Barrydale Online
Village Newspapers Online
Community Projects: KAPS, Barrydale kaps is looking for a home for this amazing gentle giant of a boerboel, Eva... she's so patient and loving and she will make a wonderful companion. The picture shows Eva with Vicky Bodenstein who has been doing so much to help Kaps.
Websites: one of many happy Barrydale clients
028 5721120 Lyn Gunell, Webmaster Barrydale-Online and www.design4um.com for websites that work Community Projects: "Barrydale Cares" - "Barrydale Gee Om"
"Barrydale Cares" as been able to provide a number of very poor children with school uniforms. For more information on the project click on "Community Projects" in the left column (above). Route 62 - BarrydaleBarrydale, the perfect weekend getaway on Route 62. A beautiful 2½ hour drive from Cape Town. We offer a marvelous selection of accommodation, restaurants and delightfully different shops. |
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Emergency NumbersAMBULANCE : Phone: 10177 POLICE Barrydale: POLICE, FREE FROM CELL Barrydale Online Website designed and maintained by: design4um.com Barrydale Weather ReportLen Slater kindly supplies a specific weather report for Barrydale free of charge to Barrydalers. For your convenience Barrydale-Online posts the report when possible. www.dumazulu.com STATISTICS Max Temperature, Min Temperature, Rainfall Report Organic Vegetable Project
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"Thank you Lyn for the website you constructed for me. I am ecstatic! I am getting enquiries from all over South Africa for our wood and coal burning stoves. You have made a positive contribution to the enhancement and profitibility of Negosiegat. I will happily recommend you to anyone who needs a website - they can contact me with pleasure"
Dear All, Friends of the Baboons,
"As a contribution to the ongoing baboon debate, KAPS chairperson Colette Teale reports on progress with a large male baboon that used to terrorise the locality of Klipfontein Farm. This baboon has now made friends with the dogs and is regularly scavenging their dog food, with the result that he is no longer hungrily invading houses and outbuildings. Once he has eaten his fill he moves off to find other food in the veld. Colette feels this is a happy solution to the problem, and regrets Nature Conservation seems to find it acceptable to shoot baboons."
In Barrydale, February is usually a hot, dry month, hot enough to make one feel grateful that it is the shortest month of the year. It is not the best of months for birding because many of the village birds have little to say and consequently are not always easy to find. This silence is largely due to the post-breeding moult. Many of the Red Bishop Bird males are losing their bright scarlet and black summer breeding attire, replacing it with the streaky brown winter plumage that the female birds wear throughout the year. Although some of the males are still in immaculate breeding plumage, most of them are in progressive body moult, and they make a scruffy-looking bunch at the feeder tray.
With the resignation of BRA founder and first Chairperson, Emma Schoeman, a new era has arrived for the Association. The kick-start which came at a critical time in the history of Swellendam Municipality, and indeed all municipalities in South Africa, with “service-delivery!” the cry on everyone’s lips, needed the special skills and energy that Emma offered. A big thank-you is extended to her as we believe that her challenging of authorities and communication with higher authority contributed to the realisation amongst these officials of the seriousness of their neglect. Report backs in the media recently , regarding the Councils intention to remedy the situation are encouraging and have been witnessed in prompt responses received this year already.
A warm welcome to Arno van Tonder who has recently opened "Hair On 62" in Mary's Barn on Route 62 (Ladismith Road). Arno trained as a stylist in East London and has worked in Cape Town and George. He decided to move to Barrydale after a holiday here and an offer of space in Mary's Barn that suited him well.
"The change is in your pocket" is the slogan used by The Big Issue magazine. For those of you not familiar with The Big Issue it is a social development initiative which helps put people to work (vendors purchase the magazine and sell it at a small profit). It helps people to be proud to be working rather than begging. Barrydale's own Big Issue vendor is Mowen Jansen from Smitsville. Mowen has been selling The Big Issue door to door for two years and he says that he averages sales of about 25 issues per month though he believes that there is potential for sales of 80 issues per month. 
To all of you who placed some food and/or sweets in the box at the OK or who passed these goods on to "Barrydale Cares", we would like to say many, many thanks. We delivered the food parcels in time for Christmas and just over 200 people will benefit. These Christmas "hampers" were delivered to people really in dire need. Once again, thank you to our OK Bazaars for all their kindness.
January is a comparatively quiet month for the village bird life. The Bokmakieries are still singing their duets loudly, but has anyone noticed that the Common Starlings, so vocally conspicuous in November, have largely disappeared from our rooftops? They are not known to be migratory in South Africa (as they are in Europe), so where have they gone? No further, in fact, than Boetie Cooke’s irrigated pastures, where they fraternise with the dairy cows, using them as beaters to disturb tasty insects hiding in the grass. In Europe, as in North America (to which they were introduced) the Common Starlings pose a major problem to soft fruit crops, but despite fears that their populations would increase to vast numbers in South Africa and become a major farm pest, this has not happened (although nobody really knows why). At the village garden scale they do feast on mulberries and strawberries, especially when they have young to feed. But when feeding in pastures, as at present, they do more good than harm.
Barrydale Christmas Wonderland Project December 2009 
On Wednesday 2009-12-09 a suspect was arrested by Constable Jacobs and Constable Sefoor with 26 stops of dagga and half a parcel of dagga. On the same day Serg Mbela also arrested a suspect with a “bankie” of dagga.
In January 2009 Giniel de Villiers wrote history for Volkswagen after becoming the first African to win the Dakar Rally and by recording the first victory with diesel power. As a result the popularity of the former racing driver and current rally driver grew enormously. Volkswagen visits the 37-year-old South African who comes from a region considered by many people to be one of the world’s most beautiful holiday destinations.
The hot and dry summer season is a testing time for fynbos plant and animal life, and some of the Sugarbirds so common in the Tradouw Pass move into the village for the duration, settling down near some rich source of nectar such as an Australian Bottlebrush or Chinese Trumpet Flower vine. They spend most of their time out of sight in the cover of a thickly foliaged tree, rasping and chattering their characteristic sugarbird ‘song’. Our first sugarbird arrival this summer was on 18 November, a young male that promptly took possession of our feeder and quickly became a tyrant, chasing away the Malachite and Amethyst Sunbirds. It seems since to have learnt that there is plenty of sugar water for all, and is now somewhat more prepared to share.
Laresa Perlman with a group on a photography course run by Laresa on her farm Ravenna Mountain Retreat. For more on the" hands on" courses: see 
Bowlers from Robertson, Montagu, Bonnievale and Barrydale gathered for a fun day of bowling on Thursday 26th November. 36 people formed "Trips" for the first leg of the competion which will be played in all four villages. The Barrydale Bowling Club is looking for new members. They encourage all to "Come and give it a try... you don't need to have white clothes (come as colourful as you please), nor do you have to have a bowling ball (we have plenty), you can be young or old, male or female... the only rule is to wear soft flat shoes". The bowlers meet on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from 14h30. Welcome!
Members of the Ebenhaezer Club from Smitsville gathered at the Barrydale Library on Thursday 26th November for many reasons - they enjoyed a Christmas lunch; marked the beginning of 16 days of "Activism against abused women and children"; and then embarked on a recycling project. Rina de Villiers, Barrydale Librarian, demonstrated how to turn old plastic bottles into delightful découpage containers while each person tried their hand at the découpage....
The Chacma baboons of the Western Cape evolved 1.5million years ago from a baboon prototype.There is evidence to suggest the Chacma baboon is the oldest of the other 5 species in Africa and have been on the Cape peninsula for at least 1million years .They have a definite role to play in the environment, for example spreading the seeds of fynbos and contributing to the biodiversity. They are one of few wildlife species left. They prune plants, harvest flowers allowing remaining ones to produce larger fruit, make space for rare plants enabling the plants to survive and by digging for roots they create little holes which accumulate debris and thus provide shelter and nutrients for plants to grow in. 70 percent of South Africans and 60 percent of tourists felt that baboons were an asset to the area, and thereby they generate in excess of R1.5million a year.
Perched on slab of rock in the middle of nowhere is a little cottage called "Somewhere". Nowhere, in this case, happens to be 16km from Barrydale on the R62 towards Ladismith. Thanks to the wonders of technology Len Slater is able to work in this remote part of the world, supplying detailed, site-specific, professional, micro-scale weather forecasts to anyone working outdoors, but specifically to the advertising, entertainment, events, film, hospitality and recreational industries, anywhere in the world. 
Nico Weeber sent in the following account of the Renosterbos MTB Challenge held on 31st October: 
Die dag is ook 'n familiedag en ons het hierdie jaar vir Lollos gehad wat die kinders vermaak het, asook springkasteel, gesigverf, speletjies, "lekkergoedtafel"
October saw the emergence of many young birds, but the really raucous crowd are now due to hit the village streets. These are the greyish-coloured broods of Common Starlings that commonly fledge during the first half of November, and fly about everywhere, loudly and incessantly shouting “Feeeeeed”. This happens in towns all over the Western Cape, as well as in the suburbs of the Mother City, where Cecil John Rhodes introduced the species (along with several others) from Europe at the end of the 19th century. It has since spread throughout the Western Cape, into the Eastern Cape, KZN and, most recently, into the Free State. Because of its introduced status it is branded as an undesirable alien, but it has proved to be far ess damaging to agriculture than in other regions of the world where it has also been introduced.
In 1999 a fork lift tilted and landed on Johan Majola's legs. This accident left him bedridden and helpless. Peter Takelo, a good friend, taught Johan to take care of himself and the new challenges he faced. Johan also learnt how to make baskets. This gave him the enthusiasm to get from bed to a wheelchair and ultimately on to independent movement for a few hours each day. A small income is derived from basket making which helps sustain Johan, his wife Elsabe and his niece Thabisa. Now Johan is an active member of the community and is motivated to help other handicapped people in the village but needs help. 
The Tradouwspas Half Marathon drew a record entry of 170 participants this year. Event organiser Ian Nienaber commented that the 21km run is now back on the Roadrunning calendar and is set to become a yearly event. 
The run was hosted by the Langeberg Atletiekklub and took place on the 24th October, starting from Barrydale Cellars.
It is three years since the inception of the Smitsville women's vegetable project and after many hurdles the four women involved are proudly selling their organic produce in and around Barrydale. The project has the support of the Land Forum, the Department of Agriculture, Social Development and the local Municipality. Funds are provided through Social Development. Training in organic farming is provided by the Department of Agriculture. The project won " Tenant Farmer Award 2009 - Top producer for household consumption communal gardner".
The hard working ladies involved in the project are proud of their achievements. They have gained valuable knowledge and are now able to provide their families with healthy organic vegetables and are also able to sell vegetables for much needed extra money. For more information or to buy the organic produce contact Carel Strydom on 0734158664 or chat to him at the Friday Market (last Friday of each month).
Link to weather report