Fracking is a method of extracting natural gas trapped in the rocks below the earth's surface. If this process is allowed to forge ahead un-checked we face serious damage to our water and air quality, not to mention deterioration of many other aspects of life as we know it.

I urge you to attend one of the presentations on Fracking coming up shortly, to gather knowledge and become informed.

Fracking is not limited to the Karoo ' the Drakensberg and surrounds are also at risk...

We hope to see you one of the presentations, the most convenient may be the one at Cowan House here in Hilton. If you are too far away to attend, then please visit www.treasurethekaroo.co.za and become informed that way!

 

Thank you to Bruce Houting for sharing.

Buy an original art work now and avoid the rush when we are famous!, so say painters Yulinda, Tracy ,Pamela, Clyde, Mandy & Lee.

 

They are putting together their first exhibition, Art Exhibition for U, on Saturday at Church of Ascension, Hilton and invite you to join them for affordable art, creative ideas and good coffee!

 

Also exhibited will be photography by Hannelie, framing by Marlene and pottery by Keryn.

 

See you there on Saturday the 26th November 2011!

Wild Coast lovers take action, you can contribute if your passion for Pondoland resonates with this cause. By buying the calendar you can support coastal residents of Pondoland Wild Coast, in their ongoing development battles.

Their mission is to protect and conserve their living landscapes and prevent the shredding of their social fabric by two massive development schemes.

They need support to gain access to information and effective legal representation in their planned court challenge, for government's failure to engage them in open and transparent decision making about the N2 Wild Coast 'Troll' Road, and the award of mining rights for the Xolobeni mineral sands. The 'developments' will benefit cash-rich outsiders and be paid for by cash-poor rural residents and the natural environment.

In an effort to raise funds so that they can object to the proposed Toll road they have produced a calendar which includes a DVD The Story Behind Too Great a Toll, this features the photos arranged to a soundtrack of an radio interview that was aired on Talk Radio 702, and music by Claire Johnston of Mango Groove.

Thanks to Judy Bell of Winterskloof Conservancy in Hilton for sharing.

We recently reported on Grace College pupil, Tess Le Roux, who has been doing so well with her horse riding. We can now proudly report that Tess has made the Natal Show Jumping team that will be participating in the SA Junior Championships at Shongweni in December this year.

Grace College wishes to congratulate Tess on her wonderful achievement!

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.

Happy Birthday to Jewellery by Diana, they turn one year old today and will be giving discount balloons to all their shoppers.

Jewellery by Diana manufacture costume jewellery that is handmade for you, for every woman, for every occasion. The shop is crammed with gorgeous necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets and earrings and if they don't have what you are looking they will make something up in your favourite colours and to fit your budget.

Pop into the shop at The Quarry Centre where 20% to 50% discounts are available for shoppers, so you can enjoy their celebration as much as they are!

Cowan House had a great time on Friday the 11th November 2011 when 414 people, including staff and pupils, dressed as Leprechauns. The point of this fun endeavour being two-fold; a tribute to their special headmaster Mark Emerson who is leaving Cowan House at the end of the year and an attempt at a Guinness World Record. Mark Emerson is Irish and what a grand way to  honour his heritage!

The school is awaiting final verification of their record which they should secure, since the last record was tallied at 224 people dressed as Leprechauns.

Pictured on the left is Sandie Yeoman, dancing with one of the children in her grade RR class while some of the other Leprechauns look on and below an ocean of Leprechauns.

Congratulations to Sebastian Negri, a Grade 11 pupil, at Hilton College who has won the Foto First National Schools' Competition.  Sebastian won the competition for a series of photos.

Pictured on the left is Sebastian Negri.

The slideshow below depicts Sebastian's winning photographs.

Images and news supplied.


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It is Movember and our local champion of the cause is soldiering on with the hairy face!

Dave Prentice shares, 'Feeling rather itchy but it's worth it!'

If anyone would like to support the cause, they can go to Dave's Mo Space to join.

The Hilton Hairies only have 2 active team members, a poor show indeed! The team is open to ANYONE who lives or has lived in Hilton. Dave would love the team to grow and he has challenged William Gearing to also share his growth with us, so all friends of William kindly give him a push.

Pictured on the left is a glimpse of the hairy Dave, well done Dave!

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!