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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

ZIMBABWE NATIONAL PARKS INCREASE FEES

Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Authority has issued a new schedule of fees for the period May to December 2010 which will affect wildlife-based tourism operations in Kariba and the Zambezi valley this year. Here is a summary of the new changes:

1. Camping: From May 2010, all National Parks campsites will be charged per site and not per person.

2. Park Accommodation and Entry Rates: The three-tier system of charging (whereby International visitors are charged more than Regional visitors who are charged more than Zimbabwe Local Residents), will be phased out this year so that by January 2011, there will be only two rates: Non-Resident and Resident. However, the three tier system will continue to apply to Park entry fees.

3. Bookings: Reservations for Parks facilities will, from March 2010, be opened one year in advance to all clients, including Zimbabwe residents (who were previously restricted to booking only 3 months in advance). There will be no more "draw" system for Mana Pools and bookings will be treated on a first come first serve basis, with payment being demanded up front.

4. Fees: Details of the relevant National Park tourism fees for May-December 2010 for Entry, Vehicle Entry, Accommodation, Firewood, Canoe Hire, Accompanied Guided Tours & Walking Trails, Fishing and River usage are summarised on the WILD ZAMBEZI website at this link: National Parks Fees May-December 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

This is of interest to anyone with old UK notes

Current £20 notes. The note featuring Edward Elgar on the right hand side of the back ceases to be legal tender 30th June. It may be accepted by banks up to 30 July, and after that can still be changed at the Bank of England, Threadneedle St, London. The new note has Adam Smith on the left of the back, with his name clearly written in block capitals. Maureen Stewart, Manager British Council, 2nd fl West Zimdef House, 102 Fort St Bulawayo.


Tel +263-9-885843, 75815,75816, Fax +263-9-75815,75816, Mob +263 11 800 774.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

BOB STUMBLES

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE LATE BOB STUMBLES IS FRIDAY 26TH MARCH AT ARUNDEL SCHOOL CHAPEL, NOT SATURDAY 27TH MARCH AS PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED. THE TIME REMAINS 11:00 AM. APOLOGIES FOR THE ERROR.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

BOB STUMBLES

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE LATE BOB STUMBLES IS FRIDAY 26TH MARCH AT ARUNDEL SCHOOL CHAPEL

Monday, March 22, 2010

From a Zimbabwe traveller

Would just like to let your readers know that I was up in Kariba over the weekend and want to warn anybody travelling up there by car to be extremely careful when driving between Karoi and Makuti The repairs they carried out last year have all broken up and the "Pot Craters" are extremely bad! I wrote off two rear shocks on my vehicle on the way up and on my return a very unhappy fisherman was replacing wheels on his truck and boat trailer! >From Karoi going to Kariba the first 10 K's are okay the next 20 K's are where most of the damage is, the worst being roughly 20 K's from Karoi. Hope this might save a few dollars especially if no repairs have been carried out by Easter.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Norman Travers

Norman Travers passed away peacefully in Borradaile Hospital on the 18th March 2010.

Graham Millward

The Memorial Service for Graham Millward will be held on Friday 19th 2010 at Central Baptist Church at 2:30pm Corner Fife Ave/ 2nd Street. Tea and snacks in Church Hall Afterwards.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Reps Reporter – March 2010

We had a wonderful evening of entertainment and awards at the 2009 Reps Afdis Awards ceremony, held in the theatre on Saturday March 6. We were fortunate to once again enjoy the kind and generous sponsorship of African Distillers, so we would like to thank Ken Jarvis and his team for not only continuing to support Reps but for also giving us such a splendid celebratory event in this our 50/80 year of commemoration. The awards reward and encourage excellence in all aspects of theatre and it is to be hoped that the stimulus of this year’s selection will provide continued impetus to our ongoing drive to maintain and even improve standards all round.
Congratulations are in order!

Well done to all the nominees, but special congratulations go to all the winners of the 2009 Reps Afdis Awards, handed out during a delightful show at Reps. The event was marked by a range of entertainment options from schools competing in the Afdis Schools Drama festival, and these included Arundel, St John’s College, Chisipite Senior School, Hellenic Academy, Peterhouse and Eaglesvale. The winners were: John Keeling Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role – Mike Southall (Shadowlands); George Barnes Awards for Best Actress in a Lead Role – Erin Cooper (Funny Money); Alan Parkinson Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Jason Linforth (Shock!); Allan Shaw Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Sue Bolt (Sing A Song Of Sixpence); Prentice Trophy for best performance in a minor role – Kevin Hanssen (Broadway Hits and Musical Bits 2); Reps Awards for best performance by a junior under 12 year – Cameron McCosh (Shadowlands); Alastair and Wendy Booth Award for best comedy performance – George Gukuta (Joining The Club); Dave Roberts Trophy for most outstanding musical performance – Richard Sticklen (Broadway Hits and Musical Bits 2); Sue Greener Technical Award- Mary G Miles for the wardrobe of Sing A Song Of Sixpence; Hugh Dornhurst Trophy for best first performance in a Reps production – Mike Southall (Shadowlands); Reps Trophy for best contribution to dance or movement – Debbie Fleming (Broadway Hits and Musical Bits 2); Adrian Stanley Award – Sue McLaren; Munro Trophy – Sue Bolt; Steve Bonney Award Eve Stranix; Oude Meester Cup for Best production of 2009 – Shadowlands (directed by Sue Bolt and stage managed by John Bonney); Isabeau Granger Trophy for best amateur director – Teri Grimmel (Funny Money); Marjorie Legg Cup for best stage properties – Adrian Bonney (Shadowlands); Afdis Schools festival winner – Peterhouse’s The Importance of Being Ernest; runner-up – Eaglesvale’s Romeo and Juliet. Repteens awards: Best Actor – Matthew Trustham; most improved actor – Jason Linforth; most contribution – Frances, Emily and KJ Greeff; Bartlett Comedy Cup – Stephane Thomas; best technical – Alexander Blackburn. I would like to also thank everyone involved in getting the Awards Show and nominees dinner off the ground – excellent work, everyone!

Hay Fever continues to wide acclaim

If you have not yet seen Zane E Lucas’ Hay Fever then you are missing a treat. This excellent production of Noel Coward’s timeless classic has been receiving huge acclaim and will end its run on Saturday March 13. The final week will fill up quickly so get in early to The Spotlight to get a ticket. The play features Fiona Garrity, Josh Ansley, Erin J Housam, Chloe Cattin, Ryan Lawrence, Simon de Swardt, Musa Saruro, Thea Cutler and Sue Evans.

Snoopy comes calling

Welcome home to Bryan Hill, who has come to direct Snoopy The Musical for us. Bryan is Harare-born and educated but has been living and working in South Africa for 25 years and is now General Manager of the internationally-known Teatro at Montecasino in Gauteng, where recent productions have included Cats and where Grease starts soon. He kindly said yes to my invitation to come and direct this wonderful musical and we are pleased that it features an excellent young cast – Stephane Thomas, Erin Cooper, Dean Jones, Michael Thomas, Richard Sticklen, Nicola Kinnaird and Anne Stack. The show runs from Marc 18 to 27 and will be huge fun for all. At least two gala nights have been sold so there will quite heavy demand for remaining tickets and advance booking is recommended. The show was previously staged here in 1985 and will appeal to a whole new generation of audiences, who will identify with the Charles M Schultz characters and love the simple storylines.

The Mousetrap makes its Reps debut

Another success for Reps in its 50/80 year is the staging of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, the delightful murder mystery that has run continuously in London since 1953 and is now a major tourist attraction in its own right. Mel Hooley is back for a spell from the UK to direct this production, with cast such as Mike Southall, Vanessa Vos, Kevin Hanssen, Paul Shepherd, Tim Harrap, Andrew Hyde and Kyla Render. This will run from April 8 to 17 and will bring lots of excitement as it receives its Reps debut. With the expert touch of Mel behind it, great things are expected of it and we look forward to good houses.

Have-a-Go has a second outing

Another Have-a-Go Show production will feature soon in Theatre Upstairs – Babysitting Calvin, a one-act comedy to be directed by Colleen Hardy, best know for props and front of house, but now directing after an acting debut last year. This will have a short run in mid-April and is recommended as we try to expand the range of directing skills and give a chance to new people to take on productions in the Theatre Upstairs.

Three fun events for members

The Reps Social Events team have got some super things lined up for you this month, kicking off with our St Patrick’s Day party on Sunday 14 March, with live music from Middle Age Spread – our theme is “Get Green”! This will be followed by music with The Zoom Cocks on Friday the 19th and Rob Osborne on Friday the 26th, so we hope we’ll see you and a few friends down here having some fun in the members bar. Remember – non Reps Members can attend our social events, they just need to organize a Day Visitors Card from the bar staff.

Volunteers still wanted

New people are needed to help out in all areas of Reps’ activity – from every area of backstage work and acting to front of house and box office and from costumes and wardrobe through to running the foyer bar. Please make contact with the Reps office to find out how you can get involved in this very busy year for the Repertory Players, Reps Theatre and Theatre Upstairs. It’s always good fun and very social, as well as rewarding and satisfying from a ‘work and contribution’ perspective.

Repteens and Preps busy

Both Repteens (13-19s) and Preps (6-12s) are busy and will meet through to the end of the first term before taking a break linked to the school holidays. Linda Hyde and Kyla Render can tell you more about Repteens (which is chaired by Stephane Thomas), while Katie Cooper has taken on Preps this year. Repteens meet on Fridays at 6pm while Preps gather on Saturdays at 9am. Great coaching and theatrical training is given to all these youngsters and it’s very good socially, too.

Did you know …

… that the Reps Wardrobe is one of Harare’s most favoured sources of costumes for shows and parties and that costs are very competitive. Hire of costumes may be undertaken between 9am and 3.30pm each day Monday to Friday. The wardrobe has a huge stock of all manner of items and is a treasure trove for anyone needing to dress up or costume a show.

Until next time, stay well.
Yours dramatically

Teri Grimmel, Chairman

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Sylvia McCracken

Sylvia McCracken passed away after a short illness last Thursday (4th March 2009). Her family would like to invite all those who knew her to come to the Mukuvisi Woodland for a Celebration of her Life on Tuesday 16th March at 4pm. For any further information, please contact her sister, Maureen on 2932581, or Barbara at the Woodland on 747111/0914 198 009, or Simon Pitt on 011 416 574/ simon@touchstone.co.zw.

From Bally Vaughan

It’s the dead of night at the Bally Vaughan sanctuary. The bell on my gate jangles discordantly, jerking me awake as the word “Python!” reverberates through the darkness. The night guards and my assistant, Collin, are silhouettes in a milling crowd of giant-eared donkeys who are always inexorably drawn to the scene of any nocturnal activity. I grab a torch, pull a jacket over my pyjamas, shove my feet into my boots and fall over a furiously hissing mass of russet-red fur in the doorway. My caracals are awake too, and livid at having their intense sleep schedule disturbed. Arthur, the youngest, bites my ankle to prove this point and I stagger out into the night swearing and hopping on one leg. There is a massive python in the pig pens, probably en route to the rabbit hutches for a midnight feast and it is our job to divert and capture it for release elsewhere.


We speed past the Volunteer House, yelling for Janina, our Swedish volunteer who catapults out of the back door with a torch and an apprehensive expression. She is a little wary of pythons, having spent a happy hour in my garden on a play date with Smeegal the serval cat, only to discover that there was a python snuggled up behind a rock mere inches behind her. A few hours later a goat was killed on the water’s edge by the legendary Loch Ness Monster, the biggest python we have ever seen, and the most elusive. Three of us had managed to grab his immense, smooth, glistening form as he coiled himself insidiously around the lifeless form of the goat but he simply oozed through our hands, powerful muscles pulsating, and slid in sinister silence into the depths of the dam. During this incident Janina had been in charge of stopping our foolish family of mongrel dogs from throwing themselves into the fray and I think her nerves were still a little tattered from the experience. Now, faced by her third python in forty eight hours the novelty is wearing off. We catch this particular one and put it in a sack ready for release in the morning, and everyone goes back to bed, fighting our way back through the heavy-breathing donkeys and being dive-bombed by Woody and Trigger the eagle owls, who are delighted to have unexpected company and who are insistent on sharing their slightly smelly dinner of chicken hearts with us.



There are rather more donkeys around after an apparent breakdown in communications meant that several residents of the Sanctuary did not receive the memorandum about our No Breeding policy. I am enraged and confounded by the population surge because I don’t know who the father of all these fuzzy, velvet-nosed creatures is. Fred the zebra is under a dark cloud of suspicion but I just cant catch him red-handed, or hoofed as it were. He has perfected an air of smug detachment when I am around but I find him lurking far too often in dark corners and isolated spots of natural beauty with one or other of our lady donkeys. All he needs is a cigarette tucked behind his ear and a tight white T-shirt to perfect his image as the James Dean of the donkey world. Coco, one of our more amiable donkeys who has finally, after years of care, recovered from the horrific abuse she suffered from her previous owner, produced a tiny, velvety foal on Unity Day. Chanel was delivered by Dr Ramlaul on a sunny afternoon, assisted by several mongooses and Barkly the Brown Dog. As her frail little legs with their ridiculously large knees and her enormous ears unfolded and she took her first wobbly steps, the fact that we have exceeded the donkey quota simply didn’t seem to matter any longer.



An influx of orphans made us thankful that Kat Bijlsma was volunteering with us for a month. Arriving from America on the recommendation of a previous volunteer, Kat was thrown into the thick of hand-raising tiny Edward the duiker days after she arrived. Edward lost his mother to poachers and was rescued, starving and terrified, by the Kelder family. Orphans are raised as part of the family at the Sanctuary, sleeping in our beds and generally taking over the household, and Kat quickly adapted to sharing her bedroom with Edward and hand-feeding Bardot the wood owl on the dining room table. When Bardot arrived she was possibly the ugliest baby ever; a tiny scraggle of dirty feathers punctuated by a pair of protuberant eyes and with two maggot-infested holes in her head. Watching her blossom into one of our most endearing and beautiful residents has been a wonderful journey for us all. Visitors may meet Bardot in the ladies’ toilets where she monitors the use of the soap and toilet paper diligently, or employing her marketing skills in the curio shop where she likes to remove and eat the price tags from various items in between quality testing the seams on the cushion covers.

Bart the Jackal also came in at this time. Found on the university campus, Bart is surprisingly tame and was possibly a pet before being dumped or escaping. I spent many hours sitting with Bart, coaxing him to eat and finally getting him to play tentative little games with a tennis ball and a twist of rope. He developed a passionate attachment to a large fluffy polar bear toy and insisted on trying to carry it about in his tiny, sharp-toothed jaws before realising that play dates with Rover the Wriggly Red Dog were rather more rewarding. Each day Rover waits outside Bart’s enclosure to be let in for a couple of hours of rambunctious activity; chasing and wrestling and rolling luxuriantly in whatever pungent substance the two of them have chosen as their parfum du jour. Civet musk is a favourite, as is putrid frog and the knowledge that they are going to be unceremoniously collared and doused in the stream to clean them off after each play date does nothing to deter this foul pastime.



Our troupe of banded mongooses, free-roaming within the Sanctuary grounds now number thirty five, tripling their numbers in six months. As the undisputed kings of the Sanctuary they raid the kitchens, terrorise the dogs and help themselves to herbal tea and milk powder from the coffee shop. Their total disregard for boundaries, literal and metaphorical, is a constant source of chaos here. I was recently two hours late for an extremely important meeting because the mongooses had decided to take a course in mechanics and had infiltrated the engine of my car. Sudden muffled shrieking and growling from beneath the bonnet as I opened the car door made me screech with fright and drop my handbag into a puddle. Finally plucking up the courage to open the bonnet I was met with the startling sight of twenty pairs of gleaming eyes glaring at me from various parts of the engine and the ominous sound of dripping fluid. Entreaties failed, bribery in the form of a tray of 36 eggs failed, banging frantically on the side of the engine simply elicited more outraged screams..and then an ominous silence as all twenty of them disappeared from sight, followed by a strange clanking sound that I later discovered (ground to a steaming halt in the middle of the toll gate on Enterprise road) was the little bush mechanics making minute but disastrous adjustments to the water pump. Eventually they left of their own accord, sniggering and chattering vociferously as they raced across the garden en masse, bunched together to give the impression of one huge lithe beast.



Owls of all kinds continue to find a refuge here. Janina Bakstrom successfully rehabilitated and released a spotted eagle owl and a white-faced owl during her time with us, and we have rescued and released a total of eleven owls in the last four months. We have also taken on 6 guinea fowl and four baby monkeys.



An executive decision has been taken, banning me from collecting the predator meat from the abbatoir down the road after I returned not just with a truckload of offal, but with a six hundred kilogram Brahman cow and her calf. Cinderella and Snowy had been living at the abattoir after Cinderalla gave birth the night before she was due to be slaughtered. Living their lives amongst their doomed fellow creatures, Cinderella would be slaughtered once Snowy was weaned. Instantly my bunny-hugger instincts kicked in; my vegetarian sensibilities appalled by this scenario, and egged on by a fellow fool in the form of one of our overseas volunteers, we vowed to rescue Cinderella and her baby from impending death! Yes, certainly the management of the abattoir would allow us to have the cow and calf, if we paid the commercial value of their meat. Fired by her new role as saviour of the doomed, the volunteer had the necessary funds wired to Zimbabwe and Cinderella and Snowy were saved! Arriving with our small pick up truck to collect our new family members, the staff at the abattoir fell about with mirth. There was no way Cinderella was going to stand quietly in the back of the truck while we drove her home in triumph. The first uneasy prickle of doubt stirred in my mind. Perhaps Dr Ramlaul was right...when I had told him that I had acquired a cow, the first question he asked was, “What kind of cow?”

“What do you mean, what kind of cow? It’s just a cow! A big white one.” I snapped.

His voice took on that certain quality that he uses on dangerous dogs in the surgery, and on me quite a lot, while he explained that there were different kinds of cows, and that some of them could be very aggressive, particularly Braham cows with calves. I thought this was hilarious! Aggressive cows? As if!

“I plan to milk her, actually,” I said coolly, in the same tone of voice I use to tell him that the caracals have mistakenly eaten the last page of the book he has been transfixed by for days, or that yes, I have inadvertently been using his top-of-the-range kitchen knives to chop up branches to make monkey swings and that I didn’t know that a nightape that I left in the spare bedroom would eat the padding out of his cycling shorts...it’s a tone probably best described as false bravado.

Anyway, we walked our new acquisitions home; a long and nerve-racking journey through maize fields and tobacco crops that caught the rolling, slightly manic eye of the giant Cinderella as we ran in circles around her entreating and admonishing and waving buckets of bran in front of her nose.

The next day I was late for yet another meeting. This time I was held hostage in my garden by an angry cow. She simply rested her huge, curved horns on either side of my garden gate and refused to budge. The following day we got into an ugly tussle over a packet of bread rolls. Cinderalla wanted them, and she took them by sheer force. Later that afternoon, while we were offloading a truck load of vegetables, accompanied by the usual mob of donkeys, zebras, horses and other over-excited herbivores, she demonstrated her excellence at a new game called Tossing the Sheep. She simply scooped up poor woolly Martha with her horns and flung her out of the way. Fortunately only Martha’s dignity was damaged but it gave us an idea of Cinderella’s massive strength. Over the next few weeks she ate my garden fence, stabbed me in the ribs with her horn and chased me round the carpark. She got into my garden and gave Harry the caracal a black eye, and she inspired such fear in the dogs that they wouldn’t come out of their kennels.

I am yet to milk her.



And so our family continues to grow. And, as always, it is our friends and sponsors who make it possible for us to continue to offer a safe haven to all these creatures who arrive, usually with no notice; starving, dehydrated, frequently injured and always deeply traumatised. They are safe here, and loved and cared for to the very best of our ability. They know that every day they will have plentiful food, clean water and spacious areas in which to live their lives. Toys and treats are a part of their daily routine, grooming and cuddles and company are always on hand. We start every day with a visit to each animal, making sure everyone ate their dinner, stopping for a chat with Blossom the hyena, a head rub from Khan the leopard and always a lengthy and strident conversation with Kadiki the Lioness which usually involves some sort of scathing comments about her long-suffering and hen-pecked husband Nduna.



Last year ended on a tragic and traumatic note when Kadiki produnced one tiny, premature cub. Nduna had been vasectomised as he is an inbred rescue from a commercial lion farm and we are against the breeding of big cats in captivity, and there was no sign that our beloved lioness was pregnant so this was a terrible shock to us all, and particularly to Kadiki who quite simply did not seem to understand what had happened to her. Hearing a commotion in the lion enclosure on New Year’s Eve I ran to investigate and found a trembling and distraught Kadiki at the fence, calling frantically to me. She would run a few metres, stop and look back at me and call to me again in patent distress. Racing round to the back of the enclosure I found Nduna with the yowling cub between his gigantic paws. He also looked perplexed and frightened and backed off immediately from the cub when he saw me. Kadiki licked the minute, spotted scrap but then stood on it and appeared oblivious to the wail of pain and shock that this elicited from her baby. Once again she came to the fence and gave another guttural distress call before lying down a few metres from the cub and ignoring it completely. I tentatively extended a shaking hand to pick up the cub and didn’t react at all as I held the frail little creature and realised that it must have been born prematurely. Despite franctic efforts to save him, Kadiki and Nduna’s son died. Holding the limp little body that should have grown into the magnificence and majesty that is the King of the Beasts was one of the saddest moments I have ever experienced. A life so brief and fleeting still sears your heart with what might have been and remains in your memory like a little ghost.



Heartbreak walks silently beside us as we go about our work here. The loss of animals so dearly loved and cherished that they become part of the very essence of our lives; interwoven into our hearts and memories irrevocably, always with us and missed and thought of every day. Losing my darling Twala, the female caracal who shared my life and my home for ten years, has left me devastated. Beloved of us all, the Twirly Whirly Girl, so beautiful and wise and clever, will always be with us. A cat so sublimely sure of her elegance and wit that she had perfected that superb arrogance only the very best cats can carry off. A mere look flashed from her golden-green eyes was enough to subdue even the most rambunctious behaviour of Harry and Arthur, her brothers. We will always remember Twala’s brisk maternal administrations to the endless troupe of orphans and waifs who share our lives; holding down indignant lion cubs twice her size to wash inside their ears, marching through the house with furiously wriggling baby servals in her mouth, and her devoted care of our rescue donkeys; washing their terrible wounds with such gentleness and curling up quietly beside Trotsky, a donkey so viciously beaten and abused he died a few hours after we brought him to the Sanctuary. Who can ever forget the happy evenings with Twala coiled fatly beneath the table, listening to the conversations and music with barely perceptible flutters of her magnificently tufted ears, her fabulous whiskers fanned out to catch even the slightest nuance of a possible snack coming her way. “Girls Nights” were her favourite events; stretched languorously on the carpet graciously accepting the compliments and accolades always bestowed on her by my friends, acknowledging each person in the room with a cool kiss from her tip of her noble nose and a flick of her little tail. Twala is still such a tangible presence in our lives it is very hard to come to terms with the fact that she slipped away and left us; that one last tiny breath on my face a final farewell from the most beloved creature of all.



Whenever I think of the animals who we have loved so much who are no longer with us, I take comfort from the story told by Anatole France in “Penguin Island” when a conference is held in heaven to decide whether animals baptised by St Francis should be considered to have souls. St Catherine of Alexandria says, “Give them souls – but tiny ones.” I like to think of all those little souls gone on ahead of us to a world with no pain or fear or cruelty.



Long and unscheduled power cuts continue to play havoc with our operations. The antiquated plumbing and electrical systems at the Sanctuary are a constant challenge too as pipes break and electrical appliances blow up, and a new neighbour made life miserable while we waited for the late rains by diverting our water source until we reduced to pumping water from a stagnant pool. Unbelievably the electricity supply company arrived one day to cut off our electricity, waving an unpaid bill for several thousand dollars. We had not received a bill from these people for over a year, had power less than four hours a day for over a year and sometimes no power at all for days on end, so watching the smug messenger of darkness flick off our mains switch and seal it with a plastic sticker was enraging. A vitriolic conversation with the head office ensued, punctuated by the usual deafening hoots of the donkeys and incessant crowing of our many roosters, which triggers off a chorus of howls from the dogs, which gets Kylie and Blossom the Hyenas whooping and cackling, and the louder I yell, the more vigorous the background chorus gets. I actually think in the end the person I was dealing with simply couldn’t stand the noise any more and reduced our bill to six hundred dollars and switched the power back on just to get rid of me.



Our herbivores are fat and flourishing thanks to George Kille and all at S & P Logistics, Rose and Rogan Mclean, all at Sunspun Bananas who have made the lives of our monkeys and other animals so much better with their support, Freshpro, the Minter family, Sue’s foods, Belinda and Wayne Whitaker, Niren Ramlaul and Green Park, Sue Roberts, Thomas Wicke and family, Jean Roger and Karen Paolillo, Johnny and Cheryl Rodrigues and the ZCTF. Ross and Cherith Bingley have provided exceptional support to our donkeys, monkeys,zebras and other animals and we are extremely grateful to them for stepping in when we were so desperate for food for our animals.

Our magnificent predators enjoy a sumptuous dinner every day at 4pm thanks to Montana Meats, Stoff Hawgood of Tavistock Estates, Freshpro, Crugs Chooks, Trinity Ncube, the Taylor family, Steve Curle, and the Bean family and staff at Douglyn Farm.

Rodney Beckley makes it possible for our truck to do its daily journeys transporting the massive amounts of food we need by servicing and repairing the vehicle at Smooth Runnings. Thanks to Rob Follet-Smith and Alro Shipping for diesel fuel and to Pam and Terry of Chinanga Safaris and Leanne Byrom for sponsoring the fuel for so many rescues.

The Christiansen family regularly treat our rescued dogs to delicious dog food and also donated books to our shop. Thanks to Beverley Bridger, Les Ives and all those who have donated goods to our shop.

Karen Bean and the Book Borrowers, Paul and Jackie Healy, Casey Boudreau and St Elmo’s continue to make it possible for Nduna the lion to enjoy a wonderful, fulfilled and joyful life and your generous donations will also cover the cost of recent veterinary operations and treatments for our lions.

Sophie and Alexandra Bean are devoted sponsors of Khan the leopard, Avani Mooljee, Daire Cullen, Maxime and Chris Ilsink, Karen Mutasa, Lorna Joubert, Marti Brits and family, Mr and Mrs Berry, Chooks and Dave Langerman, Cathy Carter, Vicky Campion, Emma Robinson and Phil Barclay, Dr Tinashe Zimhunga, Deb Addison, Krafty Kids Nursery, Mike Trask, Clara Coogan, Kate Bristow, Alistair and Pam Cockcroft, Tim and Eleanor Moore, Halsteads (who donated a wheelbarrow which is a godsend!), Shane from Xpress Print Shop, Gina Everson, Anne Marie Witkowski, Meryl Harrison, Rob Greebe, Mrs D’Elia, Mark Rossiter are all constant and generous supporters of the Sanctuary projects, and each year Ashlee Middleton and her family raise money for the animals, putting hours of work into producing homemade cakes and other delicious things which are sold on behalf of the Sanctuary. Evan and Ellen Owen-Powell requested donations for the animals in lieu of wedding presents at their wedding in the UK and Kim Devlin asked guests to bring gifts for the animals rather than for her when she held her birthday party at the Sanctuary. Thomas Wicke’s birthday party, held each year at the Sanctuary always raises a significant amount for the animals, in particular the marmoset monkeys, and Anthea Thackstone sends a donation for the marmosets each year.

Bruce McLaughlin of Trotters donated a team of painters and builders to the Sanctuary for two weeks, as well as materials, to paint all our buildings and do long-overdue repairs to our kitchens, toilets and restaurant. The quality of the work is superb and it has truly brightened our lives to be working in fresh and clean surroundings thanks to the kindness and generosity of Bruce. Paint for this project came from the donation given by Absolute Paints at our Golf Day.

Mike Garden of Bambe Zonki Nhasi, Tina of Hello Harare, Rhonnie of the CFU, Stan Higgins of Aquarius Public Relations and Jenni Ferguson have all been invaluable in raising awareness of our work at the Sanctuary, for which we are very grateful.

To the ladies of Golfing and Giving, we appreciate your support so much. Our beautiful new chair covers, arranged by Di Fyn, stock feed and wire to repair enclosures has made such a difference to the Sanctuary.

Thanks go as always to our team of Zimbabwean volunteers who give up their time to help out at the Sanctuary each weekend; Les Ives, Neil Noble, Dianne Twiggs, Leanne Freel, Sharon Nichols and Sylvia Carter, who not only provides all the homemade cakes and biscuits for our coffee shop but does our gardens, provides transport for the other volunteers and takes on the unenviable task of baby-sitting the caracals in my absence. To my husband, Vin, who dedicates so much time and care to us all, thank you from the heart.

To update all those of you who supported our hugely successful and inspiring Golf Day we have achieved the following with the funds raised on the that day:

2 new deep freezers for Predator Meat, 3 new compressors for freezers damaged by a Zesa power surge, 4 surge protectors

Desperately needed repairs to our 2 trucks including servicing, new lights, new brake pads and shocks

The purchase of materials and the construction of a new stock feed shed

A spray Knapsack

Rain suits and Gum boots for the staff

Water pipes to replace the water system to the horse paddock, lion pen and leopard enclosure

Materials for our Animal Hospital (cement, wire, nails, tools, infra-red lamps, electric cabling, roofing sheets, black plastic sheeting, fleece material, 4 wooden kennels, shade cloth, generator

Fencing wire to repair lion enclosure, extend hyena enclosure and re-wire bird aviary

Once again I would like to thank Andrew Revolta, Sharon Nichols and Craig and Debbie Sly for putting together such a wonderful day. We have not only been able to carry out extensive repairs and renovations thanks to the overwhelming support we received, but it has also been a tremendous morale boost for us all and for that we cannot express our gratitude enough to our friends and sponsors.



CONTACT US ON 0912 592 944 0912 106819 0733 436239 or 04 497588.

sarah@ballyvaughan.co.zw www.ballyvaughan.co.zw



The Sanctuary is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm. NO NEED TO BOOK! Restaurant open all day for light meals and drinks. Adult entry $4, children under 12 $2

PREDATOR FEEDING EVERY DAY AT 4pm. Fishing licences available, rock pool for the kids, farm animals to pet and feed, curio shop

Spend a unique day out with our animal family in beautiful surroundings only 40km from the city centre.

Half Day Trips are an ideal way to meet our animal family and hear the stories of our beloved residents. They cost $15 per person and run from 9:30am to 12:30pm, including morning tea and cakes.

Inter-active School Trips provide a fun, educational outing for school children of all ages and cost $3 per child.

Game Ranger Days for children aged 7 -12 every Wednesday of the school holidays.

The Twenty Four Hour Veterinary Surgery on the corner of Upper East Rd and Second St. Extension is a drop-off point where donations and goods for the Sanctuary can be safely left.



With love,

Sarah and all at the Sanctuary



SARAH CARTER

THE BALLY VAUGHAN SANCTUARY

ZIMBABWE

Tel: 263 592 944 263 4 497588

email: sarah@ballyvaughan.co.zw

www.ballyvaughan.co.zw

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Children in need of help

In Harare, we have a home in sentosa which looks after 13 girls, we support the home 100% by sending the children to school, food and those who look after them. We have

1. Hillside we look after 8 girls

2. 2 in Hatfield (there is a total of 24 children in 2 homes which are close to each other-both sexes)

3. Glenora (12 children both sexes_

4. Rugare (new home starting in January 8 children girls)

5. Westwood (both sexes 12 children)

6. Goshen Farm in Beatrice Farm we have 3 homes at this farm but the target is building , someone gave us the farm to look after a total of 150 orphans but keeping to the model of a home not institutions (we have about 15 children but are taking them in)

7. 32 Marlborough drive (8 children both sexes)

8. Marlborough Harare drive (9 children both sexes)

We try and not have to many children in a home to try and provide the best care and avoid an institutional approach. We partner with different churches to provide this care.

Besides homes we have feeding programs that are scattered throughout the country- from Binga, to Bulawayo, Chivhu, Mutoko, Chinhoyi, Chegutu and many scattered in Harare. A total of about 2000 plus orphans. We would like to feed more but the resources are always limiting. Econet through their Christian Copmmunity Partnership Trust have said they would feed about 1000 of those rural orphans. It cost an average of 15 USD to give the children 1 good meal a day for 3 months. The cost is much more for those in the homes. We budget about 1800 per child.

Last year we had about 400 orphans we were supporting with school fees but that was not possible because of the huge increases that took place, we still want to support these children.
We have 6 pre schools, in which we provides meals, and pay for the teachers who teach the children, 4 of these are in rural areas.
Our offices are at no. 39 lomagundi, we are most willing to take you to visit any of these projects.

Thanks

Jephat mailto:jephatchifamba@yahoo.co.uk