BRIDGE HOUSE PRE-PRIMARY PREPARATORY COLLEGE COLLEGE NEWS No 13 www.bridgehouse.org.za 24 March 2015 Independent Co-ed Schools Hockey Festival Oakhill, Knysna Over the long weekend the boys’ and girls’ 1st teams participated in the Independent Schools’ Hockey Festival in Knysna. The programme was busy and the fixtures were tough. Both Bridge House 1st teams consist of young players with only two Matrics in the girls’ team and two Matrics in the boys’ team. The teams performed very well against strong opposition. The experience was valuable and we look forward to great things from these teams in the future. The results were as follows: GIRLS Glenwood lost 0-1 Woodridge drew 1-1 Oakhill drew 0-0 St Peter’s won 2-1 Heron Bridge drew 0-0 Collegiate lost 1-3 BOYS Oakhill lost 0-4 Dale College lost 0-3 Heron Bridge won 1-0 Glenwood lost 0-2 Somerset College lost 2-3 St Peter’s drew 0-0 At the prize-giving function Bo-Mary Hartman and Giovanni Hartman (right) were voted the most valuable Bridge House players at the festival. Congratulations! A big thank you goes to Mr Andrew Jones (boys coach), Mr Cheslyn Andrews (boys manager & umpire), Mr Jeremy Downing (girls coach), Mrs Colleen de Villiers (girls manager), Mr David Sutcliffe (girls umpire), Mr Rheinhardt van Schoor (driver) and Mr Edward Arendse (driver) for accompanying the teams on tour. Notes from Kenya (2) Conference: Starehe Boys’s Centre And so from the bush to the school – a seven-hour drive, so we are all pretty shattered by the time we get to Starehe in the dark. This is an amazing city. It is huge and sprawling and a constant mix of rundown and up-market side by side all the way. Traffic is horrendous, and looks chaotic, but it isn't, although it is gridlocked a lot of the time. Interestingly, there is hardly ever the sound of a hooter and there are no angry remonstrations or gestures at drivers who cut in or don’t allow others into a stream of traffic. A road is a river to be used to get to where you need to go. Whomever one meets or sees, one has a deep sense that this is a nation comfortable in its skin. Nairobi buzzes constantly. It goes to bed late and announces before dawn that it has woken up. There are many trees. Streams of pedestrians. Literally hundreds of yellow-billed kites gliding around above the city skyline. Lots of grey brick. Lots of unfinished upper storeys on buildings and scaffolding made of rough wood that would turn a Health and Safety Officer into a gibbering wreck. Matatus packed with commuters are not that much different from our taxis back home. Motorbike taxis (boda bodas) often with three unhelmeted riders on board, weave in and out and hawkers with pushcarts take their chance and nip through the smallest of gaps in the traffic. Garishly decorated packed buses. Bumper to bumper Toyotas. (Toyota has done very well in Kenya, obviously!) Door against door. Roadworks. Litter. Heaps of earth. Corrugated annexes on houses, jutting into puddled muddy walkways streets. In downtown Nairobi, the parliament area and Uhuru Square are quite impressively tranquil and clean. We pass a small grove of white crosses and wreaths on the lawns of Uhuru Park, erected in memory of the Garissa victims. The country really does hurt about those losses, and there's an anger about how long the security forces took to intervene. Starehe, regarded as one of the top ten schools in Kenya, is in quite a run-down area of town, but within the walls surrounding the estate there is a feeling of orderliness and humility. It has a deep history reflected in plaques and statues around the campus, and we learn that it started with seven Maasai orphan boys in two steel rondawels that are still standing next to the main administration block. We are warmly welcomed and the delegations are shown to their accommodation, which is very, very basic indeed for the children and the Round Square teacher reps. We bump into Catherine Kramer almost before we meet anyone else. Catherine has been doing a gap year stint at Brookhouse School, and is at the conference to lend a helping hand. It is good to see her indeed! We heads and Round Square officials have been put up in Parklands Club, about twenty minutes from the school. I feel there's a bit of tension about this segregation, and I think it's right that there is. On one hand, I admit that it’s pretty cool to have my own room, privacy and comfort, but the privilege doesn’t sit all that comfortably in terms of my sense of Round Square philosophy. There’s a party of us which seems to be having a completely separate experience from the children. I think that is a pity, and I say so at the Heads’ meeting on the opening day. On the eve of conference, three Cape Town Heads (Sue Redelinghuys, Julian Cameron and I) have a good late evening meeting with John O’Connor (Regional Chair), Rod Fraser and Rachael Westgarth of Round Square Central. We discuss the initial thinking about the 2017 International Conference that we’ll be hosting and we make good progress with plenty to take home and flesh out. The Opening Ceremony on Wednesday morning is on the school lawn, with a covered dais for dignitaries (including the Heads). We’re honoured, of course, but unsure about this distinction and separation from our school parties. The Starehe boys and the girls from their younger sister school put on a fine display of marching, music, dance, song and drill. The various welcome speeches are short and heartfelt and we soon head off to the first keynote speaker in the hall. Polycarp Igathe is a very impressive young businessman and he talks passionately about service leadership in a way that clearly resonates with the students. Following this, the students head to their first baraza and the adults set off for a series of business meetings that will run through the day. These are important and relevant, but again, I am left with this sense of being distant from what I see as the core purpose of the conference. Thursday is Adventure Day and the entire conference boards buses and heads off to Hell’s Gate National Park, for a visit to the hot water springs and talks and discussions about geothermal energy. My sense of separation continues, as today is the day that it’s been arranged for Melvin King and me to visit the Muthaiga Country Club for lunch, very generously hosted by James Kibera, where we’ll join a council member of the Aga Khan University and his wife, a young energetic publisher, a speech pathologist, a university lecturer, St Andrew’s Head and Board members and the Kenyan ambassador to the UN and his wife. While I wouldn’t have minded going on the Hell’s Gate trip, I’m relieved that the lunch coincides with activities off-campus as opposed to key-note speakers and baraza activity . The ambiance of the Muthaiga Club, founded in 1923, teleports one back into Kenya’s colonial past. Pink buildings with white trim rise about lush tended beds and wide expanses of lawn with shaded dining-areas. Discreet staff in smart uniform glide silently among heavy dark wood tables. Bright silver settings wait on starched linen. Tasteful fresh flower arrangements, plush furniture and drapes all add to a feeling of muted splendour. One may not take photographs. There are apparently still men-only areas in the club. It's said that, to this day, Karin Blixen is the only lady ever to be offered a drink in the gentlemen’s bar, which features in the film "Out of Africa". Artworks on the wall caricature some of the high jinks of past parties. Today’s patrons reflect the transformation of this country over the years since independence in 1963. It is a fantastic lunch with really interesting and influential people interested in education and Round Square, and it is a wonderful networking opportunity providing great potential for future relationships. (Thank you, James.) Friday was a good day. We had a great speaker on dyslexia, Christine Asiko, first thing, then a baraza/discussion group. At last, I got to join a baraza group and listen to them grapple with issues raised in the conference activities. There are Ghanaian, Namibian, Tanzanian, SA and Kenyan youngsters with opinions and voices worth hearing. There follows a tiny Kairos moment, a cameo that illustrates the worth of Round Square membership and conference attendance, and I know why I do not want the separate treatment that has begun to infiltrate conference programmes since my first one. One of the key points in Christine Asiko’s address was the metaphor that when schools try to hammer a square peg into a round hole, the result is frustration for the school and, worse, a damaged peg. In the question and answer session that followed, a delegate made the telling comment from the floor that a square peg can fit into a round hole if the hole is the right size, but it’s up to the school to increase the diameter of the hole to facilitate that fit. In the animated conversation in my baraza group, a Ghanaian girl tells us that in her country, left-handed students are compelled to write with their right hand. Another student links the round-hole-square-peg metaphor to this by saying that allowing children to write left-handed would be an example of how to widen the hole. It is a moment like this that one wants to take home and share, because it’s in such small moments that the value of Round Square membership and conference participation is abundantly clear. In the afternoon, I join a trip kindly organised by Willie Ng'a Ng'a to his school, Brookhouse. We took great ideas and pictures from this very worthwhile visit indeed. This is a cool campus, almost like a modern Hogwarts theme park in the junior primary section anyway. In fact, we visited two schools in the course of the week. On the Wednesday afternoon, some of us went out to the International School of Kenya. It was encouraging to observe that in both schools, the concept of a buzzing, colourful Learning Commons has prevailed over the traditional library! The final conference day, Saturday 11 April is Service Day and the delegates are split into a number of projects in various parts of Nairobi. I opt for the project taking place in the Karura Forest. I guess this is Nairobi’s equivalent of Kirstenbosch. It’s a place where people go to picnic, play, exercise and hold functions. There is one MTB trail of 35km in this forest! Interestingly, Karura Forest used to be a no-go area, populated by lawless people, and a place where you would be dumped if you were hijacked. Now it has been reclaimed, secured and replanted. We spend a therapeutic, reflective morning weeding in the small Amani garden of remembrance to the 67 victims of the 2013 Westgate Shopping Mall massacre. There is a young sapling growing for each of the dead. Two of them commemorate a mother and her daughter. Later in the day, the closing ceremony is an informal, entertaining affair after an early dinner. Then it’s back to Parklands Club to pack and set out early for Kenyatta airport in the morning. I leave behind three trees I planted in the Karura forest and I take rich red Kenyan soil away under my nails. I’m happy for it to stay there for a while. Mr Mike Russell Music Staff and Friends Concert Music has the power and ability to stir the senses, bring people together, trigger the emotions and transcend the boundaries of hearts and minds. – Hoda al Khamis Kanoo This was truly the case on the evening of Thursday, 16 April, in the NG Church in Franschhoek. Music Staff and Friends entertained an audience of just over 140 people in the NG Church in Franschhoek. Members of the audience were treated to an array of styles performed as solos, classical duets, trios and quartets, as well as jazz, cabaret, guitar looping, contemporary songs and rap! We even had a quiz on guessing the titles of various movie and TV series theme tunes. Thank you for the support of the fantastic audience, the big boarding contingent, and the Bridge House community. Proceeds of the ticket sales will be used for the further development of Music in Bridge House. The event proved to be great fun and we look forward to extending it. Music Staff and Friends Farewell, Dale Dunbar On the 30th of April, we bid farewell to our librarian, Dale Dunbar. After more than 6 years at Bridge House, Dale has accepted a position with The President’s Award where she will have the opportunity to work with young people from a broad range of backgrounds. In her position as librarian, Dale helped to introduce the students from both the Prep and the College to new literature and reading material and she has also been integral in teaching students about a number of key academic practices. When the ORTP initiative was introduced, Dale quickly stepped up to take on the role of manager for the school and she has helped the programme to find a firm footing at Bridge House. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dale for her service to the staff and students and to wish her every success for this wonderful new chapter in her life. Mr Shaun Kirk Maths Maestro Kaila Fourie was judged the best candidate from Bridge House in the UCT Maths competition. She will be receiving a special prize from Oxford University Press at the Baxter Theatre on the 21 May. Well done, Kaila! Absence from school and catching up work With the two consecutive long weekends and only a couple of days in between them, I think it’s an opportune time to communicate with parents about the school’s approach when a pupil misses school days for whatever reason. Essentially, we see absences as falling into two categories: voluntary and involuntary. A voluntary absence would be for example when parents request a day or a couple of days’ leave of absence for their child in order to go together to a major family occasion, or on a once-in-a-lifetime trip the dates of which are out of control of the family. Sometimes such leave of absence comes about through parents wanting to get slightly cheaper flights outside peak holiday time. In senior grades, it could be to write a learner’s licence or driver’s licence test or to go to Home Affairs. Whatever the particular reason may be, the absence from school comes as a request to go and do something unusual. In cases such as these, the onus is on the student to do the legwork to find out what work has been missed, and to do what they can to understand it or complete the work prior to asking teachers to run a special individual lesson. They could request the work prior to departure or on-line during the absence or immediately on return. In the case of involuntary absences (illness, surgery, hospitalisation or for compassionate reasons) teachers will do everything they can to guide the pupil and get them back “up to speed.” We think this is pretty fair practice and helps develop a sense of ownership and responsibility. Mr Mike Russell Stellenbosch bus The notice below was placed in the newsletter for two consecutive weeks but only four people responded. This number does not make the introduction of this bus service viable. However, the school is always open to facilitating the communication for requests of this kind. You are welcome to communicate with Janis Christian janchr@bridgehouse.org.za “If there are any families who are interested in a 17h15 bus service back to Stellenbosch via Boschendal, Pniel, Lanquedoc, Kylemore, Orangeville, Banhoek Valley and Stellenbosch, please contact Janis Christian on janchr@bridgehouse.org.za This notice is to gauge interest for this service. The school bus and driver are not available for this return journey to Stellenbosch and the service would have to be provided by an outside contractor.” 60 Minutes with the Heads In the interests of good and improving communication between school and parents, Mike Russell and Marc Barrow, Heads of the College and Prep respectively, will host the termly 60 Minutes with the Heads meeting, on Monday 1 June in the Prep Hall, from 08h00 to 09h00. In order to help the Heads prepare properly for this, please e-mail any questions or concerns (of a general nature) you may have, to PA@bridgehouse.org.za by or on Monday 25 May. The PA has kindly offered to bundle these into a folder and forward them to the Heads, who will then prepare responses to the matters raised, and e-mail out the agenda. Parents interested in these agenda items will be welcome to come along and participate in the conversation. Please note that any issues mailed to PA@bridgehouse after that closing date will not be on the agenda for this meeting, and will either be replied to in the interim, or carried over to the next 60 Minutes in the third term. The rules for 60 Minutes are simple: it's a constructive and collaborative initiative; matters raised and mailed through need to be of a general nature; if deemed a better option to do so, the Heads can respond directly by e-mail to any issues before the meeting; there will be honest and frank responses and discussion around the topics on the agenda; questions from the floor need to be only about the agenda issues: no "surprises" and no "general" please! giving the Heads some preparation time is simply so that if figures and data are required for an answer, or if someone else's expertise is needed, there is an opportunity to gather this and give full answers (and perhaps put it into a presentation of sorts); time: strictly 60 minutes for the forum, so that it's short and sharp and those attending can plan their morning. Mr Mike Russell Uniform Shop Hours You are reminded that the opening hours for the uniform shop are as follows: Tuesdays and Thursday 07h30 to 08h30 Fridays 13h00 to 14h30. Please try and think ahead about uniform needs, especially for sports matches, because special requests to obtain items of uniform outside of these opening hours cannot be met. Congratulations! Bridge House Business Manager, Janis Christian, is a granny! Two weeks ago, her daughter Melanie produced a beautiful baby girl, called June. Last week, Janis managed a short visit to meet her granddaughter and the family who live in London. PA AGM You are reminded about the PA AGM which takes place on Tuesday 12 May in the Prep Hall at 18h00. Wine Donations The PA is looking for donations of wine, from single bottles to cases, to use at events. If you are able to donate wine please contact pa@bridgehouse.org.za. New security entry stickers for your cars The Parents’ Association have had very smart new Bridge House stickers printed to replace the paper version which we have been using on our cars. Please call in to the Prep or College offices to collect a sticker/stickers for your car/cars. These are free of charge. Outside Scholarship Tests – 23 May Applicants who are in Grade 7 outside Bridge House and who would like to write the scholarship tests for Grade 8 scholarships on offer in 2016, should contact Gill Malcolm 021 874 8100 gilmal@bridgehouse.org.za for the details about the tests to be written on Saturday 23 May. Pre-primary Open Day postponed to 29 May Please note that the Pre-primary Open Day which is advertised on the Term calendar for Friday 15 May has been postponed to Friday 29 May because Marc Barrow will be attending the Young Round Square Conference in Namibia at that time. Please invite your friends who have children wanting to join our Pre-primary to contact Sam Ruiters 021 874 8100 or samrui@bridgehouse.org.za about the details for the Open Day. We extend a warm welcome to all prospective parents to come and see the Pre-primary in action and to hear about our new Pre-primary buildings, which are due to open in July, and which will create extra capacity for children wanting to join our school at both Playschool and Pre-primary level. Calling all Bridge House Mountain-Biking families The first of what we hope to be regular Bridge House Mountain-Biking mornings will be held on Saturday 9 May at 8:30 at Bridge House. There will be a looped track on campus of about 1 km for the younger nippers and two outrides of between 10 km and 25 km for parents and older children. All rides will include adult supervision and “sweep” riders. The purpose is for us to meet as a Bridge House Cycling Community to discuss some of the exciting future plans to unlock the potential for cycling as a sport at Bridge House. At the same time we will get onto our bikes and enjoy the lovely setting and surrounding mountains. The intention is to ride for no more than 90 minutes and for 30 mins thereafter to discuss our school’s cycling potential and possible parental support to grow BH cycling across all age groups (College and Prep). Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further details or clarification on 0724973576. Mr Pieter van Deemter Condolences We extend condolences to Adele Bate and family on the tragic death of Adele’s uncle over the past weekend. Accommodation Needed Child friendly, pet friendly accommodation, which is not too far from the school, is needed for Bridge House staff. Please contact Janis Christian janchr@bridgehouse.org.za if you know of any suitable accommodation. Sports Update Canoeing SA SCHOOLS SPRINTS CHAMPIONSHIPS @ ROODEPLAAT 2015 Last weekend, James Horner (Grade 10) and Luca Colombo (Grade 3) represented Bridge House at the SA Schools canoe sprint championships held at Roodeplaat Dam, Pretoria. Competition was tough and both boys are to be congratulated on their excellent results. Many thanks go to Coach Wayne August for his coaching and encouragement and to the boys’ parents for their commitment and enthusiastic support at the event as well as in the weeks of training prior to the event. We would also like to congratulate our past pupils Andreas Beukes, Peter Meihuizen, Rebecca Meihuizen, Luc van der Westhuizen and Pierre van der Westhuizen and the Paarl Development paddlers who excelled in their age groups. James’s results are as follows: 5th in 1 000m; Silver (2nd) in 500m; 6th in 200m; Bronze (3rd) - Long Distance; Victor Ludorum – 4th, U/18 K2 LD 6th. Golf Congratulations to Ashleigh Mills for the following outstanding achievements on the golf course: 8 March U23 WP Open 9 - 12 March selected to play in the Global Junior Championships 15 March selected to play in the Western Province Pam Golding Championships and advanced to the second round. Knocked out in the third round by the top WP player Cara Gorlei 28 - 29 March Placed 2nd in the Steenberg Club Championships 30- 1 April selected for the SA Woman’s Rosebowl and placed 15th 7s Rugby VS ELKANAH (AWAY) WEDNESDAY 6 MAY The Bridge House rugby teams played 7s matches against Elkanah House. All our teams played some impressive matches and we would like to congratulate them on these wins. U14 - won 10 - 7 U15 - won 17-10 U19 - won 17-7 Soccer Results VS STELLENZICHT WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL AT BRIDGE HOUSE U15 lost 0-6 U17 lost 0-12 1st team drew 2-2 VS MAKUPULA WEDNESDAY 6 MAY AT BRIDGE HOUSE U15 won 3-1 U17 lost 0-3 1st team drew 1-1 Cross Country Results BOLAND MEETING AT BOLAND LANDBOU WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL SENIOR BOYS SENIOR GIRLS 6th Konrad Blumers 16:30 3rd Aimee Fuller 18:34 th 18 Yael Robineau 19:47 6th Lelia van Niekerk 22:46 9th Becky Fuller 24:48 BOLAND MEETING AT PAARL ARBORETUM HOSTED BY LA ROCHELLE WEDNESDAY 6 MAY JUNIOR BOYS SENIOR GIRLS th 16 Ashlin Govender 21:48 3rd Aimee Fuller 17:36 14th Lelia van Niekerk 23:25 SENIOR BOYS 21st Tammy Simpson 26:46 13th Konrad Blumers 16:19 22nd Becky Fuller 26:46 nd 22 James Horner 17:22 29th Joshua Ferreira 18:47 33rd Yael Robineau 19:38 36th Skye van der Westhuizen 20:14 40th Angus Macapella 23:10 Discovery Schools Triathlon Adam Sendzul (5kms run), Samuel Sendzul (500m swim) and Matthew Browne (20kms cycle) participated in the Discovery ITU relay event held at the V & A Waterfront in April. They finished 130th overall and 40th in their age group. Well done, boys! Western Cape Schools Sri Lanka Tour 2015 The under 17 squad consisting of 13 boys toured Sri Lanka for 2 weeks in the April school holidays. Two Bridge House boys, Tristan Killops and John Rowett (above left), and two Bridge House past pupils, Damian de Vos and Mathew Madlala, were selected for this tour. The heat and humidity made it tough for the boys to acclimatize. They played very well, facing teams from Sri Lanka and India in 20 and 50 over games, winning 5 out of 7 matches. They lost against St Thomas College as a result of devastating spin bowling. The final was rained out with Western Cape well on top when play had to be abandoned because of rain. The boys came home with a collection of trophies and medals. Thanks to the team manager Tim Rowett and coach AB Frans who looked after the boys. Delta Trap The annual Delta Trap was held on Sunday 26th April at Solms Delta. Bridge House representation included students from the Prep and College and parents and staff - most notably our very own Mr Barrow! Congratulations to everyone who completed the 20 km, 40 km or 60 km route. Outstanding achievements from the College were Renate Blumers (4th place Women’s 20 km) and Konrad Blumers (1st in his age group and 2nd overall in the Men’s 40 km). Special mention must be made of Kate Gordon who placed 2nd in the Ladies Open 20km race and won the u13 section! A tough day at the office comes good for Giordano “The opening meeting of the SA national Junior Max karting season proved a bittersweet weekend for Giordano Lupini at his home track at Killarney in Cape Town on Saturday. It started with a lonely seventh in the first heat but the second race proved a crunching affair after Giordano’s AutoWeek CRG was nudged off early on and he found himself caught up in a midfield dogfight ultimately cut short by a red flag. That spat continued into an incident among a group of karts on first turn of the restart that saw Gio quite literally end up with another kart on his lap. Giordano dragged his battered kart back onto the track to rejoin and he managed to find the pace and set a lap time to escape that midfield fracas on the third race grid before delivering a fighting third in a finale highlighted by penalties and punishment. “We’ll take it any way it comes," Giordano chirped after. “It was a hard weekend but that last race made it all worth the while.” Soccer Results VS STELLENZICHT WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL AT BRIDGE HOUSE U15 lost 0-6 U17 lost 0-12 1st team drew 2-2 Netball Results VS CLOETESVILLE WEDNESDAY 6 MAY AT BRIDGE HOUSE BH U14B vs Cloetesville U15B lost 1-6 BH U14 A vs Cloetesville U15A lost 4-5 BH U16B vs Cloetesville U17A lost 6-10 BH 2nd team vs Cloetesville 1st team won 34-8 SANESA (Schools’ League) Equestrian results Congratulations to Erin Pape, Lara MacPhail, Judy Palmer, Nicola Stubbs and Shannon Lindhorst for participating in the Boland Core League Qualifier 4 in Worcester on 24 – 25 April. Results included: Erin: Two 1st places in 1m Show-Jumping Lara: Two 2nd places in 90cm Show-Jumping. Judy: Two 4th places in 70cm Show-Jumping Shannon: 1st places in Equitation, 80cm Show-Jumping, Equitation and Prix Caprilli PA Family Golf Day The PA Family Golf Day which was to be held on Friday 15 May has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Sport for the week ahead Saturday 9 May Hockey vs Curro Langebaan at Maties astro MATIES A ASTRO MATIES B ASTRO 09:30 BH Boys’ U16A vs Curro U16 09:30 BH Girls’ U14A vs Curro U14A st st 10:30 BH Girls’ 1 team vs Curro 1 team 10:30 BH Boys’ U14 A vs Curro U13A 11:30 BH Boys’ 1st team vs Curro 1st team 11:30 BH Girls’ U16A vs Curro U16A Canoeing Western Province Marathon Championships Monday 11 May Soccer vs Groendal at Bridge House from 15:00 Tuesday 12 May Hockey Girls vs La Rochelle (home) 15:15 U16 16:00 1st 16:45 U14 Netball (all teams) vs La Rochelle (away) Wednesday 13 May Cross Country Boland Meeting hosted by Paarl Boys High School Netball (all teams) vs Franschhoek (away) Soccer vs Kayamandi (home) Saturday 16 May Hockey Boys vs Paul Roos (away) The Franschhoek Literary Festival at Bridge House brought to you by Porcupine Ridge and Sunday Times Bridge House parents and friends are invited to the The Franschhoek Literary Festival at Bridge House brought to you by Porcupine Ridge and Sunday Times on Thursday 14 May in the College. Events begin at 10.30 and end at 14.45. The cost is R60 for the day (3 sessions of your choice). The information about the speakers has been emailed to you. Bookings can be made online at http://litfest.bridgehouse.org.za and there you will see who is speaking at what times and you will be able to book your places. Tickets for the day are R60 per person and you can pay either with Jenny Jones at College Reception or you can pay via EFT using the following information: Bridge House School Fund Account First National Bank Current Account Number: 62 309 231 306 Branch code: 250 655 Reference: LitFest/Surname Once you have completed the online booking, you will receive an email with your talk details. Please retain this email as proof of booking as it will be used as your ‘ticket’ to gain access to the talks. Please note that the Niki Daly talk advertised below is not part of this day, and so booking for the talk will not happen through the website. Lunch Platters Guests love to visit Avondale to experience our delicious unique slow wines made with Mother Nature’s approval. Now we are taking this experience to the next level and invite you to indulge in the new Avondale Lunch Platter. Our beautiful fresh platters are laden with a sumptuous selection of mouth-watering treats created by Chef Matt Manning. It includes farm style sandwiches with your choice of filling, specialities such as risotto balls and fishcakes and a fresh garden salad accompanied by a selection of cheeses with homemade pickles and compotes. The contents of our Lunch Platter may vary as we use fresh and seasonal products so be sure to ask about the latest delicious offerings when you make your booking. In keeping with Avondale’s ethos, we have sourced the best quality produce and ingredients from local growers and artisan producers. Purchase our wines by the glass or carafe to accompany your Lunch Platter, and enjoy the views from our farm and the impressive backdrop of Klein Drakenstein Mountains. Dine alfresco on picnic blankets on our tree-shaded lawns, on the vine-covered terrace, or relax in the comfort of our elegant Tasting Gallery. All in all, our Avondale Lunch Platter offers a fine dining experience with good honest food paired with slow hand-made wines on our picturesque working farm. Platters will be served Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm. Priced at R320 (suitable for sharing). Booking is essential – call 021 863 1976 or emailwine@avondalewine.co.za Best Mother's Day gift EVER! The gift of a child that sleeps through the night. Phone Sister Heike Millar on 082 954 8376 and quote "Bridge House" to receive 15% off Mother's Day Special in the month of May.
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