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Mountain Ears Digest
Newsletter of the Cape Town Section of the MCSA
March 2015
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Presentation of past Club achievements and future projects
Annual General Meeting
Friday 27 MARCH 2015
7:30 for 8:00 pm
Your chance to have your say.
Come to chat to your Committee.
Circular No 653
Schedule of Meets
and Socials
for April - June 2015
CIRCULAR 653
Nominee
Camilla Adelle
Steven Barber
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Cape Town Section of the MCSA will take place on
FRIDAY, 27 MARCH 2015, at 7.30 pm for 8pm.
Robert Breyer
Delaney Carpenter
Martin HuttonSquire
Brent Jennings
Brian Lambourne
Marian Oliver
Belinda Oosthuizen
Please note that the AGM is open to members
only.
PLEASE try to attend. to support your Club and
get to speak to some Committee members.
Proposed by
Belinda Oosthuizen
Martin HuttonSquire
Brian Lambourne
Lester Coelen
Brian Lambourne
Seconded by
Bridget Carrick
Daniel Reinecke
Lester Coelen
Lester Coelen
Brian Lambourne
Camilla Adelle
Brian Lambourne
Steven Barber
Bridget Carrick
Brian Lambourne
Bridget Carrick
Brent Jennings
Lester Coelen
Thumbnail Sketches of General Committee nominees
Refreshments will be served after the meeting.
Camilla Adelle
Proposer: Belinda Oosthuizen
Seconder: Bridget Carrick
Camilla joined the Cape Town Section in 2014 after participating in several of the Outreach hikes in 2013, including the ‘mega hike’ and the ‘Xmas party’. She recently
moved to Cape Town from the UK where she was a keen
hiker and a member of several hiking clubs. She is now
enjoying exploring the many hiking and scrambling routes
on the Peninsula and beyond. Camilla is interested in
giving children, and particularly those from disadvantaged
backgrounds, the chance to enjoy the mountains and outdoor experiences. She represents the Outreach programme on GenCom and is currently helping to raise
funds to ensure that the programme can continue.
Contact number: 083 260 4703
Agenda
1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Obituaries
4. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual General
meeting held on 28 March 2014. See Note 1
below.
5. Matters arising from the minutes
6. Honorary Secretary’s report. See Note 2 below
7. Annual Financial Statements. See Note 3 below
8. Chairman’s report
9. Election of Office bearers for 2015. See Note 4
below
10. Possible transfer of Swartberg Property to WWF
-SA (Speaker Dr Andrew Baxter)
11. Proposed changes to hut access policy
12. General
Steven Barber
Proposer: Martin Hutton-Squire
Seconder: Daniel Reinecke
Steven has hiked extensively for much of his life. He has
explored many areas in the Western Cape mountains as
well as further afield in the Drakensberg, Namibia, The
Alps, The Andes, The Himalayas and New Zealand. He
has been a club member for several years and was
hooked on conservation after his first hack. He was coopted onto GenCom during 2013 to take over the conservation portfolio. Steven also leads conservation and other
weekend meets.
Contact number: 072 424 8966
NOTES
Note 1 - Please note that these minutes will not be
read out at the meeting but copies will be
available from the office and will be placed
on the clubhouse notice board.
Note 2 - Please note that in the interest of timing the
report will not be read out at the meeting
but will be available from the office and will
be placed on the clubhouse notice board.
Note 3 - Annual Financial Statements will be placed
on the clubhouse notice board prior to the
meeting and will be available for members
at the meeting. A copy is attached to this
Agenda.
Note 4 - The following members have been proposed and seconded in terms of Clause
8.2.1(i) As there are only 9 accepted nominations, there will not be a ballot.
Mountain Ears Digest
Robert Breyer
Proposer: Brian Lambourne
Seconder: Bridget Carrick
Robert is a rock climber, hiker and mountain biker. He
has previous NGO experience with Pedal Power (Cycling
advocacy group, organisers of the Argus Cycle tour, etc)
working on mountain biking access in the TMNP. He is a
former treasurer and chairman of the Llandudno Civic
Association. He was a lecturer in marketing at the UCT
GSB. Robert currently co-owns CityROCK and Mountain
Mail Order in Cape Town. Robert will bring lots of busi-
2
March 2015
CIRCULAR 653
ness, management and marketing skills to the Club. He
has been on the MCSA Cape Town Section General
Committee for two years.
Contact details: [email protected]
Brian Lambourne
Proposer: Lester Coelen
Seconder: Steven Barber
Brian joined the KwaZulu-Natal Section of the Mountain
Club in 1990 where he served as Honorary Secretary for
a number of years. On moving to Cape Town in 2001 he
transferred to the Cape Town Section. He was an active
member of the Search and Rescue team in KwaZuluNatal and Cape Town for a number of years. He is currently a keen hiker, rock climber, a Meet Leader concentrating on classic climbing meets and Chairman of GenCom.
Contact numbers: Home: 021 715 7022; Cell: 083 409
8460
Delaney Carpenter
Proposer: Lester Coelen
Seconder: Brent Jennings
Delaney has been a part of the Cape Town Section
MCSA since 2011 and is an ardent rock climber and outdoor enthusiast. In 2012 she took over the running of the
Annual Montagu Rock Rally and was shortly thereafter
nominated as the Rock SubCom Chair, a position which
she has held up to date. Delaney is responsible for drafting the Bouldering Environmental Management Programme requested by SANParks for the Cape Peninsula
and is working closely with CapeNature and the private
landowners in Rocklands to maintain the land. Delaney
runs her own community-based website called Rock
Chicks and is committed to promoting environmentally
friendly climbing throughout South Africa, as well as encouraging the climbing community to be responsible for
their climbing areas. Delaney is also a member of the
Access and Cape Town General Committees and has
recently started the Youth Programme for the MCSA CT
Section.
Contact details:
083 355 9933, [email protected]
Marian Oliver
Proposer: Brian Lambourne
Seconder: Bridget Carrick
Marian Oliver joined the Cape Town Section in 1992,
while still a member of the UCT Mountain and Ski Club.
She has walked and climbed in the Magaliesberg, Hex,
Cedarberg, Swartberg, Langeberg, Witzenberg, Kouebokkeveld and of course, on the mountain in our back yard.
She has been to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the
Cordillera Blanca in Peru, and the Karakoram in Pakistan.
Mo first used skis (after a fashion) at Waaihoek, and has
since skied at the other end of the Hex, in California and
in France. Whether walking, kloofing or skiing, Mo is generally at her happiest when in the mountains. She was coopted onto GenCom in 2011.
Contact numbers: Home: 021 461 0808, Work: 021 424
2204
Martin Hutton-Squire
Proposer: Brian Lambourne
Seconder: Lester Coelen
Martin Hutton-Squire, MCSA member for 20 years. On
the General Committee for some years. Activities include
the MCSA Properties, Breekkrants, Access issues and
the Table Mountain National Park.
Contact numbers: Home: 021 762 4597; Cell: 082 777
7055
Belinda Oosthuizen
Proposer: Camilla Adelle
Seconder: Brian Lambourne
Belinda joined the Cape Town Section in 1997 and soon
became a regular participant in midweek meets and
weekend trips, as well as the occasional classic rock
climb. In 2009 she volunteered to assist with the club’s
electronic communications, and subsequently became
convenor of the IT-Communications SubCom. She has
served on GenCom for the past five years. She is particularly interested in how membership may be increased and
sustained, the role that the club plays within the broader
local mountain community, and in how these mountains
are viewed and used by Capetonians and visitors alike.
Contact number: 082 299 2039
Brent Jennings
Proposer: Lester Coelen
Seconder: Brian Lambourne
Brent has been a member of the Club since the early 90’s
and has hiked, walked, kloofed, bouldered and climbed
both sport and trad extensively in the Western Cape and
elsewhere. He has been involved in various aspects of
the Club, and served for many years on the Rock Climbing sub-committee, maintaining a particular interest in
issues of access for rock climbing. He is deeply involved
in all facets of search and rescue, and has served on that
sub-committee for many years, being especially focussed
on technical training. Brent has been a member of GenCom for several years.
Contact numbers: Office: 021 403 6994; Cell: 082 403
6994.
Mountain Ears Digest
Office Hours
Will members please note that the office is ONLY OPEN
during the day between 10am and 2pm Monday to Friday
and on a Friday evening between 7:30pm and 8:20pm.
2013 Journal
Please collect your copy from the office, if you have not
already done so.
23
March 2015
CIRCULAR 653
Annual Subscriptions
Please note that annual subscriptions were due on 1
January 2015 and must be paid by latest 30 April 2015.
 Summer (September to March) – weekdays: 07h30 to 19h00 ; weekends and
public holidays: 06h00 to 19h00
 Winter (April to August) – all days: 07h30
to 18h00
Club Properties
The Club owns and manages several magnificent pieces
of unspoilt mountain land. Members are encouraged to
make use of these properties for Club meets and for private outings. Members are also encouraged to interest
themselves in the management of these properties by
contacting the respective convenors and offering to join
their property sub-committee.
*Note: KBG prefers MCSA members to use Gate 3, because it is the entrance least often used by large tour
groups.
Occasionally, a new security staff member may get it
wrong, in which case an informed and polite attitude on
your part should save the day.
Hut Fees
Please note the hut fees:
Unfortunately some of our members occasionally abuse
this privilege, thereby putting continued good relations
with KBG at risk. Please ensure that you are never guilty
of any of the following:

Failure to adhere to the above conditions, and then
arguing with the gatekeeper about it.

Failure to carry a valid card, and then trying to cajole
the gatekeeper into breaking the rules that s/he is
employed to enforce.

Failure to obtain the new year’s sticker in good time,
and then attempting entry with the previous year’s
sticker.

Use of the card to gain entry into the gardens for purposes other than direct access to the mountain.
Agtertafelberg Hut
Cape Town Section Members – R20.00 per night;
Members of other MCSA Sections and UCT members –
R30.00 per night;
Visitors – R50.00 per night
Children under 13 – R5.00 per night
Du Toit’s Kloof Hut and Table Mountain Hut
Cape Town Section Members – R10.00 per night;
Members of other MCSA Sections and UCT members –
R20.00 per night;
Visitors – R40.00 per night
Children under 13 – R5.00 per night
Procedure for Orange Kloof Permits
Permits for Orange Kloof will only be issued on application by telephone (not email) to their Kloof nek office
on 021 422 1601, at least two weeks in advance. Permits can then be collected at the office between 08h00
and 15h30 Monday to Friday, or faxed or emailed to you
by Beulah upon request.
Access to Table Mountain through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
The continuation of the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
concession that allows MCSA members to access Table
Mountain and the MCSA’s TM Hut via Kirstenbosch is
dependent on the conduct of each and every one of our
members. Please take note of the amended opening
and closing times for the Rycroft Gate.*
All members must adhere to the following conditions
at all times:

Show both sides of your MCSA card, with a valid current-year sticker, to the gatekeeper upon entry.

Note that this concession does not apply to Gate
1, the ‘new’ main gate to the Visitors Centre.

For the other two gates, the following applies:
 Gate 2, the ‘old’ main gate to the Garden Centre:
 No entry after 08h30, except…
 When you will be leaving a car overnight
(to stay over at the hut) you must notify
Mr Andrew Jacobs prior to your arrival.
Do so at [email protected] / 021 799
8674 / 073 969 2026, and stipulate the
make, colour and registration number of
your car.
 *Gate 3, the Rycroft or ‘top’ gate:
Mountain Ears Digest
MEMBERSHIP
Distribution of 2015 Membership Stickers
Members are reminded that once payment of their subscriptions have been received, the 2015 membership
stickers will be available at the office or will be posted to
you. If subscriptions are paid after 31 March 2015, the
member must either collect from the office or send a
self-addressed stamped envelope so that the sticker
can be posted to you, otherwise you will not receive a
sticker.
Change of status or resignation
Members are reminded that while they can change
their status during the year, it will only become effective from the beginning of the new financial year. So
if you wish to change your membership status (e.g.
country membership), please let us know before 31
December. We often get requests in February or March,
or even later to make these changes effective from the
preceding January. Unfortunately this is not possible.
42
March 2015
CIRCULAR 653
Newly Elected Members
We welcome the following new members:
Fayrooz Ahmed
Francesca Arton
Nicholas Ashby
Roy Ashton
Michel Bastenie
Rowena Bell
Alistair Black
Celine Bores
Michael Cheney
Steven Clarke
Dorothy Cole
Alison Collier
Mariana de Kock
William De Lapelin Dumont
Jorg Diekmann
Sam du Preez
Ian Duvenage
Daniel Edmiston
Brendan Flack
Alexander Freedman
Victor Freedman
Nicollette Germshuys
Dana Goldberg
Robert-Paul Lewin
David Graham
Alex Hewson
Tony Holmes
Thandi Lamprecht
Annelie Mare
Dillon Marsh
Stuart McConnachie
Ian Meaker
Gavin Memper
Anya Mendel
Andrea Mills
Murray Mitchell
Marele Moolman
Angelique Morris
John Munro
Colin Murray
Darryl Murry
Jason Nicholl
Andre Olivier
Louise Oozeer
Claire Pengelly
Dania Petrik
Benedict Poulter
Timothy Povall
Alessandro Sacerdote
Rudi Scholtz
Michelle Scott
Tim Shier
Colin Sindle
Ian Glass
Robert Graham
Ryana Johnson
Kirsty Killick
Ruth Kohlberg
Sally Lavender
Jessica Law
Uta Lehmann-Grube
Grant Little
Warren Little
Adre Marshall
Robert Martin
Shirley Miksch
Robert Mitchell
Ingrid Nye
Simon Nye
Tim O’Hagan
Catherine Pallett
Esbie Pauw
Anita Peterson
Clemence Petit-Perrot
Jean Phillips
Henri Smith
Leroux van As
Karen van der Westhuizen
Sabine van Elsland
Oliver van Gruting
Julie van Niekerk
Deborah van Veyeren
Karen Wieffering
Peter Worthington
Reinstated
Joanna Jayne
Rejoined
James Harvie
Gabriel le Roux
Fran Siebrits
Transfer from Johannesburg Section
Stephen Abbott
Raoul de Villiers
Deceased Members
With sadness we announce the death of the following
members:
Transfer from KwaZuluNatal Section
Cuan Watkins
Transfer to HottentotsHolland Section
Mark Abelson
Katrin Stuve
Resignations
The following members
have resigned:
Justin Arendse
Nancy Ball
Amelia Bayman
Jess Berndt
Catherine Bierny
Oliver Bierny
Arnold Bok
Dawie Bothma
Mairi Brimble
Tom Campbell
Werner Claase
Edwina Daniels
Mark de Swardt
Pierre de Villiers
Simreen Dhariwal
Jarrett Engelbrecht
David Evans
Alan Garlick
Mountain Ears Digest
Stan Phillips
Theoni Photopoulou
Shane Quinnell
Ralph Raad
Florian Regenfuss
Michael Rice
Ruth Rice
Sarshen Scorgie
Jonathan Skeen
Arjan Smit
Ian Smith
Susanne Streun
George Swingler
Petronella Taljaard
Nicola Tipping
Heidi van Eeden
Nicole Visser
Werner Voigt
Carmen Voigt
Nicholas von Waltsleben
Adam Whiteman
Jannie de V Graaff
- joined 1946 (d.o.b. 19/02/1928)
Tony Gibson
- joined 1970 (d.o.b. 10//02/1941)
Robin Harvey
- joined 1980 (d.o.b. 01/03/1954)
IMPRINT
This issue of Mountain Ears Digest has been published
by the Cape Town Section of the MCSA.
97 Hatfield Street
Cape Town.
Tel: 021 465 3412/ Fax: 021 461 8456
Web: http://cap.mcsa.org.za
Email: [email protected]
Or
[email protected]
Editor: Ineke Moseley
Printing: Blue Mountain Graphics
The views and opinions expressed in Mountain Ears
are not necessarily those of the Mountain Club of
South Africa, it’s Sections, Committees or members.
25
March 2015
BOOK NEWS
Harriet Tuckey: The first ascent - the untold story of
Griffith Pugh - the man who made it possible. Library
#2025
Jim Perrin: Shipton and Tilman - the great decade of
Himalayan exploration. Library # 2026
To get the maximum benefit and enjoyment
out of Jim Perrin’s fascinating history of the
great decade of Himalayan exploration – in
reality a partial biography of the two chief
protagonists – it helps to be at least broadly
familiar with the subject matter. The climbing/exploratory exploits of Shipton and Tilman are well covered in several other worthy volumes but
Perrin does bring a somewhat new perspective to this
crucial period of Himalayan climbing – a time when there
were three full blown attempts on Everest plus a highly
successful reconnaissance of the region in most of which
both Shipton and Tilman were involved. Couple this with
the exploration and ascents of Kamet and Nanda Devi
and this was indeed the golden age of Himalayan exploration.
Perrin brings a somewhat slanted perspective to some of
the background – his obvious antipathy to the British
“establishment” of the time is informative and distinctly
biased as befits a card carrying member of the Communist Party. This view, of course, is at least partly justified
but in this reviewer’s mind, fails to take into account the
social mores of that period of history – a time when the
British Empire was at its opulent height but enormous
social changes were distinctly visible on the horizon.
That being said, Jim Perrin has succeeded admirably in
presenting the complementary characters of Shipton and
Tilman and highlighted their extraordinary achievements.
Achievements which have inspired later generations of
climbers – including this reviewer.
The praise in the comments on the covers
of this book are well deserved . Tuckey
hardly knew her father whilst growing up.
He was a difficult man to live with – often
absent during her childhood, going on expeditions as well as being involved in the
training of British troops, during WWII. At
home he was often verbally abusive to her
and her mother. However she has clear
memories of attending an RGS lecture on the successful
expedition to Everest as a 7 year old. Dr Michael Ward
highly praised her father for his research and adaptations
to the oxygen equipment used and other work connected
with the team. Later when she was an adult, this memory
returned and she decided to research his life. This biography has been meticulously and widely researched. She
conducted interviews of as many people as she could find
who had either worked with or been on an expedition with
her father.
The sections dealing with Everest reveal tensions
amongst the climbers - some of which are not mentioned
in other accounts of the ascent. In fact, hardly any of the
older accounts of the expedition make any reference to
him. The attitudes of the time, shared by many members,
looked down on researchers, claiming that an expedition
was not the place to interrupt the focus of climbers on an
expedition. They either didn’t know or acknowledge the
fact that he was an accomplished mountaineer and had
taken part in Himalayan expeditions previously. Nor did
they recognise the value of physiological research. His
attention to detail, particularly with regard to the oxygen
equipment and the time of oxygen usage. He designed
and had manufactured several items of their equipment ,
amongst others boots, down jackets, waterproof anoraks .
He impressed upon the team the necessity of having appealing foods at altitude as well as advising them how
much liquid they needed for high altitude climbing.
His research work after the expedition the is just as interesting – helping to train British swimmers for Cross Channel swims. And the training of British athletes prior to the
Mexico 1968 Olympic Games.
He did upset his colleagues with his brusque manner and
explosive temper. If he was sidelined in his research,
rather than standing up for himself, he started on different
project He was later given his own office complete with a
budget. Several fellow researchers liked and respected
him – he was a brilliant researcher and wouldn’t hesitate
to perform tests on himself. This biography is sympathetically written whilst not failing to mention his flaws.
A selection of other books recently purchased or received, (a number off fairly recently published books were
donated) are listed below:
Mick Conefrey: Everest 1953 - the epic story of the first
ascent. A good account of the ascent if you have not had
a chance to read any of the slightly older books.
Beck Weathers with Stephen G Michaud: Left for
dead: my journey home from Everest.
Andy Fanshawe: Coming through - expeditions to
Chogolisa and Menlungste.
Voices from the summit: the world’s great mountaineers
on the future of climbing. Many interesting views of leading climbers. Large book #L2015
Graham Pole: Walking in Bulgaria’s National Parks.
An interesting area which is probably not visited much by
South Africans
JOURNALS IN THE LIBRARY.
Please note that these are for reference only.
Photocopy or photograph relevant pages
Mountain Ears Digest
26
March 2015
SOCIALS/COMMENT
Socials Programme April - June 2015
This is the programme so far - it is bound to fill up later.
All shows start at 8:30pm. The Club house is open though from 7.30pm. The Library and climbing wall are also open.
If you have asked for a braai fire, the boma is open from 6.30pm.
Please check the Notice Board for further updates. Speakers are often organised at the last minute
13th March
LOYALTY AWARDS evening at 7:30 PM
The 50/60/70 Year Membership Award Ceremony. Please contact Rose, should you
wish to attend, for catering purposes.
20th March
Club house closed. Public holiday on Saturday
27 March
08:00 PM - Annual General Meeting: 7:30 pm for 8 pm Members only - come and
support your Club and hear what is happening. Come to chat to some on the Committee whom you may not know. Refreshments afterwards.
3rd April
Club house closed: Good Friday
10th April
Andre Bredenkamp - Travelling the Great African Rift valley with Kingsley Holgate
17th April
Wild Coast 5 day trail Port St John’s to Coffee Bay
1st May
Club House closed - Workers’ Day
15th May
Highlights from Patagonia - Oliza Boshoff & Bart Willems will share favourite stories
and photos from Torres del Paine National Park, Cochamo Valley and other areas
22 May
Teodor Iliev will talk on what life is like working as a guide for Venture Forth International, and will include short films by Teodor.
A further comment from the Library
As highlighted on page 6, journals are for reference only. Photocopy or photograph the relevant pages you require.
I am very disturbed to notice that Alpine Journals for 2007 - 2009/10 and the American Alpine journals 2009 and 2012 have gone missing.
If you should see it on a friends’ bookshelf please undertake to return it to the Library.
Ineke Moseley
Mountain Ears Digest
27
March 2015