Hi All

Gone is the cold weather, no more below-tens, jackets & fleeces just about redundant again, ready to swap for raincoats !!!  Yes, we’ve had our first light showers.  Rain gauge says it didn’t happen, but it did , twice the past weekend.  Enough humidity to trigger the first signs of spring. Game sightings & goings on around the reserve have been National-Geographical of late.  An extraordinary amount of top top-notch sightings have been the order of the day.

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N'tsiri and Ntsheli AGM's

Our AGM is around the corner...... Make sure that Wednesday 6 September 2017 is in your diaries. The Ntsheli AGM starts at 18h30 at Bryanston Country Club, Johannesburg. It will be followed immediately by the N'tsiri AGM. It is going to be an important meeting, with recent information to share and many decisions to make. We encourage as many members as possible to attend. Please RSVP to Ethel urgently or send your proxies. She has only had 24 replies so far!!

Staff village hand over

Our newly renovated Staff village was officially handed over to the staff on 31 August. Mark Griffiths and Don Millar organised a braai for the staff and visiting members on the farm. Well done to Adel and Yvonne for really "getting into the spirit"! Thank you to Kate Stubbs for the wonderful photographs

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Insurance Matters

A big thank you to members for cooperating in meeting their insurance payment. All now up to date and the underwriters are paid.

Members are reminded to notify Ethel if any changes are made to your individual units. This allows her to change the insurance schedules and ensures that members are correctly insured in the event of a claim. Any queries related to insurance can be sent to Malcolm Prangley: malcy@icon.co.za

Building Activities

The building of Unit 46 is fast drawing to a close. Handover is scheduled for next week. We look forward at welcoming Fanie and Baba Erasmus into their new home. Thank you members for your understanding during building process. It has highlighted to the board, how important communication around building issues is.

Members wishing to apply for permission for a new building or for any alteration projects, need to fill in the required application forms and submit these to the building directors.

peter@cellchem.co.za

📱 mobile  083 2514564 / Office   011 8670777 

Protected Areas Act - NEMPAA

The board, with the assistance of Theo Van Wyk (unit 27), has managed to arrange that Greg Martindale be present at the AGM, to give all our members a first hand update on what the incorporation of N'tsiri into the Protected Areas Act will mean for us. This information will be vital to our understanding of the path forward and will give members an opportunity to ask relevant questions.

Staff library and games room

Our collection of books and children's games is coming along nicely. Ethel has received a large amount so far and has them in safe-keeping for us until the facility is complete. Please keep collecting. Any Wildlife books and bush guides will are also welcomed. This will end up being a very worthwhile and rewarding project!

Member's "Dither Corner"

Ethel has done a sterling job upgrading our notice boards and making this a spot that no member can resist pausing at for a while. There are now beautiful maps, updated sightings, poems and information. It is beautifully and very professionally done. Thank you, Ethel

The Shop/Office Complex

A huge congratulations needs to go out to N'tsiri management team and to Walter, whose hard work on our gardens is showing. Between the "grey water" recycling project, the new Buffalo grass and Walters TLC, our facilities are looking like a 5 star lodge!

Renovation of the Sleeping Platform

September is the month during which the major renovation of the sleeping platform is going to take place. This favorite member's facility was structurally damaged during the 2012 floods and is going to pose a safety risk if not revamped. It will be out of action for the next month or two, but we will keep members posted on the progress.

Ellie Rescue

On 19 July 2017, the local managers in our area received a call from Elephant's Alive Research Team, that they had spotted a young, male elephant with a wire cable tied around his right back leg. Within hours, the correct authorities had been contacted, permission received from the Deluca property owners and the the vet Dr Pete Rogers and his team was mobilized. Thank you to Theo Van Wyk (#27) for passing on this interesting article.

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Great find - a 1998 Newsletter!

For anyone interested, we have managed to get our hands on an original copy of the June 1998 newsletter that was written by the late Spencer Dowdle (unit 37). Interesting to see how times (and members have changed). More of these newsletters are available, so we will continue to publish them for those of you who remember "the good ol' days".

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Transvaal Candelabra Tree

Euphorbia cooperi - These striking plants are in bloom around the Homestead, as well as out in the veld. This picture was taken on N'tsiri in the region of Moses Dam. The latex is reported to be extremely toxic and is used in water pools to stun fish.

Sjambok Pod (Sambokpeul)

Cassia abbreviata - The Sjambok pods have just started coming into flower. First spotted by Mark Griffiths. This tree is well known in traditional medicine for its medicinal properties: as a laxative / for backache, as tonics and to relieve toothache

Fever Tree (Koorsboom)

These large deciduous trees have a greenish yellow colour due to the powdery coating on their green stems. Powdered root and stem bark are used to treat malaria. Root concoctions are also used to treat abdominal pains and as a lucky charm. Because they grow naturally in areas where malaria occurs, they were originally thought to have caused this disease. 

Leopard

Leopard, Leopard..... LOTS of leopard!! Through the busy August holiday month, members have been treated to spectacular leopard sightings. Notably, the young female leopard with her kill in the tree on Airstrip road, fed for longer than an hour before dropping her kill into a bush below. The light was perfect and it was a great photographing opportunity.

Lions on giraffe kill

Another treat in the month of August, was the giraffe carcass that lions had taken down near Airfield Pan. Mark was alerted to excessive vulture activity by unit 48 and whilst investigating discovered 7 lions on the carcass (1 which nearly ate him!). A herd of giraffe watching in morbid fascination, added further to this spectacular back drop.

Wild dogs on the hunt

Quite a few different members were treated to great wild dog sightings in August. There seemed to be quite a predictable pattern to the sightings. The pack would set out from Peru Dam in the early mornings along the Argyle Tar Road. They would trot along the road up to Mamsimvula / Ingwelala gate and then head off into the bush and return to Peru Dam by the afternoons. Rumors of pups at Peru Dam made this pattern seem fairly logical. 

Preserving our trees

A huge project is about to be embarked on to try and protect some of our large trees from the constant impact of elephant. In particular our Knobthorns and Marulas, as well as the Weeping Boer-beans, are particularly hard hit and we need to move quickly to protect them. We will be encouraging as many members as possible to help identify these trees and get involved in the project. See full article below (put together by Peter Anderson #R13) for some of the ideas being looked into by the EMP committee....

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Congratulations Ethel and Yvonne

A Hearty congratulations to Ethel and Yvonne, who both attended the Pastel Partner V17 Course last week. Both passed with flying colors. Well done!!

Happy Birthday Nala

Happy 1st birthday to the gorgeous Nala. She has grown into such a beautiful dog and is already a firm favorite among the members.... and of course, her adoring Dad!!

Thanks Kate Stubbs for the picture (via Ethel)!

White-tailed Mongoose Ichneumia albicauda

This creature is a large, grey-brown mongoose with long back legs. They are nocturnal and forage in the first part of the night. They eat beetles, termites, frogs, rodents and small birds. They are usually solitary  and terrestrial and seldom take to the trees. They are fairly commonly seen on N'tsiri. Look out for them on the Airstrip and the Plains.