This past week was a fairly quiet one at our club. Activity has slowed down ahead of the Spring closing, and there are no club competitions in progress.

We will be playing for the Queen's Cup this Saturday. In 1958, barely two years after the club was born, two anonymous country members donated this trophy to be played for on "Boxing Day" each year. Originally it was between teams of four, but with fluctuating membership it was found that the trips format worked best. When the Christmas Cup was introduced a few years later, the Queen's Cup was moved to September.

Teams will be drawn on Thursday evening and posted on the board before 08:30 on Saturday.

Normal tabs will be payable, and lunch will cost R35 each.

Entry forms for the Nominated Mixed Pairs and the Open Singles are on the board. These competitions will be played soon after the green is re-opened in October.

Plans for our social on 11 October are developing nicely.

Duties will fall away during the closure.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Congratulations to Richard Bestel de Lozengard (matric) who has come 2nd overall in the Life Sciences section of the National Science Olympiad SAASTA. He received a laptop for his achievement.

Pictured here is Richard Bestel de Lozengard.

News and photograph supplied by Hilton College.

Spring may be here but in Hilton and the rest of Midlands we have revelled in fireside warmth as late into Summer as on New Year's day. So we also have not packed away the kintting needles! Those scarves, throws, jerseys and beanies will still be welcome Christmas stocking fillers.

Alta at Thimbles 'n Threads has a passion for all things haberdashery and her choice of wool is great. Enjoy the images below but to really undersatnd why these yarns are so good, you simply have to visit Thimbles 'n Threads at the Lower Quarry centre. They have a a 'touchy feely' experience waiting for you!

Pop along to experience Joy, Hope, Harmony and Soul!

Every year, Hilton Pre-Primary School's Gr R classes go to see Dr Lee Pachonick at Umgeni Vet. She gives them a very informative talk about sick animals and shows them what happens when you take your animals to the vet.

Which one of us does not personally know someone who has had breast cancer? I am almost sure the answer is that most of us do know someone. This is an increasing and alarming scurge that is now appearing in women as young as 20.

As far as I know there is no real reason as yet specifically identified to pinpoint why the increase and why in younger women. Some of the culprits in the line-up are : hormones (that we take on purpose) and that are in our food (without us knowing), stress, other environmental factors, but nothing yet proven by science.

What can the ordinary woman (or man – did you know men can get breast cancer?) do to be vigilant/pro-active and try and detect anything abnormal early?

Monthly self-examination with a flat hand against the breast systematically working around to feel for lumps is the best way – if you do it every month you should easily pick up if there is a change and that should be checked out by your doctor. Women under the age of 40 can have yearly thermography done which is a very sensitive
screening tool FDA approved to detect many different things as well as breast cancer. Also younger women can have ultrasound done to investigate anything that seems abnormal.The latest screening test is thermography and I personally feel that routine (ie follow-up every year) thermography scans is a brilliant way for the young woman to screen for breast cancer. Google thermography Pietermaritzburg for the ladies that do this screening.

Mammography is still the recognised method of breast cancer detection but can only be done > 40 years and then should be done either yearly or every second year.

If a lump is detected in the early stages there is excellent treatment these days for breast cancer and many cases can be cured. The key is early detection. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are all methods of treatment but specifically chemotherapy is extremely successful and refined these days compared to times gone by.

Men can get breast cancer and so if you feel anything strange you should definitely get it checked by a doctor as soon as possible.

Cancer CAN be beaten, especially breast cancer – vigilance is the key – monthly self-examination, awareness of your body and general checks by your doctor can save your life. The fact that the incidence is so much higher these days means that you should at all times ensure healthy living – eating healthily, drinking enough water, exercising, avoiding food especially meat that contains hormones/antibiotics, understanding what you eat and are exposed to, using medication only if it is absolutely necessary.

Genetics is something you can not fight and if you have a mother or sister who has had breast cancer there are genetic tests that you can do as well to look at your risk of developing breast cancer and you should definitely be much more vigilant too.

Breast cancer awareness month is October and we have come a long way in the battle to beating it! Be aware, self-examine and support breast cancer month in October.

Written by Dr Claudine Lee 26 Hilton Avenue 033 343 2243.

Kindly note that Dr Claudine Lee and Dr Ralph Gilbert will be doing "Around the coffee table talks", relaxed interactive chats about health issues at 26 Hilton Avenue once a month, dates will be advised. The first one will be by Dr Lee on Breastfeeding and the new mom, by a mom doing it second time around with some medical knowledge but lots of practical experience.

Diana Veness who you may have heard singing at The Quarry Centre, The Pot & Barrel, Ba'Lonkas, Protea Hotel and Hilton's POSH Market days shares the story of her singing, 'I have always had a song in me and the earliest memory I have of myself was singing a song "suiker bossie ek will jou he" at about 3 years old on our farm in the then Northern Transvaal. We then moved to Natal when I was 7 years old, to a farm in Bishopstowe and the Zulu's gave me a Zulu name (as they did all of us)"Umhlabeleli" which means "singer".

My father Sandy Wilson was an accomplished musician and singer. I loved to sing while he played the guitar. My younger brothers Michael, Graeme and Colin ended up all being able to play guitar and sing while my brother Graeme has written over 20 songs and is a very talented musician and singer. Before I married Danny Veness on the 9th May 1968, I had sung at Art in The Park, Ansonia Hotel and Imperial Hotel in Pietermaritzburg for a short while. I stopped singing and sold my microphone when I got married so I had had not much time to follow my dream to sing. I never sang solo in public again except for in one of the Pig and Whistle productions at Epworth in the early 90's.

Then on 30th March 2012 lying in hospital after having more stents put in my heart I decided that I wanted more than anything to sing again, so Danny bought me all the equipment I needed on my 44th wedding anniversary on the 9th May 2012. With the help of a friend I purchased backing tracks from the UK and now I spend two hours practicing daily. At last I am fulfilling a childhood dream...SINGING MY HEART OUT !!'

This year Diana will be singing at the Protea Hotel Hilton bar area during the ever popular Hilton Food & Wine Fair, see you there. Tickets are available at The Quarry SuperSpar , at Hilton Pre-Primary and at the door from 7.00pm on Friday night.

The weather is looking good for the weekend, so we are crossing fingers and toes hoping it will last! Hilton Covered will be at The Hilton Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday, find Desiree or Doreen behind the chapel where you can collect a FREE copy of Hilton Covered.

Come along and say 'Hi'!

Three pupils from Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton have been selected to represent KwaZulu-Natal at the Athletics South Arica (ASA) championship in Potchefstroom later this month. They are, from left: Leah Kriel, James Bilbrough and Lauren Knobel.

News and image supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

The 100m Open record has stood for some time with D Gellately (1964), J Linsley and D Booth (1977), M Pfaff (1980), R Hime (1995), M Tembe (1998) and B Pfaff (2012) running a time of 10,9 seconds. It was a historic occasion when Brian Pfaff (matric), who equalled the record last year, beat the record comfortably at the 2013 Inter-House Championships on Saturday 7 September. It was appropriate that Brian's father, Mike Pfaff, handed out the prizes at the meeting and was able to congratulate his son on setting a new record (10,7 s).

Brian's grandfather (Ellis '47) was the Victor Ludorum twice and held the 100 yards record, and Mike and Brian, have both won the Open 100m twice and been the Victor Ludorum on two occasions. No one can doubt the sprinting ability of the Pfaff's!

Pictured here from left to right: Brian Pfaff and Mike Pfaff

News and image supplied by Hilton College.

Congratulations to Jay Park (Grade 11) who was recently awarded a certificate of Congressional Recognition by the United States House of Representatives for his outstanding performance, in both the Mathematics and Science competitions, in the 2013 Orange County Free Clinic in the United States. Jay is an outstanding pupil and this is a wonderful accolade for him.

Pictured here is Jay Park.

News and photograph supplied by Hilton College, KZN, South Africa.

Cowan House are hosting a Zumbathon® to raise money for breast cancer research. The charity event is hosted by thousands of Zumba® Instructors during the month of October every year all around the world and huge amounts of money have been raised.

Cowan House is sponsoring the use of their indoor centre and all money raised will go directly to Zumba® and into the research programs they are sponsoring.

The event is open to EVERYONE of any fitness level (men included). Children and husbands are welcome and the participants may do as little or as much of the 3 hour event as they would like.

In addition to Kerry Heinrick from Hilton and Nicci Smith from Howick, there will be a host of instructors travelling in from Durban and the South Coast to add to the fun.

Hilton's herbologist, Diane Aldworth will be hosting a course in herbology at her home in Hilton, KZN from January 2014. The complete course comprises 6 full day modules which include lunch. Di draws on her extensive experience to teach how to grow herbs, layout a herb garden, dry herbs, store herbs and how to use these in cooking and making simple remedies. The course is outlined in more detail below...

HERBOLOSIST @ HOME

Do you want to learn more about herbs and their uses? Come join this interesting course and have fun at the same time.

PART ONE
Getting Started
Where did it begin - Short History of Herbs Growing herbs - Starting a Garden - Designing an Herb garden -What to Plant - Companion planting - Maintenance - Propagation - Harvesting, drying and storing herbs

PART TWO
Herbal Plants
Introduction - Identification and Plant Anatomy - The Herb plants

PART THREE
Body Systems and Ailments
Introduction to Body Systems Life stages of Man - Identifying ailments and remedies

PART FOUR
Formulating Recipes and Making Products
Introduction to Formulae - Basic Herbal remedies Herbal remedies for pets

PART FIVE
Cooking with Herbs
Introduction - Basic Dietary Requirements - Nutrition - Vitamins and Minerals - Herbs in Cooking General Food Guidelines

This course is given as a once a month lesson

Including lunch in Hilton, Pietermaritzburg, KZN.

The course is also available as a CD for distance learning.

Contact Diane Aldworth on 082 808 1519 or Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click here for more information about The Green Herb Co.

The first ME! Morning in Hilton was a success! This is what some of the participants said about the morning;

"I will attend more to help me with self esteem and confidence" -Toni le Roux

"It stimulated thinking" - Sue Fly

"I'm finding my strengths" - Stephanie Sheik

"I've learnt about myself and how to help myself" – Leeann

"I've seen I'm not alone in self-discovery" - Shivani Chetty

"I want to research and understand more" - Hazel Lake

"Very well run; great food" - Yvonne Cordner

"I'm feeling, inspired, motivated and directed!" - Shereen Duncan

"It's given me a great sense of shared purpose and courageous struggle through change" - Debbie

"To hear positive things.... makes me feel I can take on the world!" – Yolandi

"Networking with inspired people" – Margi

The 'MEs' responsible for this event are Deborah Don, Desrae Coventry and Desiray Viney.

Deborah Don is practising alternative healing therapies and self-esteem conselling at the Crossways Health Centre in Hilton. With more than 25 year's experience, Deborah brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work. She teaches the mindful application of self-empowerment, how to connect mind and body through the movements of tai chi and brings the joy of circle dancing to life.

Desrae Coventry is inspired and motivated by personal growth and success stories. Regardless of their personal status and achievements she loves seeing individuals, groups or businesses making progress and growing. Desrae has worked with a wide range of people from the frail and old in rural areas to corporate executives in board rooms. Irrespective of who they are, Desrae says "The common thread is the need for love,encouragement, acknowledgement and affirmation".

Desiray Viney has retired from academics and now runs REAL Communication Consulting. Her desire to connect with people trying to connect with their real selves has driven her to move into the business of connecting, sharing and implementing REAL ideas, hence the notion of a Morning for ME!

The consensus is that these are indeed hugely repeatable events. Desiray Viney said, "It was such a happy, relaxed morning. The speakers were really interesting and thought-provoking, the participants were so responsive, and the Thai Chi was a huge hit!

A diary date for you to note will be the 19th October 2013 when another ME! Morning will take place at The Barn in Hilton.

Grade 7s at Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton have been presenting the play Bugsy Malone to appreciative audiences. Set in New York City in 1929, the musical recaptures the ambience of the Prohibition in the United States. The original 1976 musical gangster film was made with an all-child cast that featured the well-known actor Jodie Foster, who was then 13.

Pictured here are workers in the Chinese laundry, dancers who entertain guests in Fat Sam's speakeasy and members of Dandy Dan's gangster mob.

Photographs and news supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

At long last the Men's Nominated Pairs competition for this year has been completed. Bill McQuade and Anton Leisegang beat Doug Robertson and John Fowler by a considerable margin in the final on Thursday. Well done to the winners.

The Chicken Run on Saturday was won by Gil van der Hoven, Tony Francis and Deirdre McQuade. They finished the afternoon fifteen shots ahead of their opponents. Thanks to Quarry Spar for their donation of chickens.

The entry form for the Quarry SuperSpar lunch and Queen's Cup tournament to be played on 21 September is on the notice board. Please complete your entry by Saturday 14th.

Members are reminded that we will be closing the green for the annual refurbishment on 25th September. The Bridge Drive that usually takes place at this time has been cancelled, but we will be having a social on 11 October. Details will be provided via this column.

Duties: 15 – 21 Sept: OOD: Ron Buchel. Tabs: Jill Bannatyne. Duty team: Fred Palmer. Teas on 14 Sept: N/A – Quarry Spar Lunch. Biscuits: 17 & 19 Sept: Vernon Hickinbotham & Andy Hitchcock.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

School holidays are around the corner, but for Grades 11 and 12 students with important exams looming in just a few weeks, the short break needs to be more about revision than fun.

Lots of students find it difficult to manage their time or to structure an effective study programme. That's where ASP Tutoring's Revision School, run by Lindi Redfern (B.Ed. Hons: Ed Psych), offers all the solutions. Redfern conceived the idea of a local revision school in response to numerous requests from parents and students who were travelling to Durban for similar support.

The Revision School will take place from Monday, September 23rd to Friday, September 27th at St Anne's Diocesan College in Hilton. Lessons will begin each morning at 9am and finish at 1pm, and crucially, only the most experienced, qualified teachers will be offering revision modules in their specialist subject areas. Students will select five mornings of structured, focused academic tutoring from a wide programme of options – and provision has been made for state, IEB or Cambridge curricula.

Class groups will be small, allowing for individual attention and the opportunity for everyone to engage in lessons.

ASP Tutoring's primary aim in hosting its Revision School is to support students by encouraging each one to do his or her absolute best in this year's final exams, because subject competence, exam expertise and personal confidence will have been enhanced.

Interested? Go to ASP Tutoring's website: www.tutorlessons.co.za and click on the Revision School tab, or phone or email Erica Ras: 072 568 5155 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for further information on how to register.

Read more about ASP Tutoring here.

At Brookfield Farmhouse we would like to celebrate our Rainbow Nation, by having a Heritage Day feast themed on Local is Lekker!

Our menu is a celebration of local South African Cuisine to be enjoyed with family and friends.

On Arrival, adults will receive a Robson's Ale and kiddies a Fruit Juice.

Biltong platter with Roasted Garlic & Aubergine pate, homemade chilli & stone fruit chutney, lightly salted chips, Thick Onion Rings and Crispy French Loaf.

Lunch: A choice of either a Bafana Bafana Boerie Roll or a Ama Bokke Steak Roll

Bafana Bafana Boerie Roll
Gourmet Boerewors Roll: Crispy French Baguette stuffed with Juicy Wors, topped with a garlic and mustard butter served with Crispy Shoestring Fries and a spicy Voetsak Chilli Dip on the side.

Ama Bokke Steak Roll
Crusty Ciabatta Roll with a succulent Smoked Salt, Pepper and Herb Crusted Rump, topped with crispy red onions and a homemade tomato and onion chutney served with Crispy Shoestring Fries and a Spicy Voetsak Chilli Dip.

Dessert: A choice of Ouma's Delight, Melk Tart Ice Cream with a salted caramel sauce OR Amarula Tiramisu

Price R 150.00
Kiddies Under 12 R80.00

Booking Essential! Contact Lisa at Brookfield Farmhouse on 072 962 0378 or 033 383 2012.

St Anne's Diocesan College supported Arbour Week with a group tree planting session at the College on Monday, 2nd September.

Girls from each boarding house selected their trees, dug holes and planted them during their tea break around the College grounds.

In the afternoon, a team of girls from the Environmental Club and STEPP, our social responsibility programme, headed out to Umngeni Hospital where more trees were planted to mark Arbour Week. Patients enjoyed a bit of afternoon sun and got involved, helping the girls dig the holes and plant the Yellowwood trees.