Grace College administrative assistants and cleaning staff showed interest in improving as well as learning new computer skills during a survey done at the school in January this year. Consequently, a computer development skills programme was drawn up and run by our Headmaster's secretary, Mrs. Tarryn Bishop. We are very proud to announce that they have just completed a Microsoft Word Exam and passed with flying colours. "Well done, ladies!" More training in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint will follow. Special thanks go to Mrs. Bishop for her time given to train the staff as well as parents and local companies who generously donated computers so that we could award each of these staff members with their own computer.

Pictured with Grace College Headmaster, Mr. Sean Moore, are from left: Goodness Gule, Annatoria Ngcobo, Agnes Gule, Precious Dlungwane and Thandeka Mvelase, with their certificates of Achievement.

The line-up The Quarry Centre have scheduled for the Jes Foord Foundation fundraiser is set to be a crowd pleaser for all ladies. We hope to see a full house including lots of beautiful Hilton faces. Book early as there is limited availability! This is yet another way you can spoil Mom, buy her ticket before Mother's Day and be sure to get another so you can experience the event together.

URGENT CONSERVATION ATTENTION REQUIRED TO BRING THE BLUE SWALLOW BACK FROM THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION

Winterskloof Conservancy shared the following letter;

The Endangered Wildlife Trust's (EWT) Threatened Grassland Species Programme has taken on the task of reversing the rapid decline and likely extinction of the South African population of the Blue Swallow Hirundo atrocaerulea. The local Blue Swallow population is facing a risk of certain extinction if both their breeding and non-breeding habitats cannot be urgently secured. According to Dr. Ian Little, Programme Manager of the EWT's Threatened Grassland Species Programme, "Loss of suitable habitat is the primary cause of Blue Swallow's population decline, however causes for recent continued declines are uncertain. Four known regional populations of Blue Swallow have already gone extinct in South Africa in the past decade. This includes a breeding population that was in the Kaapsehoop region, which was once recognised as a Blue Swallow Natural Heritage site.

The South African population currently consists of fewer than 38 known breeding pairs, with less than five remaining in Mpumalanga and 35 in KwaZulu-Natal. These alarming numbers resulted in the South African population of this small, charming little bird being listed in the Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland as Critically Endangered, and the population has continued to decline since this listing was recorded. The total global population is thought to number about 1000 breeding pairs but these data are however currently under review by the newly instated International Blue Swallow Working Group.

In South Africa, the breeding population is monitored as part of a long-term project run by the EWT's Threatened Grassland Species Programme. Long-term monitoring is essential to determine population trends and thus, provide valuable information to conservation authorities in order to inform grassland management decisions.

Little and his team at the EWT have also discovered that the number of breeding pairs continues to decline regardless of how many fledglings are produced each year. "We currently have no idea as to the survival rate of these fledglings. In order to gain a better understanding of the mortality rates of these birds we have begun to conduct research utilising microchip technology. We started PIT-tagging the fledglings in November 2011. PIT-tags – or Passive Integrated Transponders – allow us to monitor the juvenile survival rate and reproductive success, among other important conservation related questions, of the birds. We will only start receiving results when the birds return from their winter migration next summer."

The Blue Swallow will be completely extinct in South Africa within the next decade if radical intervention does not take place. We need to immediately focus our attention on the conservation of this species' habitat in conjunction with urgent, in-depth research into the further causes of the species population decline. This is the only way we will be able to pull the Blue Swallow from the brink of extinction in our country.

Dr Ian Little

Programme Manager

Threatened Grassland Species Programme

Endangered Wildlife Trust

Tel: +27 84 240 7341 (Howick office)

The dramatic production of "An Inspector Calls" took place last week in the Memorial Hall, at Hilton College, KZN. An Inspector Calls was first staged in 1947 and is set in 1912. It was an outstanding production and congratulations to Mr Graeme Roberts and the cast. Playwright J.B Priestley probes the attitudes and loyalties of the Edwardian English upper class in this conscience-provoking piece about pre-WWI society intended for post-WWII audiences.

It is anticipated that audiences in 2012 will find the play as intriguing and challenging as it was sixty-five years ago. Indeed, the personal challenges faced by Priestley's characters have endured and pose today's generation with questions which would have some audience members squirming.

The Birlings are enjoying a family celebration one evening when an inspector calls with some awkward questions which penetrate the carefully contrived image of each member of this self-satisfied group. Intrigue, corruption, sex-scandal, suicide and drunkenness.... this classic from the "drawing-room" theatre tradition offers much which will resonate with contemporary audiences.

Pictured above are (L-R) Ariyan Kassam, Caroline van Zuydam, Yivani Ndizana, Joe Throssell, Carlson Masaemura, Guy Borthwick.

Picture and article supplied by Hilton College.

All the way from Sedgefield, WC to Hilton, KZN, Carolyn Dean (Pictured on the left) owner of Carolyn's Creations produces handy items for your home.

One of Carolyn's best sellers is her plate/pot holder, which is a Carolyn's Creations original, having produced and designed this product herself. This item is displayed below.

These plate/potholders make an inexpensive gift that is far more practical that oven gloves, they are not clumsy but fit snugly on a handle of a pot, serving dish and bowl. The plate/pot holders are especially handy when cooking in the microwave. Whatever you would use a dish cloth to hold, you can instead use your plate/ pot holder, as it is padded with heat resistant batting and your hand will not be scorched because you missed a spot when folding the dishcloth!

The fabric used is 100% cotton (Denim), each one is hand painted with a design of your choice or you can buy from the popular designs that are part of my regular stock. These make for a thoughtful gift and are light to stash in a suitcase if you are travelling overseas. Excellent for those hot dinner plates. Large enough at the back to protect a man's hand, and due to it being a novel idea and decorated by hand, it creates a talking point at the dinner table. At R22.50 each or R45.00 a pair these will be a delight for both shoppers and Moms on Mother's Day!

Other fast sellers in the Carolyn's Creations range are the 4 slice and 2 slice toaster covers and the coffee pot covers for Bodums.

There is also the opportunity to have designs custom painted to fit in with your existing décor and to have covers made for items that are not standard. Carolyn's creativity is boundless. The Japanes Ladies below, also painted by Carolyn suggest the expanse of her talent. Click on the Contact Now tab in Carolyn's listing page to request a catalogue or call 033 343 4446.

Hilton & Howick Rotary Club will host an Art Auction to raise funds for needy local charities.

This auction has been made possible through the generosity of internationally renowned and emerging local artists, including Marion Lowe, Callie Lotz, Sue Physick, Ockert Kruger, Siyabonga Sikosana, Floris van Zyl, Vicky Cressy, Vicky Thompson, Wendy Thomson and Cristina Richardson.

These art works will go under the hammer of Auctioneer Bob Pearson at Hilton College Theatre on Saturday, 21st April 2012 from 18:30. Preview of the auction will be from 17:30 in the theatre foyer prior to the auction.

Light refreshments will be provided and a cash bar will be available.

Pictured on the left is Marion Lowe at work in her studio.

If you are looking for a Mothers' Day gift for someone special, Elements Gifts based in Hilton, KZN have a lovely selection available;

Lavender Therapy Pillow (28cm) R65

Ceramic rose candle (15cm) R75

Metal Rose Watering Can with Assorted Bath and Shower goodies R150

Hurricane Vase with Assorted Bath and Shower goodies R175

Rose Planter with Assorted Bath and Shower goodies R200

If you would prefer munchies in the hampers, Elements Gifts can do that too! Please just let them know and we will happily accommodate Mum's sweet tooth, or Gran's love of fudge!

Elements Gifts look forward to hearing from you, and helping you make Mum feel special!

With the recent Earth Hour initiative, Andrew Golding, CE of Pam Golding Properties laid down a challenge to all Pam Golding agents – if the agents planted an indigenous tree in their community, Andrew would plant 1,000 trees in South Africa.

Gwyneth Nortje, Dominic Nortje and Maureen Rowlands took up the challenge and planted a Fever Tree and a Calpurnea Tree in front of their office in Hilton Avenue.

Pictured from left to right are Gwyneth Nortje, Dominic Nortje, Maureen Rowlands from Pam Golding Properties, Hilton.

Grace College 1st Boys' and 1st Girls' hockey teams went on tour to Potchefstroom recently. They attended a coaching clinic, hosted by the PUK Hockey Academy. The players received high level coaching from some experienced coaches. The school coaches attended talks by the National Women's Hockey Team Coach. The Boys' team met with very strong opposition and did exceptionally well, losing only 1 out of 7 fixtures.

The Girls' team improved immensely and only lost 2 of their 6 fixtures. These results were achieved against very strong sporting schools, with pupil numbers of over a 1000. Our teams did us proud and we look forward to reaping the benefits of such coaching clinics in the future. At Grace we want to make touring an integral part of our students' sporting experience.

Photo: Grace College 1st Boys' & Girls' Hockey Teams on the Hockey Tour in Potchefstroom.

Hockey Results from Potchefstroom Tour.

Boys

vs Rob Ferriera High School W 1 – 0

vs Ladysmith High School D 0 – 0

vs Goudveld High School W 4 – 0

vs Driehoek High School D 0 – 0

vs Brits High School D 2 – 2

vs Transvalia High School L 1 – 0

vs Ladysmith High School D 1 – 1

Girls

vs Welkom Gymnasium L 1 – 0

vs Sasolburg High School L 2 – 0

vs South Eastern College(Zimbabwe) W 1 – 0

vs Gelofte High School D 0 – 0

vs Ficksburg High School D 0 – 0

vs Kathu High School W 2 – 0

Breakfast, high tea, lunch, entertainment and relaxed shopping with Mom will be part of the swinging Mother's Day action happening at The Quarry Centre on Sunday the 13th May 2012. Book early so Mom is guaranteed a memorable day away from the stove!

The boys of Hilton College and the girls of The Wykeham Collegiate produced the wonderful musical "The Pirates of Penzance" in the Hilton College Theatre. This musical production was co-directed by Cal Bray (Hilton College) and Patrick Harty (The Wykeham Collegiate).

News and photo supplied by Hilton College, KZN

Grace College lived up to the "Afrikaners is plesierig" motto recently when we enjoyed an Afrikaans Festival at the school. Various traditional games, such as tug-of-war, sack races, egg-and-spoon races and three-legged races were enjoyed amidst a very jovial atmosphere. Pupils also cooked "stokbrood" on the fire and had much fun learning some traditional dance moves. The evening was rounded off by watching the movie, "Platteland". Grace College would like to thank the Afrikaans Teachers, Ms. Homann, Mrs. Gevers and Mrs. Botha for organizing a most enjoyable event.

Pictured: Grace College pupils enjoying the Afrikaans Festival.

News and image supplied by Grace College, a private high school in Hilton, Kzn.

On Thursday, 26 April, the St Anne's girls attended a college lecture presented by Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize. The lecture, consisting of a brief introduction and a question and answer session, presented the girls with an opportunity to engage with this inspirational woman, who is a female politician, freedom fighter and authority on the progress made in South Africa in our eighteen years of freedom.

Deputy Minister Mkhize spoke about the importance of understanding our history in order to nurture democracy and human rights culture, ensuring that a system of entrenched discrimination and division can never arise again. As the new generation of leaders, she encouraged the girls to go on the offensive to be ambassadors of the country, emphasising the important values that women bring to politics – a career that denotes becoming a servant to the people. Her advice included finding something they were passionate about and concentrating their focus on spreading awareness and action.

During the course of the question and answer session, the girls enthusiastically asked a range of questions that addressed the current international image of South Africa, the alarming educational situation in the Eastern Cape, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the media, and the challenges faced by her department. The underlying theme throughout the lecture was clear – a reminder of Mandela and his collective, people-centred qualities and that, although we are living in freedom, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the gains we have made in our eighteen years of freedom are not lost.

News and image supplied by St Annes in Hiton, KZN.

Pale ice-dome sky rises

Out of a peach-gold sunset,

Arching over the darkening town,

Its vast expanse broken

By cloud-smoke swathes of lilac and grey,

And silhouetted shapes of trees and rooftops.

Flame robed trees,

Pin-oaks, poplars and maples,

Shed their exotic garments piecemeal,

Lifting their nuding limbs to the cold sky,

In dancing defiance

Of winter's presaged chill.

Rubber-soled joggers

Lost in their iPod worlds and

Deaf to the barking of neighbourhood dogs,

Crunch carelessly over the gold-brown carpet of leaves

That smothers the road verges,

And puff breath clouds measure their cadent passing.

As gloom descends and ice-blue sky turns to dusky grey,

Street lights open their bright eyes

Winking a welcome

To home bound cars

And wood-smoke drifts from tall chimneys

Silhouetted black

Against the charcoal sky.

My spirits lift

As a voice within,

Speaking of light and warmth,

Of armchairs and fire light

And air redolent

With the smell of home cooking

Calls me home to my hillside refuge.

This poem was submitted by the author Gill Dobson, inspired by the early autumn scene on her way home from work, thank you so much for sharing and well done to Gill. We look forward to receiving more local works for publishing.

Hilton College once again participated in the Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool Golf Challenge from 1-4 April. The Hilton team comprised of Matt Lauryssen, Chris Saunders, Tyron Searle, Dan Roy, Matt Drysdale and Joshua King, all Grade 11 boys. They have returned as the winners of the Affies Golf Challenge.

The first day's format was Betterball and after tallying all the scores we were placed first after Day one which took place at The Els Club, Copperleaf.

Day two took place at Pecanwood GC, on the Hartebeespoort Dam, known for the fact that it has the most bunkers on it of any course in South Africa. The format was Individual Stableford points, Once again the boys performed very well, all 6 boys shot 76 or below, once again ending first for the day, by some 57 pts, over our nearest rivals on the day, Affies.

Day 3 was Medal at Centurion Country Club and once again the boys played extremely good golf, with only one player not breaking 80. On the day we ended second to Michaelhouse but overall we were some 50 pts ahead of our nearest rivals. So after three rounds Hilton were well in front but the format of the competition meant that the boys would have to play a four way matchplay match on the fourth day at Wingate Park, this could result in the team ending 4th even though having lead through the first three days. Hilton College managed to hold on and were declared the winners of the 2012 competition.

Considering that 5 of the normal first team members were unavailable, due to other commitments, this was a great victory indeed.

Final placings:

1st: Hilton 2nd: Michaelhouse 3rd: Affies 4th: Grey College 5th: Paul Roos Gymnasium

In the Individual Most Valuable Player Competition the school did very well.

In 5th place was Joshua King, 4th place Matt Lauryssen, and the winner of the individual competition was Tyron Searle.

Pic (L-R) Shaun van Wyk (Hilton Coach); Chris Saunders, Dan Roy, Joshua King, Matt Lauryssen, Tyrone Searle, Matt Drysdale and Affies Organiser

News and image supplied by Hilton College.

Grace College Pupils, Suvan Naik, James Kelly and Conrad Lilje were selected to play in the Midlands Hockey B team recently. "Congratulations on this outstanding achievement and all the best for the rest of your Hockey season."

Pictured from left to right: Suvan Naik (Grade 12), James Kelly (Grade 11) and Conrad Lilje (Grade 10).

News and photograph submitted by Grace College in Hilton, KZN.

So, you have decided to buy a house! Whoopeedo! Your trials and tribulations are just about to begin.

Unless you are incredibly lucky or are endowed with vast sums of money you will have to consider a number of aspects.

The old adage of location, location, location cannot be stressed enough. A smaller house in a good area is always going to appreciate quicker than a big house in a not so good area. So consider your options.

If you have a young family schools and ease of shopping are probably your next criteria. Are schools within walking distance (an increasingly important consideration in these days of spiralling petrol costs)? Can you do your shopping easily on the way to or from dropping children at school? Are sports clubs and service organisations close?

If you are a retired person the issue of schools may not be so important (although you may want to easily visit your grandchildren and watch them play sport). However ease of access to doctors and physiotherapists, the shops, your church and any community recreational facilities may be high on your list.

Once you have decided on your specific needs then choose an estate agent with whom you are comfortable working. Let the agent know your list of needs and ask them to listen carefully to what you want so as not to waste your time. Remember, however, if your agent is an expert in the area then they will know what is available within your needs and price bracket.

It can be a good idea to approach a bank when you start your search to have your loan pre-approved. This means that a bank qualifies you for an amount so you know at the outset what you can afford. The bank will still want to value the property when you do make an offer but at least you know what you can afford to buy.

Once you find the property of your dreams (or one that matches your pocket) you will sign a Sale Agreement. This agreement will be taken to the Seller to accept and once accepted you have a deal in hand. The deal may be subject to finance (a bond) but with pre-approval this will most likely be a mere formality. If you are a cash buyer then it is even easier!

The Seller will nominate their conveyancer to attend to the transfer and once the conveyancer has been instructed they will do a number of things:

This process takes between eight days and two weeks and if everything is in order you will become the proud owner of your new home. If any of this is unclear or if you need further advice please contact MIKE FORSYTH of MGF Attorneys who will be glad to assist you.

The uMgungundlovu District Municipality (uMDM) has secured a multimillion-rand funding package for its Water Lifeline Project from the Netherlands-based Facility for Infrastructure Development ORIO. Jeffares & Green, technical director: Neal Bromley speaks to Debbie Besseling about the project.

Jeffares & Green's water sector institutional support team assisted the uMgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM) in Pietermaritzburg secure a €14 million grant to augment their own funding of R240 million to help provide better water services in its six local municipalities, namely Mkhambathini, Richmond, uMngeni, Mpofana, uMshwathi and Impendle.

The funding comprises a grant from the Netherlands-based Facility for Infrastructure Development (ORIO). ORIO is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finances the development, implementation, construction, expansion, operation and maintenance of public infrastructure in developing countries.  Read more...