| 31 March 2008 |
CVA E-Newsletter #6 |
In this issue:
Contact Us :
Tel: +27 (0)73 561-6769
info@constantiavalley.com
Welcome
Dear Members,
It has been a very busy 2008 thus far and we are pleased to announce that the Constantia Valley brand is coming along in leaps and bounds. We are receiving a steady flow of emails from visitors to our site with the most common question being "where can I host my wedding?" With that in mind our website guys at Generator are working on a special wedding page. Thanks to all of the members who sent in their wedding packages, I hope to have the information live on the site in the near future.
Belinda Thom who has been working at the CVA for the past 6 months tendered her resignation in March and all of us at the CVA wish her well in her future endeavors..
The CVA has signed up eleven new members and we give a warm welcome to;
Jakes in the Village, Theo's at Constantia Village, Leapfrog Property, Elephants Eye Lodge, Greens at High Constantia, Wang Thai at High Constantia, The Noble Grape at High Constantia, Cape Town Fish Market Steenberg Village, Barbarellas at Constantia Village, Rohms Consulting and Simon McCullagh Architects cc.
Finally, we will begin formulating the 2008/9 version of the Constantia Valley Association brochure at the end April. I will be contacting all of you to discuss your advertisements and any changes that you might have. If any of your contact details have changed please let me know.
Until next time,
Kind regards
Jooles and the Constantia Valley Association Team.
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In Memory Of ...
The Constantia Valley suffered a huge loss in March when well known and popular restauranteur Frank Swainston passed away after being ill for some time.
Frank who was born in England in 1937 and moved to South Africa in the late 60's opened Constantia Uitsig Restaurant with the owners of Constantia Uitsig some fifteen years ago. The restaurant shot onto the top ten restaurant list and has maintained its reputation locally and internationally ever since.
A meal at Constantia Uitsig Restaurant is a favourite outing for many of us but it has to be said that the occasion was always enhanced when Frank wandered over to your table, plonked himself down and entertained all with his delightfully wicked sense of humour. He was a rare breed of gentleman and his absence will be felt for many years to come.
"Frank was one of those exceptional and unique characters. It will be a long time before I can walk into Uitsig restaurant and not expect to see him sitting at the bar chatting with the regular patrons. He is sadly missed" Ian Kilbride – Chairperson CVA
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Autumn at the Alphen
The next membership function will be held at the Alphen Hotel on May 19th starting at 7 pm. Please make a note in your diaries. Invitations will be sent to you closer to the time but knowing how busy our members are we thought we would give you plenty of notice so that you don't miss out on what is to be another fantastic get together for all who are associated with the ever growing Constantia Valley Association. The dress code for the evening is very smart and tickets will be limited to 100 guests.
Did you know?
The Cloete family bought the Alphen Estate in 1850. They made wine and farmed export fruit. The first Cloete, Jacob Cloete, a mercenary from Cologne, sailed to South Africa with Jan van Riebeeck. The family prospered and various members, at one time or other, owned many of the important Cape Dutch estates, including Groot Constantia. During the 1960's Sandy Bairnsfather Cloete, was forced to sell off most of the land because of encroaching urbanization. He converted the Manor House and certain other buildings into a country house hotel. The present owners, Nicky and Dudley Cloete-Hopkins, have reacquired certain adjacent properties, formerly part of the farm, and restored and converted the cellars, stables and coach house into offices. The buildings now stand on 16 acres. Alphen's great square was declared a National Monument in 1973. Nicky Cloete-Hopkins is a member of the Constantia Valley EXCO.
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News from our members
Piggies Market
Since its opening in mid 2007, Porter Estate Produce Market has grown from strength to strength - thanks to the support of its local and foreign visitors alike. This quaint market has proven to be more than just "the best way to get your hands on the freshest produce and local crafts"... but also a little Saturday-morning ritual adding to a sense of community. If you have not been, this should be on your list of things to do next Saturday. It is situated on the Chrysalis Academy, close to the Tokai Manor House. "The most important lesson learnt over the past (almost) year", says market manager Gail Coetzee, "is to come early - the best produce on offer seems to disappear within moments after the 9am opening time!" Porter Estate Produce Market is open Every Saturday from 9am to 1pm. visit pepmarket.co.za for more information.
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The Range
The Range has recently closed the day restaurant and will from now on be concentrating on conferences and specializing in functions. No need to despair though as they are still open to the public on Sundays for their famous and truly scrumptious buffet breakfast and carvery lunch.
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Jooles and the CVA Team |
