minstrels
Beer
Garden
with boeremusiek orkes
Olive
pip spitting competition
Open
Gardens
Make your accommodation bookings SOON as the town is bound to be full to
overflowing again: 023 5411 366 or princealberttourism@intekom.co.za
Creative
Prince Albert,
our Arts & Crafts experience follows hot on the heels of the Olive
Festival from 25 May to 5 June. Details about many of the courses,
workshops, talks, walks and exhibitions have been loaded to the website
and bookings will open soon.
The 250 year colouring-in competition for younger
children during February was a great success. Thanks go to Lorna Verran
for creating two delightful pictures which encouraged our youngsters to
use the 104 colourful dustbins which have been installed all over
town.
Our dustbin
of the month is: Prince AL'FRED' - no, you are not mistaken,
Fred (Bassett) was rescued from unspeakable circumstances and was
adopted by William and Colleen Penfold of the Prince
Albert Country Store where he now welcomes tourists and enjoys the
good life! Pay Fred a visit and browse through antiques and collectables
as you head for the tea garden where you can enjoy a light lunch or
tea.
We
are THRILLED to announce the arrival of an official SA
Post Office postmark to commemorate
Prince Albert
’s
250 year celebrations. Usually all mail items posted in
Prince Albert go to Beaufort West where the stamps are cancelled,
however for this year only we
have received a special dispensation for all mail posted at the Tourism
Office (yes we have a bright red post box in our office) to be stamped
with our own unique date canceller.
SEE
YOU AT THE 2012 OLIVE FESTIVAL 27TH
& 28TH APRIL 2012
top of Olive
Branch
The Olive Branch
February 2012
A
Gala Event hosted by the Prince Albert Municipality on 20 January
launched our year-long celebration of 250 years and marked the
Municipality's commemoration of 110 years since its inception in 1901.
Events and personalities that had made their mark on the town were
honoured and former Mayor, Samie Luttig, challenged
Prince Albert
to remain the "Prinsdorp van die
Karoo " for the next 110 years. Looking to the future, Mayor Goliath
Lottering, appointed Jason Jaftha, one of
South Africa's top rugby referees, an Ambassador for the town. Jason, who is one
of
South Africa
’s top rugby referees, was born in
Prince Albert
and served as head boy at Zwartberg
High School. Read
the whole report here.
With celebrations in
mind... Tickets are now available for the Valentine’s dance on
18 February when the "Kieliebeentjies" will celebrate their
10th birthday. Tickets cost R30 per person and if you would like to 'bring and braai' an additional R20 will be charged for hot coals.
There will also be a cash bar available. Tickets can be bought at the
Tourism Association office 023 5411 366.
Get out your diaries as
CREATIVE PRINCE ALBERT extends an invitation to you to visit us from
25 May to 3 June 2012 and participate in the courses, lectures,
workshops, exhibitions, demonstrations & excursions we are busy
planning. Photography, cookery, floral art, calligraphy, art
appreciation, jewellery making, wood restoration, botanical,
geographical and archaeological excursions and more… visit our 2012
page for the full list! The
final programme will be available from 1 March 2012
It
is with great excitement that we report that full versions of all the
2011 editions of the Prince
Albert Friend are now available online at
http://princealbertfriend.blogspot.com/
Now you can enjoy reading the Friend online in pdf. In October we
shall celebrate our newspaper's centenary in style.
Our local hospital received a compliment from Peter
Fischer, a tour guide in
Cape Town
who brought a group of retired ladies to visit
Prince Albert
for Christmas. One needed a dressing changed every day and they found
the hospital sparkling clean and our nursing staff extremely caring and
helpful. We are indeed fortunate to have dedicated people staffing both
our hospital and our police station.
Speaking of health issues: when
HRH Prince Albert died 150 years ago, it threw his wife Queen
Victoria, and the entire country, into deep mourning. Until recently it had been
undisputed that Prince Albert's unexpected death in December 1861 was due to typhoid fever. But
thanks to a team of experts at the
John
Radcliffe
Hospital
and the tireless research of an Oxford
historian, Helen Rappaport, the theory is being put to the test for the
first time. What was the cause of HRH's death? Find
out here.
We thought it might be fun to add a dustbin
of the month feature to our newsletter for the rest of 2012 and
in our Ambassador Jason Jaftha's honour we decided the first of our
decorated, informative bins should be the one across the road from the
Prince Albert Tourism Association office. It celebrates our being the
first town in the country to establish a multi-racial rugby team in
1984.
We look forward to
welcoming you to our beautiful town at the foot of the Swartberg during
this year of celebrations!
The
full 2012 programme can be downloaded here
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Branch
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