The centre houses a pilot plant-size reactor for the study of the conversion of olefins to distillate (COD), which has proved to be an essential part of the intricate Gas-To-Liquids (GTL) process.

PetroSA,South Africa’s national oil company, has provided funding to the value of R36 million to establish and operate the innovation centre at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) for an initial five-year period. The five-year research programme is located at the university’s South African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry. Peters said the centre would benefit the country.

“South Africais faced with enormous challenges with regards to developing the human capital required to meet the needs of knowledge-based industries which are the core of a modern economy.

“Natural gas reserves represent a vital energy resource forSouth Africaand the African continent as a whole, thus the identification and monetization of those reserves by PetroSA and UWC is of major national interest,” said Peters.

South Africaand PetroSA are world leaders in the development of Gas-To-Liquids technology.

The national oil company owns and operates one of the world’s largest COD plants at its Mossel Bay GTL Refinery. The COD technology is recognised throughout the world for producing some of the cleanest fuels, through an environmentally friendly process.

The company has relocated part of its GTL research activities from theMosselBayrefinery to the university.

PetroSA’s COD process contributes significantly toSouth Africa’s liquid fuel supply and has the potential to contribute even more as the demand for diesel continues to grow.

Group CEO at PetroSA Nosizwe Nokwe said despite being in operation for only a year, the PSFIC had achieved several successes.

“Some of the objectives of the project are already being achieved in that a patent application has been filed and other results have been reported at specialist conferences. Importantly, there is a considerable group of students being trained in the PSFIC at Masters and Doctoral levels, as well as those completing their National Diplomas through experiential learning, while working as pilot plant operators and research assistants,” she said.

The PSFIC team totals 27 staff members, among them PhD-level researchers, technicians, research assistants and students.

The centre is collaborating with other institutions of higher learning with a view to providing their students an opportunity to complete the experiential learning aspects of their technical diplomas.

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June 1 – Andriette Norman – R95/person , children under 12 FREE!

Andriëtte – VAT MY HOëR

Andriëtte bereik  nuwe hoogtes met haar nuutste album Vat My Hoër!

Andriëtte se album “Vat My Hoër” was bekroon met ‘n Huisgenoot Tempo Toekenning 2011 vir die beste kontemporêre album van die jaar.

Dit is Andriëtte, voormalige Idols-finalis in 2007, se derde album en benewens dat sy die jongste benoemde in die kategorie was, moes sy ook teen groot name soos Steve Hofmeyr,  Bok v Blerk & Romanz meeding.

Andriëtte vertel dat sy heeltemal oorstelp en uit die veld geslaan was toe haar naam as wenner vir die beste kontemporêre album van die jaar uitgeroep is.

Andriëtte Norman tree op 1 Junie by die BarnYard Mosselbaai op. Kaartjies verkoop teen R95 p/persoon. Die deure maak 19:00 oop en die vertoning begin om 20:00. Kinders onder 12 GRATIS!

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June 2 – Robbie Klay – R85/person, children under 12 FREE!

“AMAZING” – ROBBIE KLAY’s new album, is released worldwide on 20/11/ 2011. This highly anticipated album of ROBBIE KLAY’s is this South African Superstar’s First New Studio Album in three years with the First Single NADIA is already released on Cape Town Radio with huge success and great reviews. ROBBIE is a 25 year old singer, songwriter, actor and AMAZING will be his 12Th career Album in his 20 year show business career. ROBBIE is a well-known child performer since the age of five years and has been continually booked at Concerts, Shows, Festivals, and Celebrity Appearances throughoutSouth Africa.

ROBBIE’s first studio album Kan ‘n Man Dan Nie was released at the age of nine and he has made a name for himself as a talented young artist and performer ever since. He also has many television credits to his name and is more notably recognized as “Buks Van Wyk” in the hit television series AMALIA. Most recently, ROBBIE was cast as “Texan” in the theatre stage production of VASELINETJIE which played at the famed Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. VASELINETJIE was SOLD OUT and is still on request at Festivals throughoutSouth Africa.   

As a young tenor and pop rock star, ROBBIE has a huge fan base and following of all ages worldwide. AMAZING will be the First Album to introduce ROBBIE as an adult performer and serious songwriter.

Two of the songs that he composed are on the new CD “Together” and “I Wanna Hold You.” The new sounds of the latest CD introduces the variety and depth of ROBBIE’s talented voice and successful future.

The long-term goal for ROBBIE is to travel and perform in front of audiences worldwide. He is excited to introduce his talent to audiences awaiting to enjoy his performance and songwriting.  Keep up with ROBBIE KLAY on the following links: Robbie Klay’s Official Website: www.robbieklay.com – Facebook – Twitter.

Robbie Klay will be performing live! At the BarnYard Theater Mosselbay on June 2. Tickets are R85 for adults and kids under 12 are FREE! Booking essential.

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June 8 – Lyzyrd Kyngs – R85/person, children under 12 FREE!

CD Release Party!

The friendship and brotherhood between SA music legend Piet Botha and the Akkedis Band, Arthur and Rudolph Dennis and AJ Graham, goes back almost twenty years. Back then Botha was touring a lot with Jack Hammer and used to bump into Arthur and Rudi who were known as The Dennis Brothers in those days. There was always some kind of jamming going on. Through the years the bond remained strong , Akkedis came into being, Botha did some solo Afrikaans albums and kept on recording and touring with Jack Hammer.

Then around 2002 they found themselves in London Town at the back end of a disorganised tour. “Myself and Johnathan Martin, had gone over, thinking it would be acoustic gigs, small pubs or theatres but then we found the venues rather bigger and we were just two out…fortunately Akkedis Band were there and just volunteered to help us on all the gigs, and all the adventures of course !”, said Botha in a recent interview. From there on the bond was stronger than ever.

During the next few years they would share stages across SA and Namibia and Mocambique but about three years ago there was a shift and Piet Botha started to tour the Cape more and more using Akkedis Band as backing band for his repertoire. This soon developed to a new concept i.e. “The Lyzyrd Kyngs”. The name comes from a Jim Morrison poem, “The celebration of the Lizard King”. The weird spelling is a combination of ancient English and a serious reference to Lynyrd Skynyrd, a band that has been a source of inspiration for more than thirty years.

“It was natural for us to share our talents, now we have three vocals and a four piece band that can work any room or big stage, both electric and acoustic. It is also wonderful to share each other’s songs and collaborate.” And so their first album was recorded last winter and mixed in the springtime and has just been released: Piet Botha and Akkedis Band: The Lyzyrd Kyngs. (“One Night Only / Snake Alley Bar and Grill”)

From the outset the idea was to keep it raw, no digital tricks, just the stripped down sound and to rely on the songs. So what we have now are ten songs that can stand by themselves. The songwriting was shared between Arthur Dennis and Piet Botha. The blues carry a lot of the material, but there is also country music and folk music inherent to the album’s feel. “ Obviously this is not a commercial venture, but I’m sure we will still be playing these songs in ten years time”. Botha insists that Arthur got the best songs on this album, but vows to be back. “With us it’s like a family, there are no ego’s, we all do our best…Arthur is the bandleader, I can just play …” and more wisdom “If the weather’s right we go to the ocean..otherwise we just laze around in the sun”.

And so the Lyzyrd Kyngs were born. And it all happened without any planning. Just like the waves rolling in from the sea. The future is just as unpredictable. Touring extensively for sure, doing another album is a given, but as in their past the plans are best left to the Gods of Rock and Roll.

The Lyzyrd Kyngs will be playing live at the BarnYard Mosselbay on June 8. Tickets are R85 p/p and kids under 12 get in for free.  An event not to be missed. Doors open at 19:00, show starts at 20:00.

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June 9 – Dan Patlansky – R95/person, children under 12 FREE!

The word “legend” is loaded with meaning – especially when one thinks of Blues-legends. It conjures up images of seasoned older players that have been touched with a rare gift, and whose talent has been salted through the onslaught of years in the music business..

To achieve legend-status as a Blues-musician at the age of 30 is almost unheard of. Enter Dan Patlansky – an artist who shares the muse that touched Hendrix, Zeppelin and Stevie Ray Vaughan. What Dan Patlansky can do with a six-string Fender Stratocaster at the age of 30, most critically acclaimed guitarists will never quite achieve in a lifetime.

Dan Patlansky is a conglomerate of charisma, charm and musical genius – and all of this comes wrapped up in an unassuming, startlingly attractive package that bespeaks his Judeo-Spanish heritage. And yet, he doesn’t seem to realise the extent of his extremely tactile appeal – both on stage and in person. Humility suits him well and is as much an extension of his being as his Fender. There are no airs and graces here – just sincerity and an incredible musical talent.    

In only a little over a decade on the music scene, Dan Patlansky has become one of the busiest and most respected blues artists to ever come out of South Africa. His music can best be described as vacillating between slick, soulful blues and the renegade psychedelic angst and raw emotion of Hendrix or Zeppelin – fire encased in ice…if you will.

After his debut, “Standing at the Station”, an independent album that amazed critics and garnered Dan a reputation as  a Blues-phenomenon and his subsequent “Readers Choice” vote as “Best Blues Guitarist in Southern Africa” – Dan released a second album, “True Blues” which was produced and released by EMI on the famed “Blue Note label” in 2004. Dan is one of the only South Africans to ever achieve “Blue Note” status. And the accolades kept on coming.

In 2006 Fender Guitars recognised Dan’s fiery playing and offered him an endorsement deal to promote Fender Guitars and amps. Dan is one of only six Fender endorsed guitarists inSouth Africa.

In February 2005 and again in July 2006, Selwyn Miller, New Orleans based manager of David Gates and Bread, Randy Crawford, and Petula Clark amongst others, brought Dan to New Orleans to showcase this amazing talent. In his time living in the city of the Blues, Patlansky performed at legendary venues such as Maple Leaf, Rock & Bowl and Checkpoint Charlie with many Blues giants such as Henry Gray (Howlin’ Wolf’s Pianist), Snooks Eaglin, The Batiste Famil and Rockin Dopsie Jr.

Whilst abroad, Dan performed live on both television and WWOZ radio. What this South African boy achieved in a few months, and the following he built up, many thought would have taken years.

Touring was cut short due to Hurricane Katrina and he was deprived of the opportunity to play with legendary and world renowned slide guitarist, Sonny Landreth. During the evacuation of New Orleans, Dan was separated from “The Red,” probably his most prized possession. She is the 50 year-old Fender Stratocaster that Dan used to compose and play his music on. He had to leave her in New Orleans and he thought Katrina took her along with the greater part of the French Quarter…but fate stepped in. The American band that played with Dan in New Orleans were scheduled to play with him  in South Africa a year later…when he met them at the airport, they were carrying “The Red”. It seems that the muse has not only touched Dan with an extraordinary gift, but she is looking out for him as well.

Dan followed his first two albums with two more releases Real (2007) and Move My Soul (2009), each garnering wider acclaim than the former – solidifying Dan’s status as a world-class Blues musician. He continues to perform all over the country and globe in the company of world-renowned musicians, including Guy Buttery, Albert Frost, Steve Fataar (ex Beach Boys / Flames), Cedric Sampson, Valiant Swart, The Late big voice Jack (who performed with Mango Groove and the Dave Mathews Band) and Alistair Coakley, to name only a few.

His epic talent as a Blues-musician aside, a little-known fact about the man is that he can sing…Dan’s voice has a gut-wrenching quality that compliments the renegade approach to the Blues. Imagine a young Tom Waits and Marianne Faithful (post-Lucy Jordan) producing a musical heir – and you’re close to understanding the emotive quality of Dan’s voice. When he grabs hold of his Fender he becomes a modern-day knight slaying dragons on stage and bemoaning the carnage all at once. He is one of those rare talents capable of whisking an audience into a netherworld of sonic orgasms.

David Batiste Sr. once said that “Dan Patlansky is one of the most renowned and fiery blues artists in the southern hemisphere and one of the greatest I’ve ever seen.” Anyone who hears him play will agree. Meanwhile, Dan Patlansky just carries on playing and blazing musical trails across South Africa and the world, as effortlessly as a summer breeze. One might call him an enigma. Perhaps. But would one call him a legend? For sure.

Dan Patlansky will be performing live at the BarnYard Theater Mosselbay on June 9. Tickets sell for R95 for adults and kids under 12 get in for free. Doors open at 19:00, show starts at 20:00.

Point Hotel, Mossel Bay 2012 started on a high note for Mossel Bay’s iconic The Point Hotel, with occupancies approaching the heady days of 1995, when South Africa was enjoying its initial tourism boom.

2012 started on a high note forMosselBay’s iconic The Point Hotel, with occupancies approaching the heady days of 1995, whenSouth Africawas enjoying its initial tourism boom.

“2011 was an excellent year for us, with good growth over 2010’s somewhat disappointing figures; and now it looks like 2012 is going to be even better than 2011,” said the hotel’s owner, Louis Harris.

“In fact, if things keep going the way they are, we could even post record occupancies in 2012.”

He said that the hotel is currently completing a two million rand upgrade.

“We’re installing a gym and spa next to our business centre, and a Japanese garden outside the spa that will provide our guests a tranquil place to relax and rejuvenate.

“We’ve installed chic wooden flooring in the Lighthouse Restaurant, and redecorated it in a modern style that fits with its dramatic views over the ocean – and we’re also extending the restaurant’s patio to give our guests more space to watch the waves, and, of course, the dolphins and whales that so often swim past the hotel.

“Then were also repainting the exterior, and re-decorating the rooms: all of them have been fitted with flat screen TVs and new carpeting, and the first of the bathrooms have been upgraded,” said Mr. Harris

He said that the Municipality of Mossel Bay has committed itself to an extensive upgrade of The Point area, on the tip of Cape St. Blaize.

“Judging by the plans, The Point is going to become a really attractive tourism hub, which is exciting because the Province recently gave it Icon status.”

He said that Portnet’s recently announced new waterfront development inMosselBaywill be a game-changer for the town.

“MosselBayis already known as the Do Stuff Destination because it’s got so many unusual attractions and adventures, and these developments will provide even more incentives for travellers to extend their stays.

“And The Point Hotel – with it’s sea-front rooms and friendly, welcoming staff – is the ideal place for that.”

More information: www.pointhotel.co.za

The students will receive the grants for a wide variety of activities both in the United States and abroad. These include working with great white sharks in South Africa, art restoration in The Netherlands, business internships in China and Vietnam, proving medical care in a remote area of the Himalayas, and working with service veterans in Washington D.C.

The grants are funded as part of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity and are designed to help the students’ in their chosen fields of study as well as in their future careers. Students will receive between $1,000 and $4,500 to cover their living, travel and other costs associated with their activities.

•Zachary Zoller, a junior biology major from Salem,Va., will travel to South Africato be an intern with Project Great White Shark in Mossel Bay. The project is run by Oceans Research and includes population, behavioral, ecological, physiological and socioeconomic studies centered on the great white shark population of the area. Zoller’s research duties will include assisting in running the research vessels and the shark lab and aquarium-based research projects such as tonic immobilization of the wild sharks. His more direct contact with the sharks will include tagging and genetic sampling, manual acoustic tracking and recording and entering behavioral data. Zoller is a member of the varsity football team at W&L.

The defending champion Boeljon, from theNetherlands, continued her love affair with the National Golf Club after mixing six birdies with three bogeys.

“It was a little rough around the edges I think but for a first round it’s good and I’m pleased with it,” said Boeljon, who won the Gold Coast RACV Australian Ladies Masters in February.

“The course is fairly tight and I’m a pretty straight player off the tee so I get the ball in a good position and then it’s just getting on the green and making a few putts. I think off the tee, it’s one of the strongest parts of my game, but today, it was so-so, could have been better, but I made plenty of birdies and a few bogeys but it’s a good score.”

Playing under sunny skies, Boeljon started at the 10th and opened with four pars and two successive birdies, but a bogey on the par-four 17th checked her progress. She bogeyed the par-three second after pulling her tee shot, but then carded four birdies against one bogey over the next four holes.

Parker, the 2010 Dutch Ladies Open champion, also showed great resolve, coming back from a double bogey on her opening hole to share the lead.

The Royal Birkdale member found the pine trees on the par-four 10th hole, but birdied the 16th, first, third, sixth and ninth.

“I’d have taken level par after my first hole so I’ll take that,” said Parker, who tied for second inScotlandlast week.

“I started with a double bogey so that was a bit slow and then one birdie on the back nine, which was my front nine. I got it going on the front nine with four birdies and played really well.”

Luna, Lindberg and Ellis each had four birdies against one bogey. Italian Luna started well with birdies on the first and fourth holes and her momentum only stalled momentarily with a three-putt on the 10th hole before she birdied the 13th and 18th.

“I played very well and hit many shots around the pin, but not many putts dropped,” said Luna. “I was always around the pin with my approach shots. I hit 15 greens and one fairway I was putting from outside, so like 16. It was very good.”

Sweden’s Lindberg, who is leading the Ladies European Tour’s Solheim Cup standings after six top-10 finishes since late September, started on the back nine and set out with three birdies and one bogey before picking up a further shot at the par-five fourth hole.

“This is a tough golf course and it’s very tight. I kept the ball in play all day. We know everyone is going to be in the trees at some point this week. I only made one bogey out there so it was a good day,” Lindberg said.

England’s Charlotte Ellis was the only player of the later starters to make an impact and played under threatening skies.

Although competing in only her second Ladies European Tour event since qualifying in January, she reeled off four birdies on the back nine and showed maturity by scrambling an excellent par on the 18th, a par four that plays to the green over water.

“I struggle with really sweaty hands and so much so I actually used a rain glove the whole way round,” explained the 26-year-old, fromCheltenham. “I just slipped and hit the trees that were either side of the tee there. I’ve left myself such a long way in, I thought to myself it was probably going to be a bogey so I just laid up and got on the green as close as I can but ended up fancying the putt and holed it from 12 feet for a par.”

Lucie Andre, Stacey Keating, Caroline Masson and Swiss rookie Anais Maggetti finished on two under with a further seven players on one under par.

Last week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open winner Carly Booth, English amateur star Charley Hull, Solheim Cup player Laura Davies and former European Money List winner Lee-Anne Pace ofSouth Africawere among the 14 players just three shots behind the leaders on level par.

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES

70 – Charlotte Ellis (ENG), Diana Luna (ITA), Florentyna Parker (ENG), Christel Boeljon (NLD), Pernilla Lindberg (SWE)

71 – Anais Maggetti (CHE), Lucie Andre (FRA), Stacey Keating (AUS), Caroline Masson (GER) 72 – Rebecca Hudson (ENG), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Lindsey Wright (AUS), Carin Koch (SWE), Tania Elosegui (ESP), Danielle Montgomery (ENG), Minea Blomqvist (FIN)

73 – Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) , Sarah Kemp (AUS) , Carlota Ciganda (ESP) , Linda Wessberg (SWE) , Hannah Burke (ENG) , Henrietta Zuel (ENG) , Laura Davies (ENG) , Carly Booth (SCO) , Lee-Anne Pace (RSA) , Bree Arthur (AUS) , Valentine Derrey (FRA) , Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) , Charley Hull (ENG) , Joanna Klatten (FRA)

This amount is 5% of Oceana’s turnover derived from its pelagic fish operations in 2010. The competition commission settled on a figure lower than the 10% maximum penalty it usually asks for because Oceana co-operated with it in its investigation.

The five-year long investigation relates to a complaint laid with the Competition Commission in 2008. At the time food prices were rocketing and the commission had prioritised staple foods and agro-processing as industries worthy of further examination because of their importance to vulnerable consumers.

It would appear anti-competitive practices did occur and involved both large and small companies involved in the fishing of pilchards, anchovies and red-eye which is used in the production of fish-meal.

By far the largest chunk of the fine relates to ‘price-fixing’ of wages paid to independent vessel owners and operators, skippers and crew. The entire pelagic fishing industry was involved. “Skippers are deemed private contractors and they employ their own crew members,” says Oceana CEO Francois Kuttel. “They are represented by a union and we as an industry would negotiate with the union. We assumed this was covered under collective bargaining.”

As it turns out it was not. Collective bargaining in this instance is now a thing of the past – to the dismay of the skippers and crew.

In the pelagic sector Oceana is by far the largest player, but according to Competition Commission spokesperson Molebogeng Taunyane this should not imply that they were a ring-leader. “The penalty arose because Oceana chose to settle with us. The matter will now be referred to the tribunal which will have to decide on penalties [for other companies].”

Pioneer Fishing applied for, and was granted, conditional leniency.

Aside from setting wage rates, Oceana and its competitors were found guilty of other transgressions.

“I admit that these did happen,” says Kuttel. “However I should add that two of the contraventions had ceased two years prior to the commission`s original complaint; the others were identified during our compliance audit and immediately discontinued.             

“While that is not good, I think this investigation has revealed that there is not wholesale domination of smaller suppliers taking place in the industry.”

Two incidents appear damming, but Kuttel maintains that in both cases the “agreements” were not adhered to by Oceana. In one instance, Oceana and Pioneer Fishing agreed to not compete for suppliers of fish in Mossel Bay and in another Oceana agreed with Pioneer Fishing to fix the quota rental fees payable to three companies (owned by the same individual) in Port Elizabeth for the use of their pilchard quota for the 2006 fishing season.                 

“Both were once-off agreements made by members of our staff, but never implemented. We did compete for suppliers in Mossel Bay; and we certainly could not fix the quota fee – there are eight processors for those fishing companies to supply to and we [Oceana and Pioneer] were just two.”

The last complaint listed by the Competition Commission relates to an agreement signed by Brimstone (JSE:BRT) and Tiger Brands (JSE:TBS) which have cross share-holdings in Oceana and Sea Harvest. The agreement contains a non-compete clause, preventing the fishing companies from trampling on the other’s turf.

“That agreement goes back to 2000, before the Competition Commission existed in its current form,” says Brimstone CEO Mustaq Brey. “It was a standard commercial agreement at the time and we disclosed it to the commission.” As a result of advice from the commission the clause has been annulled and Brey and Brimstone chairman, Fred Robertson, no longer sit on the boards of both companies. “As I see it we have done nothing wrong,” says Brey.

For its part, Oceana has tried repeatedly to expand its activity in the hake market, but the hake quota is tightly held. Its acquisition (subject to Competition Commission approval) of Lusitania (which has a significant hake quota) six months ago was part of this strategy.

In a trading update on Wednesday, Oceana reported that basic earnings per share for the six months to March 31 should be between 20% and 22% higher than in the previous six months. Group operating profit, excluding the effect of the penalty, is expected to be between 40% and 42% higher than for the comparative period.

The company has made a provision for penalty.

What’s more, Fresh and Euphonik will be inviting some of their buddies along to create an altogether music explosion. Goldfish and Mi Casa are the first special guest acts on-board, with more to be revealed in the coming days. Fresh and Euphonik are also giving passengers the chance to choose which acts they want on-board. Get involved on Twitter by tweeting @ohshipsa and liking Oh Ship! on Facebook along with the act you most want to see on board.

Cabin prices start from only R2 925 per person sharing. Limited cabins are available, so book now.

• To book, call Starlight Cruises on 0860 114 411.

• No passport required.

• No under 18s allowed

• Terms and conditions apply.

For more info, check out www.ohship.co.za

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Mossel Bay’s Bartolomeu Dias Museum will mark this year’s International Museum Day – Friday May 18 – with the launch of a new, high-tech product that will significantly enhance the visitor experience of the Museum and the Bay that it overlooks.

The Bartolomeu Dias Museum QR Codes Tour has been designed to allow visitors – and on line users – access to very deep levels of information via Mossel Bay Tourism’s web site, www.visitmosselbay.co.za

QR (Quick Response) codes are barcodes that are designed to be read by special apps (QR code readers) which are available for all smart phones.

QR codes create the physical/digital interface: scanning a code will open a specific web page, plain text file, or even Vcard (the standard file format for electronic business cards). In the case of the Museum Tour, the codes will take the user to on-line articles about the most significant features of the Complex – ranging from the famous Post Office Tree to the caravel ‘Bartolomeu Dias’ which was built for the Dias500 Festival in 1988, and which is now dry-docked in the Maritime Museum.

Two articles – on the shipwrecks ofMosselBay, and whale and dolphin watching inMosselBay- have been included and will to appeal to lovers of maritime history and the marine environment.

Town councillor and Mossel Bay Tourism board member Petru Terblanche said that the QR Codes Tour placesMosselBayas an early-adopter in mobile phone technology.

“To the best of our knowledge, no museum anywhere inSouth Africahas yet started using QR codes to bring their information to their visitors.

“Brochures are expensive to print, and so they’re necessarily limited in the amount of information they can carry – but, once the research and the writing is done, web pages are quick and easy to create, and they’re available to anyone who has access to the internet.

“The QR codes that are now being installed in theDiasMuseumwill make visiting us – and learning aboutMosselBay- that much more interesting,” he said.

“International Museum Day has been held on or around the 18th of May every year since 1977 – which makes this the 35th anniversary of the event,” said the Dias Museum Complex’s manager, Mbulelo Mrubata.

More than 30,000 museums in about 100 countries will present special activities to mark the occasion.

“The theme for his year is ‘Museums in a Changing World. New challenges, New inspirations’, so it’s an appropriate date for the launch of a high-tech product like our QR Codes Tour,” said Mr. Mrubata.

According to the International Council of Museums, “The theme invites museums and their visitors to think about the role of museums in our society in an era of numerous changes: International Museum Day 2012 is as much about museums growing and shaping their future, as it is about displaying and interpreting new issues like climate change, new media or social responsibility.”

Mr. Mrubata said that the launch will take place at10:00 a.m.on Friday, and that the Museum will use the occasion to honour four members of staff who’ve recently won long-service awards.

“TracyMcDonald, Erna Marx, and Maria Muller all received 20-year certificates, and Anita Marx received a 40-year certificate from the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, MEC Ivan Meyer, on the 12th of March – but this will be our own opportunity to salute these incredibly dedicated members of our team,” he said.

The Bartolomeu Dias Museum QR Codes Tour will be launched on Friday, 18 May, at10:00 a.m.Members of the public who wish to attend the event should please contact Erna Marx on 044 691 1067.

More information:

MosselBay: www.visitmosselbay.co.za  or www.facebook.com/visitmosselbay

Lee-Anne Pace

Starlet Carly Booth will be among the ones to watch at Belek, having just posted her maiden LET victory in her nativeScotland. Booth will face stiff competition from the likes of defending champion Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands, the 2010 winner Melissa Reid, the 2008 winner Lotta Wahlin, Helen Alfredsson, Laura Davies, Trish Johnson, Lee-Anne Pace, Becky Brewerton, Gwladys Nocera, and Karen Lunn.

Louis Oosthuizen makes his first start in theU.S.since the Masters at this week’s THE PLAYERS.

While it’s his first start on the TOUR, he has notched a win at the Malaysian Open since the heartbreaking loss to Bubba Watson. For the season, he’s made each of his six cuts, with the exception of a W/D at The Honda, and has a third at the Shell Houston Open to go along with his Masters performance. He missed the cut in his first trip to the TPC Sawgrass last season. May. 8 – 9:51 pm et

Antie Stienie

MOSSELBAAI– Stof bietjie jou lagspiere af, want die bekende spreker en pretprater  “Ant Stienie” (Cindy Liebenberg) kom kuier en beloof om almal met haar lip-lekker-tong-inni-kies stories vol waarhede te laat skaterlag .  Sy is Saterdag 12 Mei  om 09:30 vir 10:00 op die dorp en sal by ‘n spesiale ontbytsessie by Blasters in aksie wees om broodnodige fondse vir die plaaslike ACVV Kleuterskool, Sandkasteel, in te samel.

Die skooltjie bied ‘n veilige hawe vir kinders vanaf baba’s tot voorskool aan terwyl hul ouers werk. Hier word met liefde omgewsien na kinders van alle kulture en agtergronde. Weens die omstandighede van sommige kinders word hul fondse gesubsidieer. Dit plaas ‘n groot geldelike las op die skooltjie en die afgelope twee jaar was daar nie fondse om op opvoedkundige speelgoed en –hulpmiddels te spandeer nie.

Die onderwysers het egter so ‘n passie vir die kinders, dat hulle uit hul eie sakke items soos klei, verf, kryt en ander kunsmateriaal aankoop.

En daarom word hiedie spesiale geleentheid met Ant Stienie Saterdag gehou sodat fondse gegenereerkanword.

Die kaartjies kos R200, wat ‘n R100 GROW geskenkbewys vir opvoedkundige hulpmiddels insluit.  Die geskenkbewys word dan

aan die skool geskenk sodat hulle ditkangebruik vir die aankoop van opvoedkundige speelgoed en benodigdhede soos verf, gom, kryte en klei.

Elke gas ontvang ook ‘n heerlike verrassingspakkie!!!

 Kaartjies is beskikbaar by die ACVV Sandkasteel Kleuterskool of Bayview Aesthetics Beauty Salon (langs KFC in Da Nova) of skakel 0848099584.

(Denise Lloyd)