Barrydale Online

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.

The Barrydale Ratepayers recently asked Cape Nature’s, Corne Claassen to give us guidance on the handling of the baboon problem in Barrydale:

"Research has shown that there is sufficient food for baboons in the wild. It is a mistaken assumption that it is necessary to set up baboon restaurants ‘because there is not enough food’ in the wild. Feeding baboons leads not only to their problem behaviour but also to an increase in their population growth rate. This means that by providing them food we create a bigger  problem. Baboons feed on  seeds, seafood, clay and very specific parts of over 100 different plant types, like seeds, fruit, nuts, roots and so forth.....

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.  

Len started his career as a weatherman with the SAWS in 1966. Within a year he was on Marion Island growing his first beard. Returning from the cold in 1968, he worked at many major centres around the country before and after obtaining a Meteorological Diploma from Pretoria Technicon in 1970. After another visit to Marion Island as leader of the SAWS expeditionary team, he settled in Cape Town where he started his SAWS in service practical forecasting training in 1976....

 The BRA has made great strides on our behalf this past year. Our thanks go to Emma Schoeman and her team for their efforts under extremely trying circumstances. The report is attached as a .pdf and it is worth taking a look at.

Link to Barrydale Ratepayers AGM report (period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009)

Nico Weeber sent in the following account of the Renosterbos MTB Challenge held on 31st October:

"Dit was die eerste Renosterbos Bergfiets Uitdaag en Familiedag.
Ons is 'n klein plattelandse gemeenskap en NGK Gemeente. Fondse en betrokkenheid is maar altyd op ons tafel en hierdie dag is een van die maniere wat ons gebruik om albei aan te spreek. Die Bergfiets deel kom al 'n lang pad in ons koppe. Ons het onbeskryflike mooi natuurskoon en ideale bergfiets terrein. Die roetes (5, 25 en 60 km) loop deur wingerd, vrugte boorde en karoo-veld. Ons het probeer om iets vir almal te bied en die 60km het stukke gehad wat 'n regte uitdaging bied, maar ook gedeeltes waar deelnemers die natuur kan geniet.
Die dag is ook 'n familiedag en ons het hierdie jaar vir Lollos gehad wat die kinders vermaak het, asook springkasteel, gesigverf, speletjies, "lekkergoedtafel"
 
Na die wedrenne het ons prysuitdeling en "luckydraws" gehad en kon die Curriebekerfinaal op grootskerm kyk.
 
Dit was regtig 'n fantastiese dag en die terugvoer was oorweldigend goed.
Ons het baie geleer met ons eerste poging en gaan volgende jaar verseker groter en beter!"

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.

The South African populations of the Common Starling are interesting for another reason, revealed from the ringing (or banding) of these birds in the Cape Town area....