We recently shared a tale about the inaugural polar bear mission a local accountant, namely Dave Prentice, undertook to raise funds for CINDI. He was successful in completing his pioneering challenge and has shared the pictures to prove it. To date Dave's endeavour has brought in donations of R18,000.00 and he is keeping the challenge open until 30th September 2013. If you would like to support CINDI and give Dave a high five for his near nude ice fishing antics, the bank account details are available below;

Account Name SA Prentice
Bank Nedbank
Account No 901 638 2775
Branch Code 720026
Branch Name Nedbank Corporate Saver

The donations to CINDI would qualify for a tax deduction for the donor. Any donor wishing to take advantage of this should request a Section 18A Certificate from me via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In addition any donations to CINDI will qualify as 100% BBBEE spend due to the fact that the beneficiaries of CINDI are 100% Black. Should any donors wish to take advantage of this, please request a letter for your BBBEE records and accreditation purposes. All proceeds deposited into the above account will be fully reconciled and paid over to CINDI. Should anyone require verification that these funds do in fact get transferred to CINDI, you are more than welcome to contact the Director at CINDI in order to obtain any information.

Women's Day was celebrated in style at St Anne's College with a full programme to entertain the girls, their teachers and parents.

The day kicked off with an uplifting performance from award winning South African artist, Daniel Baron. He had the girls on the feet clapping, dancing and singing along to his latest releases.

Although Hilton experienced a misty, wet and cold day, spirits couldn't be dampened and the girls kept busy with activities such as inter-house public speaking, quiz and art in action.

The Michaelhouse Marimba Band performed over lunch and later the houses & staff competed in the annual cooking competition – this year's challenge was to create a potjie dish that warmed around 500 tummies in the early evening.

The day concluded with a fantastic drama production, The List. This masterfully-crafted solo play by Jennifer Tremblay, winner of three prestigious Canadian awards and directed by Leila Henriques stars Susan Danford.

As part of an initiative to honour women for our Cultural Day / Women's Day celebrations on 9th August, Form 5 Art girls from St Anne's College were each given a famous woman to research. Each student had to produce a portrait that included symbolic images highlighting their subject's unique contribution. Collectively these portraits were presented in the form of a circle to represent unity and friendship among women. The women studied included: Amina Cachalia, Fatima Meer, Ela Ghandi, Helen Zille, Nadine Gordimer, Helen Suzman, Lilian Ngoyi, Frene Ginwala and Miriam Makeba.

On 21 June 2013, an excited group of pupils and staff from Grace College embarked on a tour of Europe. This was the second Euro tour arranged in partnership with Bundu Bashers in Howick. Countries visited included Spain, France, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy.

The group enjoyed visiting many places of interest, such as the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basillica in the Vatican City, the Coliseum, the leaning tower of Pisa and BMW Welt and Glockenspiel in Munich. A drive on the F1 track in Monaco, a walk on the red carpet where the Cannes film festival is held, a stroll along the Mediterranean shore, a walk on a glacier in the Alps and visits to the Football Stadiums of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, were but some of the many highlights of the tour.

All were in agreement that this was an unforgettable experience, a memory that would linger for many years to come.

Pictured: Grace College pupils and staff enjoying the Glockenspiel at the Town Hall in Munich.

Erika Whitby shared the following update on how her photography business has grown, 'I have opened a photo studio at home in Hilton. The photo shoot takes place in an environment of your choice, for example in your garden, at a favourite outdoor setting and/or in my studio.

I also have a portable studio that I can set up anywhere, this is ideal for baby photos.

The photo shoot is a great experience for the whole family. It is a fun filled time with no rush. I take my time and give children the space to feel comfortable in front of the camera. Natural and spontaneous photos are what I look for when doing a shoot.

I offer Canvases and Photo books, please enquire about these.'

Visit Erika Whitby Photography for more information.

This weekend (3&4 August 2013) the Hilton College Marimba Band participated in a International Marimba Band Competition in Johannesburg. Marimba Bands from around South Africa as well as Nigeria, Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe participated.

Hilton College won two categories, the "Strictly Classical Small Ensemble" and the "Battle of the Bands Open Category". They were also placed 2nd in the "Battle of the Bands" high school category and were ranked in the top 3 internationally along with Watershed from Zimbabwe and the Hillbrow Community Centre. The boys performed with great skill, passion, pride and determination during the weekend!

Well done to the Marimba band,  you can catch them performing in 'THIS IS AFRICA' on Women's Day, 9th August 2013, at the Hilton College Theatre. Call 033 383 0126 to book.

Picture of Marimba Band and news supplied by Hilton College.

The "Spider" in aid of the National Association for Blind Bowlers held on Saturday before the Chicken Run raised R350. Thanks to all the generous people who took part. The Chickens were won by Dave Garrard, Jean Pluke and Bernice O'Neil-Williams. Well done to this team which won by a margin of thirteen shots. Sincere thanks once again to Quarry SuperSpar for the chickens.

John Fowler provided some of his famous grapefruit for the runners-up who were Dave Hammond (again), Deirdre McQuade (again) and Andy Hitchcock. Congratulations to these players who seem to enjoy grapefruit. Thanks to John.

Members can see this news report on the web, at www.hiltonvillage.co.za. Under Bowling Club you will find a list of published reports. Open the latest one to check on duties, up-coming events and other news.

Duties: 11 - 17 August: OOD: John Pluke. Tabs: Chris Purchase. Duty team: John Pluke. Teas on 17 Aug: Anton Leisegang and Richard Lister. Biscuits: 13 & 15 Aug: Pat Bennet & John Bennie.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Put on your takkies & run 10km in aid of Howick Hospice at this year's "Mandela Day Marathon".

Howick Hospice has been nominated as one of the charities to benefit from The Mandela Day Marathon which takes place on the 25th August 2013.

There are two options available, 10km or 42.2km. This 42.2km marathon reflects, in a symbolic way, the gruelling marathon that Baba Mandela had to "run" to lay the foundation for the new democratic ethos that we in South Africa are currently enjoying. This race is a way for us to rekindle our special relationship with the great icon who is the Father of the Nation.

Please support this initiative by running 10km (or 42.2km for the more advanced athlete) for a very worthy cause. The 10km race will start at 7am from the Howick Stadium and finish at The Mandela Capture Site. The cost per entry is R75 and R15 for a temporary license. This is a pre-entry event and no entries will be accepted on race day. To enter, log onto www.mandelamarathon.co.za or contact Mel at Howick Hospice on 033 330 5257. The closing date to enter is the 31st July 2013, however the date has been extended for runners running in aid of charity. First 30 entrants will receive a FREE Howick Hospice running shirt to compete in. Please send us your proof of entry to secure your shirt.

We really hope you will join in and take on this 10km challenge for Howick Hospice!!

Paul Eaton, owner of Eat in with Eatons has a fabulous line-up of cooking skills to share with you this Winter. Make the most of this opportunity to sharpen your kitchen skills with a master right here in Hilton.

Paul says, 'FOODS FABULOUS: COURSE COMPRISES OF 8 LESSONS R1700-00

This is a beginner's course, designed for the young and old covering a variety of dishes that are easy to prepare in your own home. It provides a very interactive and creative approach into food preparation and guarantees to be loads of fun for everyone.

• Basic Breads, covering a variety of different bread dough's and styles of bread rolls as well as delicious additions to add some fusion flavours to bread & bread rolls
• Quick, Easy and very healthy meals for those with a busy lifestyle
• Delicious and healthy lunch box ideas
• Great Finger food & Picnic Ideas
• We cover a variety of delicious Starters, Main Courses & Desserts
• I take you on a journey into the wonderful world of stocks & sauces
• You also get to taste and enjoy all that we prepare

COOK WITH PASSION: COURSE COMPRISES OF 10 LESSONS R2000-00

This course is designed for those who share the same love for food that I have and we go on a culinary adventure together and explore all that the creative mind can muster up. It provides an explosion of flavour combinations and decadent delights.

• We dive into the world of canapés and cocktails with a funky fusion twist
• This course covers pickling, marinating & reductions ( So delicious )
• The spice of life takes us into the world of Thai cooking and different curries from all around the world and the various side dishes that accompany this type of cuisine
• Marinating of meats and how they enhance and bring out the best for your next braai or dinner party'

Call Paul on 082 093 9251 or Sam on 082 563 3091 and secure your spot at Paul's kitchen counter!

Recently we shared the story of how two junior school classmates, Maureen Jardim (nee Cunningham) and Olivia Schaffer (nee Getaz), met up after 55 years at a HiltonVillage.co.za networking meeting. We have since followed the story to their reunion with a favourite physical education teacher, Ruth Stevens. This 89 year old is living proof that exercise is good for you and she was delighted that both her 'girls' still kept in shape and were also healthy.

Ruth thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Maureen and Olivia.

Ruth is the mother of Greer Stevens (now Leo-Smith) who reached the singles ranking of World No. 7 and played at Wimbledon in the quarter finals in singles and doubles back in 1980. She has two grandsons by Greer, Dylan and Brent, who were educated at Hilton College during which time they spent many weekends with their grandmother. These visits included lots of tennis with Ruth enjoying an active game until her grandsons' final years at Hilton College, when she decided it was time to retire her racquet. Ruth said her grandsons continue to keep her up to speed with the times and she enjoys visiting them in Johannesburg.

Maureen recalled Ruth's sage words when coaching tennis, 'Racquet back early. Keep your eye on the ball.'

Ruth pioneered some changes in the rather draconian physical education dress code at the Holy Family Convent. She also got the school to bring on board the first ball machine, and power up the first flood-lit tennis court in Pietermaritzburg.

After two hours spent sharing fond and funny memories the question of us possibly having overstayed our time arose and Ruth promptly interjected that at another reunion, with a different set of girls, they met for lunch and ended up being asked, politely, to leave a little after closing time. We finally did leave, but we all could have chatted the afternoon away, were it not for time constraints.

Maureen is the owner of ZEST Massage and Olivia is the PA to Patrick Greenaway at ActionCOACH.

Picture here from left; Olivia, Ruth Stevens and Maureen.

The following announcement took place from the Headmaster of Hilton College:

Dear Hilton Family

It is with very mixed emotions that I announce that our Director of Marketing, Mr Paul Guthrie, will be leaving us at the end of the year to take up the position of Headmaster of the Kingswood College Senior School (Grahamstown), starting in January 2014. This is a great honour for Paul and we take this opportunity to congratulate him on his appointment, and to wish him well as he takes up this new challenge.

Paul started teaching Mathematics at Hilton College in January 1995 and during his time at the college, he has been the Housemaster of McKenzie House, 1st XI cricket coach, a passionate rugby coach, master-in-charge of the Student Exchange Programme and since January 2008, the Director of Marketing.

Paul has been a highly successful and respected Director of Marketing and a most valuable schoolmaster at Hilton College, and he richly deserves this promotion. We will certainly miss Paul but I have no doubt that our loss is Kingswood's gain, and that he will have an equally successful career as the Headmaster of Kingswood (Senior School).

Kind regards

PB Ducasse
Headmaster

Pictured here: Paul Guthrie

News and photograph supplied by Hilton College.

On the 5th of August two 11 year old Cowan House students, Kezia Taylor and Lauren Wood, inspired a cheque handover through their selfless efforts.

Kezia and Lauren raised R5138.00 for the KwaCheetah Project at a fete 6 weeks ago. When Wildlands CEO, Dr Andrew Venter, heard about this he was so moved by the young girls' passion for conservation, he chatted to his team at Wildlands, and the Wildlands Conservation Trust decided to match the girl's donation, rand for rand, and donated a further R5138 to the KwaCheetah Project.

Desmond Gouws of the KwaCheetah Project praised the girls and Wildlands for the much needed funds, "your support will help ensure the survival of these magnificent creatures – thank you!"

If you would also like to contribute to the fantastic conservation efforts of the KwaCheetah Project please contact Desmond on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Helen Reynolds who many will recognise as a familiar Hilton face and perhaps have met at Curves, shared a little news of her Ugandan adventure with us.

'I grew up in Cedara, in fact that rondavel at the back of the Rotunda is where I spent my younger years and then from there onto Merrivale/Howick and finally Hilton. I have had work experience in many different fields/areas in my life and I believe that it was because of this, I was offered this fantastic opportunity in Uganda. I am the general manager of two beautiful lodges founded by Australian woman Merryde Loosemore on her travels backpacking through Africa. Gately Inn Entebbe is located in Entebbe town not far from the International Airport of Uganda and Gately on Nile is located at the source of the White Nile in Jinja (2 hours apart). Both lodges offer beautiful surrounds, personalized service, luxurious, rustic but elegant comfort and an extensive bistro menu of Continental and Thai plus we have the best showers in town! Between the two lodges I manage about 45 staff who certainly keep me on my toes!

I have to say, I am loving this country, however I am not here permanently as my heart is in South Africa. The perfect tropical climate, the friendly people, the different culture, the wildlife and natural attractions such as Lake Victoria all make this a special place. I am based in Entebbe which has a wonderful cosmopolitan buzz about it and when I need some quieter time, I head out to the other lodge where I can sit on the balcony and admire the majestic Lake Vic. Oh and there are a couple of things here that certainly remind me of home.....plenty of potholes and power outages! The driving here is very different, the rules of the road are; 'There are no rules'!!!

I am certainly missing Hilton and all my friends there and look forward to coming home in November for a short break. HiltonVillage.co.za emails and Facebook updates definitely bring home closer to me.'

Thank you to Helen for sharing and if you have a story related to Hilton which you'd like us to publish email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To receive HiltonVillage.co.za newsletters, subscribe using the button on the bottom right hand side of our Home Page.

Several pupils from Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton who entered projects in the recent Pinssa Science Expo (Pietermaritzburg Inland School Science Association) won recognition for their hard work.

Pictured here with some of their work are the budding scientists (from left): Mia van Zyl, whose investigation of how to turn fog into usable water was Commended; Luke Wilson, whose project on Solar-charged battery backed-up lights was recognised for being Highly Relevant; Megan Tyne, who researched how to make electricity from bio-gas generated from manure; Graeme Gibbs whose project on wind power, The Winds of Change, was Highly Commended; and Michael Makris, who received a Commended for his research on Vitamin C in fruit juice: Is it Really What you C?

Absent was Savannah Austen who investigated horse manure as a growth accelerator for plants and received a Highly Commended.

News and image supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Lauren has just started working at Hilton Vet Hospital. She has been working at Onderstepoort since she graduated. She is one of our very caring, energetic and knowledgeable nurses.

Lauren enjoys patient care and emergency cases as well as wound management.

Lauren is a farm girl from Underberg so she really enjoys the outdoors. Lauren's Dad is a vet and she has gained a lot of experience and knowledge from him. Lauren's boyfriend, Leonard is also a vet.

Lauren has 2 dogs, Benji and Tiffany.

In her spare time Lauren enjoys running, cycling, being a part of outreaches, sewing and the outdoor life.

Last week (30 July - 2 August) Hilton College hosted the Independent Schools' Sports Conference and 110 delegates from schools around the country attended. The changing face of sport within the context of the school environment is at the top of the agenda in most independent schools around the world. Whilst some may have predicted a paradigm shift no one could have predicted the rapidity of the changing school sports landscape.

The Independent Schools' Sports Conference (ISSC) brought together members of the academic community, professional organisations and practitioners from the sports industry and sports directors to discuss sports leadership and management, sport science and medicine, sport coaching and physical education and sports injury and healthcare within the general theme of providing leadership in school sport. Furthermore, the conference provided delegates with an opportunity to develop an understanding of the power of sport in bringing about social change and the role of sport in developing society.

There are a variety of different training and lifestyle philosophies in and around the world and this conference brought together some of the proponents of such approaches in an attempt to help delegates remain current and relevant in the lives of our athletes.

Delegates in attendance at the ISSC Conference sent a very strong message, a message that demonstrates their intention to continuously improve, to continuously develop a better understanding of this dynamic and ever changing world of sport.

Hilton College was proud to host this conference.

Some of the key note speakers at the conference:

Shaun Pollock - SA cricketer, Mumbai Indians Coach
Gary Kirsten - Former Coach of India and SA and former cricketer
Toby Sutcliffe - CEO of HPC at TUKS
Johan Volsteedt - retired Headmaster of Grey College
Dr Glenn Hagemann - Sharks Medical
Theo Garrun - Independent News Journalist
Dr Soezin Krog - UNISA
Shane Gaffney - Director of Sport (Hilton College)

Pictured above : Russel Symcox, Steven Reeves, Gary Kirsten, Lungi Ngidi and Shane Gaffney

News and image supplied by Hilton College.

As a life coach, I believe it's important to recognize that clients will have varied, and often very different, requirements and expectations when coming to see you.

Some love the process of working through the programme and can enjoy powerful moments of self-realisation, while others tend to prefer free-form sessions where they discuss whatever is uppermost in their mind for the day. Some clients may want to spend several sessions brainstorming their potential goal and then be content to "go it alone" once their direction is set.

By way of example, Client A needed help with growing a new business, keeping forward momentum, putting daily action steps in place and still maintaining a healthy balance between work input, family and personal growth.

Client B was focused on a health goal and also maintaining direction with business ideals. We worked on helping her apply structure to her day to enable her to balance all her tasks.

Client C investigated stepping back into the working world after the birth of her children and this culminated in her following a passion which still allowed her time to devote to her young family.

Client D started by following a spiritual path leading to the discovery of a potential new career which was in line with their passion.

Certain clients may choose to work on a few life areas at one time which could include emotional, health, personal development, vocation, family, partner, money and spirituality. In my experience, an improvement or growth in any one life area has a positive spin-off in other areas as well.

Of paramount importance in any coaching-client relationship is the establishment and maintenance of a good rapport with each other. This, in my opinion, is more important than the content of the discussion. The coach-client rapport and the flexibility of the coach to adapt the programme to the client's needs, enable the client to get the most benefit from the coaching process.

The programme offers the use of tools for good goal setting and breaking down the main goals into achieveable milestones; while uncovering and working through a client's positive strengths and beliefs as well as identifying potential stumbling blocks in their belief system. The tools also offer a method for approaching life's many challenges and helps clients align their goals with their values.

As a coach it has been a pleasure and a privilege to walk with my special clients on their journeys and it is always gratifying to share in their celebration when they achieve what they set out to do.

Heartfelt thanks to my clients past and present for their commitment, sharing and motivation.

Shereen is a New Insights certified coach, practising as Living Balance.

Permission has been obtained from the clients mentioned above to briefly describe their coaching focus.

The photograph is by kbPhotography.

A weekend at Ndaka Safari Lodge proved to be the ideal family getaway. Ndaka is in the heart of the Nambiti Private Game Reserve, a 21 000 acre, Big 5, malaria-free game reserve just outside Ladysmith. It is an easy two hour drive from Hilton and the directions Ndaka supply are accurate, giving landmarks along the way so you have no doubts. The trip takes you through the Battlefields so you can stop and take in some of the sights en-route.

We arrived to a warm and smiley welcome from the Ndaka team. The accommodation was absolutely perfect, comfortable and homely. Within minutes we were ready to chill with feet tucked up on the couch while we waited for the first of a series of delicious meals to be presented. The chef at Ndaka surpassed expectations, each meal was fresh, delicious and varied, served outdoors in the lapa. Dinner at night in the lapa and the view of the mesmerising view of the stars were five star plus.

Our guide proved to be tenacious and we were fortunate to sight five of the nine lions at Nambiti. Four lions had brought down a zebra earlier and three lay with bulging tummies while one continued to crunch through his meal when we viewed them. Our guide took the best care of us and excelled at finding a great view of all sightings.

A huge highlight was spotting a lone lioness who had not been seen for over two weeks. We watched her size up a giraffe and after following her a bit we heard on the radio that she had taken down an Eland. We drove to the kill location and managed to see the kill in the final stages. We returned later to find her still on site protecting her meal.

Besides the lions we saw three more of the 'big 5'; Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo. We will have to visit again, especially to spot that elusive Leopard. We also saw warthog, zebra, impala, eland, waterbuck, mountain buck, duiker, kudu, guinea fowl and giraffe and many bird species. A cheeky kudu doe woke us at 3.00am on the first night when she came right into the lodge garden to feast on a lemon tree outside our window. It was worth waking to find her right there.

Mark and Tracey Marshall have clearly fallen in love with the lifestyle available in Nambiti and their course is set for success. They have harnessed the strength of a great team in the perfect location at really good prices and we wish them many years of happiness as Ndaka Safari Lodge fulfils their African dream.

Enjoy the slideshow below of photographs by Luca Baurusse.

Lister and Lister provided prizes for the games played on Thursday. Winners of vouchers from La Popote Restaurant were Tom Hartley, Deirdre McQuade and Brian Newton. Andy Hitchcock also got a voucher, having scored eight touchers.

On Saturday we played for huge grapefruit supplied by John Fowler. These were won by Dave Hammond, Deirdre McQuade (again) and Pamela Morrish. Well done, and thanks to John.
Thelma's lottery, having built up to a substantial jackpot, was won by Andy Hitchcock. This initiative is bringing in a steady flow of funds for the club.

We will be holding a Chicken Run on Saturday. We will hold a "Spider" beforehand to raise funds for the National Association of Blind Bowlers. Players from this association recently won a world title in Worthing England, beating teams from ten other countries. Congratulations, fellow bowlers.

Duties: 4 - 10 August: OOD: Chris Purchase. Tabs: George Oldham. Duty team: Bill McQuade. Teas on 10 Aug: Pat Gordon & Andy Hitchcock. Biscuits: 6 & 8 Aug: Jill Bannatyne & John Bayley.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.