Overall winner: Kim “Sharklady” MacLean
This lady came to Overstrand as a young marine technician with a passion for sharks and has grown into a successful businesswoman who has proven her worth as an ambassador of our region. She is using her passion to educate the world about sharks.
She invests time, money, expertise and herself into conserving our environment, educating people, supporting development and promoting Overstrand everywhere in the world.
She is always ready to assist members of the community where ever a need may arise, sponsoring fabrics and cottons for the Umzobee Initiative in Gansbaai serves as a good example. She also assists young musicians and DJs from Zwelihle by opening doors and granting them access to her music equipment. She gets involved with disadvantaged communities and never says “no” if her support and help is needed.
Tweede: Vanya Jones
Vanya se gemeenskapbetrokkenheid strek oor ʼn wye veld en tot selfs buite die Kleinmond-area. Sy was deel van die groep jongmense wat die Kleinmond-nagwag gestig het en was van die eerstes om nagpatrollies te ry. Sy het radiokommunikasie oor die gebied heen tussen patrollies en die polisie ingestel, en sedert die nagwag ingestel is, het inbrake aanmerklik afgeneem.
Sy is ook betrokke by Kleinmond se dierebeskermingsvereniging waarvoor sy fondsinsamelingsprojekte reël.
Haar gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid strek sover as die jeug in agtergeblewe gemeenskappe en die versorging van pasgebore babas en kleuters.
Derde: Hermine Groenewald
Op 80-jarige ouderdom is Hermine nog steeds in diens van die roeping wat sy as jong vrou in haar hart gevind het: “Om die armes van Gansbaai te help.”
Sy staan mense in nood by, besoek siekes, gee hongeres kos en versorg die wese. Sy het ʼn buurmanskaplike verhouding oor die kleurgrens heen en help waar sy kan met deernis, energie en onbaatsugtigheid.
Sy was deel van die groep mense wat die behoefte aan ʼn tehuis raakgesien het en het haar daarvoor beywer om die Herberg-aan-See te vestig, ʼn instansie waarmee sy steeds noue bande het.
AND THE WINNER OF THE 2015 ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD IS…
Michael Rutzen, a professional diver with extra-ordinary expertise in diving, shark conservation and marine research, who has dedicated more than 18 years to promoting a healthier relationship between humans and great white sharks by way of education, documentaries and research support. Michael is regarded as one of three people in the world who are able to communicate with great white sharks using his posture and body language during free-diving sessions. He has presented international dive shows and various documentaries. He sponsored and initiated the SharkSafe Barrier Project, a new technology that combines magnetism and visual stimuli to deter sharks considered dangerous to humans. He safely free dives with these animals and this has led to unique observations of their behaviour, contributing significantly towards generating new and relevant knowledge useful for the conservation of our marine environment.
Another serious contender for this award was Wilfred Chivell who has built a world-class seabird sanctuary in Gansbaai. The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary is a first for the Overstrand area. This sanctuary has been set up to assist the endangered African Penguin colonies, a species that has declined dramatically over 30 years. This facility is equipped to treat any bird with a view to increasing its survival rate. It also creates awareness around the perils marine birds face out in the wild.
EN HIERDIE MENSE VERDIEN ONTEENSEGLIK ELK ’N SERTIFIKAAT VAN UITNEMENDHEID:
Ashwin Bissolati
Hierdie jong man lewer onbaatsugtige diens in sy gemeenskap. Met sy innemende geaardheid help hy graag die bejaardes in Hawston deur hulle onder andere kliniek toe te neem. Selfs eensame bejaardes word onder sy vlerk geneem. Deur sy behulpsaamheid en bereidwilligheid maak hy ʼn verskil in die gemeenskap.
Natasha Bredenkamp
As manager of the Grootbos Foundation’s Football Foundation, she oversees seven different programmes: the Holiday Programme, Regular Training Sessions, Guys Football, School Programme, Inclusive Integration Sports Programme, Grassroots Soccer and Female Empowerment. Not only sports skills in soccer, netball and athletics are being addressed, but also other important life skills and issues relevant to the children from Gansbaai, Hermanus, Stanford and Zwelihle. Often she will address issues with week-long themes such as safety awareness, stranger danger, manners and gender issues.
Teressa Jones, Tracey Gilmore and Tracey Chambers
These three ladies are dedicated to the Clothing Bank in the Westcliff industrial area. Their mission is to empower unemployed mothers through enterprise development so that they can become financially and socially independent. Eleven of their participants are currently earning between R6000 and R4200 per month.
Gabbi Jonker
Over the past 15 years, since Gabbi first came to Flower Valley Farm as a volunteer, she has made an impact on the community. Inspired by her combined love of children, the arts and nature, she has played a significant role in the wellbeing of pre-school children. Through hard work and dedication, she established a pre-school on Flower Valley Farm to meet the development needs of farm children and their families. Today, ECD centres in the Gansbaai area are benefitting from her hard work and inspiration.
Marelleen Matinka
Sy het as tuisverpleër en vrywillige kankerwerker begin en was een van die eerste tuisverpleërs in Hawston. Sy was ook een van die stigterslede van Hawston se gesondheid- en welsynsorganisasie. Sy kook daagliks vir die voedingskemaprojek in Hawston en is koördineerder vir die Seniorklub, bekend as Pearly Shell. Sy lewer onbaatsugtige diens aan siekes, bejaardes en minderbevoorregtes in die gemeenskap. Haar hande staan vir niks verkeerd nie.
Tronel Meintjies
Tronel voorsien ongeveer 80 borde kos per week aan behoeftige mense, en oor naweke sal sy kospakkies voorsien. Sy is afhanklik van skenkings van die gemeenskap. Deur ʼn veiling en volgehoue ywer het sy voldoende fondse ingesamel om ʼn dame van ʼn prostese te voorsien. Sy bewys deernis aan oud en jonk en is soms net daardie oor wat gewillig is om te luister.
William Ntebe and Fikiswa Gxamesi
These two young people reached for their dreams and established the Kasi-licious Upstairs Youth Café. They saw the need in Zwelihle for a place where young people could spend time partaking in business activities which also offers access to a coffee shop, takeaways, video games and a business library. They created an environment where the youth of Zwelihle can work, play, develop and grow. They are also very involved in community projects, such as the building of the first “bottle house”, Women’s Day events and the March Against Crime.
Judy May Onker
Sy werk smiddae by die KidsCan-nasorgsentrum in Kleinmond. Gedurende hierdie tyd maak sy seker dat al die kinders ʼn maaltyd ontvang, deelneem aan die daaglikse gesprek oor waardes en dat hulle hul tuiswerk in ʼn gedissiplineerde atmosfeer voltooi. Sy gee om vir elke kind, ken hul omstandighede en bespreek probleme met hul ouers. Dit is ook vir haar baie belangrik dat die kinders respek vir ander persone en hul eiendom aanleer.
Koos en Lizma Kotze en Fanus le Roux
Koos en Lizma Kotze was die stigterslede van Hermanus se Passiespel in 1996 en algehele organiseerders en produksieleiers tot en met 2005. Fanus le Roux is die algehele organiseerder en produksieleier vanaf 2006 tot op hede.
Hierdie persone se onbaatsugtige diens het die Passiespel jaarliks laat groei en het menige toeskouer aangeraak met die passie waarmee dit opgevoer was. Besoekers van regoor die land woon dit gereeld by, en sodoende dra die opvoering by tot waardevolle en kostelose reklame vir Hermanus.
Prof G van Huyssteen
Na aftrede het sy haarself op Kleinmond gevestig waar sy onmiddellik aangesluit het by die Natuurbewaringsvereniging en kort daarna ʼn stigterslid geword het van die Voetslaanklub. Te danke aan haar inspirerende leiding en leierskap is sy as Ere-President van die Kleinmond-natuurbewaringsvereniging aangestel. Sy is ook betrokke by die Voëlklub en vele meer. Behalwe dat sy ʼn passie het vir die natuur, het sy ook deernis met haar medemens en help sy met die verspreiding van voedsel aan die minderbevoorregtes.
Charlyn Vosloo
Sy het so ses jaar gelede begin met ʼn organisasie sonder winsbejag waar sy vrywilligers en werkloses inspan om ongewenste plante en bome in die fynbosarea vanaf Mt. Pleasant tot by Voëlklip uit te roei. Sy het nou al 18 gereelde werkers wat teen die hange van die berg werk. Sy besoek donateurs om fondse vir die betaling van die toerusting in te samel, sowel as om die werkers van ʼn fooitjie en kos te voorsien.
SERTIFIKATE VIR NOMINASIE
Mary Hull
Mary, wat al voorheen die ontvanger van ʼn toekenning was, is weer eens genomineer vir haar bystand aan die vissersgemeenskap en die stigting van ʼn koöperasie met vroue wat vis van die bote koop en aan restaurant verkoop.
Olga Swanepoel
Hierdie 80-jarige dame is genomineer vir die besondere manier waarop sy haar liefde vir kuns en kwiltwerk met ander deel deur vir hulle opleiding te gee en te inspireer om hul talent te ontwikkel. Sy neem ook gereeld aan die tuinkompetisie in die Hermanusstreek deel.