Addo Accommodation

TWO volunteers from America have started a programme that allows parents to make a quilt depicting the dreams they have for their children’s future.

Eileen Kugler, 59, and her husband, Larry, 60, organised the quilting programme at Addo’s AV Bukani Primary School in a bid to increase parent involvement at the school.

Eileen said: “There is a lot of research showing that when parents are actively involved in a school, pupils do better.

“When a parent is involved, the child tends to pay more attention and do homework more often.”

She said it was a worldwide problem that parents had little contact with schools. Only if a problem arose would the parents be contacted.

In cases where the families did not have had a good education themselves, or worked long hours, there was often no connection felt with the school, Eileen said. “So they tend to stay away from the school ... they think it is the teachers’ job to educate their child.

“Creating the quilt is a non-threatening way of getting parents involved.”

A parent, or grandparent in some cases, of each pupil has made a square, with the squares then being sewn together into a quilt that will be presented to the school.

The squares illustrate the hopes and dreams the parents have for their children. “On many there are children with graduation caps, to say they want their child to graduate.

“Some have specific careers depicted, like a medical doctor. Others are very personal and are decorated with things that are important to the families.

“One parent wants her child to become a social worker. So she put on a hand, saying we must always be willing to help someone and that a social worker must have a good heart.”

So far there have been seven meetings where parents work on the quilt and discuss ways of bettering their children’s school performance and future. At the end of each meeting, the parents receive a full meal, prepared by several mothers in the community.

Eileen said she and her husband had picked Addo’s Nomathamsanqa township because it was a rural area where they felt they could make a difference. This is their second visit here and they look forward to coming back next year. “The quilt is only the beginning, ” Eileen said.

The quilt will be presented to the school at a farewell for the Kuglers later today. It will then be hung at the school.

Source: Esté Coetzee, HERALD REPORTER

www.MyAddo.co.za: The area of Addo, Sunlands and Kirkwood is referred to as "The citrus route"

With the annual Kirkwood festival a massive success, "The citrus route" has proved to all visitors from far and wide that the area of Addo, Sunlands and Kirkwood can stand proud as one of South Africa’s top visitor’s destinations.

Addo, Sunlands and Kirkwood boast with South Africa’s "Big 7". Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Lion, Buffalo, Great White Shark and Whales are all viewed from this area. The citrus route also offers other attractions and wild life, such as;

• National Addo Elephant Park
• International Class accommodation
• Worlds best citrus, local and export
• Annual Rose festival
• Bird watching
• Adventure Sports and team building
• Lion cub handling
• Top Class restaurants
• Crocodile Parks
• Beautiful view of the majestic Sundays River Valley
• Warmest Hospitality

The ever exciting crocodile and lion farm specially catering for big school and educational groups. Get up close and personal with lions, tigers and crocodiles. Or treat your employees to team building like river and mountain safaris, quad biking or even a guided tour through the Addo elephant park.

The area really delivers on most of the attractions that makes South Africa one of the worlds most traveled countries.

Submitted by: Roy Booyens, PowerShot Marketing, 079 740 1879

Avid birders should hurry to make their bookings for the Sasol Addo Birding Weekend which will be held in Addo Elephant National Park from 23 to 25 October 2009.

The weekend of birding will offer a wonderful opportunity to experience the diverse biomes of Addo Elephant National Park and the chance to spot over 400 bird species. Birders might have the chance to see the Cape Vulture and Marabou Stork which have returned to the Addo area since the introduction of lions at the park.

Organised by the Addo Honorary Rangers, birding activities will feature a choice of excursions which include trips to the marine area of the Park around St. Croix Island and the arid Karoo area around the large expanse of Darlington Dam.

Birders will join groups birding in seven different areas of the ecologically diverse Addo Elephant National Park. A 4x4 excursion will explore the Nyathi area of the Park while another group will visit the Sundays River estuary and adjacent coastline with its good tern and wader sightings. The group visiting the marine area around St. Croix Island by boat will view the African penguin colony on the island as well as pelagic birds such as skuas, petrels and shearwaters.

Birders based in the Park's main game area can count on thicket species such as the Southern Tchagra as well as Denham's Bustard and Blue Crane in the grassland patches. Fitter participants can explore the forests and fynbos of the Zuurberg Mountains on foot to sight birds from African Crowned Eagles to Longtailed Wagtails. Those based in the Park's Woody Cape area near Alexandria will explore the indigenous coastal forests which are home to Trumpeter Hornbill. Birders visiting the Park's northern-most Darlington area will look for birds such as the Namaqua Warbler on the arid land and Spoonbills and Lesser Flamingo on the vast lake.

Prizes will be presented at an evening braai function and there is an optional afternoon training session on birding and identification. A variety of accommodation units, as well as camping facilities will be made available in the Addo Elephant National Park.

Sasol has provided sponsorship for logistics and prizes while Glendower whisky has also sponsored some prizes. Funds raised by the Honorary Rangers birding weekend will go towards funding conservation support work, research and upgrade of facilities for the benefit of all visitors to the Park.

Bookings for the birding weekend close on 31 August 2009.

For more information, contact Judy Bower on judy[at]gctrials.co.za or cell 083 610 1090.

Set a Reminder.

www.MyAddo.co.za: Cake decorating will never be the same! The "wildest" cake decorating competition in the Eastern Cape is taking place at the eighth year's Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival in June.

Hosted by Sugar Dreams and the Dolphin Coast branch of the South African Cake Decorators Guild (SACDG), the competition is set to bring out the "wild side" of local sugar-art enthusiasts.

There are six categories for both children and adults, from beginners to the more advanced decorators. The category for the children is "My favourite wild animal," whilst adults will be inspired by the "Take a walk on the Wildside" theme.

Cake Icing According to organiser of the event, Belinda Kretzmann of SugarDreams, judges will be looking at the general impression, presentation, covering and texture, creativity, degree of difficulty and execution of the techniques of the decorated cake.

Festival goers will also be treated to one of the biggest "sugar-art" displays in the Eastern Cape. "We will be bringing over 60 cakes with us for exhibition," says Kretzmann. "We will also be hosting several demonstrations throughout the festival."

In 2008, over 35 000 visitors attended the Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival, which is a unique blend of wildlife, arts, crafts and live entertainment. There will also be hundreds of creative flea-market stalls and delicious food stalls with a wildlife theme. The festival, runs from June 26 to June 28, so bring your friends and have a "jol" at the wildest festival in the country!

For more information on the "Wildest Cake" competition, visit the Kirkwood Wildlife Festival Website.

http://www.mype.co.za/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3488

www.MyAddo.co.za: Kirkwood's record-breaking annual wildlife auction will again be offering prize animals from the South African National Parks and other top reserves around the country.

"We are expecting 20 white rhino and 22 disease-free Addo Elephant National Park buffalo as the most prized game at the Kirkwood auction," says auction organiser, Jan Pienaar. "This is probably the largest choice of buffalo than any other auction in the country."

Record prices have been paid for white rhino, kudu and eland at previous auctions.

This auction has grown to be the biggest in the Eastern Cape and the second biggest in the country according to Pienaar.

This year, a full spectrum of game animals are to be auctioned including red hartebeest, wildebeest, impala, blesbuck, Burchell's zebra, bushbuck, eland, kudu, giraffe, gemsbok, waterbuck, reedbuck, sable and many more.

The main sellers of the animals, Steyl Wild, Bushveld Game Capture and South African National Parks, assure the animals on sale are of great condition and breeding.

"All animals are disease-free and well sorted to provide game farm owners with ideal breeding stock to introduce new blood into their herds," says Pienaar.

The auction, held in association with Addo Elephant National Park with support from the South African National Parks board, attracts game farm owners from around the country and overseas. These buyers plough millions of rands back into the Eastern Cape economy through this auction, with R11,2 million raised in 2008.

Buyers have the opportunity to view the animals before the auction in bomas or in catalogues. According to Pienaar, both Shamwari's and Riverbend's bomas will be full of standing game for buyers to inspect.

Buyers have the unique opportunity to bring the whole family along with ample activities available for everybody including shopping, wine-tasting, paintball, live entertainment and much much more. Adding to the fun and entertainment of the auction will be "the famous and charismatic" auctioneer Roy Hayes.

The auction will be held on 12pm on Saturday 27 June at the Absa Kirkwood Festival grounds. Buyers are urged to pre-register on the website: www.wildsfees.co.za

MyPE and BayFM will also be at the Wildlife Auction and running a Live Blog of the proceedings - images of the animals, prices, auctioneer videos and audio.