UPDATED JULY 2009
Hi everyone from Dragon Peaks,
I apologise for the lengthy break between newsletters, but I am sure you will understand, once you know why. I will explain in detail further on in the newsletter.
We are in the middle of winter, doing the fire breaks and raking up the last of the leaves to keep the park looking as good as it can given the dry season.
Easter went well and the long weekend at the end of April was also successful. We have been busy in the cottages and park homes every weekend so that is a bonus. We have had school groups down at the mountain base as well as a couple of airforce squadrons. The accommodation has been busy as well throughout the July school holidays.
The weather at the moment is cold at night and early morning, but if you are out in the sun the days are beautiful. Ideal for hiking and horse riding – guests have been making the most of this with our rides being very popular.
As you might remember, Henry has not been well over the past two years, visiting doctor after doctor. Well eventually he lost his voice and went to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist in Ladysmith. He took x-rays and found something odd so we were then referred to a Specialist Physician at the new Ethekwini Hospital in Durban. We went for the appointment and they admitted Henry for further tests. He had a battery of tests and two biopsies. The end result after the 10 days that we spent in Durban was that Henry had inoperable, incurable cancer.
He could not wait to get out of hospital, collect our dogs at the kennels and come home. After advising the children and family, they made a roster of who was going to be with us, Henry’s son came out from Israel and there was always somebody in the house with us. Henry with his sense of humour and love for his family was just worried about us, he accepted the diagnosis and was calm and peaceful. We were so blessed that he was without pain. I nursed him for five weeks when he slipped into a coma and 12 hours later he passed away. As with the Jewish religion, he was cremated two days later in Durban.
In a time like this there are just so many people who need to be thanked for their support, firstly to Dr. Les McVey who was like an angel popping in virtually every day just keeping his eye on all of us, Brett, Glenn and Lynn Tungay who were so understanding of my situation and allowed me the privilege to be with Henry, Christien who so efficiently just did everything that needed to be doing, Steve Bull, Graham Walker and Hylton Mercer who just sat quietly holding Henry’s hand (that was all he asked for), Peter and Ady Small who kept us fed and motivated, my office staff who so willingly worked extra hours, especially whilst Christien was on leave overseas. To all the guests and friends who sent messages of strength, prayer and later condolences I appreciated them all.
I have since moved back into Drakensberg No. 15 (I was there before) with my two dogs and my nutty bird. I am very comfortable there and especially in winter, it is so easy to keep warm. I am fine, I think that having the time with Henry and having had the privilege and honour of nursing him and talking and reminiscing has taken the place of grief. We had the chance of saying goodbye and to express what we felt and shed tears together and my promise to Henry, made so many years ago, that he would not die alone was kept.
For office news, Christien has moved from the office to take charge of housekeeping – this is an extremely important job and I am confident that, as with everything else, her hard work and tenacity will make a success of this.
Hlobi and Loren are still in the office, working diligently. We have Rene Mattig who works in the office for three days a week and another newcomer to the office Keryn Randelhoff. She is Greg’s fiancée and she is a most welcome addition. Greg is in charge of the maintenance and grounds staff since Henry’s passing and is doing a good job. He continues to fly with Brett when he gets the chance and is building up hours for his commercial pilots licence.
Rene is the wife of Ray Mattig, a Pastor from Pinetown who has moved up to the valley to take over the leadership of Mountain Life Church (which meets here every Sunday on the Island) from Glenn who will be continuing with his involvement in Dragon Peaks as one of the Managing Directors.
Brett’s scenic helicopter business continues to do well with the recent addition of a Bell Jet Ranger. He operates both the Bell and his Robinson 44 from the hangar near the air base. If you want to appreciate the awesome wonder of the Drakensberg up close without the effort of hiking to the escarpment, I highly recommend saving up for a flight!
Cornelia had her baby and he is the cutest little thing, Dawid is now six weeks old and smiles at everyone. He does keep Jakes and Cornelia awake at night, but that too will pass, I am sure. Jakes has finished the pirate ship in the playground and this has proved to be most popular already. They have moved to Cottage No. 1, which gives them more space for family.
The Sixties/Eighties anniversary weekend will be held on the weekend of 16 to 18th October 2009. The band has been organized and now we wait for your bookings, for those of you who have not booked. The accommodation is less 25% and the sites are less 50% so it is well worth a visit and an opportunity for us to say thank you for your support. On the Friday night we usually have karaoke and the restaurant organizes special prices for their meals. A fun weekend as usual!
On June 27th we had the annual Polar Bear Swim. It was very well attended and enjoyed. There were 35 swimmers and it was, as usual, very well organized by Ann Gray, all in aid of the SPCA.
All the storage bays have been repaired following the storm we had in January. Just a reminder of the rule that storage vans need to be utilized for a minimum of 10 days per annum.
One special announcement is that we have now put in place a NO MUSIC POLICY in the resort. We are in the process of trying to form a conservancy with several other land owners around us and we want to promote a more natural, quieter environment for our quests to enjoy and to be able to relax without being disturbed by other groups playing music without regard for neighbours. What this means practically is that we are happy for guests to watch TV or play soft background music in their units or caravans so far as it doesn’t disturb their neighbours. Furthermore it allows management to evict guests who refuse to respect the rule and continue to make a noise that management deem unacceptable. Exceptions to this rule include functions on the island or in the conference hall such as weddings or events such as the 60’s weekend etc.
Horse news – Hi it is great having guests pop by the stables to say hi and talk about the hoof rehabilitation and yes it is a slow process generally made slower because I have so many of my horses with physiologically incorrect feet and during the reshaping process they need more trimming than under normal circumstances. The reason for this is that they were raised on my “lovely” kikuya paddocks and unknown to me at the time, this caused them to start contracting from birth because foals ideally need lots of movement on firm abrasive ground to encourage correct hoof form.
To this end, I am offering a gap-year opportunity to students with horse knowledge who would like to broaden their scope into trail centre management and hoof rehabilitation. Preference is given to Strasser Hoofcare Students.
Lwazi Khoza has taken over as groom from Thokozani. Lwazi is related to Enerst who many of you fondly remember. Enerst still returns from time to time to help me with the trimming during his off time from his Barman post down the coast at Pumula. Rodgers, who took over from Enerst, continues to look after the horses and riders with care and concern.
Dirty Dancer has moved to Pretoria as a swop for Royal Rampage. Having started the training of Jemima’s Girl and By The Way in December, I have been remiss in not putting in much time since, so they are still not ready for riding. No Way and Monarch passed on earlier in the year due to oldness. Air Marshall and Stage Critic both experienced “healing crisis” which they did not recover from.
A fairly new addition to the trails on offer is the Level 3 ride which is a one hour walking trail aimed mostly at the children under 11yrs old who are still too young to go on the trotting trail and have become “bored” with the half an hour walk around the dam. It is also proving popular as an attraction to parents with younger children who are wanting to experience horse riding together as a family group.
With love from Lynn and the horses.
If you want a fun few days with your staff to motivate them and to build up team spirit, please contact us for availability of dates and prices. We can organize everything for you and I’m sure you will find that it is cheaper than you think and certainly worth considering. If you can plan a night or three during the week, there are extra special prices. Please call me!
As we are all tightening our belts, we have a super special so if you can tell your friends and family that will be great! You stay five nights, Sunday to Friday and only pay for three nights in accommodation. This is a great saving and well worth the trip. We look forward to receiving your enquiries and bookings.
Please remember my note regarding driving along the R600 please stick to the speed limit, it is for very good reason that we have speed limits on this road.
Lotsaluv
Bithia
