Be sure to call:

• 039-316-6760 - Southbroom Sector Policing

• 10111 - Margate Police Station

• 039-682-5555 - Hibiscus Coast Municipal Call Centre

Crime mapping is of utmost importance and the authorities need to know where to focus their efforts.

POLICE DOG UNITS TRAIN IN SOUTHBROOM

Both Durban and Pietermaritzburg Police Dog Units used the Southbroom village and beaches to train their dogs and handlers and to stage their passing out parade.

Watching man and dog work together was incredible and the village benefited from their late night sorties.

We thank Paul & Barbara Reynolds for donating B&B accommodation to the handlers.  The dogs weren't as fortunate!  They spent their quiet time in their trailers and SAPS kennels .

YOU COULD RECEIVE AN SMS ALERT THAT READS LIKE THIS:

"GREEN TOYOTA NPS 12345. FOUR ARMED SUSPECTS. CALL 039-316-6760"

COMMUNITY CENTRE IN FULL SWING

The Southbroom Community Centre has opened its doors in the old tourism office behind the library.  Current activities include:

• Stretch & Tone exercise classes with Kim, Tuesdays & Fridays, 08h00 to 09h00, R150 per month.

• Sewing School (for domestic workers), Mondays, 14h30 to 17h00, R20 per month.

• Church in Zulu/Xhosa (inter-denominational), Thursdays, 18h30.

• Zulu for beginners with Vundla should commence in September - Tuesdays from 17h00 to 19h00 - click here to book your seat.

Special thanks go to the following sponsors/donors who have assisted the centre:

• Hibiscus Coast Municipality for making the premises available to the community.

• Chubb Security for the monthly armed response monitoring fee.

• Len & Ann Harvey and builder Marcel for internal alterations.

• Jasper Pretorius for the security bars and gates to the lock up store, supplied at cost of material.

• Pam Quarmby for attending to the gardens.

• Southbroom Lodge, Graham & Cathy, for the donation of a fridge.

• Robin Ransome and Hazel Voice of Ramsgate for teaching the sewing school.

• Dora Vosloo for the donation of an Empisal sewing machine.

• Maureen Moses for kind donation of fabric for the sewing school.

• Pam Quarmby for the donation of "Reader's Digest Complete Book on Sewing & Knitting".

• Elna Family Fabrics Hibiscus Mall for kind donations of material and discounts on purchases.

Appeals for assistance:

• Should you have a spare table or small desk, suitable for a computer and printer, please consider donating it to the centre.

• We urgently need additional sewing "teachers" to help out on a roster system - one Monday afternoon per month is all that is asked.

• Any sewing fabrics, cottons, patterns or whatever you have surplus, would also be most appreciated.

PUBLIC GARDENS ON SOUTHBROOM AVENUE

Libby Cochrane, Clement Mkhungo and Cedric Nhlumayo have been hard at work beautifying the three public gardens on Southbroom Avenue: the north entrance arrival, the traffic triangle at Churchill & Eyles Roads, and the aloe garden on the corner of Berea  Road.

Libby places on record "my thanks to Len Harvey for lifting and carrying several loads of boulders with his front-end loader; thanks also to Ann Kinghorn, Di Morris, Charmaine Klintworth and Val Holtzhausen for kindly donating agapanthus to complete the triangle garden; and thanks to Jeff Sproule of Mandy Road for permitting me to bucket water from his property for the Berea Road garden."

We are also grateful to ratepayer David Moir for his generous donation of R500 towards the main entrance project and to Joymac Concrete Products who afforded Libby a discount on the 16 trailer loads of rocks that Libby personally transported to Southbroom from the Mpenjati River.

Thank you Libby.  Year on year, your endless energy and love of Southbroom adds incredible value to the village and the lifestyle of all who live here.  (Libby also undertook the amazing transformation of "The Outlook" and "Imbezane River Reserve" and continues to oversee the ongoing maintenance of these magnificent natural heritage areas.)

WHALE & TURTLE VISIT SOUTHBROOM

We've been having an environmental feast in Southbroom over the past few weeks.  Glorious weather (interspersed with a little rain and even hail), fantastic moon and sun rises, and despite the sardines having given us a miss, we've certainly had our fair share of whale. 

On Sunday 16th July, a whale frolicked so close to main beach that life savers believed it may be caught up in the shark nets! Needless to say, all was well and beach-goers were treated to a whale display of note.

Sadly, on the same day, an immature green backed turtle was found dead on the beach at Shad Rock.  It was known to the Parks Board as it had been ill and in their care prior to being released back to the sea. Its shell was about 50cm long.

2006 is the UN Year of the Turtle, dedicated to their protection.  Leatherbacks can reach 2.5m in length and weigh up to 950 kilograms. They eat jellyfish and swim 1000s of miles.  One is recorded travelling 7000ks in 5 months from Zululand en route to Australia.

INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEAN UP - SATURDAY 16th SEPTEMBER - 08h00 to 10h00

Only one household responded to the last newsletter's call for help.  Thank you Neville & Pearl McGregor!

Please click here and offer an hour or two of your day to participate in this international event.  We need at least 50 volunteers (or their staff) to collect litter from the village, its beaches and admiralty reserve.  Volunteers will start at their designated point and meet after at Riptide to check their bags in and compare notes over a cup of coffee.  Litter bags will be provided.

SCENIC WALKS IN AND AROUND SOUTHBROOM

The walk from Mpenjati to Southbroom on Sunday 9th July attracted around 70 walkers (and their pets) and was enjoyed by all.  Conditions could not have been more perfect - warm sunshine, no wind, low tide, firm beaches, good company and good humour. 

The next organised beach walk will be in the December season.  It is an easy walk and takes around 3 hours.  Keep a look out for the adverts and join in the fun.  Its well worth the while.

Other walks in Southbroom include the Bushbuck Trail, which leads off Eyles Park from behind the Tennis Club, and the Imbezane River Reserve off Imbezane Drive.  Both walks are delightful and take only an hour or two to complete.

During July, well known dendrologist and naturalist Tony Abbott led a walk through the Bushbuck Trail and 38 varieties of trees were identified. These will be name-tagged and a tree list drawn up for members. Tony was delighted with the alien clearance work that has been achieved over the past 12 months and promised to return to assist with further tree identification.

FLIGHTY AFTERNOON WITH CHARLES & JULIA BOTHA  - Saturday 19 August - 15h00