Pietermaritzburg-based family band, Undivided Roots, was given an entire PA system by Big Beat Productions at a special MiTH (Music in The Hills) meeting in Hilton on Wednesday the 29th of October.

This talented family of Rasta musicians, with an inspirational background story, is made up entirely of siblings. They range in ages from seven to 30, all from the same mother and father. Father, Roots Cele, was a legend in PMB as a street musician, activist and inspiration to many, and taught all the kids how to play and read music. Band/family members are Wadada (30), Revival (23), Heaven (20), Spear (18), Rainbow (15) and Judgement (12).

The family knows hardship all too well, and live in small huts just outside PMB where they were born and raised. All Rastafarians, this beautiful, kind and self-motivated family's father passed away a few years ago. Band manager Gavin Paul Joliffe promised to take care of the kids if something were to happen to him – he is currently care taker and band manager. Undivided Roots has been busking for years and has performed at events such as Poet's porch, the Durban Spar Ladies race and the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg.

The PA system was handed over by Big Beat Productions' Kevin Liddell, and will allow the band to play at the kind of small to medium sized venues where bands are sometimes expected to supply their own sound equipment. In addition, Dave Rossouw at Sign Solutions has donated a banner which features a logo designed and donated by Andrea Barras (Graphic Designer & Creative consultant).

Says Liddell: "I can remember watching Roots (the father) at a charming little pub called Churchill's many years ago. I had seen him around Maritzburg before, busking, but this was the first time I had watched him in a proper setting. As I watched him, he glanced up and shot me a smile, and I was astounded by the presence he radiated. The depth of the man was appealing, he had risen above race, class and any demographic imposed by the society of the time.

"Many years later, long after Roots' passing, we had an opportunity to hire the Undivided Roots for a function, after watching them busk outside a large retailer. Looking at the band, the children, I was again struck by the same impression that their father had left me with years before. They are beautiful, well mannered, humble, talented individuals who in spite of their difficult lives have still managed to rise above their circumstances.

"Our small contribution to the band will hopefully help them get one step closer to their dreams. To say that the band is a worthy cause is demeaning. They are not a charity case - charity implies a never-ending dependence which this band does not suffer from. I believe that right now they need all the help they can get so that one day in return they will be in a position to help others with their story, their message and their music."

Band inquiries
Gavin Paul Joliffe
Manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Undivided Roots za (Official band page)

Media Enquires
Charles Webster
MiTH
082 331 7271

About Big Beat Productions
Big Beat Productions is a staging company based in the KZN midlands. We provide sales, hire, repair, consulting and technical staff in the fields of temporary and permanent installations of sound, lighting, audio-visual and power reticulation systems. Our clients include both government departments and representation from the industrial, commercial and retail sectors. Visit our website here.

About MiTH (Music in the Hills)
MiTH is a weekly gathering of musicians and music lovers. It provides an opportunity for musicians to share the joy of their music with a friendly audience which includes fellow musicians as well as music connoisseurs. Whether you're a youngster looking for your first opportunity to perform publicly, or a more experienced/mature musician simply looking for people who are as passionate about music as you are, come along and join us.

Amongst the Hilton based businesses who enjoyed an evening wander through the St Anne's Wetland during the Laddsworth Night Relay last week were Pelican Print, Bella Donna Hair and Beauty, Darren the Barber and The Beauty Spot.

Team Pelican Print proudly achieved second place in the walking relay and their prizes of wine and nougat were well received.

'Our training paid off!' said Kerby.

Pictured below is Team Pelican Print L-R: Sarah Pover, Ruby Millar, Helen Millar and Kerby van Niekerk.

Wielding headlights, torches and glow sticks a brightly clothed group of families, individuals and teams enjoyed a walk or run through the St Anne's wetland on Thursday 23rd October 2014. The annual Laddsworth Night Relay is a fun event for the Hilton community.

L-R: Poised for Night Relay action are Michael Brown, Hannah Mulder and Kaylim Humphrey.

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

"It's been just over four years since my return to South Africa. Coming back gave me the opportunity to start up my own business in Hilton and that little business turned four this month. During the past four years there have been highs and lows personally and professionally but the one constant is my relationship with my clients. It's been wonderful to get to know some of the local businesses and to grow with them. I am a firm believer that I need to know and understand my clients and their businesses in order to offer the most relevant and sound advice and in doing so have forged some wonderful positive at times frustrating relationships. Thank you to my Hilton clients for the past four year and I look forward to many more years on this journey." says Jean Allen owner of Jean Allen HR Consulting.

What Allen HR clients have to say

"Jean has been a BusinessBuilders client, with Linda Lawrie as her coach, for the past three months and her growth, personally and as a reputable businesswoman, has been phenomenal.

This is directly related to dedicated effort and total commitment to the coaching programme, as well as astute insight into the benefits of a business coach.

Jean's willingness to develop her company in order to service her existing clients better has resulted in the steady growth of Jean Allen HR Consulting."
Linda Lawrie of ActionCoach.

"Jean has helped us create a happy, healthy and productive workplace. Being passionate and creating understanding between Mark and his teams."
Jaxx Restaurant

Torrents of rain and buckets of hail falling in Hilton on the 16th October did not prevent parents and staff from taking time to appreciate the art produced by pupils at Laddsworth Primary School. This year the creations were largely inspired by the "One in a Million" conservation theme.

Okay, so who has been doing the wrong "rain dance"? Its "rain dance" and not "HAIL dance"!! Our sympathy to those who had their beautiful gardens shredded by the heavy hail storm last week.

This has been a season of extremes, with many "worst evers" :
- Worst frost
- Worst drought
- Worst fires
- Worst hail

One gets the feeling that our resilience as gardeners is being tested to the limit. Maybe some of you are getting a bit demoralised but, take heart, these extremes normally only occur every ten to twenty years. So for the next ten years, at least, we can relax and not worry!

So what can you do when your garden has been mashed by hail? Before you do anything, it is time to go back to the "Obies". After this extreme season, you may be onto your second bottle by now.

Alright, lets get serious about this hail. Hail is good and bad. Good in that it is said to be high in nitrogen and other good stuff for the garden. Not so good for young seedlings which probably won't survive the onslaught from the heavens. Also not so good if you were thinking of exporting your bumper peach crop, which are now all marked. When hail is large it causes damage to plant stems and opens up "wounds" to the bark. These "wounds" can allow "baddies" easy access to attack the plant's now vulnerable immune system. Young plantations of pine trees can be devastated by viruses after heavy hail. So if you would like to be cautious, then spraying your plants with a fungicide would help. If healthy, most plants will survive this aerial onslaught and heal the damage themselves. Next is to get out those sharp pruners and cut away as much of the damaged stems as you can. Make sure you keep in mind the plant shape you are aiming for. Feeding the plants with a good foliar feed will help boost their immune system and boost growth. You will be surprised how quickly your garden will recover. Nature's way of healing is incredible.

Although it may seem that the epicentre of the hailstorm was in your garden, there are many other dedicated gardeners who were hit just as badly, if not worse.

We have found that if you watered and fed your roses during the dry spell, they would have rewarded you with many unblemished blooms. Fuchsias, however, prefer the current cooler and moist conditions, not performing well during the hot, dry weather. Keep up with your feeding programmes and, with the moist weather, you may need to spray a fungicide on your roses. You can use the same fungicide on your fuchsias. Ludwigs recommends Chronos which has been tried and tested.

If your fuchsias are from our nursery, then they probably won't be susceptible to rust. This is because we have, over the last 20 years, selected those varieties that are hardy. Despite this, if the plants are under stress, their defences will be low.

Now is a good time to plant healthy berries. We have a range of selected varieties of strawberries, raspberries, youngberries and blackberries, some of which are thornless. Picking your own fresh berries for breakfast can be very rewarding. Last season we were still picking strawberries and raspberries in June!

It is almost time for our Summer Sale! This year we are combining our Fuchsia Festival and our Daylily Dazzle into one big sale. Our Summer Sale starts on Friday, 7th November, and runs until Sunday, 16th November 2014, from 9am to 4pm daily.

For more information contact Tanglewood Nursery.

Grace College held its Valediction Service in honour of the class of 2014 recently. Congratulations go to the Matric pupils who were awarded for their hard work and efforts at school. Nibha Surajlal was awarded the Dux of the school amongst others and is commended for her outstanding achievements. Head girl, Brennah Coslett, was the recipient of the Headmaster's Award in recognition of living out the school motto "My Utmost for His Highest" in all aspects of her school life. Grace College would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge all the Matric pupils for their individual and corporate contributions to the school during their stay. Thank you goes to the guest speaker, Marc Miller, who matriculated from Grace College in 2009, for his thought provoking talk on 'choices'. Grace College wishes the class of 2014 much success for the final examinations and future ventures.

Pictured: Marc Miller (Guest Speaker), Nibha Surajlal (Dux), Brennah Coslett (Headmaster's Award) and Vincent Luksich (Headmaster).

News supplied by Grace College.

Hope Trust is a project focused on uplifting communities in the Sweetwaters valley through welfare including; coaching soccer and netball, development and training. They were recently voted as the recipient of the annual Hilton Cares donation. This is made possible by Hilton Covered, an upmarket resource showcasing Hilton business.

'Eighteen months ago a Hope Trust staff member started a soccer group comprising bored mischievous youngsters. The team was accepted into the local soccer league. At the end of the season they came second. One young man told us that at home he had to be like a parent, but at the soccer practices he has friends and feels he belongs.' said David A'Bear.

The R10,000.00 donation will support the soccer team, Abafana Bestyle in 2015 in terms of travel, kit and match fees. The team has been accepted into the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan League for 2015.

Hilton Pre-Primary hosted another successful Hilton Food and Wine Fair and raised more than R38000.

Due to their water damage disaster in the July holidays, they have many repairs cropping up that are - related to, a direct result from, or just look a bit dejected next to all the other repairs done at the school since the disaster. They are not sure where to use this money first but will put it to good use to make our little school look spick and span again!

During an evening of much festivity Hilton Pre-Primary raffled a very impressive Alva Gas Braai which had been donated by Hilton Quarry Spar. Protea Hotel Hilton breakfast vouchers, Piggly Wiggly Coffee Shop Vouchers, a KWV Hamper and a Manoli's Nuts Hamper were drawn as spot prizes.

Trudi Moran, on behalf of Hilton Pre-Primary Fund Raising Committee said, 'To those who make such a large contribution towards our evening being the success that it is: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, and THANK YOU!

Quarry Spar - Rodney, Di, Greg, Mark, Alan and team ...for everything including the donation of the Alva Gas Braai. Protea Hotel – Heather, Anthony, Pumla and your team, thank you for hosting us so graciously. Knight Security Systems – Gary Preston, for the guards who watch our cars for us. Sheridan's Tents and Marquee's – the most professional and efficient team!

CPW Printing and Caryn Porritt for the amazing design of our posters and flyers. All the Vendors who market their items at the event. All the advertising channels. Neville and Margaret Power for their unending support and help to get the event ready!

To all who sponsored prizes towards our raffle. To all the parents, teachers and folk who helped behind the scenes with selling tickets, organising rosters, hanging up art, putting out table cloths, doing flowers, collecting raffle items, donating flowers, general support etc.

Thank you to all of you.

Again the evening brought with it so many wonderful reviews, and comments, and we are already being asked when the event will be next year! So we look forward to seeing you again in 2015.

Take care and may the year ahead be one filled with happiness, great things, and success in all that you do.'

Pictured above left: The main winner of the Alva Gas Braai: Mr Jan Van Der Vegte, with Alan Niddri (Quarry Spar) and Trudi Moran (Hilton Pre-Primary).

Pictured above right: Margaret and Neville Power (The most enthusiastic and supportive set up crew) with Suzie Hilliar, principal of Hilton Pre-Primary.

News supplied.

Hillcrest's loss of Jonny Fforde from Stretta Cafe is Hilton's gain, particularly for pizza and pasta lovers!

The opportunity offered to him by Mark Heinrich and Patrick Greenaway owners of Artisan Hilton matches Jonny's appetite for a new challenge. After four fulfilling years under Emil Venter at Stretta Café, Irish born Jonny has arrived in Hilton. He has checked out his midlands based competition and is here to fulfil his mission to steer Artisan in the direction he wants it to go.

Jonny's vison is for Artisan is to be known for the best pizza, coffee and service in the area. He sees the restaurant maturing into a vibey, relaxing, café culture destination which offers homely Italian food for the Midlands community.
Stretta patrons who experienced the magic Jonny brought to their tables have expressed sadness at his departure. His fiancé, Gilah and their 10 month old daughter, Erin Lily will join Jonny in Hilton.

By now book club ladies will be asking if Jonny is related to Katie Fforde the romance novelist...the answer is YES! They are cousins and another titbit you may like to know is that John Fforde, the well-known economist associated with The Bank of England, is his uncle.

So far Jonny is thoroughly pleased with Hilton's hedged lanes, rain and mist which provides this Irishman with a fabulous sense of being right at home!

Much of the damaged grass on the green has been replaced with new plugs which seem to have taken root and are flourishing. We now need a few days of sunshine to really get things moving.

We will try to get back to our planned programme quickly. Weather permitting we will play for chickens on 1 November and will hold the IF sponsored tournament on the 7th as planned.

The November Jaxx Roll takes place on Wednesday 19th.

League resumes on 8 November, and we are down to host teams from Alexander Park and Maritzburg West. This may mean that we will have no room for social bowls. We will do our best to resolve this dilemma and advise members through this column and the SMS network.

Duties: 2 – 8 Nov: OOD: Derick Hull. Tabs: Dave Garrard. Duty Team: Dave Hammond. Teas on Sat. 8 Nov: Pamela & Des Morrish.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Hilton Garden Club visited Isabel Johnston's garden last Tuesday and shared some images from this beautiful garden in Winterskloof, Hilton.

Hilton Garden Club next meets on Tuesday, 18 November at the Church of the Ascension hall at 9.30 for 10.00 for their Christmas party. This year there will be a DVD of some English gardens. Club members bring a plate of eats and the club supplies fruit punch, tea and coffee.

There is no meeting in December.

The first meeting of 2015 will be on Tuesday, 21 January. It will be held at Adamshurst Nursery which is on the Boston road. Head in the direction of Bulwer, pass Mpophomeni and after about 1 km turn right. There is a signboard indicating the turnoff. Adamshurst is a nursery for indigenous plants. Sally Johnson will talk on gardening with indigenous plants.

Convenor: Denise Slatter – Tel: +27 (0)33 343 3766. Time: 9.30 for 10.00.

News supplied by Hilton Garden Club.

Peter Alcock is a science graduate with a Ph.D. who has become interested, in more recent times, in South African indigenous scientific knowledge and history as well as geographic interpretations of selected South African novels. Peter published a book in 2010 on indigenous weather knowledge in this country ("Rainbows in the Mist"). A companion volume on South African indigenous celestial knowledge is available as a free download. Venus Rising: South African Astronomical Beliefs, Customs and Observations examines traditional South African celestial knowledge, ranging from the Venda in the north to the /Xam San (Bushman) in the south.

Peter prefers to avoid the "well-trodden path" in his research, and generally concentrates on the road less travelled.

Residents of Hilton and surrounds will find his writing about The Hills above Pietermaritzburg interesting. Click here to enjoy this complimentary read.

For more writings by Peter Alcock click here.

Hilton Avenue Daycare will be open from November 2014 at 26 Hilton Avenue, catering for children aged from 6 months to 3 years. This central daycare facility provides a lovely garden and play area on secure premises adjacent to Doctors' consulting rooms.

Opening at 7.30am and closing at 4.30pm, Hilton Avenue Daycare is open to working around your time schedule within these hours.

There will be one caregiver available per three children.

For more details contact Dr Claudine Lee on 083 289 8351 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are most grateful to Graham Kershaw from Hilton Build It who negotiated a donation of paint from Duram Products for the redecoration of the club house.

The news on our green is not good this week. Two persistent pathogens have invaded the grass and attacked the roots.

Under guidance from the scientists at Cedara and a helpful representative from our regular chemical suppliers, we are replanting some areas. This has put our programme far behind schedule. Sadly we have had to cancel the October Jaxx Roll as well as the Lindsay's event. We will keep members advised through this column.

Despite not having a green to practice on we have maintained a reasonable standard in league games. The second side played against Maritzburg on Saturday and collected 3 points while the third side had a bye. The league has a two week break now and our next fixtures will be on 8 November at Hilton.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

An inter schools fishing weekend was held recently at the Baynesfield Estate, with Cowan House, Lynford, Pelham and St Charles Schools participating. Pictured is Cowan House pupil Jamie Stephenson with his prize catch.

News supplied.

The jacarandas are looking fabulous: grade 12's have planned their study timetables, completed the curriculum, prepared their work study areas and are in the final throes of saying goodbye to school life.

Our learners in other grades have a bit more time to prepare as their exam timetables aren't quite published yet and they're still finishing off the curriculum; however once their teachers have closed off on the grade 12's the focus will be on all the other grades to prepare for their final year end exams.

No need to panic though - there is still time!

Leo Bascaglia said "The most painful thing to experience is not defeat but regret."

It is perhaps prudent then to consider what he says and to ensure that with respect to these upcoming year end exams you will not have any regrets afterwards.

Grade 11's your exam results are particularly significant for tertiary applications. In fact everyone should be aiming to finish the year strong as it can only stand you in good stead for next year giving you confidence to tackle the next academic year up which will undoubtedly be more of a challenge than this year. Try not to procrastinate, give yourself time to prepare for the exams. Planning for the exams is important but actually implementing the plan is more important.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." ~ Mark Twain

ALLOW US TO HELP YOU PREPARE

Remember, different subjects require different studying methods. Our tutors are able to help you develop the relevant study skills for each subject.

If you'd like a couple of hours of assistance in preparing for the all-important year end exams contact ASP Tutoring on +27 (0)83 501 2506 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

An efficient and enthusiastic team of cleaners and painters descended on our club house last week to spruce up windows, doors, walls and curtains. We are very grateful to all who came and helped.

Members and bowling friends are advised that we have had to postpone the Jaxx Roll to 29 October, as the grass is not coming through as quickly as we had hoped.

Other events on the horizon include the Lindsay's afternoon on 25 October, a Chicken Run on 1 November and the IF tournament on 7th.

Artisan's Pizza Pasta will sponsor a Mixed 2-4-2 competition on Friday 14th November.

The two men's league teams had a good outing last Saturday. The second team played against Eddels and collected 4 points. The third league team went to Mooi River. It was raining steadily when we arrived but cleared up just before we were due to start. Hilton won two closely contested rinks and came away with the full five points.

This Saturday the second league players will play Maritzburg, while the third team will have a bye.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.