mcsa magazine 3rd edition 2019 3... · 2019. 8. 21. · mcsa magazine 3rd edition 2019 lick on msa...

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Index / Inhoud

1. Contacts

2. Editors Report

3. Chairman's Report

4. Agenda of the National AGM October 2019

5. Technical Corner

6. New Members

7. De Ruyter’s travels in Africa

8. Regional Reports

9. Western Cape

10. Eastern Cape

11. Mpumalanga

12. KwaZulu Natal

13. Freestate

14. Northvaal

15. Rally Dates

16. Inspirational Thought

17. Laughter Corner

MCSA Magazine 3rd Edition 2019

Click on MCSA ban-

ner on any of the

pages to return to

this Index page.

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MCSA Magazine 2nd Edition 2019

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Editors report

Weereens almal gegroet!

Die terugvoer op die elektroniese weergawe van die tydskrif is sover goed en dit wil voorkom almal geniet hom. Ons

hoop om dit so te hou. Whilst writing this report I am “privileged” to listen to some of my old LP’s bringing back

some good memories from my younger days. With Herma out shopping the volume is “up” to levels not usually

heard. How time flies. Can still remember playing some of these LP’s (early 70’s) with a big speaker in the bathroom

whilst lying in the bath and reading one of Louis Lamour’s books. Where has the time gone? These days it is quickly

in the shower and five minutes later you are out getting ready for the daily things. Time to really relax are few and if

you open your eyes another month has gone by. It again enforces the reason why we joined the club. Sure the in-

surance is a side benefit but man—the company and the times that you are “forced” to just sit back and enjoy God’s

creation with fellow motorhomers is something to cherish! Ek is seker as ek sê dat ek nie die enigste een is wat dit

so ervaar nie. Bly jy by die huis is daar altyd wel een of ander ding wat gedoen moet word. Gelukkig kan ons die na-

week weer die wiele laat rol!

So met die tyd wat aanstap is dit ook die tyd van die jaar wat die komitees van nasionaal asook die streke verkies word. Baie dankie

almal van julle wat die afgelope jaar ook weer gesorg het dat die klub ’n dinamiese en aktiewe klub is! Voorspoed aan almal wat kans

sien om die nuwe jaar die leisels te vat!

In this edition you will find the agenda for the National AGM which is to be held at Klipdraai in Meyerton. Please note this is not exclu-

sively for Northvaal but for all members country wide and if you see your way open to join us we are more then delighted to welcome

you. Please notify Marsha, the secretary of Northvaal, timeously should you be in the neighbourhood!

Lastly a big thanks to all the entries provided for this issue. Hope I have not missed one.

Groetnis,

Ari


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Chairman’s report

Spring is upon us, the temperatures have definitely increased so the folk who don't fancy Winter

camping , now there is no excuse- go Motorhoming

I understand that the flowers this year are early and that a lot of people are saying it is one of the

best years. I know a lot of Motorhomers who have, or are heading that way, have a wonderful

tour and a safe trip. Please keep the rest of us posted with pictures on Facebook and a article or

two for the Motorhomer about your travels.

The Mpumalanga Kruger tour was a great success as always, it was great to see members from

Northvaal, Western Cape, Freestate and Natal supporting this tour. Great fun was had by all.

Over the last couple of months Northvaal, Freestate and Mpumalanga have all had week long rallies, these have been very well

supported and the rates that have been negotiated for these rallies have been excellent. I hope this trend continues as it encour-

ages people to use their motorhomes and gives more time to get to know people better. I am happy to see that a lot of members

have been attending rallies of other regions, this is to be encouraged, meet new people, make new friends, see new places, we are

one club. Check where other regions are having a rally and if you would like to go contact their rally organisers, everybody is wel-

come.

Bobo Campers at Kempton Park are going to host a Motorhome Extravaganza / Open Day on the 16th November 2019. If you want

to sell your motorhome the cost of a stand will be R250. If you want to buy a motorhome it is also the right place to go and view

what's available.

Happy Motorhoming

Tim Swanepoel


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NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Motorhome Club of South Africa will be held at Klipdraai (Meyerton area) on Saturday 19 October 2019, commencing at 14H00.

AGENDA

1. Welcome

2. Attendance register, apologies and proxies

3. Establishing a quorum and opening of meeting

4. Approval of minutes of the AGM held at Kaia Manzi on 20 October 2018 (published in the Mo-

torhomer, edition 3 of 2018)

5. Matters arising from previous minutes

6. Chairman’s report

7. Treasurers report

8. Any other business of which 21 days written notice was given to the secretary

A. Ratification of Annual subs for 2019/20

B. Setting subs for 2020/21

9. Election of National Committee for the coming year

10. Appointment of Auditor

11. Confirmation of the official address of the Club

12. Report from the Insurance Broker

13. General


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Technical corner

The following recommendation was received from one of our members:

DSTV is part of our life and many happy campers have added it, at great expense, to their mobile homes. But it is not all

plain sailing.

Firstly you have to park in the open, not a happy event during our rather warm summers. Then you have to ensure that

there is line of sight to the satellite avoiding trees and buildings that block the view from your dish.

Now there is a far simpler system. Organise yourself an LTE or similar router that works essentially on the cell phone sys-

tem. You then plug it in in your mobile home and watch DSTV on your laptop, cell phone (bit small) or tablet! If you have

a laptop and some of the more sophisticated tablets you can connect to your TV and watch everything there. It is simply

more convenient. It also allows you to watch anything on the internet and do your emails too. Take care with the pack-

age that you use and it is not expensive. If you don't have a dish on your mobile home is it by far the cheapest option.

Mike Spencer

Bloemfontein

Editors note: I concur with the writer that the LTE option is far easier then the dish (with its cabling, setup etc.) but until

such time as signal is available everywhere it does remain an option that is only good if you are close to a big town. We

recently were at Mabalingwe and unable to get any reception from my ser-

vice provider (Telkom). Be that as it may in our home the dstv stays at home

for our weekend rallies. Then it is time to mix and chat and communicate.

Unfortunately technology is taking over in to many places already. Just see

how people concentrate on their cell phones?!? Having stated this it is how-

ever nice to enjoy a good game of rugby around one of the motorhomes

that has signal and a TV on the outside as we had the privilege on our last

rally!


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NEW MEMBERS

What a pleasure again to welcome a number of new members to our wonderful club! Hope you all will enjoy your motorhome and

should you see your way open to try us out on one of our rallies be assured that you will be welcomed with open arms by all. Try it – you

may be pleasantly surprised as to how nice it is to spend some time with people that have the same interests as you! Please make con-

tact with your local Regional Committee members to get more detail on where, what and when!

It is to be noted that under the watchful eye of our National Secretary the club membership numbers has slowly but surely grown this

past year. Whilst the numbers were shrinking for the last couple of years and the figures were getting close to being below the 600 mark.

Per latest count we are now getting close to the 700 number! Thank you Nowell for all your hard work!!!


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The “De Ruyter” travels in Africa continues:

The road from the border to Tanga is brand new and a pleasure to drive. Also, far less litter than Kenya. The

new president of Tanzania, John Magashuli has insisted that one Saturday per month everybody gets involved

picking up litter.

Tanga looks an interesting place. We bought some bread and pastries at the local bakery and Barbara bought

Tanzanian airtime. Tanga has a railway station built by the Germans that looks just like the one in Dodoma.

We had a late lunch at a view site overlooking the harbour entrance and an oil carrier at anchor. We looked

around for but could not find a campsite in Tanga and were advised to go to Peponi, 27km south of Tanga on

a gravel road. It was 5pm when we left for Peponi and a half hour later it was dark. When we arrived at Pe-

poni we were shown a site in the dark and set up camp. Each site had a thatched banda and power point. A

pleasant camp with a swimming pool, bar, restaurant and bungalows, right on the beach. When we woke up

the next morning, we noticed that our camp was only 5m from high water mark.

After breakfast we took a long 2km walk northward along the beach and we enjoyed it so much that when we

reached camp, we continued about 2km south. Along the way we stopped to have a look at some boatbuild-

ers building a dhow hull the traditional way using mangrove timber and hand tools.

Our neighbours at the camp were a German couple that we had met at Jungle Junction in Nairobi before. They

told us about the place they had been to before just before they came to Peponi, called Usambara and that

they had really liked it. In Tiwi, Jolle had also mentioned that they were going to the mountains and we later

confirmed with them that this was the place. We asked some details and Usambara became our next destina-

tion.

Our route was back to Tanga and then the road toward Arusha, about 160km from the coast. The Usambara

mountains are located halfway between Kilimanjaro and the coast. We turned off the main road at Mombo

and started a mountain drive climbing all the way for about 21km to a town called Lushoto. From there a fur-

ther 7km to Irente. We asked to camp at Irente View Hotel and they gave us a spot in the parking lot with an

amazing view. They had a small ablution facility with two showers and hot water and we had access to the

hotel kitchen to wash dishes. We ran the power cable to one of the hotel rooms. The next day we procured a

guide named Moses and got a tour of the area that took up the whole morning up till lunch time.


Our spot at Irente View Hotel

And the view of the Usambara

Mountains from our spot.

View of the Masai plain 1000m

below

Barbara crossing the chasm

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We went to a view site where a big rock hangs over the precipice and gives one a view of the Masai plain about 1000m be-

low. Because the weather was clear one could see the outline of Kilimanjaro on the horizon, about 160km away, very impres-

sive indeed. We then had a walk through the local village and saw how the locals lived and tended to their vegetable patches.

The soil is very fertile and the produce grown looks lush. We passed through a nearby forest and were told about the more

common trees and their uses. Finally, and still in the forest we went to the store and along the way searched for horned cha-

meleons. Moses has an uncanny ability to spot them in the trees and he is known as” Mr. Chameleon man” by the locals.

Coffee is also grown by the locals but only for their own consumption and not on a commercial basis so each fruit orchard in

addition to mangoes, papayas and avocados will always include a few coffee bushes. We were interested to learn that the

local primary school is named the “Prince Klaus Primary School” named after Prince Klaus of the Netherlands because he do-

nated the funds to build the school and has visited the school as well. He is German and his family comes from Tanzania. The

next morning, we set off for Bagamoyo just north of Dar es Salaam on the coast. Driving through Lushoto there is still clear

evidence of its German colonial past by the architecture of the buildings like houses and churches.

Some of the names as well like the Jaegertal we drove through. We refueled at Mombo and headed southeast for Bagamoyo.

Not long after leaving Mombo we were stopped by a traffic officer. It was Sunday morning and I got the impression that he

was not happy to be there judging by his tone of voice. I was not wearing my seat belt and he noticed me putting it on while I

was stopping. He picked up on this and told me that he would have to punish me for this offence. As I had gotten used to do, I

apologised to him and told him that we had been travelling through so many countries that I had lost track of what the rules

were in each country. He was not letting this go and asked that since he was bored sitting there on a Sunday, if we didn’t have

a book for him. This was easy because I had started reading a book that I found so boring that I had dropped it halfway

through. I asked Barbara to retrieve it from the bookshelf and handed it to him. He now looked very pleased. We shook

hands and off we went.

The remainder of our 229km trip went smoothly and apart from a coffee stop drove straight to Bagamoyo. After a bit of driv-

ing around we found the Firefly backpackers and campsite on the coast.

Barbara outside our Bagamoyo camp; Firefly


The sky above, the clouds be-

low

Horned chameleon at Usamba-

ra.

Sunset at Irente

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We set up camp and also noticed that we were very close to

the local fish market. We had a nice spot under a tree and

power was available. The ablution facilities were nice, but just

no hot water. They have a large lapa with a washup basin. Our

neighbour in the camp was a young Englishman cycling from

the UK to Cape Town. The following morning, we took a walk

around the old town area where we stayed to look at the his-

toric buildings dating from the German era. Many of them are

ramshackle and have fallen into disuse some have become

ruins. The school however is still in use and others have been

restored and serve as restaurants etc. Just before we left the

next morning, we went to see the beautiful Catholic church

about a kilometre away. Arrangements are also under way to

restore the German fort called the Lapa. We visited the fish

market and found that a variety of freshly caught fish is availa-

ble at good prices. We bought some tuna and grilled it on the

charcoal stove for supper. The next morning, we left for Dar

es Salaam, only 66km away.

Along the way we passed the Englishman on his bicycle and

wished him a safe journey. The Dar urban sprawl started at

about 20km before the city centre. We had been given direc-

tions to get to Food lovers Market in Oyster Bay. We easily

found the Haile Selassie road turnoff and could shop in style

again and stocked up with groceries all sorts of goodies like

pastries, fruit and beers. From there we went to the Oyster

Bay beachfront and stopped under a casuarina tree for lunch. A

small entrance fee is payable here. After that we drove straight

south along Ocean Drive that took us to the ferry berth. Our

campsite is on the other side of Kurusini Creek and goes by the

name of Mikadi Backpackers and Campsite.


We waited about 45 minutes to board and were at

Mikadi by about 16h30. We parked next to the swim-

ming pool and did the minimum of setting up be-

cause it was only a one-night stop. We had mains

power, open air ablutions with salt water and fresh

water available for rinsing and cooking. The site is

right on the beach with a few islands in view. We had

supper by the poolside and went to sleep at

22h00. We left for Kilwa at 8h00 the next morning, a

drive of about 350km.

We continued along the coastal road southward but

after about 20km discovered that we were on the

wrong road and had to backtrack 10km to get

onto the B2, south. Once on the B2 we made

good progress because the road was good. We

passed through a number of coastal forests

and particularly large avocado trees, bigger

than any we had seen before. The road was

noticeably quiet with very little traffic and few

locals on foot.

We expected another ferry at Rufiji River delta, but

to our surprise a bridge had been built there fairly

recently. This speeded up our progress even more

than we had anticipated. We stopped at about 13h00

for lunch and had only about 2 hours’ drive left to

Kilwa.

Our site on the beach in

the shade.

The Catholic Church at Bagamoyo

The German “Lapa” about to be

restored.

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We passed Kilwa Kivinje and arrived at Kilwa Masoko a half hour later. We continued to the end of the main road and found

a small craft harbour where the boats leave for Kilwa Kisiwani. We made enquiries from some of the guides standing

there because we planned to visit the ruins at Kiliwani. We then started to look at the camping available in the area and the

first camp we found wasn’t to our liking however the second one, a camp called Kilwa Dreams Beach Resort was perfect. It

is on the beach with a spot under a tree for shade and great ablutions. The young lady receptionist asked us where we

would like to stand. We pointed out the spot which was right in front of the establishment under a tree, but some branches

were too low and, in the way, so we said let’s cut those branches off. At this point the owner, a Nordic, arrived on the scene

and suggested we park somewhere else to which the receptionist said:” but they want to park at this spot!” He replied that

other guests may want to sit at the table and chairs under the tree, but she was adamant:” but they want to park at this

spot!” He obviously saw he wasn’t going to win this one so he set about cutting off the branches in question and we moved

in.

The scenery was spectacular with an intertidal zone between the barrier reef and the shore.

Swimming was right in front of us at high tide and at low tide we could walk far out and swim

just inside the reef in idyllic crystal-clear water, with a sandbank on which to sunbathe.

We had the pleasure of doing this three day in a row in champagne weather conditions. Our

hostess and resort Director Gladys Rutihinda offered us a tour of Kilwa Kisiwani for US$ 30 per

person and this included the guide, boat trip across to the island and entrance fees. We drove

to the jetty and met with Sam Moja our guide, and parked the van in a safe place inside the

harbour enclosure. I was quite excited to be able to board a dhow again, the last time was in

Zanzibar some ten years ago. We set off and enjoyed our short dhow trip of about one kilo-

metre to Kilwa Kisiwani. We got off at a stone jetty and proceeded along a footpath. Our first

stop was at Gereza, a fort built in the 16th century. The history is quite interesting. It was built

by Francisco de Almeida in 1505, to protect the Portuguese trade with the east.

This was however of short duration and in 1512 the fort was abandoned and taken over by an

Arab prince. It has since then been captured by Omani’s, French and Germans. Due to its deg-

radation over time and in order to preserve the structure, a grant was made by the World

Monuments Fund, Robert W Wilson challenge of the US for conservation and as a result the degradation has been arrested

and some restoration has been done. Sam our guide however expressed some concern about the materials that have been

used such as cement instead of the coral that was used in the original construction.


Camp at Kilwa Dreams.

Sunrise the next morning.

Gereza on Kil-

wa Kisiwani.

Inland view of Gereza

On the dhow with Barbara and

Sam Moja, our guide.

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As can be seen by the picture, the fort offers some beautiful views of the bay. Kilwa Kisiwani has a fascinating history. It has

been occupied since about the 8th century by local African people. The island was bought from the local ruler in the 11th cen-

tury by Ali bin Hassan, the son of the emir of Shiraz in Persia. He was the founder of the island city. He fortified it and traded

with the Arabian Peninsula, India and China. A child of his founded the Kilwa Sultanate and this reached a high point of

wealth from the 13th to 15th century trading in tortoise shell, coconut oil, ivory, gum, gold and slaves. Cotton was grown for

the manufacture of sails. By the 15th century it was the most powerful on the Swahili coast and claimed authority over the

city states of Malindi, Mombasa, Pemba, Zanzibar, Mafia and Comoro islands and seized control of the gold trade at Sofala.

Over the period from 1100 to 1600AD the Kilwa Sultanate minted coins that have been found as far apart as Zimbabwe and Indone-

sia. After our visit to Gereza and a smaller fort diagonally behind it we went back to the dhow and sailed eastward for about a kilo-

metre and dropped anchor there. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of a jetty here and waded ashore through the man-

groves with sludge squirting between our toes. After a short walk we reached the ruins of the palace of Husuni Kubwa, an early

14th century sultan’s palace. It had a residential complex of about 100 rooms, a pavilion reception hall, and even an octagonal

swimming pool. Out on the western side is an enclosed trading court for commerce.

A lot of Chinese celadon pottery was found here. The palace was built by Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman. A lot of what used to be

here was described by the great Moroccan traveler named Ibn Battuta in 1331. Manuscripts found in Portugal and Oman verify

these. After looking at all this we ventured further inland and after about 200m we arrived at a cemetery and next to that the most

amazing structure named the great Mosque. It was founded in the 10th century, but the current structure built in the 12th century.

It is the most intricate and elegant architecture of arches and domes. There are 16 domes in all and the fact that all this was built

about 800 years ago is astounding. At one time there was said to be a large central dome that was the largest in Africa until this

was superseded by the great Mosque in Morocco recently.


View of Gereza from the

west.

Palace reception hall ruin at

Husuni Kubwa.

Some decorative stone carv-

ings at Husuni Kubwa.

The great Mosque ruins with spec-

tacular domes and arches.

About 250 metres from the great Mosque is a smaller prayer room also with smaller domes some of

which have disappeared and one collapsed, lying in pieces. Inside one of the domes lives a small colony

of fruit bats.

Fruit bats in a dome of the prayer room.

Seeing these from nearby is rather strange with face profiles looking like little

dogs. Sam proved to be a very good guide indeed, having an in-depth

knowledge of the history of Kilwa Kisiwani. There is another complex not far

away from here on Songo Mnara Island that is a World Heritage Site. This re-

quired a drive of 100km further south so we decided not to go. After a wonder-

ful four day stay, we decided it was time to start our journey home so we set

off for Mikadi campsite just south of Dar es Salaam where we had stayed before.

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Regional Reports on Rallies

Western Cape Region

Yzerfontein Rally 18 – 20 June 2019

The normal Western Cape scenario of the rally starting on the Monday was slow to start due to the inclement weather and the

motorhomes only started arriving on the Wednesday, with the exception one motorhome (Carolyn) who braved the weather and

arrived on the Tuesday. The week started off somewhat wet and windy like a baby’s bottom but this did not dampen too many

spirits as by Friday we had 26 motorhomes. The weather did brighten somewhat and lekker kuier fires kept us warm at night.

(Along with some OB’S of course)

On Friday night we all met at the local bowling club which is adjacent to the park for the Chairman’s welcome, followed by what

can only be explained as a fantastic sit-down meal thanks to some of our ladies who went out of their way to provide us with this

fantastic food. The theme for the evening was “black & white” and was well presented by most. After the meal we all settled down

to some lekker music thanks to Johan Hedinger, which inspired some of the more energetic members to get up and dance. One

even on his own.

Saturday was a day of “chilling out” with some games of Boule and Rumicub followed by the usual bring and

braai in the evening.

Sunday morning we had our usual good church service, thanks to Alan and Oom Daan followed by the Chairman’s Tea. 15 mo-

torhomes departed on the Sunday with 11 staying over to the Monday. Another lekker campfire kept us cozy on the Sunday night

(Along with more additives)

All in all a fantastic rally and a most enjoyable weekend.


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Eastern Cape Region

21-22 June Medolino, Port Alfred

Just to report back on the Rally the June rally weekend.

We had a great time at Medolina. We were 11 Vans. Some of us went shopping in Louis’ Van. Lots of fun and laughter!

Joseph and Jenny spoiled us with their homemade curry fish on Friday evening.

Allan Booth entertained us with singing and playing his guitar. The atmosphere was just awesome!

On Saturday morning the two birthday members, Marietjie and Johnny provided tea and cake and on top of that Patricia

made a lovely pot of Samp and Beans. So no one went hungry or thirsty this weekend.!! Apart from all the eating we played

Boule and Dominos. Johnny had a foot operation and Garda and Willem ubered them to Port Alfred which was very kind of them.

We all arrived home safely and are looking forward to Xmas in July at Hogsback next month.

Regards

Marinda Wolsink


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24 – 27 July 2019 Mini Tour and Rally at Hogsback

We decided to do a mini tour to Hogsback for our Rally. We were 5 Vans. Our first overnight was at Graaf Reinet where we

stayed at Profcon. A very nice caravan park in the middle of the town. Needless to say we had lots of fun and the ladies were

even travelling in a Kwela Kwela (taxi)

The next morning we headed for Somerset East and stayed at The Kaia. A bit of a bumpy road but that’s

what camping is all about. Once again a great evening. It was bitterly cold but the OB’s helped a lot. We

also stopped at Bedford and we were pleasantly surprised. A cute little town with lovely shops and we all

agree that the fish at The Duke Inn is the best ever.

We arrived at Hogsback on Friday the 26th where 3 more Vans were waiting on us. We all went for a Rug-

by Breakfast. Lots of excitement! Eating, drinking, singing and Dominos was all

part of the weekend. On Saturday night were entertained with an Oxtail Potjie

which was enjoyed by all.

We had our Winter Woolies ready hoping for snow but no such luck. Snow or no

snow we had a great weekend!!


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Mpumalanga Region

KNP widtuin toer 2019

Die 10 dag toer is altyd n hoogte punt op Mpumalanga streek se rally agenda, die toer se 20 staanplekke is sommer vining vol geboek deur al die streke.

Daar is n whats-app gestig vir die groep en gou gou kon jy sien op die groep almal sien sommer baie uit, ook almal het of naby die KNP geslaap die aand voor die rally

sou begin of was alreeds in die KNP. Die groep kom van 11 van Mpumalanga; 4 van Noordvaal; 3 van Wes Kaap;1 van Vrystaat en 1 van KZN streek. Deklerk en Cheryl

Fourie van Mpumalanga moes ongelukkig ontrek. Die getal motorhomers was 19, en 1 karavaan.

Die 1st kamp was Satara met die “meet en greet” is die toer afgeskop met n gebed soos gewoonlik. Ek, PieterWalters wat die organiseerder van die toer is, het n

skattejag geloods waar n inskrywing form “gekoop” word vir R50, die geld gaan vir die Mapumalanga woeker fonds. Die skattejag het bestaan uit 3 bene, 1st was dat

fotos geneem word, soos bv. enige bok met n afwyking, en die meeste leeu welpies op 1 foto altesaam was daar 16 soorte fotos. Die 2de vraestel was “Ken die

KNP”17 vrae wat in die KNP boek of internet bekombaar was. Die laaste deel van die vraestel was “Algemene vrae, 6 van hulle. Na die 9 dae het Tim en Val toe

gewen met die meeste punte, die prys was n silver bok op n houtstuk gemonteer. Ons almal het lekker gelag vir hulle, die 1 foto vraag was n foto van n miskruier in

aksie waar hy mis rol, hulle het gery en by elke hopie mis gesoek, maar nie n kruier gesien nie, Tim het later by n vars hopie gestop en met sy hande in die vars mis

gekrap, maar tervergeefs, nog steeds niks. Hulle het die vraag maar geskiep!!, Hulle het nie geweet die diertjie is net in die somer maande bedrywig.

Tim en Val ontvang die 1ste prys van skattejag. Ons eet ontbyt by Skukuza golfbaan Pieter by die Botaniese tuin


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Oor die algemeen is mooi fotos op die groep whats app geplaas maar om een persoon uit te sonder sal almal saam stem dat Donald Pittendrigh, met sy

nuwe kamera besonder pragtige fotos geplaas het.

Sondag agtermiddag het ons toewyding gehou wat goed bygewoon is.

Elke dag het elke paar maar op sy tyd uitgery en wild gaan soek, ons het as groep Dinsdag na N’wanetsi gegaan en

pekniek gehou, jy huur n gasbraaier vir R20 maak jou kos, hulle maak skoon, lekker man lekker.Ons piekniek by

N’wanetsi

Dinsdag het ons geskuif na Skukuza kamp toe, die kamp is opgedeel in n paar kampe so almal het maar ver gestaan van

mekaar. Weereens het elke een op sy tyd elke dag uitgery en wild besigtug.

Ons het Donderdag almal saam na Skukuza golf klub toe, vir n gesamentlike ontbyt wat baie aangenaam was, almal kon toe tyd kry om mekaar beter te

leer ken. Tienie en Muys het golf gespeel die oggend maar ons het niks gehoor van wenners nie, dink hulle het loop en soek gespeel, verstaan dit is n

soort golf game??. Ek het agterna die Skukuza Botaniese tuin gegaan en n spekboom gekoop, jammer om te se die tuin het baie agteruit gegaan vandat

ek laaste daar was. Van die fotos wat geplaas is op die whats-app groep

Saterdag agtermiddag het ons n gesaamlike braai gehou waar Tim en Val se prys aan hul oorhandig is en almal sommer klaar gegroet het want vroeg

Sondag moes ons uit.

As ons gespaar bly hoop ons om mekaar weer te sien in 2020.

Ns.

Mpumalanga woeker fonds het onstaan deurdat Wilma Wessels elke een n R10 gegee het so n paar jaar terug, en dan moet die R10 groei vir die jaar

met allerhande projekte. Die geld gaan dan elke jaar aan n welsyn organiesasie wat nie winsgewind is nie 2017 is R10,000.00 aan n welsyn skool in

Nespruit gegaan en in 2018 aan n welsyn skool in Bronkhorstspruit is R15,000.00 geskenk,

Pieter Walters.


24

Willem’srus 8 – 10 May 2019

On a sunny Friday afternoon we are ready to travel to a brand new experience, a tranquil haven called Willem’srus situated a mere 45

km north of Pretoria in the Dinokeng Big Five Game Reserve.

Arriving at the Camp site we were met by the friendly Jeanette and her husband Johan Vorster and their staff who went the extra mile

to ensure that the Mpumalanga Motorhomers and their Northvaal friends lacked nothing.

We encountered superb ablution facilities, neat camping grounds, beautiful trees and clean braai’s which all attributed to a

wonderful weekend.

Some of the camp sites are close to the Game Park’s fence where two waterholes are located and a number of animals visited

these waterholes, this was a huge plus for the motorhomers who did not wish to go out on the game drives as they had

sightings of giraffe, buffalo, bucks and elephants all on their doorstep at these waterholes.

On Saturday Koos and Annemarie van Heerden arranged for all of us to visit the Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wildlife Park

and this was surely the highlight of the weekend. What a wonderful facility, a sanctuary for animals that were found in need of

care and it is obvious that in the park these animals are treated with so much love and care.

The park offers a huge amount of exotic monkeys, apes and birds from all over the world and don’t forget the entertainment

provided by the chimpanzees. You could also see some Bengal tigers, Lions, Jaguars and so much more than what I can remem-

ber.

Saturday night we had our communal braai next to a large boma in the camp site and everyone sitting around the fire was on their cameras just showing off all the

pictures of the animals they seen both in the Dinokeng and at the Mystic Monkeys Feather Park.

Sunday after devotion most of us reluctantly left to return home whilst others started their trip down to Drakensville for the Northern Convergence Rally.

Finally, I am definitely one camper that will put Willem’srus high on my list of places to visit again.

With a special thanks to our Northvaal friends who made this a most enjoyable weekend.

Zelda Theart


25

Kwazulu Natal Region

15-17 February 2019

McNichol’s Bazley Campsite

Report by Stewart Kennedy

As always this resort proves to be one of the best in KZN, with the well-known tradition, a tray of tea on arrival and cream scones with tea or coffee at 10,30am every day. Really spoilt!

A couple of members Kay and Rosemary arrived early and managed to go to the early morning water aerobics on Friday which was apparently great fun and good exercise.

We had 13 vans including new members. We welcome Matt and Roxanne and Rose and hope to see them again soon. The 13th van encountered some difficulty. Rumour has it, with a wet bed, not sure whether before or after being slept in! So they did not pitch. On Saturday our Chairman Thero had the pleasure of awarding Arthur and Denise their 150th rally token. Well done to both of you and thanks for the lovely spread.

The evening braai, nearly spoilt by rain, went off well. Members with many years of braai

master experience managed to burn all kinds of meat on a very hot fire. Only casualty was a pizza …. Unclear as to who was responsible. Lots of good stories promoted by various forms of refreshment and a good evening was enjoyed by all.

Sunday morning a slow start as members pack up to leave. Thanks to Arthur for his sound words of wisdom to take home. We were pleasant-ly surprised with a visit from Paul and Linda, Paul looking well after his traumatic past few months in and out of hospital.

The end of a good weekend enjoyed by all see you soon.


26

`8-10 March 2019

Mountain Splendour

Report by Thero Durr the chafed, challenged Chairman!

It was a sad occasion. Probably the saddest in the history of the KZN Branch of the MCSA. Only three couples arrived at Mountain Splendour which is in the Champagne Valley of the Drakensberg. We, the loyal, and as it proved during the weekend, the brave, were not perturbed. Many had valid, justifiable reasons for not be able to attend. As Chairman, having to experience such a disap-pointment, is, to put it mildly, not really encouraging. Hopefully time will heal the hurt.

Mountain Splendour was listed 6th favourite resort amongst our members and so it came as a surprise, the poor response shown. Perhaps the disappointment was more pronounced following shortly after two well attended and enjoyable rallies in January and February. However this is a report and no a soliloquy. Nor is it, unfortunately, an ode.

So, what was it like?! We had some lovely weather, some light rain, some very heavy rains and then there were those serious thunderstorms like you only get in the mountains. Even the electrical supply was knocked out for a good many hours. One of the chalets over at Champagne Valley Sports Resort was struck by lightning. Hence the remark made in the beginning – the brave. Nevertheless the natural beauty of the resort, the area, the mountain views, the fresh air and of course the fellowship, compensated for the short periods of discomfort. Throughout all this we were aware of the greatness of our Creator. The upgrading of the ablutions was something to behold – they were actually inviting! Top marks to the owners. Further improvements are underway to expand the glamping experience. Included are sturdy canvas tents equipped with all you need and with access to private kitchens and ablutions. Arthur and Denise’s family travelled down by motorbike from Gauteng for part of the weekend and enjoyed the accommodation so provided.

Circumstances being as they were, no special devotions were held on Sunday morning and the three families left, in the various directions, to the North, to the South and to the East. Certainly time for some serious introspection!


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19-22 April 2019

Eagle View

Report by Rosemary Harlow

I was the first to arrive – quite unusual for me! However I have discovered that being the first sometimes makes it harder to select a suitable spot to park the motorhome. So after about two circles of the campsite I finally picked a spot and then our other members arrived some on Thursday and others on Friday. It was a small rally with only 5 motorhomes – but sometimes (although we missed having more members who were busy with their touring, family reunions or overseas), a small rally can be great fun and ours was full of laughs and enjoying each other’s company.

We started the rally by having tea and cakes on the deck which looks over the gorge and waterfall opposite, Denise produced her delicious cakes and we had so much to eat I don’t think anyone had very much appetite for supper!

The next day two more motorhomes arrived and then we all had hot cross buns under the central gazebo and chatted about everything possible – solving all world matters as well as whether we should give Easter rallies a break to let members spend Easter how they want – this will be discussed at our next AGM.

On Saturday we woke up to a huge amount of smoke billowing into the sky just outside the campsite fortunately it was being blown to the side of us and not over us. It turned out to be the farmers burning sugar cane before harvesting and was all controlled. After breakfast several of us hiked to a waterfall which was very picturesque and it was a bit of a muddy walk which included clambering over rocks and ditches full of mud, but well worth finally getting to the waterfall. In the evening we had our usual braai and this re-sort has a huge gazebo and also several large tables and benches. With a log fire going we cooked our food and then Eileen pro-duced a game of 30 Seconds. This was hilarious with us being divided into men and ladies teams – I had to join the men to keep numbers even and they awarded me the title of being an “Honorary Man”!!! A fun evening indeed.

On Sunday we woke up to mist so hikes were out of the question. The owner brought his vehicle to take members that wanted to go to the Easter Service in Wartburg – this apparently was a huge success. I missed it as I woke up too late to get ready for it – but next time I’ll set an alarm. That evening Rod lit another fire and we took our chairs up to the Lapa and had more food and a delicious trifle made by Lynette. On Monday we packed up and started for the journey home. I had to get help and my starter wasn’t connecting – this turned out to be damp on the engine caused by the mist the day before. Thero and Arthur sprayed with Q20 and dried everything while I watched wishing I had more mechanical knowledge! It then started and was left idling while I packed up and then drove home. We were all fortunate to get home before the terrible storm hit Durban and all the coastal areas and Eastern Cape regions.

`


28

Freestate Region

Buffelspoort saamtrek, Julie 2019

Verslag geskryf deur: Hannes de Milander

Ons saamtrek het op n baie positiewe noot begin, aangesien Marius Kruger, Nasionale Tesourier vir ons baie goeie tariewe beding het by ATKV oord

Buffelspoort. Dankie Marius Die saamtrek is deur 22 ryhuis eienaars bygewoon. 3 van Vrystraatstreek, 1 Mpumalangastreek en 18 lede van

Noordvaalstreek. AGV die goeie tariewe het van die saamtrekbywoners al baie vroeër kom uitspan. Buffelspoort is n 5ster oord met geriewe wat n onder-

dak warm swembad, 'n putt-putt baan, 'n restaurant, tennisbane en borrelbaddens insluit met puik en skoon ablusies.

Ons saamtrek begin in alle erns Vrydag 12/7 met die groet en ontmoet

sessie. Soos dit nou al Vrystaatstreek tradisie geword het om mekaar beter te leer ken en die fondasie te lê

vir n lekker saamtrek, skop ons op n ligtenoot af en geniet die versnaperinge. Soos ek altyd spottenderwys

sê, " the rich bring biltong and the poor bring chips"

Die weer is baie goed vir ons en Saterdagoggend bedien ons pannekoek aan almal wat die saamtrek

bywoon.. Engela, Salomé, Corrie, Sonja Rothman en Val staan bont om voor te bly en ons almal sê dankie vir

die lekker pannekoek wat almal geniet het.


29

`Saterdag laatmiddag begin Hansie om die pap te maak in 'n groot nommer 8 driepootpot. Sy (mag ek so sê)

assistent Sonja Otto sorg dat die pap perfek smaak en Salomé maak die sous. Met al die gewillige helpers is

daar genoeg kole gereed vir die braai. Tot laataand word daar lekker gekuier om die vure.

Sondagoggend vertrek van die Noordvalers na Mabalingwe waar hulle 'n midweek saamtrek hou. Die res van ons woon die Sondag oordenking by, gelei deur

Ettienne Erasmus. Almal was dit eens dat sy boodskap vir ons almal kos vir die siel verskaf het. Nadat ons almal weggelê het aan die verversings tydens Voor-

sitterstee begin die terugtog vir die meeste huistoe.

Die laaste maar nie die minste nie. Die beker vir goeie dade word aan Hansie Joubert gegee vir al sy werk tydens die saamtrek en ook sy skenking van n staal tee-

pot aan ons streek. Ongelukkig toe drink hy bier in die openbaar direk na kerk en toe kry hy die kakkerlak-toekenning ook. Kan jy nou meer.

Die algemene terugvoer was dat dit n baie suksesvolle en lekker saamtrek was


30

Northvaal region

Bush ‘n Buck 7-9 June - Marianne Kurt

Another month – another rally, this time at Bush ‘n Buck about 40km outside of Brits on the Thabazimbi road. We came through on Thursday morning and the last 20 km before the turn-off to Bush ‘n Buck we had 3 ‘Stop and Go’ because the road is being redone. Hurray – not to the extra travelling time but to the urgently needed upgrade to the road. So when we come back this way in a couple of month it will be a pleasure to ride this road!!! We where quite lucky though with only one 15 minute stop. Some people where not as lucky though – especially Ruth coming on Saturday caught all 3 ‘Stop and Go’ for the full 20 minutes each time. Eish

The weather was actually very pleasantly warm during the days, getting cold rather quickly after sunset as should be expected in the middle of winter. We were only 2 motorhomes Thursday, Don + Charly and me.

The normally early arrivals on Friday morning did not materialise. Obviously in the winter cold everybody stayed in bed a bit longer. And then slowly more and more motorhomes arrived. By Friday evening we had 14 motorhomes, with Ruth arriving on Saturday to make it 15 motorhomes – must have been the lowest attendance number this year. Bets and Tony & Yvonne and Graham came from Dube after a midweek stay. They met new motorhomers in Dube and convinced them that they just had to take the opportunity to meet the MCSA in action. We enjoyed the company of Sylvia & Allan and hope we see them often on our future rallies. Another couple that joined us is Nettie & Wessel. Hope we impressed them enough and they will become members and good friends as well.

Yvonne & Graham spoiled us with some wine, chips and dips at the Friday Meet & Greet. Yvonne is our latest official PENSIONER. Enjoy your travels and good luck to both of you.

Hansi and Sonja surprised everybody with vleis and pap. We were just so spoiled – again. Marsha ticked off the attendance list, handed out the rally tokens and collected money for Cancer.

Saturday saw everybody relaxing, taking walks in the reserve or a drive. The indoor pool was very warm (up to 38ºC) and a real treat to have a midwinter swim.

Saturday the communal braai was really nice and not too cold with a beautiful bon-fire to keep us warm. Not forgetting the ‘Hansi’ special, Glühwein (Hansi what would we do without you). This was by far the best Glühwein we’ve ever tasted. Wonderful idea on a cold winters night.

So Sunday morning arrived (no hang overs from the Glühwein). Ari’s devotion was very much appreciated by everybody. Chairmans tea with far too many tempting delicacies and sweets, but enjoyed by all.

Thanks for the good company and friendship. Until next month.


31

Mabalingwe Rally 14 - 21st July

Report by Tim Swanepoel

What a wonderful rally we had at Mabalingwe, it is slightly futher than our normal rallies but that’s why we have

wheels on our motorhomes and if you stay for longer the distance is not a problem. The committee organised us a

great rate for the 7 night stay of R1090 - Well done!

16 motorhomes where there from Sunday 14th with new arrivals every

day till Friday when the total compliment was 41. This rally was a com-

bined Northvaal/Mpumalanga rally and we had representation from Freestate as well, so good to see regions mixing. We wel-

comed first time ralliers in Joe and Ana De Silva, Erich and Riana Durr and Bokkie and Jorrie Lombard, we hope you all had a

wonderful time and that we see you again soon.

Wednesday saw a large group of us (bright and early) going to the predator feeding - it was informative, well run and worth the

visit. Thursday we all went to the Kalahari Oasis Pub ( site of the Caltex TV add - can

of the best) and had a lunchtime braai, great atmosphere, music and decor - thor-

oughly enjoy by all. Folk socialized, went for game drives, 4x4 to the top of the mountain and just had fun. A Boulle competi-

tion over the weekend was between Ari/Garth vs Berdus/Ferdi - the first round was won by a jubilant Ari/Garth however the

Docs came back strong thereafter to clean the board. Saturday we all had a lunchtime communal braai and in the evening

most folk watched the rugby outside Garths van.

The rally was a great success, hope we do it again.


32


33

Rally Calendar for remainder of 2019


34

Inspirational thought!!!

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how

great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accom-

plish! And what your potential is!” - Anne Frank

Laughter corner

The Problem with Speaking English

1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Five Short English Jokes

1. Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don't work.

2. What is the longest word in the English language? 'Smiles'. Because there is a mile between its first and last letters.

3. Why did the bald man paint rabbits on his head? Because from a distance they looked like hares.

4. Did you hear what the English, the Irish and the Scots did when they heard the world was coming to an end? The English

all went out and got drunk. The Irish all went to church. And the Scots had a closing down sale.

5. There are four kinds of people in the UK :i. First, there were the Scots who kept the Sabbath - and everything else they

could lay their hands on; ii. Then there were the Welsh - who prayed on their knees and their neighbours; iii. Thirdly there were the Irish who never knew what they wanted - but were willing to fight for it anyway. iv. Lastly there were the English who considered themselves self-made men, thus relieving the Almighty of a terrible responsibility.


35

Kom ons lag bietjie vir ons eie vertalings: Afrikaans: In die Noorde het ons toe volop springbokke,steenbokke, blesbokke,kameelperde en ook meerkatte gesien. English (Afrikaans): In the North we then saw full-up jumping goats, brick buck, bald buck, camel horses and also morecats. Afrikaans: Een keer was ons senuwees egter skoon op hol. English (Afrikaans): One time genuine our sinews were clean on hollow. Afrikaans: Ons het agtergekom dat ‘n luiperd besig was om ons te bekruip. English (Afrikaans): We aftercame that a lazy-horse was becreeping us. Afrikaans: In ‘n oomblik was ons slaggereed met ons dubbelloop haelgewere. English (Afrikaans): In an uncle-tin we were slaughter ready with our double walk hailguns.

Afrikaans: Toe die luiperd agter die bos roer, skiet ons almal gelyk. English (Afrikaans): When the lazy-horse mixed behind the bush, we all shot equal. Afrikaans: Na alles verby was, was ons hare baie deurmekaar. Ons het dit toe netjies gemaak, in die bakkie geklim en huis toe gery. English (Afrikaans): After all was past, our hairs were very through each other. We then made it into small nets, we climbed in the dish, and rode home. Afrikaans: Langs die pad het ons ‘n papwiel gekry. English (Afrikaans): Along the road we got a porridge wheel. Afrikaans: So het ons lang, opwindende dag geeindig.

English (Afrikaans): So did our long, wound-up day end!

Afrikaans: Verlede jaar het ek en my swaer en my skoonseun per vliegtuig na Windhoek gereis om veral die dierelewe van Namibie te besigtig. English (Afrikaans): Last year, me and my heavy and my cleanson travelled by flying harness to Windcorner specially to belook the animal-living in Namibia.


36

Here a tester for you all! See if you can work it out.

Everyone has it. Those who have the least don’t know they have it. Those who have the most wish they had less of it.

What is it?

Age


37

No guys, Although funny, you

are not allowed to do this! LOL


38


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