by the MAY 2013 FOR AND BY THE COMMUNITY MAY 2013 Walkerville Show hits new highs The Walkerville Agricultural Show on 13 and 14 April set new and Sunday mornings and had an appreciative crowd cheering and levels of achievement in support, popularity and profit. Even the clapping, while a beauty contest for Walkerville's young fairer sex organisers were pleasantly surprised and are keen to broaden and attracted widespread interest. Equestrian events were strongly improve this annual show so it can become a prestige event on the supported with jumping attracting 250 entries. Time constraints national agricultural show calendar. kept another forty-odd entries out. Strong and growing support by sponsors and exhibitors helped create a satisfying variety which made a large part of the roughly 10000 visitors who came from far and wide stay much later than anticipated on both evenings. Stalls numbered well beyond 100 which was much better than the previous show held in 1998. As the Walkerville Agricultural Society is a non profit (Article 21) company, this year's healthy profit gets ploughed back into the 2014 show to the benefit of the whole community. Some events were exceedingly popular and should serve as a measure of the kind of events show goers want and enjoy. These include ox wagon rides on Hans Sturgeon's ox wagon dating from 1880 which took a few hundred trippers of all ages and ethnic What does the future hold? “Organisers started on the back foot this year and had to revive the show within six months,” Booyens points out. “Next year the show could already be bigger and better as organisers now have twice as much time. They have taken note of pitfalls and have a much better grasp of what is needed to lure sizeable crowds and participants and garner support from industry and commerce. The organisers are including the local community to broaden its active support base. A public meeting will be held to serve as a sounding board for what the local community, sponsors and exhibitors want to be included or left out at the 2014 show.” A core committee of six members for the 2014 show will plan groups on sorties into scrub areas and farm roads. Well trained and co-ordinate the many facets of the show. They are: Mr. Steve guard and companion dogs demonstrated their skills on Saturday (Continued on Page 3) Direct to the Public Visit the factory just outside Meyerton THE PREFERRED SUPPLIER OF ALL ANIMAL FEED AND INGREDIENTS HEIDELBERG ROAD Dog food & Bird Seed (016) 366 1398 / 083 676 8607 Fertilisers, Fencing & Irrigation Page 2 The Henley Herald May 2013 Councillor’s Corner Weekend mayhem on the banks of the Klip River Some of you may know that I was yet again a victim of a There was heavy rain all day on Friday 19 April, just unheard of housebreaking and theft incident. I am also aware that many of you this late in the season, and another 100mm on Saturday morning have shared this experience. A break-in, even when you're not there, and the Klip River was starting to strain at the banks in several has a major impact on your and your family's sense of safety and places. By lunchtime the rain had stopped and the sun was coming well-being. out here and there. The news carried reports about floods in Soweto Research shows that victims are targeted because of their wealth. and West Rand and we were on alert expecting the water to come Other demographic factors such as race play no part in decisions of through Henley on Klip within 24 to 48 hours. the perpetrators to target specific households. The reasons for tar- On Sunday at about 6:00 the first warnings were sounded that the geting certain homes and neighbourhoods are largely influenced by water levels had risen quickly and we sprang into action. With the the availability of informants and perceptions of the family's af- help of Henley Watch and HCCF, the Midvaal protection services fluence. The increase in home robbery has occurred because perpet- were put on alert and vehicles and personnel were dispatched to the rators see it as a high-gain low-risk undertaking. village to monitor the situation and by 7:00 we were starting to …each one of us can make a evacuate the first house. Help came from various volunteers and the halls on both sides of the river were made available. Houses contribution however small… were quickly packed up and moved to higher ground. By 10.00 the Crime in Henley seems to be increasing at this time. Henley water level seemed to stabilize and stayed constant until about Watch has suggested going back to a few extra mobile patrols on an 13:00 when it started to slowly go down. ad hoc basis. The idea is for two extra mobiles out for two hours at a On Saturday morning the Kidson Weir was free of debris but by time per night.( Usually between 23h00 to 03h00). This initiative midmorning on Sunday there had been a significant build-up of was very successful previously and definitely kept the perpetrators debris and this was causing more water to dam behind the bridge at bay. The SAPS has also agreed that this is an effective way to structure. (See article page on 6) We put a call through to Midvaal deter would-be criminals. Council to see if they were able to assist us with this problem. After Not all of us can manage to volunteer for these extra patrols, but I careful planning and ensuring that there was minimal risk and have resolved that when I come home at night from a meeting or a sufficient emergency services in place, a machine was sent out social event I will take 20 minutes or so to patrol around before I along the weir to remove as much debris as safely possible. turn into my gate. I hope that some of you will join me in this. It is Although only a small portion of the Weir was opened it made a becoming increasingly clear that each one of us has to become an significant improvement to the water level. We need to thank activist in combating crime. For instance, if that empty plot next Midvaal for this help to the village of Henley on Klip, specifically door is overgrown and a nice hiding place for criminals, don't wait the machine operator who went into the river to clear the debris. for it to be cut. Either go in and cut it yourself or send you gardener Their willingness to help us in a time of need is exactly why so in to do it. Please do not give work to people hanging around the many of us believe Midvaal is the best place to live in Gauteng. shops and streets corners. This just creates a market for them to At 3:00 on Monday morning it all started again when we were congregate. Make sure that the people you employ have the correct woken to the sound of high water warnings and we were once again papers. One of the reasons that they may not have papers and be spurred into action and went out to assist fellow residents who were illegal is that they already have a criminal record. in danger. The water levels were rising fast and were already higher Crime is a multi-faceted problem and needs multi-faceted than the previous day. We were assisted by the various community solutions. However, each one of us can make a contribution, groups and the Midvaal Protection services. On the west bank we however small, to combating this challenge. had the Lions open the O'Connor Hall and on the East bank we had – Cllr Lynda Parsonson the use of the Bowling Club. Fortunately we did not have to make much use of these facilities as the water levels stabilized around “Each of us is a being in himself and a being in society, 6:00 and by 8:00 were seen to be decreasing. By the next day the each of us needs to understand himself and understand water had returned to within the banks of the river. others, take care of others and be taken care of himself.” It must be mentioned that Midvaal Council's presence was felt on – Haniel Long Sunday and Monday morning. We had Mayor Timothy Nast, Cllr “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did Lynda Parsonson, MMC Pat Pretorius and MMC Malcolm Hack nothing because he could only do a little.” doing the rounds and checking on all the houses to see where they – Edmund Burke (Continued on Page 6) MacJobbing&Security VILLAGE SERVICE CENTRE Cleeve Road @ Total Garage For all your New Building, Renovation, Maintenance, Security & Henley-on-Klip Automation requirements Tel: 071 657 7076 WE DO Fax: 086 525 8748 ALARM SYSTEMS Servicing, major and minor repairs (specialising in M.A.M.I. Alarm sytems, the Henley Watch alarm) to all makes of vehicles, Petrol and Diesel GATE MOTORS (accredited Centurion & ET systems installers) SECURITY GATES We use leading Bosch Diagnostic equipment. 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