Hilton Pre-Primary recently held a t-shirt painting day with wonderful results! Read more about Hilton Pre-Primary here.

Details of their upcoming open day can be found here.

Hilton College won two gold medals at the SA Schools Rowing Championships held at Roodeplaat this weekend. Kyle Schoonbee and Emile McLennan won gold in the open double to add to Kyle's gold in the open skulls. Hilton also earned two bronze medals, one in the Open quad (Emile McLennan, Kyle Schoonbee, Stuart Bulterman, Joshua Hodgson & Daniel von Hoesslin) and a second for Matthew Gearing in the Open skulls.

The SA Schools Championships is a premier event and the culmination of the schools rowing season. Schools from around the country compete for the coveted medals and a shot at selection to the national squad. Regional selections take place next weekend followed by national selections on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of March.

Pictured on the left here are Emile McLennan and Kyle Schoonbee.

Pictured below is the Hilton Quad.

News and images submitted by Hilton College.

Nicolson's Country Café at Garlington in Hilton hosted the HiltonVillage.co.za Business Network Meeting this week. The refreshing view and cooling breeze on their veranda was a welcome respite from the unusually high temperature experience earlier on the day.

Tanya Nicolson managed the food and impressed everyone with the most tender mini kebabs and sauce, pate, pita triangles, marinated olives, butternut phyllo pastry parcels and crispy salad. Well done and thank you Tanya for being a gracious and attentive host.

Our featured speakers were Di Aldworth of The Green Herb Co and Dee Davis, Cowan House's Marketing Manager. Di shared titbits of how the plant world offers a wealth of healing power, explaining simple home remedies that everyone can use. Dee reminded us of our own childhoods as she shared what she finds magical about Cowan House, a school where learners are encouraged to be children and may on occasion be found having a lesson perched in the branches of a large and comfortable tree.

Prizes won by lucky networkers included a weekend at the beach from Cowan House, a Murder Mystery Dinner Voucher for eight from WhodunnitSA, a spa day from eZali Spa, an educational assessment from Capulum College, a FREE month at Curves for two, jewellery vouchers from Jewellery by Diana, Bemer Treatments, various hampers and more.

If you own a business in Hilton and would like to join this business network kindly call Desiree on 079 654 9779 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The South African Professional Polygraph Association recently launched its Social Development Program. In a nutshell, certain polygraph examiners, throughout the country, have volunteered their services to conduct specific polygraphs for Child Abuse. Special specific training has been conducted in Gauteng and KwaZulu- Natal for the testing of this type of incident. All tests are checked and monitored by the SAPPA board members who ensure that these tests are of a high standard and meet with the specific requirements.

Khusela Investigations are trying to get the word out there that our services are available for free for these types of incidents. Already great success has been made in Gauteng and children as young as 10 have been saved from further abuse!

Please see the information below which explains more. At the moment there are Polygraph examiners in the Durban area and Brad Lancaster, based in the PMB midlands area, who you will be able to speak to about Khusela Investigations at Hilton's POSH Market on the 21st March 2013 at Protea Hotel, Hilton. Come along to find out more about the 'cans and cannots' of this investigative device.

From the link below you can read more and also see a list of Polygraph experts available.
Social Development Program (http://www.polygraph.org.za/social-development/objective.html)

Grace College had the privilege of welcoming Mr Peter Van Kets, well-known extreme endurance adventurer, to our school on Tuesday, 19 February 2013. Mr Van Kets addressed the Grade 11 and 12 learners. He incorporated valuable lessons learnt on his adventure races, to illustrate how they too could achieve their goals in life. Mr. Van Kets stressed that ordinary people were able to achieve extraordinary feats, aptly naming his talk "Impossible is nothing". He shared how endurance adventures made him feel alive and encouraged the learners to find that which they felt passionate about and pursue it. He captivated the audience with reflections on his Trans-Atlantic rowing races and trekking to the South Pole and left us with this thought: "If you don't start the journey, you won't fail, but you will also not have a story to tell." Grace College wishes Mr Van Kets all the best for his future adventures.

Pictured with Peter Van Kets are: Nicholas Merton (Head boy) and Chiara Ilett (Head girl).

News and image supplied by Grace College.

A reminder to those of you in the farming sector that with effect from 1st March 2013 the minimum wage for farm workers increases. This also applies to domestic workers and security staff working on farms.

Farm Workers

'Farming activities' includes primary and secondary agriculture, mixed farming, horticulture, aqua farming and the farming of animal products or field crops excluding the Forestry Sector

For the purposes of this determination, a farm worker includes –

• a domestic worker employed in a home on a farm;
• a security guard employed to guard a farm or other premises where farming activities are conducted

For the period 1st March 2013 to 28th February 2014 the minimum wage for workers within this sector is as below:

• Hourly Rate R11.66
• Weekly Rate R525.00
• Monthly Rate R2274.82

With effect from 1 March 2014 the minimum wage will increase by CPI + 1.5%

Domestic Workers

This includes person doing gardening in a private home and those persons who look after children, the aged, the sick, the frail or the disabled in a private household.

For the period 1st December 2012 to 30th November 2013 the minimum wage for workers within this sector is as below:

Within Msunduzi Local Municipality,
• Hourly Rate R8.95
• Weekly Rate R402.96
• Monthly Rate R1746.00

Within Umngeni Local Municipality
• Hourly Rate R7.65
• Weekly Rate R344.30
• Monthly Rate R1491.86

Kindly submitted by Jean Allen HR Consulting.

Di Aldworth is our Hilton based herbalogist with years of practical hands-on experience teaching herbalogy and manufacturing her remedies under the label, The Green Herb Co. These remedies are so much a part of Di's life that even though she has sold The Green Herb Co, she continues to sell and promote the natural herbal creams, so you can get them right here in Hilton. Di's dedication to using plants for medicine goes back way beyond her twelve years of being in this line of business. Living on a farm and growing her own herbs has been a fulfilling part of her life and now that Di has settled in Hilton her herb garden is a little smaller but her passion continues.

New outlets for her knowledge of herbalogy are in the pipeline so watch this space for details coming soon. Di will bring The Green Herb Co natural herbal creams to Hilton's POSH Market on the 21st March 2013, so be there. I am looking forward to getting my hands on some of the Regengel!

The Governing Body of Grace College is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Vincent Luksich as the new Headmaster of the school. He will take up this position at the beginning of the second term.

Mr Luksich (49), attended Risidale Primary School and John Orr Technical High School, both in Johannesburg. After school, he spent five years in the SAAF as an Aircraft Maintenance Fitter. He was based at 87 Advanced Flying School in Bloemfontein and then at 5 Squadron in Durban. Mr Lucksich left the Air force in 1985 to pursue a career in education; a decision he has never regretted.

Mr Luksich received a Higher Diploma in Education from J.C.E (Johannesburg College of Education) and took up his first teaching post at Northcliff High, where he taught Mathematics, Woodwork and Technical Drawing. During this period, he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Education and Biblical Studies. He moved to Trinityhouse High School in Randpark Ridge in 2001, where he currently serves as Deputy Head. During his time there, he pioneered the Technology Department and spent many happy years building up the sport at the school. Mr Luksich has a passion for sport and played soccer, rugby and cricket at school. After he matriculated, he played rugby for Natal Defence, Pirates Rugby Club 1st xv and was also selected to play for the Quaggas in 1986. Other interests include reading - especially biographies and historical books - travelling, art and gardening.

Mr Luksich has been married to Carrie for the past 21 years and they have a son, Matthew, in Grade 11. As a family, they delight to worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace College would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the selection committee for their time and expertise in the process of finding a Headmaster for our school. We praise God for His guidance and wisdom and look forward to welcoming the Luksichs into the Grace College family. We trust that their season with us will be a very rewarding one.

News and image supplied by Grace College.

Paul Eaton's love of food began about the same time he had grown to counter height. He spent much time in the kitchen as a child learning from his family, a family which includes four Executive chefs!

Paul loved taking in all the aromas and found the kitchen to be a therapeutic place where he found the opportunity to allow his creativity and passion for food to overflow into the dishes he prepared.

His journey to hone skills that matched his passion for food included enrolling at The International Hotel School for a Diploma in Hotel Management, studying Professional cookery and a 6 month in house stint training at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

Paul says, 'This training fuelled my passion even more and I found the Hotel environment very constrictive and limited. This was purely because I was not the Head Chef YET and rightly so I had still many lessons to learn and a lot still to achieve. After my studies I did freelance chefing which was a lot of fun we basically brought a dinner party to your home providing gourmet in house delights for overseas visitors who booked luxury villas in Parts of the Cape like Camps Bay and Fresnaye. Cooking for the super wealthy was a lot of fun but had a lot of challenges. Most of them having been very well travelled, and had dined in some of the world's finest restaurants meant the quality and standard of the dishes we prepared had to always be world class. This is where the learning of attention to detail and other vital lessons were learnt. I could be as creative as I liked had an unlimited budget and worked in some of the most extravagant kitchens I have ever seen...a dream situation for a chef.'

After four wonderful years in the Cape Paul moved back home to Kwa-Zulu Natal with his wife Samantha and opened Eatons on Eighty. This successful venture saw a new restaurant grow from the ground up and peaked as the venue of choice in Pietermaritburg for sophisticated palates. Eatons on Eighty achieved a variety of accolades including Eat Out top 800 restaurants in South Africa 2008, 2009 & 2010, BOE Private Banking & Moet & Chandon Circle of Excellence and was also part of the top 80 Restaurants in South Africa and KZN top 10.

Ever looking onwards and upwards, this ambitious couple wanted to broaden their horizons. Paul and Sam decided to explore Southern Africa some more and try something totally different and something that most people are not privileged enough to experience. Paul joined the & Beyond family as The Executive Chef for Phinda Mountain, Rock & Zuka Lodges basically everything in the South of this 25 000 Hectare Private Game Reserve. Sam became a Camp Manager at Mountain Lodge where they were based.

'We specialised in Pan African Cuisine and with my Fusion food background there was just an explosion of new found passion. I love the bush and cooking for 80 guests under the open stars on open flames with lions calling in the distance is one of the most memorable experiences. The Bush Dinners, Bush Breakfasts, canapés on top of mountain peaks there was no limits to what could be achieved. Preparing dishes out of an old anthill to name few, this was really once in life time stuff that I was learning. When the birth of our son Oliver took place bush life became complicated and when he was six months old we parted ways with the & Beyond family and moved back home and bought our first home in Hilton which is located on the outskirts of the Natal Midlands a place we have always held dear to our hearts and wanted to settle down in one day.' Paul shared.

Eat In With Eatons has evolved from this couples eagerness to push the envelope, to try something different, something unique. Eat In With Eatons, includes; a demo kitchen for fun interactive cooking lessons and demos for the young and old, outside dining facilities for hot summer nights, two private dining facilities one being our home dining room and another larger dining room linked to the demo kitchen. Bespoke evenings for book clubs, private romantic dinners, corporate dinner parties, supper clubs, wine evenings and theme parties... there are no limits and to top off this list, a tree house dining area is in the pipeline.

Eat In With Eatons will harness this plethora of experience as they welcome many loyal customers and new ones into their home and share this new stage of their exciting culinary adventure.

eZali Spa shared the following in their newsletter, 'It is now time for eZali to step out and shine! We are 'Over the Moon' to let you know about us launching a brand new range within our Spa! We noticed that one of our most popular treatments that eZali offers are Pedicures!

So, we've decided to "upgrade" on the pedicure experience with a fantastic Pedicure/Manicure & Body range! Pedicures and Manicures are simply going to be extra "delicious" at eZali, with added flavour and extra luxury in many ways! So, we are going to use the opportunity of launching this amazing product at Hilton's POSH Market on 21 March 2013. Time 09:00 - 16:00pm.

We'll be offering a 'teaser' mini hands or feet eZali Spa experience at Hilton's POSH Market as well as "never to be repeated" specials on the day only. Look out for eZali Spa on the 21st of March for jam packed specials!'

We look forward to seeing the eZali Shine at Hilton's POSH Market from 9am till 4pm on the 21st March 2013.

Co-Owner of Eat In with Eatons, Paul Eaton visited Sunfield Home in Howick last week for his first interactive baking experience with the residents at Sunfield Home.

Paul said, 'My first day with the residents at Sunfield Home was truly inspirational, I enjoyed reaching out, giving back and seeing how much it can improve the lives of others. So I am looking forward to working with the groups regularly over the coming months.'

Paul will be baking with the Sunfield residents on a Wednesday and Thursday, there will be a rotation system set up for groups of 5 at a time so everyone who wishes to cook with Paul will have a turn.

Karen Lister of Sunfield Home said, 'The residents loved the time with Paul, they made the best cupcakes and cookies and he has offered to help with baking for up comings cake sales in the shop and our annual May Fair. We were very impressed with Paul's easy manner and the way he dealt with our residents.'

Milton Academy is a top high school in Boston, USA. Their world-famous Jazz Band will be visiting Hilton on Monday 18th March to perform at the Hilton College Theatre.

This is a wonderful opportunity for young musicians and anyone who enjoys Jazz to see them live.

This Jazz Band has a large following all over the globe and have visited South Africa bi-annually since 1991 to perform for charities. This is their second visit to Hilton – as in 2011, they are performing for charities supported by the Hilton and Howick Rotary Club.

In the past, they have performed at the 'White House" for United States Presidential receptions which gives an indication of the standard we can expect to enjoy. Our Rotary Club is approaching local schools as it is felt that it may prove an inspiration for your own pupils to see them in a live performance.

More information on the background and achievements of this talented group can be obtained from the following link: www.milton.edu/academics/Jazz-Music.cfm. When you're in this website, make sure you click on the link to download the 'Jazz at Milton' brochure. You can also find out more about their tour on http://southafricajazztour2013.weebly.com

The concert takes place in the Hilton College Theatre at 7pm on Monday 18th March.

Ticket price: R40-00

Phone tel. 033 383 0126 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This is a charity concert with all proceeds going to local projects.

Howick Hospice is hosting an upmarket Food and Wine Fair on Friday the 8th March at Mendola in Hilton from 6pm till 9pm. Mendola is a stunning venue which is situated on the Hilton College road opposite Grace College.

On arrival, you will be presented with a glass of wine and snacks. We then invite you to browse the various food and wine stalls – The Wine Cellar, Meander Fine Wines, Meridian Wines, Borges, Born in Africa Deli, Woolworths Food, Jaxx Restaurant, Lindsay's, The Pickle Pot Café, Elbows Up, Terbodora Coffee Rosters, Chocolates By Dee, Jams & Pickles, Nature Zone, Curry On Hilton, Tantallon Cookery Studio, Tambling Jams & Pickles, The Biltong Shop, Hoity Toity Cupcakes, Lael Produce, Chocolate Sensations and Tightline Fisheries.

Tickets are on sale at Howick Hospice (7 Mansfield Road) and at Woolworths in Hilton at The Quarry Centre for only R100. For more information, contact Mel on 033 330 5257.

Please bring your friends and join us for an evening of food and wine tasting...We hope to see you there!

Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton entered two teams in the recent Kids Lit competition held at Athlone Primary School. The Grade 7 team came third out of 21 teams and won R200. Every participant also won a R50 book voucher. Twenty-one schools participated in the popular children's literature quiz.

Sharon Houghting, Laddsworth Librarian and Kids Lit team organiser said: "The Kids Lit Quiz gives children who love reading the opportunity to share their knowledge on books and stories. This quiz gives the 'bookworms' a chance to succeed. It also encourages them to read a variety of genres and to try books that they would otherwise not have read. "

Pictured here is Laddsworth's first team with the founder of Kids Lit, Wayne Mills, who came all the way from New Zealand to run the competition. The Laddsworth literature whizzes are (left to right): Niketan Naidoo, Danielle Confait, Kirsten Fuller and Liam Thresher.

News and image supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Pietermaritzburg's own pop and R&B singer and songwriter, Mario Ogle, paid a visit to his fans at Laddsworth Primary School in Hilton recently. Ogle performed for the school and signed copies of his latest CD Superman. Among the lucky pupils who got to meet Ogle were those pictured here (back row, left to right): Sven van Zuydam, Luke Ferreira, Ayanda Makhanye, Nicholas Reintges, Niketan Naidoo, Steph Siedle, Shania Ramsamy, and Annabel Unwin. Middle row: Lomé Botha, Paige Knoesen, Ogle, Robyn Pillay, and Blake Frodsham. In front is Emma Trubshaw.

President Zuma, presented his State of the Nation Address to South Africa on the 14 February 2013. The historical celebrated Valentine's Day. No love story was given. In this usual fashion he continued with business.

GDP growth is expected to be down to 2.5 from 3 of last year. A program for development is once again on the cards.

Expectation was in the air about how he was going to deliver on job creation to stimulate the economy and satisfy the throngs of young people desperate for work. Unfortunately in the four years of President Zuma serving in office, progress has not been quick enough to satisfy the demand. This year he has confirmed R3 billion has been approved for job creation incentives. These incentives are expected to be paid out to business owners who can employ new youth as part of the scheme.

Education was another hot topic on the agenda. Has enough been done to attend to the education needs of our children? Concerns over the state of schools in rural areas continues to be a problem. Our concern should not be the schools and what they look like but rather that whether the children are receiving the education they need to prepare them for life? Are we growing young entrepreneurs for the future who can create the jobs? 98 new schools have been repaired and established replacing mud schools. Emphasis was placed on the Grade 12 pass rate which is on an upward trend. More to improve Maths, science and technology are high on the agenda. These skills need to be developed in schools. Education is an essential service for our nation. We need to take education more seriously. Remuneration investigations of teachers' salaries, has become a priority.

Health care was a focus in the last year and hospitals around the country are being upgraded. Unfortunately the service levels within most hospitals remain low. Are we educating and equipping our nurses with the self-motivation to care for their patients? President Zuma commented on the implementation of the national health plan in 2013. There have been 533 clinics developed and improved in 10 in pilot areas.

Land reform is a highly emotive topic in South Africa. One that needs to be resolved within constitution. We need to be mindful of food security and farmer training when implementing land reform, said President Zuma. The government has not been able to meet land reform targets. The willing buyer willing seller system will be done away with. An adequate compensation system will replace this.

Almost in the same breath, President Zuma raised the fact that urbanisation increased to 63 percent of the population. He seemed to intimate that it is more crucial to develop urban areas than it was to implement land reform. Due to the fact that most young South African people are more interested in business in urban areas, than having to work on rural farms. He emphasised the need to help municipalities develop urban areas.

Rail development was a major point from the previous State of the Nation address. There has not been much visible effect since last year's speech in the development of rail in South Africa. Majuba rail is to begin soon. Initial work on port in Durban has begun. A plan is still in place to develop rail. R860 billion has been spent on infrastructure in the past year. Other ports development has begun. Airport development has also begun. There is however talk of long term plans to develop rail throughout Africa to connect the country. Using natural resources in Africa to power such an effort. How is Africa going to pull together to make this strategy a reality?

Electricity infrastructure is developing at the same time, with some green energy in the basket.

The focus this year is on implementation.

President Zuma commented that the mining sector has had a difficult period. Nationalisation concerns have been laid to rest. A tax system review will be done, to see that it supports public spending requirements. This will include a review of the mining sector taxes.

International companies are going to need to invest and work in Africa to develop the infrastructure required. Is South Africa ready for trading companies of international status or is Mauritius going to take the lead in the SADC region with more favourable tax regimes? South Africa has previously mentioned implementing more favourable tax systems to become the trading hub of Africa but we are yet to see a competitive proposal.

The president still has a long term, 20 year, infrastructure development plan for South Africa. The country has to keep on track from year to year to achieve this. This year's budget speech appeared to have less promise and more of let's get down to business. Implementation is the key.

Written by Sheldon Conway of Business Soul Accounting in Hilton.

The boarders from Cowan House Prep School in Hilton made their own pizza tonight for dinner. This is part of the 'Play With Your Food' programme at Cowan House; designed to give our boarders the opportunity to learn more about cooking and food.

Capulum College congratulate Kayla Edwards who came 2nd and Andrew Edwards who came 18th in the National Mountain Bike race held at Willowbridge in Cape Town, this weekend. Well done!

News and image supplied by Capulum College.