SOME ARTICLES FROM OUR July EDITION

Great Brak Post May 2016 free community newspaper for Great Brak River and surrounds

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GREAT BRAK WEATHER

Meditation

is

an

investment

in

your spiritual wellbeing.

Some will describe meditation as food for the soul; cleaning the mind and transforming emotions, leaving you in a state where you feel refreshed and calm. Only during a process of silence are we able to create a setting where mind and thoughts form unison for wisdom to come to the fore. What is meditation not? It is not a religion, conviction, faith or belief. How can you benefit from meditation? The tension that builds up in the body during work and when under stress remains in the body and mind; these need to be defused before there are any benefits from moving into a relaxed state. Meditation supports this transition period. Meditation draws you into a phase of stillness, silence and sensitivity. Breathing plays an important role during meditation which in turn support the flow of toxins out of the bloodstream, thus reducing the effects of stress. Are there different forms of meditation? There are most certainly many different forms of meditation. It is important to spend time to find a form of meditation that can work for your lifestyle. Play as a form of meditation: When we play it opens our heart and allows us to tap into our inner wisdom and creative powers. Gardening as a form of meditation: Working in the soil, planting, nurturing and watering has a healing effect. Walking as a form of meditation: Think of the wonderful feeling after taking a stroll in nature or along the beach Guided meditation where you listen to someone’s voice, accompanied by music, guiding your thoughts or calling up images Painting/Crafting/Sculpturing/Pottery: where you find yourself lost in a world of creativity. Reward yourself with 10 – 20 minutes each day to invest in your spiritual wellbeing - and the rest will follow. References: Airey, R. & Houdret, J. n.d. Alternative Healing. London: Hermes House. Roux, D. 2012. In the Garden of my Heart. Bloomington: Balboa Press.

ROAMING DOGS IN GREAT

BRAK RIVER BECOME A

CHALLENGE

During the last few months, Great Brak River wildlife has been threatened by packs of dogs roaming the bushes and village streets. Smaller pets like cats as well as farm cattle have also fallen victim to these packs and the SPCA’s assistance has been called in. Mynie Mynhardt, Branch Manager of the Garden Route SPCA Mossel Bay stated that the SPCA has a contractual agreement with the Mossel Bay Municipality to keep dogs off the streets and attempt to reduce the population while sterilising the rest. The fact that these dogs are running in a pack and the extent of the area covered by them, puts them into a different category and causes a big problem since it’s impossible to track them down in a specific or predictable place. Even when trapped in a cage, the rest of the pack immediately become ‘cage-wise’ and will refuse being lured into the cage. Why is this happening? Unfortunately illegal breeding in the area, specifically in townships, is completely out of control and the SPCA finds it impossible to stay on top of the situation. To add to this, people who fail to sterilise their pets, often give the offspring to domestic workers to take to rural locations/townships where they continue to breed, are neglected and eventually abandoned. Another problem is that some dog owners cannot afford to fence off their properties. Once confronted by the SPCA or concerned neighbours, ownership is often denied with a “we are only feeding them” answer. The dogs roam the streets, are neglected and breed with other dogs in similar situations. They form packs and the ancient hunting instinct kicks in. Dr Jean du Plessis (Croft Animal Hospital) has also commented that once dogs have experienced hunting as a pack, they will almost certainly not be able to be rehabilitated and it becomes almost impossible to reintroduce them back into society. The Garden Route SPCA Mossel Bay and CAWS 4 PAWS (our local Animal Welfare Society) are working together to try and resolve the current situation in the area. If you see a pack : Try to break up the pack by isolating them from each other (only if they are not aggressive). Do not throw stones at them as this will only make them aggressive, reinforce their wild behaviour and make it more difficult to capture them. If at all possible, try to lure them into a safe area until the SPCA can remove them. The SPCA Garden Route Mossel Bay contact number is 044 693 0824. Residents’ responsibility: All pet owners are responsible for the sterilisation of their animals as well as their safe keeping behind fences. Employees of domestic workers with pets are requested to assist them with organising of the sterilisation of their pets and can contact the Garden Route SPCA Mossel Bay or CAWS 4 PAWS for assistance. This is not a free service but dependent on the worker’s combined household income.

Advertorial: Due to the recent fires in the Garden Route region and the ensuing loss of property, many people are left wondering if their insurance is in order. While considering one’s insurance needs, one must consider whether their property is insured for the right amount. There are real risks to being either under or over insured. The Risk of being Under Insured Being under insured is defined as being in the situation where your insurance cover, this being what your insurance company will pay out, is less than the replacement value for the items claimed. The result is that the insurance company will only pay out a proportional part of the claim. In these circumstances the principle of the “average” is applied. This means that where an item is under insured, the consumer must bear an assessable proportion of the loss, the consumer is to become their own insurer for this amount. The formula determining “average” is as follows: (Sum Insured / Value at Risk) x Amount of Loss Risk of being Over Insured Over insurance on the other hand is where the consumer has bought more coverage than the actual worth of the insured property. In these circumstances the insurance company will only pay out for the actual value of the lost property, regardless of the fact that the consumer has being paying premiums on an amount that is in excess of the amount to be paid out by the insurance company. Conclusion Being under insured, means that the consumer is insured for less than the market value of the property, whereas being over insured means that the consumer is insured for an amount above market value of the property. With under insurance the consumer faces the risk that when the claim is lodged, the insurance company will only pay out a portion of the claimed amount. Whereas when a consumer is over insured they are paying too much in premiums from the moment the value of the insured property is less than the amount insured. In light of the above it is up to the consumer to ensure that their property is insured for the correct value, if necessary this should be done through a proper valuation. Should any consumers require assistance with the valuation of their property please do not hesitate to contact Millers Inc. who can offer expert service in the field of insurance law. By Lefevre S Joubert 044 874 1140 lsj@millers.co.za

Residents of the Resting Palms Private Frail Care centre were treated to a morning of pampering by 10 interns from the Great Brak River Youth Café. Their aim was, as part of youth month, to give back to the elderly in the community, a token of their appreciation for contributions made throughout their lives to the youth and community. Started in 2015 by Bronwyn Thiart, Resting Palms looks after 11 frail and elderly people. Bronwyn employs 11 staff who offer a 24 hour service to these live in and day care patients. I spoke to Nicky Yona and Lluyle Arendse, 2 of the Youth Café interns. This initiative was a joint effort and aligns with their future aims to do similar community projects where they offer their time and skills. The idea is to get sponsors from the local business community, who provide the necessary commodities to carry out these projects, or businesses who offer a project of their own. All ladies present were treated to pedicures, manicures, and hairdos. The Youth Café interns were sponsored by Pep Stores, Pure Senses and Nogasie who supplied the necessary beauty products to make this outreach project a beaming success.