Well can you all believe this – the end of the year is nigh! Happy new year for 2023! Who would have thought that, like a thief in the night, 2023 would creep up on us, and is now upon us! Where did 2022 go?

  So much has gone down this year that to list the happenings would require a double page spread – suffice to say that it is now passed, and we look forward to an exciting, happy 2023 ahead of us.

  To all our readers, thank you for giving us of your time to read our publication. We hope and trust that you enjoy the content. To our advertisers, without you and your loyal support, we would not be on the streets on the last Friday of every month – thank you. To our contributors – thank you for contributing and allowing us to publish for gratis. Without you we would not have the quality of content that we have – thank you. To the editorial ‘board’ – thank you for all your input and guidance. I believe that the Kruger2Canyon News is now on another level in terms of newspaper publications in the Lowveld. To my back-office staff – thank you for all your input and hard work in continuing to raise the quality bar of our publication. And then to all those who offer verbal support on an ever-increasing basis – that is what makes this job such fun and rewarding.

  This month the Picky View – our food critic – will not be submitting a column as a holiday came upon him/her/them sooner than expected, and it’s a little difficult to do it from an Indian Ocean Island. Enjoy it now and prepare for a series of contributions in 2023.

  Talking of food, our Veggie Diva spoils us in this edition with an across-the-board bunch of recipes that will be enjoyed by many in town and beyond. You have to try it!

  Spotlight was also hampered, and not covered, because the subject ran off and got married! We’ll have to catch up with him and the good news next month.

  I am also pleased to boast about the fact that two businesses in particular (you know who you are), benefited immensely from advertising in the publication. No names, no pack drill – but since starting advertising these businesses have grown from strength to strength and are now well on their way to becoming very seriously established in the Hoedspruit community, and all in a relatively short space of time – well done!

  The health of our country remains an ever-increasing concern, conservation is struggling on so many levels, and as the article in this publication alludes to, we have to get up and get active! I hope that tourism continues to grow, this will benefit our town hugely. I hope that projects in and around Hoedspruit are considered carefully before actioning, to ensure that we are doing the right thing for the town and not just the right thing politically (and I don’t want to get involved in that)! I believe we should drive to clean up the town next year, try and get all our folk to pull together in the same direction (this clearly is a challenge), and ensure that ‘progress’ does not strip our wonderful town of its character. There is lots of doom and gloom around, but let’s remember where we live – the paradise that we are so privileged to be part of, and try and make sure that we live life to the full.

  What does next year bring for this publication? Well, Kruger2Canyon News has recently embarked into the digital arena, including social media, with a vengeance. It is already bearing fruit and our readership expands every day. This is an exciting field that will continue to be developed over the next half year, to try and get us to a level where we could conceivably compete with many bigger publications in this space. This is exciting. We will continue to publish a newspaper, that without doubt, is the newspaper of choice, and we will strive to keep it relevant, thought provoking, and educational – and lets all learn as we continue on this journey.

  So, to everyone that reads this, their loved ones, and families – here’s to a safe, happy, and fun filled festive season and new year. Let’s be optimistic about 2023, put that out into the universe and let it do its job, in making 2023 a year to remember. Cheers to you all.