Overstrand Fire Safety Officer Joe Schoeman, has distinguished himself as an astute and capable professional fire-fighter in a career that spans well over three decades.

In that time Schoeman has augmented his experience and skills set by embarking on further training and development programmes to ensure he is able to render an optimal service to the community.

To that end, the burly fire-fighter boasts a Level 4 Safety Certificate that he obtained through the highly acclaimed and prestigious UK-based Institute of Fire Engineers.  What sets him apart is that he was the only South African to achieve this qualification amongst a pool of more than 30 international counterparts who sat for the exam in Cape Town earlier this year.

The qualification will further allow him to apply to the University of Lancashire to undertake a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Safety Engineering.  Upon completion, Schoeman can then realise his ambition to specialise in either aviation or marine fire safety.

Overstrand Municipality sold 770 Casual Day stickers in support of the Overstrand Association for Persons with Disabilities (OAPD) to employees. An additional R1 364 was raised from an incredibly generous donation from Pick ‘n Pay Hermanus, private individuals and supporting municipal officials.

Any disability can be devastating and touch any one of us in an instant. R10 is a small donation to make, especially if you know it will really make a difference. If nobody reaches out, nobody can be touched. BE the person who reaches out!

Departments within the Municipality challenged one another to help raise much-needed funds to care for 174 people who live with disabilities in Hawston, Zwelihle  and Mount Pleasant. Due to financial constraints the continuous existence of OAPD is threatened and your help is needed to raise the necessary funds to keep them operational.

The private sector also bought stickers from OM and showed great community spirit by supporting this worthy cause.

Mayor Rudolph Smith, who was accompanied by members of the Cliff Path Management and other municipal councillors, planted ten Milkwood trees (Sideroxylon inerme), in Piet-se-bos, as part of Arbour Week celebrations earlier today.

Frank Woodwine harvested the seed of the Milkwood trees, propagated and nurtured them in his back yard for three years before donating them to the Cliff Path Management Group to plant back into Piet-se-bos.  He chose an area that is infested with kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) so that once the trees reach maturity, they create enough shade to restrict the growth of the kikuyu which is a pest along the cliff path.

Overstrand Mayor, Ald Rudolph Smith encourages the planting of trees in communities and spoke on the significance of Arbour Week as an ideal opportunity for all residents to recommit themselves to caring for the environment, particularly the conservation and better understanding of trees.

Thursday, 1 September 2016:  Even the heavy clouds and slight drizzle did little to dampen the spirits of attendees at the recent official opening of the Haygrove Primary Health Clinic that took place at the Haygrove Heaven Farm on Thursday, 1 September 2016.

The first of its kind facility was established through the partnership efforts of Haygrove Farm, Waitrose Foundation and Cipla; and is designed to cater to the health needs of farmworkers of the Haygrove Heaven Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. 

Since opening its doors on 1 August this year, 200 Haygrove Heaven Farm workers have undergone medical screening and, where necessary, medical care has been afforded to them.