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December 2011
| Christmas celebration information
Father Christmas arrives on Saturday 17th at the T'Wagen bridge at 15h30. Please make sure you and your family are on the banks ready to greet him and take pictures! We are starting to collect your presents so if the office is closed when you get here to drop them off, please see Elaine at Upper Crust. Marina Annual Christmas Carols will be held on 18th December at the Park Island / Uitsig bridge. As usual a great annual event not to be missed. Be mindful of small kids near the waterways, the traffic in the car park, hot candle wax and the cables for the sound equipment. Bring: picnic baskets, candles, song sheet, a blanket to sit on, a wrap against the chilly night and a bag to take away any empty food and drink containers. Arrive from 6pm onwards, by boat, on foot, particularly those in Park Island and those who can walk over the bridges from Uitsig and Eastlake, or by car if you have no choice. This promises to be a night to remember with some superb voices lined up for your enjoyment! |
The Annual General Meeting is now behind us and a new Excom has been elected with one new member, myself, and one other previous member not standing, so virtually the same team will be in place for 2012; we are working on the one member who did not stand to get him to rejoin Excom and continue his excellent work!
Our thanks must go to those who served on Excom last year and who all worked very hard, with Toni as Chair, to serve and improve our community. Whilst Excom is the public face of the Association there is an army of people behind the scenes who work to make the Marina a better place to live in, they really deserve our thanks.
We will be continuing with our partnerships with Council and other organizations and would welcome the help of those who can give some of their time to enable these links function efficiently for the benefit of our community.
The Christmas Season has crept upon us, as usual with remarkable speed, so please mark your calendars for the Father Christmas visit by boat on the 17th December 2011 and Carols by Candlelight 18th December 2011
At this festive time please remember those less fortunate and try to support those around us.
Happy Holiday
Bob Craske
PORTFOLIO: WATERWAYSIt is wonderful to be able to report that the good progress I reported last month has been sustained, and that we again have both 'Kingfishers' working on the vlei.
Moves are afoot to source a third, much smaller weed harvester, which would be more than capable of carrying out the relatively small volume of work that is required at Princess Vlei.
It is hoped, with some degree of confidence, that the appalling conditions which we have seen on the waterways earlier this year, will not continue to be an unwelcome feature of Marina life. Both 'Kingfishers' remaining permanently at Zandvlei is central to this, together with other issues, all of which have been raised with Councilor Dave D'Alton, and also with the Council Sub-Committee.
These issues are as follows :
- Currently one 'Kingfisher' is operated by ' Parks & Gardens' the council department that has always been its operator, and consequently knows the machine intimately. They know the requirements of the job in great detail.
- The other unit is operated by the environmental group, who have neither the budget, nor the personnel to perform the job adequately. Furthermore, the weed cutting operations largely prevent them from carrying out their own environmental operations.
- It has been proposed that both 'Kingfishers' be operated by Parks & Gardens ,in the future, as soon as this can be implemented. This has been approved in principle.
- Another issue is one of 'Kingfisher' serviceability. The machine, that was operated by the environmental group was removed from service for a major overhaul. The final cost was considerably more than originally forecast, and the machine was then returned to service more than two months late. Upon its return, various engineering shortcomings were observed, shortcomings which would have embarrassed a first-year apprentice. Despite its having been out of service for a long time, in a different industry the time taken , would have allowed a major service to be carried out on an airliner.!
It is hoped, that following discussions, and presentations to Councillor D'Alton, and to the sub-council, which were received with very positive responses, that these proposals will be implemented, to the benefit of all Marina Da Gama residents.
John Ridley
SECURITY ON EASTLAKE ISLANDSince its inception, in 2006, our island security system has been a resounding success.
Gone are the days when we had our bins ransacked, our privacy & safety a daily ( and nightly) challenge and we were unable to walk freely on our beautiful island without fear of being followed or harassed.
Amazingly now, even ladies on their own, are able to walk their dogs after dark, children play happily on their skateboards or go for bicycle rides without fear.
Prior to 2006 this would not have been the case.
Various people on the island have been involved with ELISA, which stands for Eastlake Island Security Association, and a special thanks should go to those whose idea it was, to get the association going nearly 6 years ago.
The present committee mourns the loss of our late chairman, Prof. Wolf Brant. He was a friend, and a man who gave his time freely and with passion for the security of East Lake Island.
We are still working diligently to continue this success. In order to do this the residents of East Lake Island who contribute, are greatly thanked, and encouraged to continue to pay their monthly subs of R190. To those residents who have felt unable to join us, we urge you to reconsider.
Owing to lack of funds we have had to reduce our guarding on the foot bridge across to Park Island and this is a potential weak point in our ongoing quest for security.
A special plea to estate agents…………..PLEASE appraise all your prospective buyers of ELISA.
As people leave The Marina and incoming residents become part of the community, it is vitally important that they understand that we are safe here, because of ELISA and the guards from Chubb and Lighthouse.
Compared to so many other suburbs around Cape Town, in particular the Southern Suburbs, we enjoy a relatively crime free life. We admit that there have been a few incidents on our island, but fortunately nothing major.
We wish all residents of The Marina a happy and safe Christmas and a huge thank you to all our contributing members…………we couldn't do it without you!
Please remember, everyone who lives on East Lake Island, be extra vigilant over the festive season.
The ELISA Committee
MARINA ENTRANCESOn the first Wednesday in August, at our usual Marina garden club meeting, a decision was taken to help Toni Joubert, to beautify the entrances to the Marina, as Toni's workload in maintaining the inner Marina gardens is huge. At that meeting, a visiting couple from Switzerland, were so taken with our enthusiasm that they gave us our first monetary donation to get us started. A small sub committee was formed and so, on the 18th August, the group descended on Eastlake entrance. The decision had been taken to tackle the worst, first….then hopefully the others would be a breeze. Measurements were taken, heads put together, suggestions bandied, and work started in earnest on the third week of August.
A Request for plants was publicized and the response was wonderful.
We are grateful to all the people who have come forward with donations of plants from aloes,& yuccas, to succulents and ground covers. Without the people who have willingly provided water and have even undertaken to water the plants themselves, it is doubtful that the plants would have survived.
Peter Harrison very kindly gives of his time and the use of his bakkie, almost on a weekly basis, to collect rocks for us.
Heidi and Doug Gorrie assist with lending us their gardener on a bi-weekly basis.
An amazing group of elderly ladies, who cannot assist us physically, provide the breakfast and lunch for our workers, every Tuesday.
My fantastic team of energetic ladies who get stuck right in together with the workers, and if I don't get to phoning them in time on Monday afternoon, they chivvy me up to see what time they must start the following day.
We also put in a request to the Parks department for large aloes, large rocks and gravel. Well we are blessed to have been given the aloes and the other requests are on the promissory list
Our thanks also go to the Marina Association, who sponsor our workers on a Tuesday
And to Toni, who is willing to share them with us.
To date, we have work in progress at all six entrances to the Marina. It is so rewarding, when people stop to see what we are doing, make comments, offer advice, or just toot as they drive past and put thumbs up. Thank you for your moral support.
We wish everyone a Blessed Christmas and joyful holiday season.
From your happy Marina gardeners
EASTLAKE VILLAGE CENTRE NEWSList of tenants:
- Upper Crust Restaurant
- The Marina Minimart
- @Roz Hairdesign
- Outdoor Garden Essential
- Eastlake Laundry Services
- TomCas Gift Shop
- Sinkmaster
- Body Talk
- The Marina Association
- Plum Bathrooms
- Daryl Meyer – Computing opening soon!
A reminder that The Marina Minimart sells bread, milk, newspapers, electricity, airtime, firewood, ice, soft drinks, ice-cream, plus plenty more.
Saturday markets and Summer Night Markets are being co-ordinated by Elaine at Upper Crust. Stop in on Friday nights for live entertainment.
@Roz Hair Designs offer regular specials so give them a call on 021 7090529 to find out more.
Eastlake Laundry Services are very busy and jam-packed each day. The Iron Ladies are doing a sterling job!
DataSafe Computing ...
You may have heard the rumours and I am pleased to announce they true!
We will be opening a shop again at Eastlake Village Centre, 36 Eastlake Drive, Marina Da Gama.
We hope to be up and running by mid December with Retail, Internet, Printing and Fax facilities.
We now have credit card facilities available and can accept Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards.
Our range is expanding as well, we will be able to provide PC's and Notebooks from almost every manufacturer as well as custom solutions to suite every budget (PC's from R2900 with Windows 7, 2GB RAM, DVD-Writer and 320GB Hard Drive.)
We have access to Plasma, LCD and LED TV's, Home Theatre Systems, Game Consoles and a wide range of consumer electronics from Sony, LG, Samsung and Fijitsu.
Please be on the alert for a new(ish) scam doing the rounds. If you receive a telephone call from somebody purporting to be from Microsoft or a representative of Microsoft regarding errors on your PC please ignore them.
For more info about this scam please e-mail me at info@thisitguy.co.za.
Regards,
Daryl
SCAMS...The number of email scams is proliferating. The most common of these are the attempts to gain access to our banking accounts. Most start with some type of warning that if you do not do as they say you will no longer have access to your account or may incur losses.
For example,
"Note that this activation is free and compulsory, failure to do this will result in suspension of your account as (Insert Bank Name Here) will not be liable if money is taken from your account without your knowledge."
Other common subjects are:
- Switch: Payment Notification
- Payment Notification (Head Office)
- Payment Confirmed.
- Rejected ACH payment
- Online Service Notice
- Banking Service Notice
- New Message
- Secure your account
- Online Upgrade Notification
- Release/Transfer Notice for your due Funds (US$3,500,000:00)
- Congratulations!! We are happy to announce that you have won an Email lottery jackpot prize.
The second type of scam doing the rounds is far more personal. You will receive a phone call from somebody who says they are a Microsoft partner or some such and they are receiving messages from your computer that is about to fail or is infected with viruses. They will direct you to open the system management console error log, which will be used as proof that the PC is indeed about to collapse. The next step will be an attempt to get you to download some software so they can remotely access your PC to fix the problem and thirdly you will be told that you need to buy some software to fix your PC and prevent this happening in the future.
Things you should know
- Microsoft will never ever call you unsolicited, nor will any major vendor.
- No legitimate company anywhere in the world will gather information from a private source without their consent. They would be sued into oblivion.
- The management console is a diagnostic tool and records thousands of transactions. Each time you turn your PC on it will result in 50 or so new entries into the log. Due to the complexity of the hardware and software in a computer, errors are expected. 99.9% of these errors are caused by a momentary conflict when 2 pieces of software try occupy the same space at the same time. When this happens Windows retries until it succeeds. Imagine 2 people trying to fit through a narrow door, they both head in and stop (error, error), perhaps they both half start to do door and stop again (error, error), one says "You first" and person proceeds (error resolved) and then 2nd person proceeds (error resolved). The logs are vitally important when tracking unresolved errors that may cause a PC to hang or crash, but unless you actually know what is it is and what you are looking for, it can appear alarming. This is what the scammers rely on.
- The remote access software is legitimate and is something we IT people often use to save on a call-out to a client or for other remote maintenance. In the wrong hands it gives somebody full access and control over your PC.
- The software they propose that you purchase, is completely malicious and will cause your PC to become unusable, they will charge you about R900 for this software.
I suspect that a service provider or two have had their databases hacked giving the scammers access to your contact details, as most of the people I have spoken to about this scam seem to be from the same ISP.
There is a 2nd part to this scam and it involves either ignorant technicians or profiteers in IT service. These technicians when contacted to fix the problems resulting from people being duped, hugely overcharge or inform the person that the only way to fix it is to totally reformat the hard drive. One person I spoke to was charged R1200 to have her drive reformatted and in the process lost all her data as the technician said they could not back it up.
There are subtle variations of all the above scams. The golden rules are:
- Beware of any unsolicited email or phone calls especially if it supposedly comes from a big company,
- Do not click on links embedded in an email, open your browser and type the address in,
- Read the messages your operating system / anti-virus generates when downloading or installing software, don't click blindly.
- If it sounds or feels dodgy to you, trust your instincts and get a second opinion from a trusted source,
- If it appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.
Daryl Meyer
DataSafe Computing
CANOEING IN SINGAPORE...My wife, Sandy, and I've recently returned from visiting Singapore (in October).
We found it a fascinating place to visit - very hot and humid, (being just over 1 degree north of the equator and on the coast off Malaysia). But, with no litter, and apparently little or no crime. There are no mini-bus taxies, and the local busses and trains run efficiently, frequently, and on time. They are clean and manned by very friendly and helpful people - it is virtually idyllic!
Being there on holiday, gives one a different spin on things, no doubt, but my brother and his wife, after having lived there for a year, find it to be it is a very pleasant place to reside.
The reason for my visiting Singapore, was to represent South Africa at the World Canoe Marathon Championships which were held from 19 - 23 October.
Racing in the Master's events, I won a gold medal in the K1 event (single canoe) and a day later, with my SA partner, Enslin van Riet, a gold in the K2 event (double canoe).
Graeme Solomon, another Marina resident and also a member of the 2011 SA Canoe team and his partner, had a serious problem with their canoe about 1/4 way into their race, and were forced to withdraw. They had been amongst favorites to be on the podium in the Senior Men's K2 (double canoe) event. Very unfortunate.
Rob MacLean
LETTERS...To Marina Residents.
We want to thank all the Marina residents for all their help and kindness. We cannot do it without your help. You are always there for the kids. Sharon thank you for your time that you so unselfishly give to the kids, taking them on hikes during school holidays. Peter Harrison thank you for everything you do in the whole of Vrygrond. When there's a crisis we can always call you and you always have a solution. You're the great father of Vrygrond. All the residents that help with the holiday program and it doesn't matter how small it is, thanks a lot. We feel special because you wonderful people show us you care.
Regards
Elizabeth, Jane, Lola, Kids, Volunteers.
CONDOLENCESJoké Spijker (deceased 30 October 2011)
Joké: wife to Hans, mother to Chris and Audrey, grandmother to Joshua, founder of Shanti Cottage, yogi, yoga teacher, remedial yoga therapist, antenatal teacher, avid bridge player and loyal Marina resident for more than 30 years.
Her total acceptance and surrender to decreasing physical abilities never dulled her joy in the ever changing view out over the water. The proud Egyptian Geese showing off their ducklings on the patio, tiny baby chicks fluffing their feathers in the bird bath or Cape Robins on the bird feeders. These gave her so much pleasure and delight.
An inspirational person, teacher and mentor who by her example touched so many lives in a positive way. May her radiance continue to support and illuminate Hans, Chris, Audrey, Joshua and all who loved her.
"Of light thou art, to light thou shalt return"
Rest peacefully, teacher and friend.
Lynne Abrahamson
COUNCIL CORNERThe first 5 months of my term of office have been both interesting and challenging. I never knew that so many things needed to be done, so many things go wrong and so many ideas are put forward by the public all of which need to be considered. This is all part of the job and one must just go with the flow.
Marina da Gama's main problem has been the ongoing weedcutting saga and at last this has been resolved and we have caught up with the backlog. We are working on other options to prevent a recurrence of this and for the amount of work there is on Zandvlei we need 2 harvesters there full time.
I was also delighted to be able to address the Marina da Gama Association's AGM. I really liked the great turnout of residents and the vibrant debate. This shows a keen interest of issues in your area something which a lot of communities today do not do and then complain without even participating.
One of the issues that was raised was the intersection at Oudevlei Road and Prince George Drive which is dangerous particularly in rush hours and at night. This has been looked at a few times and the request for traffic lights turned down each time. I have received a few innovative suggestions which I have passed on to our Traffic Engineers and am also in discussions with them to relook at traffic lights or other ways of improving the situation. I will continue to drive this.
Other issues in the surrounding area which I am dealing with are the Muizenberg Fleamarket which needs to be totally revamped to make it far safer and userfriendly. A Committee has been established to address this and will be meeting before the commencement of the holidays to take this forward.
We are also doing a cleanup in Muizenberg Village and you will notice that street and signage poles have been painted and poles that have no more signs are being removed or fixed These are small things but make a difference to the whole appearance of the area
Metal theft continues to be a problem and we have to continuously be replacing things. We are now trying to target the scrapyards in an effort to reduce this.
I would also like to take this opportunity of thanking Bob Craske and John Ridley for their input, support and assistance in resolving the weedharvester issue. We could not have achieved what we did without their help. This was community involvement working at its best.
I am taking a break for the holidays from 10 December 2011 to 8 January 2012. Should you require any Council assistance please contact our Sub Council on 021 7842000 or refer to the City Call Centre on 0860103089.
In conclusion I would like to wish you all a very blessed Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Councillor
Dave D'Alton
Cell 082 798 9908
Office 021 784 2022