Barrydale Online

The Canola Carnival in Swellendam was held on 6th to 8th August 2010 with a great line up of musical events.  Three Mountain Bike Challenges were staged on Saturday 7th August. The carnival was voted a huge success and will be held again next year. Click on the picture to view the video for more.

Video from swellendamtelevision

South Africa’s award winning a Capella group Not the Midnight Mass are back again and will be performing 2 shows in Barrydale on 21st August.
The group has a new and exciting line up; stalwarts Graham and Christine Weir are once again joined by Cape Town’s most popular jazz diva, Amanda Tiffin, as well as award winning actress Anthea Thompson and funny-man Donal Slemon.

Singing Like angels but with a devilish wit, in 2009 the members of Not the Midnight Mass won the Fleur de Cap Award for Best performance in a Cabaret.  They have been hailed both nationally and internationally for their unique blend of harmonies, humor and original writing and the show sports some old favorites like  Led Zepplins “A whole Lotta Love”, Pachelbel's Canon in D as well as a new and hilarious rendition of My Fair Lady's “On The Street Where you Live”

The shows will take place at 5pm and 8pm at Karoojie Kelder, Bain Street, Barrydale and the bar will open half an hour before the performances..
Tickets can be purchased from Negosiegat, van Riebeeck Street, Barrydale, as from Saturday July 17th.
Enquiries: Mary Weir. Tel. 028 5721432 Cell. 084 4910789

 Video: Trailer of the Sheepdog training and information DVD by Faansie Basson

 Video courtesy of Swellendam Television 

2010 SUPERIOR South African National Sheepdog Championships:

The trialing season for the South African sheepdog handlers draws to an end with the South African National Sheepdog Championships to be held during the weekend of 20-22 August 2010 on the farm Excelsior in the Swellendam district.
With all the regional competitions something of the past, it is down to the big one. Bags are packed and dogs loaded in far corners of the country as the teams make their way to the Cape. Green fields of grain await those who leave the barren, frost bitten northern regions of the country.

The championship begins with the qualifying rounds on Friday 20th August with the Semi finals running on the Saturday and the Finals on Sunday 22nd. There will be a marquee for spectators in case the beautiful winter days the Cape has experienced, change. There will be warm food and refreshments on sale at the venue.

REMINDER: ONLY 100 tickets still available.. only 30 tents available..PLEASE BOOK NOW. Unplugged62 music concert and Renosterbos mountain bike challenge 4 Sept 2010. For more information and to book:

Please book online at  Unplugged 62 Music Concert and Renosterbos MBC

and send us proof of payment with break-down of each person and for what they've paid to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - details on website!

After an absence of four years Carol Morris is excited to be back at Mud Gallery. Carol rented the premises to Hildegard Crous while she was busy establishing Barrydale Hand Weavers and building her "straw" house above Mud Gallery. Now that the house is completed and the weaving business has taken off Carol feels that she has the energy and time to devote to the Gallery (though those who know Carol wonder where she finds the energy to accomplish as much as she does!).

The emphasis will be on metalwork because blacksmith/ artist Herman van Wyk has his forge on the premises but Carol will also be promoting artists from the region. In sympathy with the ethos of the building which is built in stone and mud, Carol also plans an Eco centre with a permaculture garden as well as a worm garden. Also reflecting Eco living, items such as hot boxes, flowerpot bread,  pestles and mortars as well as "vertical gardens" ( crops in pots) for small spaces will be on sale. Carol invites you to come and browse and to watch a blacksmith at work.

Carol can be contacted on 0825093447, www.barrydaleweavers.co.za (Hildegard Crous: www.saorchids.co.za)

Author Leslie Howard moved to the Overberg twenty years ago, when she settled in the then little village of Greyton. So began a passionate love affair with life in the country, which today is as hot as it was then. The death of her husband Ken and the adoption of a slower pace of life caused other far-reaching changes. For example, a mid-life career change which enabled her to indulge her love of words and special places.

Leslie says that living in this special area for the past two decades has been the defining experience of her life. She is the author of Overberg Tapestry and Country Roads and Quirky People, an entertaining account of life in the rural Overberg. She is a contributing poet to New Coin, has written numerous articles for a variety of journals, mainly on the subject of higher education, and was a speech-writer for the chancellor and two vice-chancellors of tertiary institutions, and for some of our current parliamentarians. She has recently translated three books. Flowers, simply beautiful and Homegrown garden design, both published by Metz Press, are on the shelves now.

When asked about the book she is now writing, Leslie becomes evasive. She’s not letting on until it is about to be published. But she does happily confess that an article on building styles in Barrydale will appear in Country Life in mid-December.

 On Friday the 16th July "Barrydale Cares" received a visit from The Nelson Mandela Foundation together with a number of bikers who are doing their 67 minutes (and more) to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 92nd birthday.   We had arranged soup and bread for the elderly for the bikers to serve to the elderly, and many others, who had arrived at the hall.   After the visitors were welcomed by the Ebenaezer singing group with a rendering of our National Anthem, they were then officially welcomed by the mayor, Mr Jansen.  A presentation of 100 soft, warm blankets was handed to our social worker, Mrs Annaline Zulch by Morgan Freeman on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.