Number 8: October/November 2004
ISSN 1810-5580
Full-size PDF of front page (262K)

Page 1
Agulhas unitiative on track
The Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI), a comprehensive plan for the conservation and development of the Strandveld, is at the start of its first five-year cycle. At the end of this period, it is envisaged that the whole process will be in the hands of local people. And one day rhinoceros and hippopotami may again walk free in the region.

• We often have more material – especially photographs – than we can fit onto the available number of pages, and will in future publish some of this on our website. The popularity of the site is growing all the time, having attracted more than 6 000 visits in August. It also contains background information, summaries of our archives and many useful links. Visit us soon at www.villagelife.co.za

Page 3
Are whales disturbed by watching boats?
am often asked why it is necessary for people to go out to sea to see the whales when they can be seen from our shores without being disturbed by boats. Surely the boats will frighten the animals and chase them away from our coast forever?

Page 4
Getting through at Swellendam
Apart from mountains, rivers posed the greatest obstacle to travellers of old. Simon Streicher of Swellendam has read every journal and visited every crossing in the Swellendam area to establish exactly where Het Oude Caepse Wagen-weg and other old routes ran, and where the rivers were crossed. At one time, three ferries were in operation on the Breede River simultaneously.

Page 5
Fairtrade for Thandi
Thandi, the Xhosa for “with love we grow together”, is the name of South Africa’s first wine bearing the Fairtrade mark. It is a remarkable achievement for this unique wine-growing partnership in the Elgin Valley, an area better known for its fruit than its wine.

Page 6
The Village Gardener,
by Tracy Paton
A dry summer is not death to your garden

Page 6 & 7
Nico Myburgh: Getting the perfect shot
Village Life has published articles on birding in each issue since its inception, and is fortunate to have as its contributor Nico Myburgh, doyen of South African bird photographers, who has recorded a total of 650 avian species. But that was not achieved by occasionally pointing his camera at a bird. It took dedication, a love for nature and vast knowledge of his subject – and sometimes risk of injury.

Page 8 & 9
Grace and disgrace at early Ratelrivier
Walking around Ratelrivier, one of the oldest farms in the Overberg Strandveld, the limestone mansion and the luxurious stables tell a story of “gracious and extravagant living”. An inscription on a window pane casts a darker shadow. Accompanied by Overberg researcher Hercules Wessels, the story slowly emerges. A story that spans more than 240 years.

Page 10
Saving the last bits of Overberg Renosterveld
By Domitilla Raimondo and Rosanne Stanway,
National Botanical Institute, Kirstenbosch
There is more to Renosterveld than meets the eye. But the little that is left, is highly threatened. The Custodians for Rare and Endangered Wildflowers Programme (CREW) is intent on saving that.

Page 11
It's nature as usual on the Test Range
The largest “nature reserve” in the Overberg doesn’t belong to Western Cape Nature Conservation (WCNC), but to OTB, a division of defence contractor Denel, that operates a world-class missile test facility on the coast between Arniston/Waenhuiskrans and Cape Infanta.

Page 12
Veggies from the sea
By Louie Lemmer
Seaweeds are not really weeds at all, except perhaps in the sense that they are “wild plants”. The more appropriate name would be “sea vegetables”, which is what they are called in many parts of the world, where they have been eaten for centuries.