When Rotarian and Adult Scouter Penelope Colly recently told me that, as part of Hoedspruit Rotary’s Youth Leadership Development programme, ten scouts from the Acornhoek Scout Group would be sponsored to attend a Koru Camp experience, it set off a flood of memories.
In January 1990, four visionaries — Clive Walker, Marilyn Dougall, Laurie Wright, and Frances Gamble — gathered with a shared purpose: to bring structure, credibility, and professional standards to a field that had, until then, relied purely on passion and bush intuition. With a modest fund of R1,000, the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) was born.
Ten years on, the Rotary K2C Cycle Tour is more than just a ride. It is Rotary Hoedspruit’s flagship fundraiser – and this year it raised a staggering R650,000 distributed at the awards evening hosted at The Clubhouse.
October is a month that shakes the dust off your boots. Expect sharp turns, bold conversations, and opportunities that look risky but pay off if you’ve got the grit to follow through. Relationships spark — some with fire, others with friction. Money matters tighten early in the month but loosen their grip mid-way if you stay disciplined. Above all, October rewards courage: fortune is flirting with the brave.
On 4 September 2025, Century 21 South Africa rolled out the red carpet at Arabella Golf Estate in the Western Cape for its annual Pearl Awards – the flagship celebration of excellence across the real estate industry. Principals, managers, and top agents from all 43 franchises gathered for a day of insights and a black-tie evening that honoured the best in the business.
At 35, Eksoda has lived with type 1 diabetes for 17 years. Today, he stands as a pillar of strength in Hluvukani, a rural community where access to healthcare is patchy and awareness of chronic illness is scant. Once a young teenager shackled by fear and misunderstanding, he now dedicates his life to ensuring that no child with diabetes in his village faces the same loneliness he endured. His story is one of hardship, resilience and hope.
In Hoedspruit, business is more than just a job for the Pienaar family, it’s a way of life. Sisters, a brother, and their daughters have combined their skills, passions, and hard work to create a diverse network of thriving businesses.
A new computer laboratory has opened at Nhlengelo Primary School in Burlington, Acornhoek – capping a decade-long, community-driven effort that pulled together international funders, local NGOs and a determined set of volunteers to give rural learners a digital foothold.
On a bright veranda surrounded by Lowveld trees at the Wits Rural Campus on 7 August 2025, a traditional leader, a social science professor and a young activist engaged in a vibrant discussion about waste and the lack of waste management services in rural Bushbuckridge. Though they came from very different worlds, they soon realised they were all speaking about the same urgent challenge – how to turn this environmental and social issue into opportunities by unlocking value from what is typically considered just “trash”.
