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HALLOWEEN!!
So the weather finally played along on Sunday 6th November! The party may have been a week late due to the rain but great fun was had by all. It is fantastic to be able to use our parks for such lovely community building events. A massive thanks to the residents of Pypies Square for putting up with the onslaught on their doorsteps once again. Also it would not have been possible without the Spar, Timeless Toys or Knights Catering and so many volunteers. Here are some of the photos but please send us some more if you have them.
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DPVwatch AGM
Please join us for our AGM on the Tuesday 18th October at 19:00 at Herzlia Primary School (corner Clairwood and Clifford Rds). Hear what we have been up to over the last year, the highs and lows and our successes. Listen to the Don Pinnock who we are lucky enough to have as our guest speaker.
Hope to see you there.
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Dishing up the Haven
Thanks to volunteers who continue to go to the Haven and assist them in serving the evening meal.
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Haven Cook Up!
Thank you to the Haven Night Shelter for allowing volunteers from DPVwatch to invade their kitchens to cook and serve some meals for the homeless. DPVwatch arranged for two groups of volunteers to cook a lunch for 40 people and then a dinner for 100 people! Many thanks for the individuals who gave of their time to join in. It was such a rewarding day for all the volunteers and the Haven and people living there were really touched by it. There is a huge amount of value that DPVwatch volunteers can offer to the kitchen at the Haven – not only with their time but in their expertise as well. We hope that this is the start of regular adventures in the Haven kitchen and would encourage everybody to get involved.
The Haven is so important for many reasons but primarily as it is the closest night shelter to our area and as a result has a potentially significant impact on the homeless people in our area. The Haven has been a great support to DPVwatch in allowing their social worker to come to our area and see the issues we face with homelessness and assist us in tackeling the problem areas. If you would like to get involved with the next Haven Cook Up or assist the Haven in any other way then please send us an e-mail to community@dpvwatch.co.za.
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Meet our Top Cops!
DPVwatch and SAPS held a very successful IMBIZO on the 20th July. Thanks to Herzlia for again letting us use their Hall. It was a great opportunity for the community to meet the SAPS management and to see their fierce dedication to our neighbourhood. SAPS came out in full force with all department and sector heads as well as the Station commander.
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Light Vigil Walk
On the 13th April Candle Light Vigils are held across the city to raise awareness of the crime situation. They were started in the BKMwatch area to commemorate the murder of Jane van Zyl. This year we wanted to try and unit the community together but also do something active which is why we opted to walk. Thank you to those members who were able to come together for this walk. A neighbourhood watch is not about somebody else looking after us but each of us doing our bit to look after our individual and collective safety. Many thanks to the Spar as always who were keen supporters of this walk. They not only joined us for the walk but also donated a fantastic prize which was won by Riaan after the walk. We urge you to try to be active in your area as many hands not only make light work but can mean a fantastically safe area for us all to enjoy.
Please join us for the next DPVwatch event or join us on a patrol.
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Valentine's Day Concert - update
PYPIES SQUARE GATES
June 2010 to Valentine’s day 2011
As most people who are members of DPV watch will know, our neighbourhood watch was “born” in Pypies Square by the residents who live around the square. The local residents know each other because the square has a lovely little fenced off park which is used by moms and dads, dog owners and residents as a quiet spot and a safe play ground.
To our utter amazement our beautiful Victorian iron gates were stolen from under our noses during the day in June 2010. We had to act quickly to secure the park and were lucky to have a pair of wooden gates given to us which we managed to hang. Parks and Forests were notified, but of course they needed to budget for a replacement gate, so after 6 months we decided to make our own steel gates.
Generous and concerned residents donated the steel, the design and their time to make a new set of gates which have been hanging since December 2010. The various residents who helped had to fork out for some expenses which they were hoping would be refunded by Parks and Forests, but once again a Pypies Square resident came forward to help. Dawie, who always puts on our lovely Valentine’s Day Concert, has donated the proceeds to the gates fund.
It just shows the power of a close community! WELL DONE EVERYONE!
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Grass Boots Prize-giving
Please note that Grass Boots will be holding the end of 2010 season prize-giving on Sunday, 19th September 2010 at their home grounds. The event will take place between noon and 14h00, starting with some fun soccer activities and then an awards ceremony from around 13h15.
Parents, please be advised that every child, with the exception of the U13 team, will be receiving a certificate. It is hoped that in this way, each child will feel valued but perhaps you will keep this a surprise for your child on the day?
Each family is welcome to bring along a picnic or something to eat, although our tuckshop will be running with the usual sweets and choccies available. Our “sponsored” players will be provided with a boerewors roll on the day but this is not something we will be able to provide everybody.
We hope that you will join us! Please contact Stuart on the day should the weather look threatening : Cell - 083 786 7688 or E-mail - stuart@rwf.co.za
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Patrol Training
The next Patrol Training will be on Wednesday, 29th September 2010 at 20h00. For those of you wishing to take part and to find out venue details, please send an RSVP to contact@dpvwatch.co.za.
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World Cup 2010 - patrolling!
Click on the image to view the description.
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5 June 2010 - Grass Boots invites our neighbourhood security warriors to our bring and braai!
Hi DPV Friends!
On the 5th of June 2010 @ 2pm, Grass Boots FC will be planting trees, shrubs (all donated) on the field. The aim of this is to teach our youth the value of Urban Green Spaces and the role they play in the community. Also, what we want to achieve with this event, is to create contact between various community organisations and open channels of discussion about the field.
There are many people in the area who have yet to meet me or hear what we do at Grass Boots. I will ensure that there are balls for the little ones while we do some planting and braaing. The other great chance here is that people will have the chance to plant something and leave their legacy in this space.
I hope that many of you would like to be part of this and see the value in it.
Your Friend,
Grass Boots (or Stu to his friends) -
Ladies soccer every Wednesday evening!
Hey Ladies! Don’t let winter be an excuse to let those kilo’s pile on…
Women’s Health Online Magazine says that by doing interval training, involving walking and running, whilst following a balanced diet you can get fitter and slimmer in just 6 weeks.
Now as the fairer sex are known for their ability to multi-task, let’s add some ball-skills to the mix and voila! Grass Boot’s Ladies Soccer-Themed Training is born!
Every Wednesday evening from 17h30-18h30 at the Yeoville Road field.
All levels of fitness and experience welcome.
R25 per session.
All proceeds to go to buying soccer boots for MyLifE junior players.
If you commit for 6 weeks, not only will you come out feeling fitter, but your contribution would have bought a pair of soccer boots for a child!
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Light Vigil
On Tuesday evening, 13 April 2010, community members from across the city bowl gathered on Tafelberg Road in remembrance of victims of crime. The light vigil was one of a number of similar gatherings across the greater city initiated by BKMwatch and organized locally by the city bowl neighbourhood watches. After introductions by Solli Philander and short speeches by our ward councilor Belinda Walker and Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith, the crowd was further inspired by the newly released SHOUT song. Community members stood together to physically spell the word SHOUT with torches alight greeting a low-flying helicopter which filmed the vigils across the city. It was a powerful moment and was followed by words from Colonel Joseph from Cape Town Central SAPS, who also lead the crowd in a period of quiet reflection. The event showed that it’s not only important to remember those who have suffered at the hands of crime, but reminded communities how important their collective roles are in the fight against crime. DPVwatch has no doubt that this will become an annual event that will grow in numbers and strength.
Click on this link to view flyer: light_vigil_m….pdf
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Grass Boots FC Soccer Festival 22 March 2010
Vredehoek celebrated Human Rights Day on 22 March 2010 with the inaugural Grass Boots FC five-aside soccer festival. The brainchild of Vredehoek resident Stuart Diamond, Grassboots FC was set up to use the open field on the corner of Buitenkant and Yoeville roads to teach youngsters from both in and outside the community soccer skills. This was evident with teams assembled from around the peninsula to compete in the festival. The ever-present South Easter did not dampen the enthusiasm, with a match between Democratic Alliance and Virgin Active finishing off a very successful event. While the development of footballing skills is a worthy cause in itself, DPVwatch is particularly supportive of the constructive use of one of the neighbourhood’s open spaces.
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Dancing Queen
On Friday 5th March, a large number of DPVWatch members (and folks from other communities) took the tricky trip across to the other side of town to enjoy a trip down memory lane with ABBA and Queen at the Barnyard theatre. Thank you to everybody who rallied your friends, families and colleagues together for a great night!
A great time was had by all, and reports of “air guitaring” in living rooms and showers across the DPV community nearly crashed our website. After all, air guitaring, when over 30 years of age, is a criminal offence!!
Many thanks to Graeme Logie, Julia Vorster and Gretna Du Toit for all their hard work in putting this together. The proceeds from the ticket sales will go towards new posters for the roads around DPVwatch area – keep a look out.
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Valentine's Day Concert in the Park
Valentine’s Day may be better known as a match-up for two, however for the second year running, the Devil’s Peak and Vredehoek communities came together in the Pypies Square park to enjoy the sounds of the euphonious Pypies Plein Players. Again led by Dawie de Waal, a resident on the square, this year’s Valentine’s Concert attracted a large gathering of local residents and a number of visitors from further a field.
The South Easter stayed away ensuring a tranquil setting for the hosts to get through a range of romantic classics for the ‘picnicked’ older folk while the throng of children gave the park’s play facilities a thorough ‘once-over’. The evening provided not only great entertainment, but represented a clear reminder of how residents can use their facilities towards fostering a real sense of community.
A massive thanks to Dawie and his crew for putting this together!
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Patrol Training - postponed until 3 Feb 2010
Please note: This event has been tentatively postponed until Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
Wednesday, 27th January 2010 at 18h00 : This is following on from the fantastic success of the first session on the 30th November 2009. Everybody is welcome and encouraged to attend, see you there!
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Raffle
DPV held a raffle at the end of 2009 to raise funds to give something back to SAPS to show our appreciation. We were overwhelmed by the support that the neighbourhood showed in this initiative and we are super grateful to the people who bought tickets - whether it was just one ticket or 50 tickets, a big thank you! A massive thank you must also go to the people who kindly donated the prizes. We exceeded our target and the excess funds raised will be kept aside to be used when we host a braai for SAPS which we hope to do later in the year. We were able to give something to all the shifts working in the area as well as the people who are down at the station managing the phones and the radios in the control room.
Congratulations to the following prize winners:
Peggys Famous Christmas Cake - A Jones
J&B Whisky - Alma Taylor
Chivas Regal - Mark Allwel
Wine - Heye DuanA massive thanks for your generosity from all at DPVwatch!
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Grass Boots FC Training fun
Local kids and those from the Amy Biehl Foundation enjoying themselves while learing the game of football!
Well done to Stuart Diamond for turning a neglected piece of land into an area for kids to enjoy! -
Halloween Fun - 31 October 2009 at Pypies Square
An afternoon of Halloween fun was had by all!
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Tai Chi at Pypies Plein
Join us for Tai Chi at Pypies Plein from 08h00 - 09h00 on Sunday, 25th October 2009.
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AGM - 8th October 2009
DPVwatch held its first AGM on the 8th October and a big thank you to Herzlia for hosting us once again. Thank you to the community for the excellent turnout which is an indication of the support and interest in this initiative. Advocate Andrew Brown was the guest speaker and gave us a unique look into the world of being a reservist, advocate and somebody who has had their own brush with the law. We had representatives from SAPS, the Community Police Forum, CBAR, ADT and our ward councilor Belinda Walker was also there to field some questions from the audience. We heard about the activities that DPVwatch has been involved in over the last year and what is planned for the future. The chairperson also spoke about the crime in the area and the significant impact that DPVwatch has had on bringing this down.
But as always it was stressed that we can’t do this alone. Everybody involved is a volunteer who has given a huge amount of time and resources to their community. However we are very aware that we need to increase the number of members, patrollers and radio holders in order to ensure the sustainability of the watch! DPVwatch calls on all members of the community to get involved in whatever way they can!
The audience was all invited to attend the Halloween Party on the 31st October and to keep their eyes peeled for information about an end of year braai with SAPS.
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Grass Boots FC
Established 2009
Grass Boots FC is a City Bowl initiative supported by the City of Cape Town and members of our community. The clinics will be aimed at boys and girls to learn about the beautiful game of soccer. We will be hosting weekly clinics on a Saturday and Sunday from 09h00 to 10h10 at the Yeoville Road Field in Yeoville Road, Vredehoek. We will accommodate training for U7, U9 and U11 youngsters with a cost of R20.00 a session.
We are starting on the 17 and 18 October 2009. All you need to do is to first book your spot and then come down to have some fun.
Should you wish to have a soccer party with games being organized or coaching being held we can help you with this.
To book a spot please call Stuart Diamond on 083 786 7688.
Supported by DPVwatch!
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Plantation Clean Up - August 2009
The area known as the Plantation in Vredehoek has become increasingly popular with vagrants. Unfortunately, it has degenerated not only into one big drinking spot and dumping ground for rubbish and human excrement but also, most recently, a place of danger especially for women who take short cuts through the plantation from De Waal Drive to Crassula Avenue on their way to the Vredehoek Devil’s Peak area. Because of this, a work party of DPV Watch volunteers, equipped with power saws, hedge cutters, black bags & bins, gloves and lots of energy, had a clean up of the area on a very cold August Saturday morning. While this was in progress, people walking though the plantation on their way to work were asked to be cautious and, if possible, to walk in pairs or in a group. Various ‘hot spots’ in the plantation were cleared of dense bushes and undergrowth or flagged for follow-up and, hopefully, ongoing maintenance by the Cape Town City Council Cleansing and Parks & Forests. Many thanks to the DPV watch team for this community effort.
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Devils Peak Fire
Attached are some of the photos of the fire that caused a night of chaos for most residents of Devils Peak and Vredehoek. We have been saddened to hear that Chantal Seerman passed away - a week after her husband, Raymond Johnson. Thank you to the members of DPVwatch and the rescue services who tried to assist them.
A massive thank you to everybody who assisted on the night, who rallied around to support the fire fighters and brought them bottles of water and food. A big thank you to Pick n’Pay for their donations and to Baccinis’ Pizzeria on Kloof Street for providing pizzas for the exhausted firemen. We certainly owe all the firefighters a huge debt of gratitude.
Because of our radio network DPVwatch was able to be on the scene - waking people up and evacuating them before the authorities arrived and the roads became a virtual gridlock. Thank you to all the members for spending the night assisting residents and working tirelessly to try and keep the roads open so that the emergency vehicles could do their work. We have received such warm feedback from members which is greatly appreciated. Some feedback is below:
“Many thanks to all from the DPV Watch who did such a sterling job last night. We are proud of all of you.”
“No doubt, you’re exhausted so I just want to say for now…. A huge, huge Thank You for waking me and for the amazing effort you put in throughout the night.”
“You are one of the heroes”
“We have recently joined up to DPV Watch, what a great service thanks guys!”
“Thanks to you for all your hard work and focused energy ” -
Community Clean up
A massive thank you to everybody who so generously donated their time, money and energy to the greater good of the entire community. Despite the intense heat and amazing amount was achieved. Not only are there now less places for would be criminals to seek refuge but we were also able to rid the area of a lot of alien vegetation. There is still some more clearing needed which we hope to get in the near future – perhaps on a cooler day! Thank you to those of you who were not able to make it but most generously donated come extra manpower!
Thank you to Theresa and Earl for spearheading this project – lets hope it is the first of many to come!
Don’t forget that even if you are not able to be an active patroller for your community that there are still many other ways to assist! -
Valentines Day in Pypies Plein
Come and celebrate a relaxed Valentines Day with your loved ones and family in the Pypies Plein Park
Bring a picnic and some candles and be entertained by gentle live music.
All proceeds will go toward DPVwatch
A massive thank you to Dawie for organising this event and again making the most of our open spacesSaturday 14th February
18:30 - 20:30
Donations of R10 per adult requested.
Weather permitting. -
Self Defense Course
On 25 November about 30 DPVwatch members elected to attend a two-hour self defence training session kindly offered to us at no charge by an organization called CSO (Community Security Organization). The course was held at Herzlia School in Chelmsford Road, in the same room that we had our very successful DPV Watch launch on 2 September 2008. So, almost three months later there were 30 people all fired up and ready to learn about self defence.
We were split into two groups of 15 people each; our group went into a room where two instructors took us through the steps of information gathering that we should be doing as active members of the community. We were made aware of what criminals look for when planning a crime, which helped us assess our own security at home as well as while just going about our daily routine. One point that was strongly made was that we should trust our instincts and report suspicious behaviour and not wait hours or days before doing so.
NOTE
When on patrol, we should carry a whistle, camera, torch, cell phone, pen and paper.
When we see someone suspicious or an incident to report:
*write it down immediately so details not scrambled or forgotten.
*describe things that can’t change/then move on to things that can be changed, for example:- Male or female
- Colour of person
- Age of person.
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Height don’t use mm or inches – compare the person to your height or something which other people will know.
5 Build - Hair
- Look for shoes and watches generally people don’t think to change them, even if they change other clothing
We could hear quite a lot of loud thudding in the room where the second group was doing self defence.
After an hour we swapped with them and were taken through the steps of defending ourselves against the more common forms of unarmed attack. These included two types of strangulation each having its own particular response. It was well put together and we all got involved practising on a partner; the instructors were superbly trained and provided protective gear so we could go all out at practising the defence moves.
The two sessions were one hour each, we learnt a lot about ourselves as well and the workings of a criminal. Thanks to CSO for giving us their time and sharing with us their expertise.
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Christmas Cake Raffle
Congratulations to Kari Lager who was a very deserving winner of the Christmas Cake Raffle. Kari bought an amazing 100 tickets to it certainly went to the right home. We hope you enjoy it with your family over Christmas.
Thank you to Captain Jansen who did the official draw for us at the EXCO meeting! Making sure all was above board.All the pictures are attached.
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Halloween in the Park
Well done to the Vass Family for organising a wonderful evening in the Pypies Square park. It was fantastic that so many of you came along with your families, picnics and wonderful outfits.
Lets hope that it is the first of many community events in our parks!