Kloof High School Matric 40th Reunion

I've been busy organising our Kloof High School Matrics of 1975 reunion dinner. Here's the speech I wrote for mine and it's been fun getting info from my other school mates coming in so we can share the success stories.. ha ha. Classmates have been spread across the globe. For anyone more interested here's the link to our Facebook group.

Madagascar Expedition in our plane

For 9 days we flew the ocean and toured Madagascar.. 35 hours of flying including 12 over the sea in our 2-seater single engine Sling Aircraft as part of a tour of 6 planes last week. The Mozambique Channel crossing was 890 kms there and the same back. We did a total of 6 flights over the sea including to the island Ile Sainte Marie and the 220km crossing of the Bay of Maputo each way.

Read the full story and pics on my aviation blog at this link.

The route we followed up Mozambique then crossing the Channel to Madagascar

Lemurs in Madagascar

The island off Madagascar - Ile Sainte Marie

Europa Island in the middle of the Mozambique Channel we flew over

Llew and I kitted out with life jackets and vests, life raft and marine safety equipment in the event of ditching in the sea

Just sea, sky and a haze for the 890 km Mozambique Channel crossing

Selfie with a giant Baobab tree at Morondava, Madagascar

The majestic Baobab trees in the Avenue of Baobabs, Morondava

Yay !!

Yay, it's raining and my grass is growing. We did a revamp of the front garden recently raising the ground level after it was slowing eroding and sloping away. I planted some new grass and today we are having our first storm and the welcome rain is lashing down now.

Yay, I will be seeing my son and daughter in the next two weeks. Kate-Lynn is presently in Nepal on a hiking trip, but will be returning to Busan in South Korea where my son, flying in from Cape Town, will be going to visit her with me.

We are stopping off in Shanghai, via Dubai, first and will spend an action-packed 2 days seeing the lights of Shanghai before meeting up with Kate.

Prayer flags on the buildings in Nepal where Kate is touring

Kate's hostel/guesthouse in Nepal

Kate on her hike in Nepal

Yay, I passed my flight test today for my National Flight Instructor Rating so will now be able to train my own pilots at the flight school I started with my aviation partner Brad, operating from Virginia Airport in Durban. We handle fixed wing and microlight pilot training. Check our Flight School website here - http://www.durbanskyye.co.za

Airline Pilot Johnny (right) takes Dave for his Instructor's Flight Test

Dave's plane, a Sling ZU-ZDL

The week

Kate-Lynn's crew in Busan, South Korea, just won a silver medal in their Whale Boat Race. Awesome team, well done.

Kate is the one holding the oar up of course

Great race to win the Silver Medal 

and on the other side of the world...

It was also Mark's last few days in warm Durban before heading back to the freezing and wet Cape winter. Saturday we had a family lunch to say goodbye and today I took him to the airport for the flight home to Stellenbosch where he is doing his Masters in Engineering.

Granny (my mom), Mark and his mom

Mark and I at King Shaka posing for a selfie

Kate gets her Honours degree in Special Needs Education

Kate-Lynn is in Busan, South Korea on the south east coast - a city that appears from the photo to be positioned a little like Durban... a mountainside (our Berea) looking down at the seaside city with the Bluff on the other side of the bay.. we're still waiting for our bridge across the bay though!!

Tarryn and Kate in Korea

Congratulations to Kate-Lynn (right) and her friend Tarryn who both achieved their Honours degree in Special Needs Education with distinctions. Wow, incredible hard work and well-deserved.

They both lectured at Embury Institute, a college of Education in Durban, where they got their B.Ed degrees two years ago and have just resigned to take a "gap" year teaching English in Korea.

Here's a YouTube video clip that gives a great idea of what the city looks like. And here's the Jangsang Mountain on the outskirts of the city.

There's also a fabulous beach in Haeundae where Kate is based, although it seems it can get pretty crowded when the weather is good.

Haeundae Beach - they have "cars" on the beach?

Night rating and PPL Certificate

Thanks to The Wings Club for the presentation of my PPL and Night Rating Certificate awarded last week at their periodic Achievements Award Evening. I got my PPL licence last April and my Night rating earlier this year. 

Celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Congratulations to the Queen of England on her Diamond Jubilee. As Deputy Mayor of Durban in 1994, I had the rare privilege of hosting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to the Mayor's Tea Party in the Durban City Hall to mark her first official visit to Durban after our change of National Government earlier that year. Prince Phillip was particularly chatty and friendly and it was great to be able to meet and chat to both the Queen and the Prince. The Royal Yacht Brittania in Durban Harbour was home to the Royal family for the few days they were here.

Later we fetched the kids and they also got to meet the Queen on one of her walk-abouts around the City Hall on this historic visit. Awesome experience and an incredible lady, an honour to have been able to meet!

Kate-Lynn Graduates Top Achiever 2011

Our incredible daughter scooped all 3 top academic awards at her Graduation Ceremony today. Not only did Kate-Lynn graduate with a B.Ed. degree in foundation phase teaching, she was awared the Top Academic Achiever Award, Top Award in Teaching Practice and Overall Top Achiever Award for her class of 2011 and also picked up a Special Reseach Prize for her efforts and one of only 2 students to make a formal presentation at an Education Conference at the end of last year.

Well done Kate-Lynn, this is an amazing achievement and follows top student awards each of the 4 years of her degree training. I am so proud of you!!!

Here's the link to more pics on Facebook.

Awarded my Wings today

Today was an awesome day as I completed my flight test and was awarded my wings - National Pilot's Licence in our Sling airplane. My instructors Brad (left) and Noel (right) congratulate me on the achievement. Thanks guys for your guidance and great training. Check more photos on my flying blog here.

Kate-Lynn's first job

We were out celebrating with a sushi-feast last night as Kate-Lynn scooped her first job for when she completes her teacher training B.Ed at the end of this year- and it's a lecturing post at her training college. Wow that's awesome and a great achiement!! Well done big girl and another milestone.

So we were out celebrating the big news.

Dave's First Notarial Deed

Dave puts the seal on the first Notarial Deed he has executed as a Notary Public. It was a Notarial Deed of Encroachment - some buildings on one property encroached slightly into another and the Deed established a new title deed condition on both adjacent properties authorising the encroachment. This was a pre-requisite to regularise the buildings and obtain plans approval.

Once executed, Dave sends the Deed with the title deeds of the properties to the Deeds Office in Pietermaritzburg and the Notarial Deed gets registered and the new condition is endorsed on the properties' title deeds.

The end of 27 years

It's our 27th birthday at Mc Naught and Co and 1st March we go forward into our 28th year.

Thanks to all for the tremendous support over the years. Here's staff Tracey-Lee and Val in the top pic - Val says she has been with us 18 years, but it seems forever ha ha. Also in the photos are friends Jaco and Gail from Re/Max.

Deputy Mayor of Durban 1994/1995

My son Mark and his mates are at an age where they are growing stubble/beard tufts and looking at my weekend stubble they suggested I should grow a beard. None of them seemed to know that I grew one for 10 years and during my time as Deputy Mayor of Durban in 1994/5.

So I found one of my old photos for you, including the big glasses!! I think this photo was taken at my inaugural acceptance speech at the City Hall in 1994. This was before digital photography so I scanned  it and uploaded. I shaved it off when the little white patches started to spread wildly.

 

Enrolled as Notary Public

When my articled clerk, Mark (left) failed his first attempt at his Notary's exam, I promised that when he re-wrote it, I woulld do the same... so not only did Mark come first in the KwaZulu-Natal exam, but I also made it out of only 3 attorneys to qualify and today we were both admitted to practice as Notaries Public in the High Court at Pietermaritzburg. Pat on the back for teaching old dogs new tricks.!

Cousin climbs Mt Elbrus in Russia

Having just got back from our Baltic cruise, including a night in St Petersburg, Russia, it was interesting to hear my cousin Michelle is presently climbing Mt Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia.

Says their team leader Sean.. " Elbrus is not technical in comparison to any of the other Seven Summits (7 continents he has climbed) but it does require an ability to cope with Russia’s extreme cold, the altitude and the horrific electric storms that are common in this geologically troubled region. The southern Caucasus is highly volcanic and Elbrus itself is a twin peaked volcano’. Elbrus is a dormant but not an extinct volcano.

Go for it Michelle!