Hilton mother of three, Sam van der Watt sent us the following letter encouraging families to support this Mr Funtubbles initiative which will benefit Makaphutu Childrens Village..

'Dear Friends and Family,

Those of you who know our family are aware that we adopted Ntombi from a wonderful children's village in the valley of a thousand hills; the Makaphutu Children's Village. Ntombi is currently at Capulum College in Hilton.

The purpose of this email is ......well, here is the short and sweet version...

My fantastic sister and her 2 just-as-fantastic friends are cycling 640KM across Vietnam to raise funds for the Makaphutu children's home (where we were blessed to find Ntombi –Daniel & Andrew's sister).

Mr Funtubbles has come to the party by helping the fundraising by offering a special which the children's home (Makaphutu) benefits from.

In essence for R100 your Mr Funtubbles play card is pre-loaded with R170.00 worth of rides

ALL PROFITS GO TO the children's home.

THERE IS NO EXPIRY DATE and the card is valid at BOTH GATEWAY AND LIBERTY MALL outlets.

These play cards are available from Kathy (Durban/Kloof) 084 284 2201 and from me (Sam PMB/ MIDLANDS) 072 686 3373.

We are hoping to have more "outlets "from which to sell these play cards.

Even a small donation would be appreciated.

IF you are at all interested, please could you call Kathy, Carryn, Tracy or me at the following numbers:
Kathy 084 284 2201
Carryn 079 891 2364
Sam 072 686 3373

OR

Contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. OR This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for purchases.
For more information take a look at our blog page at www.Makaphutu.worldpress.com/about-makaphutu/

Looking forward to your response.

Sam van der watt
For Makaphutu children's Village

Pictured above clockwise from left:
1) Ntombi alongside sign post to the children's village.
2) A view of the houses on the left and admin on right.
3) Our trio, Andrew, Ntombi and Daniel.'

The singles championships are producing some close and exciting games. In the ladies' competition, Joan Byrom and Thelma Mylne were peels on three ends, including the twenty-second, when they had 20 shots each. Thelma picked up the winner. In another match, Pamela Morrish and Margie Garrard were level pegging five times before Pamela won 21-20.

The men too have had evenly matched games. John Fowler and Dave Stevenson both won their first round matches by narrow margins against Derick Hull and Anton Leisegang respectively.

In our new "Support our Sponsors" campaign, Margaret Meek won a bottle of sparkling wine when her till slip from Hilton Quarry SuperSpar was drawn. Entries are now open for the May draw.

Both men's teams played league matches on Saturday. The third team, playing at Eddels had their game called off when heavy rain soaked the green during the tea break.

At home, the fourth team also played in intermittent rain. Heavy rain, also during tea, threatened to end the match, but after about 40 minutes the rain eased up and we continued playing.

The end result was a resounding victory for Hilton on both rinks. It was dark and raining once more when we packed up.

We have two league matches at home this Saturday, so only three rinks will be available for social games. The men's third team has a bye.

Duties: 12 – 18 May: OOD: Dave Hammond. Tabs: Rina Tainton. Duty team: Fred Palmer.

Teas on 18 May: Deirdre & Bill McQuade. Biscuits on 14 & 16 May: Bernice & Taffy O'Neil-Williams.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Theatre lovers with an appetite for the mysterious will enjoy this production, The Strange Case of The Naked Socialite.

Set in 1949. The Hilton Ridge. A high-flying society hostess throws another of her 'unmissable' soirees...

Among her guests, a WW2 colonel, a beautiful blonde sculptress and a visiting Shakespearean Professor, with a hidden agenda.

And an impenetrable Hilton fog.

What did the Hilton Village parson see, walking his beagle in the early hours...?

What did the Village char discover the following morning...?

Pietermaritzburg Dive diners are cordially invited to join Michael Hastings, the Unlikely Detective, on his quest to unravel the secrets of The Strange Case of the Naked Socialite.
The challenge is on to work out whodunit – how & why?

Paul and Annie are delighted to return to the Dive with their new, gripping dinner mystery.

Annie Robinson - gifted comedienne and one of South Africa's most accomplished actresses; and Paul Spence - seven years with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and London.

For more details click here for your very own murder mystery evening you can contact local journalist Trish Beaver, proprietor of WhodunnitSA, who will create a story to suit your dinner party or corporate event.

What does the Gila monster have to do with Diabetes?

There are many very exciting advances in medications and certainly a lot of research and funding is currently going into making diabetes a better managed chronic disease that is patient friendly and addresses many of the problems that diabetics face.

One of the very exciting newer medications recently available is a medication called an "incretin mimetic". The science linked to the way this medicine works is simply fascinating and one of those moments where physiology (the science of the basic functioning of the body at cellular level) and pharmacology (the science of how medicines work at cellular level in the body) make complete sense.

In the 1970's physiologists (the scientist who research physiology) discovered the "incretin effect" which means, very simply, that if you eat sugar by ingesting it orally (the normal way) vs. if you have the same amount of sugar by intravenous injection (by a drip into your vein) the sugar is processed in a different way and a certain hormone called an incretin is ONLY released if you ingest sugar orally (released by gut cells – cells in your stomach/tummy). What this means is that the incretin mimetic increases the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas and this only happens via the oral route and not the intravenous route.

A few different things happen when the incretin effect kicks in: more glucose-dependant insulin secretion, less secretion of a hormone that antagonises (goes against) the effect of insulin, slowing of the stomach emptying effect and consequent reduced intake of food.

And this is the reason we are so excited! The incretin medications are the first on the market to actually help with weight loss. Many type 2 diabetics are overweight and the problem is that the excess weight further damages the pancreas indirectly and also interferes with control of diabetes. A medication that both helps with weight loss as well as controls sugar is something we have been waiting for (both doctors and patients).

The other exciting breakthrough with this medication is that it helps to protect pancreas cells (these are the cells that are damaged and progressively so in diabetes). This is the first time we have a little hope of actually halting "cell death" or apoptosis. What this means is that (although not proven by trials yet) there is hope that the progressive nature of type 2 diabetes may possibly be curbed.

Although the physiologists found the incretins way back then the effect could not be utilised until recently due to the fact that in the body this molecule is broken down almost as soon as it is produced – which means you could not use it as a medication.

Enter the Gila monster! The Gila monster is a reptile that apparently only eats once a year and in its saliva it has incretin mimetics that are stable for much longer than they are in humans. Once the scientists had isolated (from the Gila monster's saliva) exenedine it was a matter of time before they could make this molecule in the laboratory (using the similar chemical structure) so that it could be produced to utilise this unique effect as a medication that was safe for humans to use.

This is all very new and still in the early phases of being used for treatment and it would be prudent to keep an eye on on-going medical studies, nevertheless a step in the direction of better understanding of diabetes and management thereof. Unfortunately all new medications (due to the extensive research) come at a higher cost and this is a limiting factor in the use of the incretins.

What we do have that is free to all is: exercise and healthy choices in eating. (Well at least free in that it does not incur an extra cost over and above that of everyday living).

Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem and managing it remains a team effort involving a willing patient and a team of supporting medical practitioners. Despite its challenges there is hope and new impetus to see advances in this field. There are answers to some of our questions (both patients and doctor's questions) and the exciting news is that currently in the field of diabetes this is exploding in all kinds of directions bringing us solutions.

Written by Dr Claudine Lee 26 Hilton Avenue 033 343 2243 – recently moved to Hilton and happy to be of service to all patients needing a family doctor, help with diabetes, insulin pump therapy, small surgeries, pap smears and antenatal care, holistic and preventative medicine and eye conditions.

Capulet Guesthouse and Conference Centre in Hilton, KZN offers 6 beautifully appointed guest rooms and an impressive conference area with a separate dining room option. All the rooms at Capulet have been inspired by Shakespeare, the function venue is known as The Verona Function or Conference Venue and can accommodate up to 20 delegates, either in Boardroom, Classroom or Cinema Style.

The conference venue at Capulet provides quiet, green and peaceful surrounds. It is stylish and ultra-modern with superb lighting and an acoustic ceiling, a white-board, 1500 pull down screen. The package includes kokis, pens, pencils, folders and mints. Refreshments can be provided by prior arrangement. A 42 inch plasma screen with laptop connections complete this technologically prepared venue for a smoothly executed conference.

With the recent development of office accommodation in Hilton this Conference Venue is geared to become a hot commodity so be sure to book your next conference at Capulet Guesthouse and Conference Centre well in advance.

Members of the Grace College Governing Body, Parents' Association, staff, parents and invited guests spent a wonderful evening together to officially welcome our new Headmaster, Mr Vincent Luksich to our school and the wider school community. It was very heart-warming to see the number of Heads from local schools that were able to attend the function and our special thanks go to them for joining us on this occasion. Mr Luksich started his term with Grace College on 16 April and we wish him and his family all the best for this new chapter in their lives.

Pictured with Mr Luksich are fellow Heads from local schools:
(Back) Rob Langley (Howick High) and Dave Cato (Treverton College)
(Middle left to right) Peter Ducasse (Hilton College), Noel Coetzee (Treverton executive Head), Chris Luman (Maritzburg College) and Dave Arguile (St. Annes)
(Front left to right) Vincent Luksich (Grace College), Jean Rose (Russell High), Val Fowler (GHS) and Andrew Graaff (Alexandra High).

St Anne's Diocesan College in Hilton KZN, welcomes their new PR & Marketing Coordinator this term. Jenna McKenzie and her husband chose to build a home in the Midlands some years ago and this opportunity will make it possible for them to relocate from Hillcrest soon.

Jenna says, 'I grew up in Westville, KZN and went on to study Psychology & Film at UCT followed by an advanced post-graduate diploma in Marketing and Advertising Communications through Red & Yellow in Cape Town. I then spent some time working as an estate agent in the UK and later moved to Malawi with my husband, Mark, where we project managed the set-up and opening of luxury lodges on the lake and in a National Park. More recently I worked as the national marketing coordinator for a premium cake manufacturing company in Durban before accepting the PR and Marketing coordinator position at St Anne's Diocesan College. We will be moving to Howick in May with our 2 year old daughter and look forward to settling permanently in the midlands. I am delighted to have joined St Anne's and expect to have a long and happy career here.'

Jenna is expecting her second baby in November and agrees that is very good timing as most of her maternity break will overlap the year-end holiday.

We wish Jenna much happiness with life in the Midlands and look forward to seeing her smiling face in and around Hilton.

"Work hard and play hard" is one of the mottos that the new principal of a local primary school brings with him to his new position.

Gavin Lambooy (47) took up the post of principal of Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton at the start of the second term. He was previously deputy headmaster of Merchiston Boys' Preparatory School in the city.

After the first week in his new post, Lambooy said he was excited to have been appointed and was learning how things worked at Laddsworth. He looked forward to a busy term and to getting to know the pupils, staff and parents. He said he wanted to encourage an ethos of "working hard, developing a sense of excellence and taking pride in this fine school; but also playing hard, having fun together and developing a sense of community."

He said he was grateful to the Laddsworth community for the way everyone had welcomed him: "I have felt a warmth of welcome from everyone: staff, children and parents."

Coming from an all-boys school to a co-educational one is a significant change for the new head, but one that he welcomed. "The dynamics are different – girls add a different dimension because they are very enthusiastic and warm, they want to please. Boys tend to stand back and watch – they are still deciding if they like me or not."

"Working with girls is a new opportunity for me and there will be issues I've never dealt with before. However, I know there are many staff with lots of experience who will help me."

"Lack of correct parental" support was an issue Lambooy identified. "By that I mean that education is the single most important thing that parents can give a child. If they don't apply at home the same values as the school does, they effectively work against the school. 'Instant gratification' and 'taking the easy road' are not the kind of values we should want to instill. Children need to learn that anything worth doing is worth doing well; that being part of something worthwhile means taking responsibility for behaving appropriately and in keeping with stated values."

Lambooy joined Merchiston in 1990 and holds a Further Diploma in Education from what was then the University of Natal. He is married to Tracey, the branch manager of a local courier company. They have been married for 22 years, and they have one son, Bradley (16) who is in Grade 10 at St Charles.

Pictured here Laddsworth Primary School pupils gather round to welcome their new principal, Gavin Lambooy, who took up the post at the Hilton school at the start of the second term recently.

The range of 110th anniversary merchandise pictured here is available from the Laddsworth school office. See Mrs Rajah for order forms and goods. The costs are as follows:

Baseball cap, white or yellow R55
Bumper stickers R15
Daisy key ring R25
Kit bag with logo R110
Stationery set in tube R25
T-shirts, white or yellow R55-R60 depending on size
Water bottle, blue or yellow R35

News and image supplied by Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton.

To commemorate its 110th anniversary this year, Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton is celebrating with one or two memorial events every term.

As part of the second term commemorations, all of the school's 564 pupils and 54 staff gathered on the rugby field to form a huge "110" numeral, pictured here.

Miss Daisy Ladds started Laddsworth on the verandah of her home in Hilton Road village in 1903 with 20 pupils.

News and images supplied by Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton, KZN.

On Thursday, 2 May Capulum College's high school students paid a visit to High Altitude Indoor Climbing Centre in Mayor's Walk, Pmb. An excited bunch arrived at the climbing centre, and I'm sure legs were quivering when they laid eyes on the daunting "rockface" before them. But under the experienced guidance of the climbing coaches fear was soon put aside and the wall was scaled like seasoned pro's. This is what a few of our spidermen and girls had to say:

Kayla: it was a very enriching experience and I hope that we can do it often. Made for a great workout!

Anele: it was marvelous because I made it to the top 3 times!

Ntombi: it was awesome!

Chris: was amasing!

Jack: it was fun and stuff!

Kelly: I really enjoyed it!.

Jason: it was kiff!

We'd like to thank the dedicated team at High Altitude Climbing Centre for the great service that they provide and we look forward to future visits!

News and images supplied by Capulum College in Hilton, KZN.

Congratulations to the following boys who have been selected for the KwaZulu-Natal Inland Golf teams. A team: Keagan Thomas, Rourke Lauryssen, Tyron Searle, Jarryd Edy, Chris Saunders. B-team: Matt Lauryssen, Matt Drysdale, Guy Waterhouse, Stewart Hutchison. Of the 16 places available Hilton had 9 players selected.

Pictured here (L-R back): Keagan Thomas, Chris Saunders, Matt Drysdale, Matt Lauryssen, Jarryd Edy
(L-R front): Guy Waterhouse, Rourke Lauryssen, Stewart Hutchison, Tyron Searle.

News and image supplied by Hilton College.

Thirty-six members came on Thursday to play in the first of our Lister & Lister prize days. Winners were Derick Hull, Tony Lenton and Andy Hitchcock with a shot difference of +15. Dave Stevenson won a voucher for scoring the most touchers. Sincere thanks to Richard Lister for the generous prizes.

All three of our league teams were in action on Saturday. The ladies lost to Wanderers and the men's third league team were beaten by Mooi River. The fourth league team travelled to Howick where they won one rink and peeled on the other.

Because of league games, our next Chicken Run will take place on TUESDAY 7 May.

The men's fourth league team will be playing a match at Hilton on Saturday. The ladies have a bye and the other men's team will be away. This leaves lots of room for tabs-in games.

Duties: 5 – 11 May: OOD: Derick Hull. Tabs: Fred Palmer. Duty team: Derick Hull.
Teas on 11 May: George Oldham & John Arnott. Biscuits on 7 May: Brian Newton.

Read more about Hilton Bowling Club.

Hilton looks set to be one well-groomed village with less power cuts due to falling branches in the near future. However the price is still more planned power outages so that the tree trimmers can safely complete the cutting exercise. Make note of the dates that will affect your area as illustrated below. To make the outage less stressful you can plan ahead, charge cell phones the night before, boil the kettle to fill all your flasks for teatime and stock up on fuel for your generator if you are suitably 'Hilton compliant'.

The benefit of all this clearing will definitely be a reduction of interrupted electrical supply during the stormy months we experience during summer. Let's be tolerant, focus on the upside and keep wearing our happy faces!

The affected areas which will be off in order that the work of tree trimming can be executed are illustrated in the table below.

Contact Persons in the event of any queries is Mr Chris Jerrier on 033 3925122 and Mr Wiseman Mthembu on 0766755045.

This notification has been kindly submitted by Msunduzi Municipality.

More growling chainsaws are in store for Hilton beginning tomorrow, so whip out your diary or click on Outlook and save the dates that will effect your area. Plan ahead by boiling the kettle before bedtime and filling all your flasks, that is if you have managed to endure for this long without converting to a gas alternative!

As advised by Msunduzi Municipality's Operations and Maintenance Department, Hilton is scheduled to have more power outages next week to facilitate tree clearing from electric lines.

The affected areas will be off in order that the work of tree trimming can be executed are illustrated in the table below.

Contact Persons in the event of any queries is Mr Chris Jerrier on 033 3925122 and Mr Wiseman Mthembu on 0766755045.

This notification has been kindly submitted by Msunduzi Municipality.

In October last year the Grade 8s, 9s and 10s wrote the International Benchmarking Tests in English and Mathematics. The intention of this is to compare the performance of Hilton College boys in these two disciplines with other students from the South African sample and International sample of participating students.

Because of the international nature of these tests, and the associated differences in time of writing of them, it is only in March each year that the results are released.

Ranked in the top 1% of the International cohort and receiving the Australian Council for Educational Research's Certificate of Honour were Jaiy Park in Mathematics and Ross Ferguson in English. We congratulate them both on this outstanding achievement.

We also have pleasure in acknowledging the success of the following boys who were ranked in the top 2% of the international cohort. This also is an outstanding achievement!

Grade 10
English: Dan Dix, Joe Hacker, Alex Johannes, Jaiy Park, Chris Trenchard, Murray van Tonder
Mathematics: Ntsika Mbebe
English and Mathematics: Cameron Beetar, Nicholas Loxton, Gareth Obery, Cameron Tully
Grade 9
English: Tony Makris, Vongani Mukansi, Jean Nel
Grade 8
English: David Burgess, Gabriel Desjardins, Kuza Kubwimana, Michael Noyce, Thato Sekonya, Louis van Lennep, Guy Waterhouse
Mathematics: Oliver Bestel, Michael Montague-Mawere, Jonathan Steenfeldt-Kristensen, Andrea Tonelli
English and Mathematics: Christopher Walley

Pictured here are Ross Ferguson and Jaiy Park – both Grade 11 now.

News and image supplied by Hilton College.

The following is an open letter to Dr Ngubane at uMngeni Municipality;

Dear Dr Ngubane,

As you are aware, I have started the LoveMyPothole campaign on the 1st April to improve safety in Hilton. I have been contacted by 713 interested and affected parties including representatives from the Democratic Alliance. I thought that I would bring to your attention that I have not been contacted by uMngeni Municipality. I don't know how this happened! I will therefore give you some background:-

All evidence indicates that the uMngeni Municipality have been made aware of the existence of dangerous and life threatening potholes but have failed to action the problem thus creating a certain apathy which has befallen Hiltonites whereby they have accepted that potholes are part of their every day live.

A fresh approach was needed in order to mobilise Hilton and so I started the LoveMyPothole campaign. This campaign has been used to gather much needed information about potholes and public sentiment towards potholes in a positive and more inclusive way. This information is being passed onto you for your actioning. More importantly I am ensuring that Hilton has a voice.

Thus far I have received 713 emails from stakeholders, many of them with beautiful photos of their beloved potholes. 150 Major potholes have been identified.

In order to assist your Department attached please find a map (see below) which I has been developed (free of charge) which indicates the major potholes in Hilton, Winterskloof and Hilton Gardens. I have also attached the Google earth KML file for your perusal and Departments use.

I am still most concerned about the potholes that are outside Laddsworth Primary School on the following roads (Brindy, Winstead, Groenekloof and Vlei Rd) as well as the Annthia Road potholes. The photo above was taken this afternoon (15/04/2013) of a Laddsworth Primary school pupil outside the school gates.

I have received a large number of enquires from people requesting information about what procedure they should followed in order to claim for damages caused by potholes.

I can see that the municipality is starting to address the problem of potholes in Hilton, and am sure that by creating a community that has a voice the quality of service delivery will go from strength to strength.

I look forward to your response.

Kindest regards,

Shannon Rushworth
11 Panorama Road
Hilton
Mobile 083 460 0946
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Shannon Rushworth has recently received a whole lot of publicity for her pothole campaign and shared the following, 'LoveMyPothole was literally inspired by my shredded tyre and radiator. I wanted to make a real difference in our community and not just be a complainer. So I put up a couple of funny signs with my accomplices Debbie Houart, my husband (Ian) and kids (Sarah and Kylie).

LoveMyPothole has taken off like wildfire and is picking up huge momentum. The DA has come out in full colours and the Witness has been amazing.

So now is the time for each and every family to join in and MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE!

For a chance at winning a "Pothole Make-Over" please send details of your beloved pothole to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PS. You could save more than your radiator – you could save a life!'

This is an inspiring and positive angle on something that usually brings out the worst in most people, daily. Well done to Shannon for her pro-active and innovative approach, we encourage you to all get on board and share your pothole experiences.