Snow in Greyton, simply stunning!

Clearing with great views just after lunch.

 

Residents this morning woke up to snow-covered mountains and some very chilly temperatures. A good snow fall like this has sadly been absent for several years and is essential for restoring depleted ground water supplies. Greyton also had 30+ mm of rain that is most welcome.

We can also report that areas above the TWK dam in Villiersdorp had 67mm of rain and good snow falls. The dam can be expected to fill quickly now and the melting snow will supply the area with an extended period of run off. The snow is not expected to last long as temperatures are forecast to rise considerably by weekend and this will most certainly take care of the snow. Hopefully this will not be the last of the year.

Early morning very cold with some showers.

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Unseasonably late fire light’s up the mountains around Greyton.

At 1632 this afternoon the first signs of smoke appeared from the old farm just below Abdul’s kop. The local fire service was notified and they were on the scene just before 5. Sadly it seems that were unable to contain the fire which appears to have started near the upper house in the forest. Furthermore a team of fire beaters and other firefighters on scene have been able to reduce the risk to Vlei Street property.

The picture above was taken just before sunset and clearly shows an anabatic wind system drawing the flames up the side of the mountain. By this time the lights of other emergency vehicles could be seen on the tracks below the mountain. Fortunately at the time of writing there is little or no wind apart from that created by the fire.

Fires this late in the area are unusual and it shows how dry the vegetation is. This can be directly attributed to the drought.

GREYTON GUN CLUB RESTORED AND OPERATIONAL

Thankfully after a very slow process the Greyton Gun Club is back up and running at full speed. The machines have been serviced and infrastructure rebuilt after it was completely wiped out in the 2016 fire.

This weekend’s shoot went very well and we were very pleased to see some old faces. Guy Emslie Honorary member put in an appearance an acquitted himself well after have been away for some years. In spite of his absence on the range this has not stopped him reliably supplying the club with bails. Unfortunately these are regularly savaged by rogue donkeys. This is in spite of them being treated old car oil. We also had visitors Manfred, Andre, Xandre and Hoffie.

Shooting conditions were near perfect with a temp of 22C overcast and virtually no wind all day. 24 pairs and two singles were shot over 8 very different stands. There was nothing particular far and you could get around comfortably with ¼ and ½. Some members last shot in November and paid the price on the easiest layouts making hard work out what can only be described as card fillers. Five months of nothing will do that to you. Even a couple of sessions on the PS3 would have helped.

We will shoot sporting doubles at the next shoot the 26^th of May. There will be no April shoot on account of ESC holding an Autumn Sporting shoot at Nidderdale Farm on the 21st in the Hemel and Aarde Valley. The venue is situated just below Babylon’s Tower and looks out over two dams towards Hermanus. It is worth visiting just for the view. For more info visit Elgin Sporting Clays on FB or if you have already deleted your account contact Simon on 082 339 4998.

In the end top three were as follows. D.Legg 40 S.Smith 34 J.Preece 33.

Just after the fire in November 2016

Greyton Art Walk set for the 16-18th Nov 2018- Simply Wow!

This Wednesday members of the Greyton’s local art scene gathered at Fiore Garden Centre and Restaurant for a glass or two and something to eat while Chris Cloete briefed potential artists and exhibitors on this year’s event. Chris was very pleased to announce that last year’s success had not gone unnoticed and this year Pam Golding had come on board as patron supporter.

Artists and exhibitors will be in for a treat this year with a much expanded route and program. He was also pleased to announce that many of last year’s favourites will be back. It is prudent to mention that some 50 artworks were sold last year. Unlike many events there is no commission payable to the event or organisers. The public seemed to have to relish the opportunity to interact directly with the artists and among the noticeable successes was the children’s art section. This saw entries from all over the Western Cape. Winners received over R4000.00 in prize money last year and the prize pool will be even bigger this time around!

A few of our local masters thoughtfully contemplate this years art trends.

 

The expanded route will allow all to take in the whole village and registered participants can look forward to a few refreshments along the way. If last year is anything to go by then this year it will be one to remember. For those artists that have not register yet a link to the entry form is provided below.

GAW REG. 2018GREYTON ART WALK REGISTRATION 2018

Greyton Rose Fair 2017

Well the weather for this year’s event was just perfect! In spite of many water concerns the state of this year’s gardens the roses were bang on. Lei water was temporarily restored in the weeks prior to the festival and this seems to have done the trick.

As usual the event was started on Saturday morning with a parade through town. At the head of the parade Mrs. Rose Fair was transported in a rather grand Rolls Royce. There were also some very interesting cars on show and something for everyone at the market including several interesting additions to the attractions see below. On the face of it numbers were up on last year but we will have to wait for the official numbers.

For the gardener at heart displays in the hall and the open gardens did not disappoint. It has been very interesting how quickly Greyton’s gardeners are adapting to the tough water conditions. Many new and interesting solutions were visible in theand also for those with a keen eye a lot of more sustainable plants are making an appearance.

 

Greyton Security Update

Notes from the Safety & Security meeting held in Greyton on 09 October 2017

Alan Armstrong
Alan outlined the purpose of the gathering, which was not to discuss all the options available to our community to improve safety and security, but to present and discuss the findings of an investigation into the use of CCTV cameras, which appears to be by far the single most effective way to curb crime in residential and village areas such as Greyton if the equipment is correctly placed, monitored and responded to.
Greyton has had an approximate three year period of relatively low crime. This has shown signs of increasing in the past few months with a recent spate of burglaries – some involving knife attacks.
The presence of the new community in Madiba Park, of unemployed or underemployed people, is almost certainly going to have an impact.

Leon Vosloo
Leon spoke of the success that LRV have experienced in other communities where they operate and where CCTV cameras have been successfully deployed.
When the community participates (active Neighbourhood Watch), and LRV and the SA Police Service (SAPS) work in close cooperation, crime related incidences can be reduced by 80 – 90%.
It is essential that CCTV camera networks are monitored 24×7, and that a response team is on hand to react.
LRV are committed to being involved in assisting in the project to rollout cctv cameras in Greyton.
LRV will provide premises for a control room if that is the way Greyton residents wish to proceed.
CCTV cameras can definitely play a huge role in combatting crime in our community.

Jeremy Prins
Jeremy spoke of the huge problem that the TWK Municipality has experienced across the region with theft and vandalism. TWKM have already started an initiative to install CCTV cameras in the broader TWK region. A control room in Caledon will monitor the cameras across the region.
Phase 1 will entail about 30 cameras being deployed.
It will be valuable for TWK and for Greyton residents to co-operate regarding the types of equipment and network technologies selected so that systems can integrate and share information.
Greyton can be a test case for our community, and further rollout can be done in Genadendal and other residential areas.

Abner Engels
The Onrus/Vermont Neighbourhood Watch (OnVerWag) together with the community have been involved with the preparation, planning and initial deployment of a CCTV camera network for the past three years.
They were experiencing 45 – 50 burglaries per month in addition to poaching and drug related activity.
Thirteen different companies have done site inspections and have made recommendations.
OnVerWag are in the process of installing 25 CCTV cameras, which are site and purpose specific with the appropriate level of technology
The system must be integrated with the SAPS, Traffic Department and Municipality systems in order to function effectively.
Their intention is to “enclose their entire area” with camera coverage. All entry and exit points to the area will be covered by CCTV cameras which are monitored 24hrs per day.
CCTV cameras are not the most expensive part of the exercise.
Monitoring and response teams are an on-going expense.
Funding can be achieved by the community applying to the municipality for a Special Rating Area. This is a levy which is applied to all ratepayers, and which is then collected by the local authority. The usage of these funds is monitored and managed by a non-profit organisation (NPO).
He attested to the fact that the SRA application however involves “quite a bit of red tape and many steps”.

W/O Van Wyk
Presented the License Plate Recognition (LPR) initiative that is being introduced to the Overberg and Overstrand areas. The initiative will link these areas to a comprehensive national network to target criminal activity linked to motor vehicle use.
It involves the extensive use of LPR Cameras which can immediately scan and recognise a license plate from a vehicle and automatically check if that vehicle/license plate has been flagged by law enforcement.
This system has been tested and has been found to be extremely effective in tracking criminals moving about, in the execution of, or escaping from a crime, or in transporting illegal goods or substances.
Greyton will benefit greatly from being able to integrate into this network.

Capt Tamboer
Crime is on the increase in our area and burglaries are of particular concern.
SAPS are busy with investigations into burglaries on a daily basis in Greyton.
SAPS resources are stretched and administrative overheads place a heavy burden on their resources.
Communities urgently need to organise themselves to assist SAPS with crime prevention.
The circle of arrest/prosecution/jail/release of criminals keeps SAPS resources very stretched, and prevents more of a focus on the underlying causes of crime.
The Community Police Forum (CPF) in our area has been inactive since last year. A process is underway involving the Department of Community Safety (DOCS) to re-instate a CPF that is representative of only legitimate organisations in our area.
Once the CPF is in place, the Neighbourhood Watch can be re-instated and application can be made for funding for security related projects.

John Pretorius
John presented various types of CCTV cameras and related network components.
There is a broad range of cameras available, from very simple low cost cameras with limited functionality, to very sophisticated cameras with long range and the ability to operate effectively at night.
The cost of these cameras and related equipment has come down appreciably over the past few years, and they are now widely deployed in many residential and business areas across the country.
John suggested a number of locations for the initial camera installation that would allow us to cover wide areas that are known routes used by criminals entering our community.
While local storage of video footage is best, residential, business and community cameras should all be routed to the monitoring center for live monitoring and response.
Cameras can be easily relocated if they are “discovered” by criminals, or if they are found to be unsuitable for use at that particular location.

Eddie Holloway
Eddie presented video footage from CCTV cameras that are deployed in areas monitored by CamLiveVision.
The footage showed actual incursions by criminals and the response that is possible if security companies and SAPS are alerted once the perpetrator has been spotted. Video footage is also a valuable tool used by SAPS and the courts to secure prosecution of the criminal.

Fender Bender in the Main Road.

Just before 10h00 this morning two residents collided just outside the Greyton Supermarket & Hardware. The vehicle pictured was stationary at the time when a reversing bakkie from the opposite hit it.

Saps were on the scene shortly thereafter and the driver of the bakkie was taken for medical attention and was later hospitalised. While we might be in Greyton it does not mean that one can give up paying attention. Local resident Elizabeth De Kock says that this is the second incident recently and two other vehicles in similar circumstances were also involved in a minor incident at approximately the same place. Whenever driving caution and attention is required wherever you are.