Hot off the press....

Fundraiser for the Ann van Dyke Cheetah Centre: Well known singer and musician Peter Sarstedt of ‘Hemmingway fame’, will be performing at the Joe Parker Comedy Theatre, Monte Casino in Fourways on 7 September, 13 and 14 September 2010.  Doors open at 19:00 and program will commence at 19:30 and should end at 22:00. Ticket Cost: R250 per person.  Food and Drink: Confirming that Sappi will sponsor an arrival platter on the tables and thereafter the Joe Parker Cash Bar and kitchen will provide a cash service for guests. 
To book seats, please contact Petro at (012) 504 9906/7/8, e-mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 
South African adventurers celebrated at FEAT: South African adventurers are accomplished; many of their achievements are documented as World firsts and records. Our adventurers have traversed and circumnavigated countries and continents; they’ve rowed across oceans; scaled mountains; cycled extraordinary distances and descended rivers. In October, for the first time, 12 South African adventurers come together to tell of their recent expedition experiences at FEAT, a dynamic and captivating evening of time-limited presentations.  

FEAT, Fascinating Expedition & Adventure Talks, is an evening of time-limited presentations where each adventurer speaks for seven minutes – no more, no less – focusing on an aspect of a recent expedition. Striking photographs illustrate their words, which tell of emotions, challenges and discoveries – of people, places and themselves.

feat – noun, a noteworthy or extraordinary act or achievement, usually displaying boldness or skill

Created by adventure racer and writer Lisa de Speville, FEAT brings South Africa’s adventurers together. “Most people would love to embark on an expedition; but they feel tied to ‘real life’,” she says. “It takes a different, special kind of courage and drive to abandon socially accepted norms of home and work to set off – often solo – on self-motivated and self-organised expeditions. Whether the adventure involves oceans, countries, continents, rivers or mountains, these achievements are extraordinary. I’ve yet to meet a person who is not captivated by tales of these adventures.”

Speakers at the inaugural FEAT are: Alex Harris, Andrew Kellet, Cobus van Zyl, Darron Raw, Kyle Meenehan, Mandy Ramsden, Marianne Schwankhart, Mike Blyth, Peter van Kets, Pierre Carter, Ray Chaplin and Riaan Manser. Their presentation topics cover the disciplines of mountaineering, kayaking (river and sea), big wall rock climbing, paragliding, adventure films, ocean rowing, adventure racing, ultra distance mountain running and long distance walking.

FEAT aims to publicise the achievements of South African adventurers, bringing their outdoor experiences indoors. FEAT is the ultimate armchair adventure experience.

The inaugural FEAT event will be held in Jo’burg on Thursday, 7 October 2010, at the Wits Theatre in Braamfontein. Tickets are only available through Computicket. Ticketing opens on Monday, 2 August 2010.

FEAT is made possible by its sponsors – Biophys, Buff, CAPESTORM and Hi-Tec – and media partners, www.AR.co.za and Go Multi Magazine.

For more information, visit the FEAT website at www.featsa.co.za

Our treasured World Heritage Site is under severe threat. An Australian company, Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) has recently been given the go ahead to begin construction of an opencast and underground coal mine within less than 6km from the borders of the Mapungubwe National Park and adjacent to the World Heritage Site, with the approval of the Environmental Management Plan for the proposed Vele Colliery. This will compromise the environmental integrity of the area in and around Mapungubwe for current and future generations as it relates to the natural habitat, ecosystems, cultural heritage and related aspects of the environment.

Several leading non-governmental organisations including the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA), the Mapungubwe Action Group (MAG), the Wilderness Foundation South Africa (the WFSA), the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (the WWF) and BirdLife South Africa (BLSA), have lodged and appeal against CoAL to mine.

However they cannot stand alone. The support of the public is an integral part of curbing future damage to our precious environment. The mining at Mapungubwe is just the start with many more mining projects to follow. Anglo Coal has already bought large tracts of land in the area. We need your help to stand up against these mining companies and save our precious environment. Click here to see what you can do?