Dave Rigby, local businessman and owner of KZN Farm Sales has long been pursuing the potential of a new airport being built for Pietermaritzburg and many Hilton residents would cherish a shorter drive to board their next plane.

For years Dave Rigby has been lobbying the proposal of a new airport to be built on a suitable site near the Lion Park. A larger airport would be better equipped to meet the needs of Pietermaritzburg and surrounds, it would be safe by virtue of being modern with the latest equipment installed and it would offer an alternate landing place to King Shaka in the event of emergency diversions.

Dave maintains that the challenges which face the existing airport include the size of aircraft accommodated, weather and topography-related constraints, as well as the relatively high cost of local flights.

While Dave Rigby notes that there are environmental and land-ownership challenges relating to the proposed site, he believes that these issues can be successfully negotiated.

What do you think of a new airport closer to home? Let us know by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Grace College Grade 9 pupils were visited by their pen pals from Azusa Pacific International. API students from California have been studying isiZulu and have written letters to amaZulu pupils at Grace College.

After five weeks, the API students came to Grace, here in Hilton, to meet their pen pals. They were treated to traditional food and spent time teaching each other dances and singing. Both groups thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Handling Pets during Storms and Fireworks can be stressfull, Lee Pachonik from Umgeni Vet has shared the following information to help owners with their stressed pets.

Please make sure pets are safe, garden fences and walls are in good order and that pets cannot get out of your property. Do not make excessive fuss of pets in a storm as this enhances silly behaviour.

What you can do to help;

• Make them feel safe by giving them a safe (enclosed) area to sit in
• Play music to disguise thunder
• Draw the curtains.

If you have to go out it will be safest to place pets in a room where minimal damage to pet and furnishings can occur. Your pet will be safe even if it is a bit stressed.

Calming medicines can be used and are normally better if given on a daily basis and they reach maximum effect after 6 weeks of daily use. Sedatives are generally not used as they can have dangerous side effects to pet. Anxiolytics are used once an animal has been checked by the vet. These will be dispensed by the vet at the vet's discression, if the animal has been given a clean bill of health. These are all highly scheduled products and are locked in the drug safe, so the receptionist or nurse will not be permitted to dispense these drugs.

These rules are laid down by the South African Veterinary Council and Medicines Control Act. Below is a guide as to what can be used safely, do call Umgeni Vet to book a consultation if you feel you need help for your pet.

Marian Van Der Westhuizen shares her Spring garden and some tips.

We are sure you will love the pictures and take inspiration from the following gardening hints Marian shared with us.

In Marians words, 'Gardening does not have to be an expensive hobby, embrace it as a culture of sharing, half of my garden comes from generous friends!

Share your slips between friends, even roses which are quite dear to buy can be successfully propogated from a cutting. Make your own compost.

Enjoy your garden and work with Mother Nature, if a plant is not thriving simply move it to a more suitable position.

When you are ready to spend a little, do visit Tony and Carlene Clark at Tanglewood Nursery for the most extensive range of fuchsias!'

The garden is a celebration of roses, arums, fuchsias, hydrangeas, orchids, begonias, birds, fish and more!


Marian does not spray, preferring to maintain the garden as naturally as possible and as a result her garden has lots of cheerful ladybirds in residence.Well done Marian, you are an artist whose medium is plant matter.

Marian is our local Sportron lady who shares news on health and nutrition information at her HiltonVillage.co.za page each month, read the latest in from Sportron today.

Hilton's rainfall makes gardening so much easier than in many dry areas of South Africa. If you feel bucked with your Hilton garden this Spring, give Desiree a call on 072 654 9779 and we will be happy to showcase your achievements.

Mum's Country Meals launched late in April 2011 providing healthy home-cooked frozen meals and baked treats in Hilton. Happily sated with delicious goodies their clients began to ask for more options and new opportunities have literally popped up for Mum's Country Meals. The resourceful owner Michelle Robinson quickly found new recipes, additional local cooks and quality suppliers in order to meet the fresh demands.

Mum's Country Meals deliver light lunch meals to local offices, bake cakes for all occasions, and cater for picnics, private dinners, birthdays and board meetings.

The high point of their cooking experience to date was catering for the Grace College Grade 10 Ball.

Extract from a Thank You letter sent to Mum's Country Meals by Sean Moore, the Headmaster at Grace College;

Thank you so much for stepping in at the last minute and doing all the catering for our Grade 10 Ball on Saturday. I really appreciate the work that went into preparing the food at such short notice. We really appreciate your friendliness and enthusiasm, and the food was great!

This success brought home the fact that they have huge potential and are poised for expansion. Watch this budding business for some innovative developments. Michelle is a self-confessed procrastinator who felt she did not see her ideas through, until now. Has this wife and mother of two charming little girls found her true calling? Try Mum's Country Meals next time you are too busy to cook or need help hosting a large group of guests and you can decide for yourself.

Mum's Country Meals will be at the Karkloof Farmers Market from the 5th November 2011.

We are thrilled to share this exciting news with you and glad that we can provide and give back MORE to you!

As from the end of November, beginning of December, eZali beauty will be in for an upgrade! We will be moving downstairs into apartment 13, which has a delightful small garden as well as treatment rooms facing Garlington's gorgeous country view. As from January/February 2012, we will then occupy 2 apartments and have 5 treatment rooms that will face the country view! We look forward to treating & offering the mini-spa feel within the new premises to you.

As a result of the upgrade, builders are currently refurbishing apartment 13 and we want to apologise in advance for the noise and the unprofessional state the entire apartment block will be in. Please do be careful when you enter the building as there may be cords or small tools lying around. The builders do try work neatly, but dust is a difficult one to control!

Refurbishing is taking place throughout Garlington and hopefully it will be completed by January 2012. We will notify everyone if we are asked to close for a day or two for major refurbishing events, but we hope that that won't happen.

Grace College celebrated their Valediction Service on Wednesday, 19 October 2011 in Hilton. This occasion is used to reflect on and thank the current Matric class for their contribution to the life of our School. The guest speaker, Dr. Mark Manley, addressed the pupils on timeless virtues. Mrs. Manley presented the Grade 12 pupils with their various awards.

The Dux Trophy was awarded to Brendan Ball and the Headmaster's Trophy (For living out our School's motto My utmost for His Highest in every area of school life), to Kerry-Lee Black.

Grace College would like to take this opportunity to wish all the Matrics the very best for their final exams.

Pictured right from left to right: Dr. Mark Manley (Guest speaker); Kerry-Lee Black (awarded with the Headmaster's Trophy); Mr. Sean Moore (Headmaster) and Brendan Ball (2011 Dux).

On Thursday 27 October, the world's current top all-round cricketer, Jacques Kallis, visited Hilton College. Jacques had a question and answer session with the boys and staff in the Theatre and this was followed by tea with this great legend, for all the school's cricket captains and the 1st XI at the Cameron Pavilion.

Jacques commented that he has had immense joy and satisfaction from playing for South Africa. He said that there are some very promising young cricketers coming through the ranks and that South African cricket is in good hands in the future.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed his address and the opportunity to ask questions of this great legend.

Pictured on the left is the Hilton College 1st XI with Jacques Kallis

Get a head start on your Christmas shopping at the Howick Hospice Festive Fair on Saturday the 29th October 2011 from 09h00 till 13h00.
There will be STALLS GALORE, including;

9am - Hans the Clown
11am - Robbie the Robot
Face painting & kids fun
10am Howick High Jazz Band

Cake sale, food, tea garden
Xmas goodies, plants, books

Outside stallholdersThere will be a R5 entrance fee payable and if you'd like more information you are welcome to call Kate on 033 330 5257.

We caught up with Hilton's ever popular Rita Lea Country Kitchen at the Karkloof Farmers Market where her tasty quiches and other delicious goodies were selling very well.

Alison, Rita's daughter reminded us that they are taking orders at the moment for deboned and stuffed chickens at R84.00 per kilogram. Contact Rita soon to make sure you have one for your oven on Christmas day or any other time you have guests to impress over the upcoming holiday season.

Check out the Rita Lea Country Kitchen by clicking on the menu link in their page.

Pictured on the left are the Lea's sharing a laugh.

Hilton College congratulates the following Hilton College boys who have been selected for the various KwaZulu-Natal Inland Cricket teams who will be participating in the various provincial cricket weeks in December.

U 15 ' Jarryd Edy, Armagh Cook, Ross Talmage and Lungi Ngidi
U 17 ' Brian Pfaff and Tom Curran
U 19 ' Jason Shield, Tintswalo Mukansi and Bantu Futshane

Pictured on the left are;
back: B Futshane, T Mukansi, J Shield and L Ngidi
front: R Talmage, B Pfaff, J Edy and A Cook

Well done boys!

News supplied

Congratulations to Matthew de la Hey (Hilton College 2008) who has been awarded the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship.  The aim of this scholarship is to help in building leadership excellence in Africa. The scholarship is open to scholars from any African country who hold a recognised first degree and who are under the age of 30 for postgraduate study at an accredited South African university. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation offers young Africans who exhibit academic prowess as well as broader leadership potential an educational opportunity unique on the continent. While pursuing their chosen post-graduate degree, each Scholar benefits from access to leadership development programmes, rooted in the principles underpinning the Foundation.

In addition to the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of fellow-Scholars that spans the continent and academic disciplines, they become part of a wide-ranging network of young Africans of excellence who are expected to play leadership roles in their fields and societies in the years following their time 'in residence'.

The Scholarship aims at nurturing a network of young African leaders who are committed to being the best they can be; and to serving their fellow human beings, their continent and the world. In addition to paying tuition, accommodation and other allowances, the Scholarship offers an integrated programme of short residential courses that aim to develop scholars' leadership abilities; equip them with skills and tools for use in their leadership roles; and inspire them to deepen their purposes and goals.

Every Scholar receives personal mentoring by skilled practitioners that supports them to achieve their academic, personal and social goals.

During his time at Hilton College, Matthew was a keen canoeist (he was Captain of Canoeing), a rugby player and a competent academic, and displayed fine leadership skills.  He was also a fine artist having work displayed in the KZN TOP Matric Art Exhibition at the Tatham Art Galllery. 

Hilton is delighted that Matthew has achieved this prestigious award.

Article submitted by Hilton College.

Marion Lowe, a local artist from Hilton, has set herself a challenging assignment, namely painting forty pictures in forty days for Howick Hospice! From 5th November to 15th December, Marion will paint a picture a day. These unframed oils, aptly named Little Gems, will be sold for R500 each on a first come, first serve basis with part of the proceeds being donated to Howick Hospice. Marion experienced the loving care of Hospice when her father was ill and she wants to give something back.

Marion's Little Gems will concentrate on landscapes, flowers and figures ranging from traditional to modern.   Soft oils on canvas, rich in shades and textures, give life to her paintings and reflect her love of flowers and nature. Her paintings lean more towards the Impressionistic side, always leaving something to the imagination.

This artist extraordinaire seriously started her painting career in the late eighties, painting under the tutorship of widely acclaimed oils painter, Anne Lindsell-Steward and later under South Africa's best known landscape water colourist, Richard Rennie. She has had many successful solo and group exhibitions, and her paintings now grace homes all over the world.

Marion's paintings may be viewed, by appointment in her studio at her home in Hilton. She also exhibits at Sue Tarr's Summer House, Hilton.

Marion will be sending out a daily email with the Little Gem for the day.   To view Marion's paintings online or to subscribe to her daily emails visit her on www.marionlowe.com.

The World's View Conservancy had a good turn out of volunteers at their recent clean-up of the famous viewsite. The cool, misty morning saw young and not-so-young energetically gardening, picking up rubbish and removing alien vegetation.

Good job guys!

'Moustache Season is upon us, so I've decided to register for Movember and embrace the hair of the wild. I've pledged to cultivate a genuine 100% face grown moustache for 30 days to raise awareness and funds for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.

Now, I'm on the hunt for fellow trusty and fearless pioneers to join me by signing up to my team. Together we can change the face of men's health.

To join my Movember team go to https://www.movember.com/za/register/details/team_id/315922

The more people we can get to become Citizens of Movember, the more lives we can impact. You can either grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or join as a Mo Sista to show your support and help recruit other Mo growers to the team.


Once registered, Movember will send you all the information you need to raise funds and start raising awareness for men's health as part of my Movember team.
If you'd like to find out more about the type of work you'd be helping to fund by supporting Movember, take a look at the Programmes We Fund section on the Movember website: http://za.movember.com/about

Please join me at https://www.movember.com/za/register/details/team_id/315922

Please feel free to invite as many other Mo Bros to join.'

Come on guys, this is a fun way to support a great cause.

Dave says, 'Join my Movember Team - Hilton Hairies.'

Thanks to Dave for sharing!

October is rose month and Lindsay's arch is looking delightful! Pop in to Lindsay's at the Lower Quarry Centre to enjoy great cooking and order your Glazed Gammon at R110.00 per kg, a Christmas cake or Mince pies. Lindsay is taking orders early so you can get in before she sells out.

You may also be in time to book the restaurant for your Christmas function or order a platter to go. Linsday has a special magic and everthing she prepares hits the spot, just what you need when the demands of the festive season become more then you can cope with.

Hilton College held Speech Day on Thursday 20 October. The Guest Speaker was Charles Yeats (Head Boy in 1974), author, lecturer and a Hiltonian who was jailed as a conscientious objector during the time of conscription.

In the photograph above are Charles Yeats, Marc Train (Deputy Head Boy 2011), Gavin Thomson (Headmaster), Mark Burman (Head Boy 2011), Yann LeClezio (Chairman of the Board of Governors).

News supplied by Hilton College