Experiences of Life in Kiwiland & Oz !

Pretoria Boys High School Fundraising Camapaign - An Investment in BOYS HIGH is an INVESTMENT in South Africa

I received an email from my brother and thought it a good idea to bring it to the attention of all the old boys on Facebook and there are many. Please feel free to distribute to other old boys. As for the Class of 1976 I personally have note heard a word from anyone with regard to any targets for fundraising from anyone in our class. Seems like a worthwhile cause considering we all seemed to turn out to be model citizens (tongue in cheek) ! If you watch the Springboks play we have a timely reminder every time we see John and Chilliboy out on the field representing South Africa (even though we tend to loose). I haven't personally checked those links but will do so and advise if anymore info to be obtained.

Tread softly

Richard

PS  More details available ww.pretorian.co.za 

What is it all about?

The need for a fundraising campaign was identified about six years ago. This was deemed necessary to give Boys High a much-needed capital injection for a major building project, funds to maintain the infra-structure as well as money to assist with benefits for staff and bursaries for boys who have an entitlement to be at the school. A series of strategic planning meetings were held involving staff, governors, parents and old boys. Once the needs and projects were identified, the planning and structuring of the campaign began in earnest in April 2010 when Mr. Schroder retired as headmaster (as he is the person responsible for co-ordinating the fundraising drive).

More detailed information about the initiative (e.g. promotional material, pledge application form, tax information, etc.) is available on the Old Boys Association’s website which can be accessed athttp://www.pretorian.co.za/ and http://www.pbhsob.com/ . However, to give you an idea of what the campaign is trying to achieve, the existing hall and other facilities were built for a school of 1000 boys and it is now 50% bigger, which leaves the school with no choice but to expand and improve on these amenities.

The promotional material on the website will adequately outline why PBHS needs the money and how it will be utilised. When one realises that only 20% of what is required to run the school is provided by the Education Department, then one will understand the crucial need for the campaign to be a success. To meet the target of at least forty million rand is an urgent necessity if we are to keep Boys High's status as a leading school in South Africa and one of the best worldwide. As Old Boys we would therefore like to give the new headmaster and his staff the tools with which to provide a world class education because it is, without doubt, the boys from schools such as ours that will make this country work.

How will the fundraising campaign work?

Each year group, from 1950 to 2009, will be contacted (our 1979 year being represented by Guido and I), in an attempt to secure donations that are as generous as possible during an eight week campaign drive running over the period 22 July 2011 to 16 September 2011. Each year group has been set a target, with the website carrying weekly bulletins and barometers as to how the campaign is going - so each year group will be able to measure its performance against some of the years closest to it.

Some points to be aware of : ·

The new hall and the changes to the existing hall are not “nice to haves” but essential for the future.

· All donations will be treated in the strictest confidence (only the administrator of the payment system namely, Mrs. Bloemink, and Mr. Schroder will know).

· While a once-off payment is first prize, please note that donations annually over 3 years or monthly over 36 months are also options which are available and which would be most welcomed, e.g. R140 per month over 36 months or R1700 per year over 3 years, etc.

·The target which has been set for the Class of 1979 is R500,000. This sum has been carefully and sensitively considered as attainable but knowing the competitive nature of our specific year the goal is not to meet it but to beat it! As mentioned above, weekly updates will appear on the website during the eight week campaign period so you will know how we compare to the other competing years.

· It is intended to give recognition to all donors, no matter how large or small the donations, by erecting suitable boards in the foyer of the new hall - all donations will be recognised equally so there will be no breakdown of who has donated what. Wouldn’t it be great for you to continue your legacy at the school by having your name printed on an honours board which your kids, your grand-children and your great-grand-children, etc. can reflect upon for decades to come?

· While the intention was never to target corporates, please feel free to do so if you are aware of companies (your own or others with whom you might have personal contact) who may be sympathetic to our cause. Considering that the campaign slogan “An investment in Boys High is an investment in South Africa” has already resulted in a donation of R1 million from a company with no direct involvement in the School, some other company out there may also be very willing to do their bit by investing in the future of South Africa. Please note that the pledge forms therefore do have a category for corporate donations.

· If you are currently residing in the United States, please note that there is a special pledge form for USA donors on the website as there are significant tax benefits.

· Everything that a potential donor will need is on the Fundraising website – the promotional material, the pledge/payment form (which MUST accompany all donations), a special pledge form for donations from the United States, a debit order form and an explanation of the tax benefits. · Please be encouraged to spread the word around to all Old Boys even if they weren’t in the Class of 1979. Our wish is that your donation will spur on others to contribute generously towards this worthy cause.

· Understanding the current economic climate, please be as charitable as you are able.

In closing, I would like to remind everyone of the mission statement of the school : “The mission of the school is to pursue and maintain excellence in all spheres of school life - academic, athletic and cultural - within the South African community. It is the aim of the school to produce gentlemen who are independent thinkers, with physical and moral courage, who are articulate, well-mannered and tolerant, educated in the widest sense of the word, sensitive to the needs of others and dedicated to the service of their fellow man and the community as a whole”.

This is certainly a great initiative and the school would greatly appreciate your contributions. Thanking you all in advance for your support.

We really have a great brand to sell.

Kind regards,Royden & Guido Royden Cell : +27 (0) 82-901-2480

Guido Cell : +27 (0) 82-569-2914  

Sent from my iPad

Suspension of cattle export

As predicted yesterday the australian government has stepped in and suspended all live exports to Indonesia forthwith. Good on them. Of course this has the cattle livestock industry in turmoil as the idiots didn't think this would happen so they continued planning on exporting thousands more cattle - now they sit with hundrds of head of cattle in Darwin going nowhere anytime soon. Go figure ! And to crown it all are now demanding financial compensation for their own stupidity. They have had 10yrs to get it right in Indonesia with regard to the slaughter of their cattle, have done next to nothing, taken the cash and run and now are surprised when it all blows up in their faces ! Am I missing something ? I don't really care whether they all go out of business and starve to death (although that shouldn't happen they can eat their own beef). This should never have happened. Perhaps next time they consider exporting live animals they will only send to countries where they are humanely slaughtered in abattoirs meeting stringent international standards. This mornings papers are full of sob stories about how the poor farmer is going to really suffer financially UNLESS he gets compensated. This country is seriously $#%$$% up. We are doomed until such a time as people begin to accept responsibility for their own actions. Make a mistake, suck it up and act more responsibly in the future. Financial compensation - bull shit. So say I.

Sounds like the Australian government are listening to the people and will stop export of live animals to Indonesia. Still too soon to talk but it sounds promising. Either that or there will be some control at the "slaughterhouses", which is exactly what they are. Cynical me thinks its for the wrong reasons - so that they can stay in power at the next elections. Yip thats the way politics work in this country. Abysmal. I know its similar in other countries but this country takes the cake - politicians here have NO conscience at all. Not even a pinch of it.

Australian cattle exports

On Tuesday evening ABC broadcast a program on live cattle exports to Indonesia. Cattle are exported on the hoof because of Halaal requirements in that country although I don't buy that argument. Horror of horrors. The manner in which these animals are slaughtered is absolutely disgraceful in this day and age. Imagine the scene - cattle running around with heads half cut off, being kicked and beaten with chains, unhygienic facilities etc. Appalling. I thought I had seen it all. Even worse still was the cattle industry in Australia response. Trying to defend the practice (dollar signs flashing - it's a 300 million dollar a year business ). It's been going on for over 10 years believe it or not. If similar practice occurred in this or any other western country they would be arrested and thrown in gaol. Even the federal government had little to say at the time as they condoned this practice. Horrific to say the least. Talk about double standards! What's this world coming to? Is this what happens when you become
"educated" in a western world? Seems to be the case in this country at least. Fortunately there has been major uproar in the days since the program aired and the government has stepped in to stop this practice. Or is it all bullshit? Turns out this government has been aware of these disgusting practices for at least 2 years if not longer and has done nothing to stop it. Corrupt officials ? Probably. Politicians in this country never fail to amaze me. Sure they are bad all over the world but Australian politicians take the cake. Without a doubt. Will something actually be done to stop this practice. I doubt it. On the news today - another 2 shipments left today for Indonesia. Live cattle. Did I do something myself instead of just mouthing off only blog? Yeah I wrote Julia gillard an email voicing my concerns. Will she read it? Doubt it. What else can one do? I can't believe humans have degenerated to this level in this age of sophistication. Fucking hell. The human race is doomed!

Red Centre Enduro

Well thats all over for the year !  Interesting experience with some good riding, a lot of it technical in nature over rocky outcrops (or "koppies" if you are a SA).  250km more or less in 5 days of riding - not a great distance but because of the technical nature enough.  I really enjoyed the less technical sections and battled gamely on in the technical riding.  I certainly have come away with a lot more experience and more confidence in riding these sections.  Mountain biking requires confidence and momentum to tackle difficult rock climbs.  If one isn't confident it ends up badly with a fall.  And of course a drop in confidence.  One stage was ridden at night in the pitch black with mounted lights on the helmet and bike.  We had ridden the same section during the day and it was interesting to find times were a little quicker at night over the same difficult terrain much of it due to confidence levels being higher as one couldn't actually see much of where one was riding - you were focussed on the 5-10m path ahead of you and ignored all the big rocks on the side (it was all narrow single track).  I just stayed on the bike and rode it all whereas during the day I had perceived it to be non-rideable due to all the other extraneous objects (like big rocks on the side of the track).  Perhaps I should wear blinkers for riding during the day ?!  That would be interesting.  Or tunnel vision glasses.  I call it wisdom, the lack of confidence "thing" - having learnt in my youth that falling=pain.  Not so actually.  Dumb human brain !  Need to trade it in for a new "more youthfull" one !  

Anyway I digress.  The folk taking part in the ride were all very friendly, it was run in  very Aussie laid back way (not on a par with the Cape Epic by an means).  Took a while to chill out and get used to the pace of organisation.  Slow !  Tracks were well marked.  Weather was fantstic.  Chilly early morning - about 5 degrees warming to 26 degree midday.  My training was pretty much spot on - everyday was a breeze and wasn't  too tired.  Didn't get cramps so my fluid replacement was good.  Took a couple of falls on the rocks mentioned above, one of them spectacular, hitting an unsighted "donga" at speed and flipping over the handlebars.  

I fell on the same favoured left knee 3 times each time gouging a large hole below the knee.  See pic.  My elbow was a right mess too - left behind a strip of skin, my DNA, on a rock for eternity - when I did a 360 sightseeing tour of the desert.  You should try it !  Gives one a different perspective of life it does.  Dinkum.  And a sprained right wrist.  The first aiders did a disappearing act after each stage finnish worth of magicians so I couldn't get these injuries attended too properly and had to make do with tap water and my own small first aid supply.  Suffice it to say but by the end of the week the wounds were seriously septic and have taken a week to get sorted out.   Not pleasant.  Thats life.  No pain no gain.

Technically only one major issue on the last stage when I "burped" my tubeless tyre - yeah sounds like a baby burping and even has that white stuff coming out (sealant in my case not milk). and it took me a while to reinflate and seal the tyre.  I used up all my CO2 bombs and had to beg from another rider.  Lost 40 minutes and ended up loosing about 15 places in the overall standings.  I was more or less in the middle of the field until then.  Shit happens, suck it up and move on. 

Unfortunately I didn't have time to take photos but do have some video footage taken with my Go Pro but yet to edit.  Will do so in due course.  I also managed to lay my hands on a leaders yellow jersey at the post event auction.  Neat.

Overall a worthwhile experience. Mission accomplished for the time being anyway.  Whats up next ?  Well I hope to continue building up on my fitness levels, riding that is, and then ride 2 events in Sept and Nov.  Hopefully I can start competing a little more seriously in the "vintage" category (jeepers that sounds bloody old).  We have purchased an indoor trainer (a spinner) so can train in winter.  Which seems to have arrived with a gusto this week - bloody cold and miserable.  And oh yes the 29er was great - no problems to talk of.  Handled the trails like a dream, no sore butt at all.  It just handles like a bus on the tight corners on single track.  Will have to work on that.  Confidence thing ! 

 Please note the SA colours !  As if you can miss them.  This was for the night ride. If not why not.  My kiwi mascot sat on the bike all week too !  He has travelled a long distance he has !

 

Video of BMW Trip 2011

 

Post Easter

Yeah well we had a 5 day weekend. And it's back to work. All good things come to an end. I spent some of the weekend editing my video footage from the trip. Long process. End result 2 movies, one long and the other short. Difficult to get the right effect. Posted one to Facebook. Will add it to blog later. The Go Pro camera is real neat. HD footage is top notch and it works well attached to my helmet. Till later.

Saturday and its rained most of the day ! Have to get in some more training - race next weekend and the bid Red Centre Enduro in 3 weeks time in Alice Springs. Thank goodness for an indoor spinner !

Just posted latest road trip with photos to my blog site. Happy with it.

Road Trip OZ 2011 BMW Part 2

 Rob's Triumph and the BMW.  This photo taken en route to Apollo Bay in Geelong. 

 Rob and I at Bells Beach.

The weather on this particular day was stunning.  Little did we know it was the last sunshine day we were going to see all week.   We haven't had much of a summer this year.  All this weird weather.  We visited the Otway Fly TreetopAdventure site in the Otway rain forrest which was a great experience.  They have built a walkway which runs at treetop height through the forrest. Beautiful trees and ferns.  On one particular path on ground level they have several prehistoric animals in the bush.

 Vanessa couldn't resist taking one on ! 

 

 While Rob thought a cuddle was better !

 

 The trees were ginormous and must be hundreds of years old.  The walkway extended through the treetops. A worthwhile experience. 

I couldn't resist taking photos of the ferns. More photos in the photo album to the left of my blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also stopped off at the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland  Australia on the southernmost tip where Bass straight collides with the country.   The views ere outstanding.  Pretty rough coastline though.  

 

 

 The weather was pretty miserable and cold.  On with the thermals and winter gloves.  The bike was performing pretty well at this stage although I hadn't noticed the the differential was leaking oil.  More about that later.  I have a pretty good setup on the bike with an intercom system for comms and music. So riding is a pleasure.  The only problem with a bike is when it comes to walking around it is not very comfortable and one has helmets and heavy jackets to deal with. Fortunately with Rob having his car we could just lock them up in his car so it made life a lot easier.

 

 

This photo on the right was taken from the top of the lighthouse.  It has a very simple mechanism to rotate.  Amazing.  There is also a little cafe for coffee and opne can look around the home of the lighthouse keeper which is a museum.  We headed off to the twelve apostles where we managed to find accomoddation at a small motel app 4km down the road on a dirt road.  The dirt road had loose gravel which made it an interesting experience on the BMW loaded as it was with Vanessa and all the luggage.  By now the weather had cleared but it was cold !  

The following morning we set off for the twelve apostles which is the highlight of the great ocean road.  It was pretty cold that morning.    I took hundreds of photos the following of which are just a couple.  More in my album.

 

 

 

 

 

Just playing around with the camera.  As mentioned in my previous post we decided to call it a day after reaching Port Fairy as the weather was really turing for the worse with really strong winds buffetting the bike around and rain clouds moving in from the coast. We reached Dunkeld in the late afternoon after a hard day in the saddle and decided to stay at the Royal Mail Hotel. Very expensive but great accommodation.  We also had our small run in with a neighbour re parking.  We had a really good meal in the restuarant that night with another bottle of red nectar biting the dust.

Halls Gap was our next stop at the base of the Grampians.  Unfortunately many of the roads in the Grampians are closed at the moment due to the heavy rains and flooding earlier this year so we had to make a slight detour to get to Halls Gap.  It was of course a Friday and with a weekend coming up accommodation was at a premium but we managed to find a reasonable motel close to amenities in town.   We spent 2 nights there as there is much to see. 

We visited the National Park and Cultural Centre at Brambuk just outside town which was interesting and on the Sunday we took a drive up north along a dirt road which was about the only one open to do a little walk in the hills (or koppi as we call it in SA - not a mountain by ant means).  Rob enjoys his rock climbing and this area has plenty of opportunity so am sure he will be back soon.

 

The views were outstanding.  The rock formations are interesting and there appear to be many beautiful walks in the area.  Also a great place for mountain biking once they get the roads back to passable. 

 

 

I enjoyed the 20 or 30kms on dirt.  Vanessa rode in the car with Rob so the bike was manageable - speeds of 80 -100kmh on those dirt roads were manageable. 

Monday morning dawned.  Rob had decided to head back to Melbourne.  We were going to head up to Avoca with him and then he would branch off to Melbourne and ourselves head north to Bendigo, Echuca and eventually home.   The roads heading north are pretty boring - straight and flat terrain.  I was by this stage a little concerned with the leak around my rear differential.  We arrived in Deniliquin mid afternoon after a journey of app 500km.  It had by now warmed up a little.  I had another look at the oil leak and decided it needed to be fixed so made some calls and decided it would be better to head east to Albury on Tuesday as there is  a BMW dealer there who could look at the bike.  Probably just an oil seal but rather be safe than sorry.   The trip to Albury on the Tuesday was boring as hell.  Arrived at the dealer to be told the oil seal needed to be replaced however they did not have the part in stock and it had to be couriered up from Melbourne which would take 24 yrs.  So we had a day to play with.  We headed south back into Victoria  to Beechworth and then Myrtleford for the night.  Nice ride with windy roads through farmland.  Myrtleford is on the great alpine road which we had come up with a week earlier.  On the Wed we headed back into Albury on a beautiful blue sky day and headed straight to the BMW dealer who replaced the seal.  We were on the road again by 11am.  

We headed due east on Talgarno Rd which took us along the banks of Lake Hume.  Stunning.  Yes the sky was blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The road less travelled took us to a one horse little town called Walwa where petrol was $1.76 a litre !  Fortunately the bike takes very little (20L and we get 400km on a tank) so it won't break the bank.   From there we headed south 

to Towong and then due north to Tooma, Tumbarumba, Batlow and Tumut.  The road was just superb for biking.  Narrow, windy and very little traffic. And stunning scenery. Traffic only picked up north of Batlow (fruit area).  At Tumut, filling up with petrol we got talking to a truckie (also a biker) who recommended we head to Yass via a little town called Wee Jasper on a dirt road.  He gave us directions and after putting them in my GPS we headed off on, initially, a large dirt road used for logging with logging trucks which made for interesting riding as it was corrugated and there were BIG trucks on it ! Feel pretty small on a bike with a large truck bearing up on you.  We missed a turn off and after about 5kms stopped to see where we were.  Fortunately a truckie stopped and gave us the correct directions.  From there on it was alttle windy road which climbed ot the top of a mountain and then down again to Wee Jasper a truly pictureque little town located on the banks of a small lake.  Stunning.  The road out of there was tarseal and very windy and beautiful .  It was getting late and sunset had caste its gloom by the time we gout out of the mountains and approached Yass where we found a motel which serves the biggest steaks you have EVER seen in its restaurant !  Truly Vanessas steak must have weighed 1kg and not joking.  Cooked to  perfection but just too big to eat !  And reasonable price.  I regret we didn't stop and take any photos in Wee Jasper just too pressed for time but a really worthwhile experience.  This was probably the highlight of the trip and best riding too.  I just love those little backroad dirt roads which lead to who-knows-where ! Its why I ride an offroader.  

On Thursday we decided to take another backroad from  Goulburn via Tarlo, Taralga, Black Springs to Lithgow rather than the boring Hume Highway.  The ride is along the plateau of the Blue Mountains - it was damn cold.  Interesting ride though.  From Lithgow we headed east to Windsor, Wisemans Ferry, along the Hawkesbury River  and home arriving late afternoon.  Tired but satisfied.  A truly enjoyable trip.  Have to to do it again - perhaps just focus on the alpine region of north Victoria.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One interesting observation I made was that victorian roads are just fantastic, well maintained (even back country tar roads).  The minute one goes over the bridge into NSW the roads falls into disrepair with potholes etc.  Its like travelling from South Africa into Zimbabwe !  The NSW government have a lot to answer for.   But that doesn't surprise me.  The politics here in NSW is just apalling - politicians should be ashamed of themselves. 

Note:  See photos in the relevant album on the LHS of my home page - Road Trip 2011.