News

2024 CEDERBERG WILD FLOWER SHOW

Welcome address by

Executive Mayor of the Cederberg, Dr Ruben Richards

22 August 2022 (18h00)

“NG Kerkie” - Clanwilliam

2024 Theme: NOSTALGIA

Program Director (Jan Oosthuisen), thank you for your kind introduction.  As a good Mayor I will follow the instructions I have been given by the organisers which is to welcome everyone including our locals and vistors, but especially our special guests and our guest speaker. But I would not be a real Mayor if I did not say a few extra words.  I promise to not speak for more than one hour.

Programdirekteur (Pastoor Jan Oosthuisen), dankie vir jou vriendelike inleiding.  As 'n goeie burgemeester sal ek die instruksies volg wat ek deur die organiseerders gegee is, naamlik om almal, insluitend ons plaaslike inwoners en besoekers, maar veral ons spesiale gaste en ons gasspreker, te verwelkom. Maar ek sou nie 'n regte burgemeester wees as ek nie 'n paar ekstra woorde gesê het nie.  Ek belowe om nie langer as een uur te praat nie.

For the English speaking guests among us – I promised to not speak for more than one hour.

But on a serious note: it is my pleasure as the Executive Mayor of the Cederberg to formally welcome you all to this 63rd Wild Flower Show here in Clanwilliam, and more generally to welcome you to the Cederberg.  The theme of this years show is Nostalgia.  I suppose when one reaches the age of 63+ years, your body begins to remind you that you are no longer 23 years old.  I suspect that on the other side of 60 years one begins to develop a sentimental longing for the past, typically longing for a period or place with happy personal associations. 

Terwyl ons 63 jaar van hierdie blommefees vier, is dit my voorreg en eer om die Cederberg-Clanwilliam Wildeblomvereniging geluk te wens met hul toewyding om te verseker dat ons altyd die unieke en uitgestrekte biodiversiteit wat hierdie streek kenmerk, onthou en waardeer.

As we celebrate 63 years of this flower festival it is my privilege and honour to congratulate the Cederberg-Clanwilliam Wild Flower Association for their dedication and commitment to ensure that we always remember and appreciate the unique and expansive biodiversity which characterises this region. 

Dit is in hierdie tyd van die jaar, in die Cederberg en spesifiek in Clanwilliam, wanneer die stil en beskeie veld lewendig word in die vorm van sy vertoning van wilde blomme, wat blykbaar skielik uit die niet verskyn in 'n vertoning van 'n manjifieke kaleidoskoop van kleure. Soos 'n wekker ontwaak hierdie wilde en inheemse blomme van die veld en kondig vir ons aan dat die winterseisoen op die punt staan om te eindig en dat die lente op ons voorstoep is.

It is at this time of the year, in the Cederberg and in Clanwilliam specifically, when the quiet and unassuming veld springs to life in the form of its display of wild flowers, which seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere in a display of a magnificent kaleidoscope of colours. Like an alarm clock, these wild and indigenous flowers of the veld awaken and announce to us that the winter season is about to end and that Spring is on our doorstep.

Program Director, with these remarks allow me to recognise some special people and organisations in our midst this evening. 

Eerstens wil ek erkenning gee aan die Departement van Natuurbewaring wat deur Monique Ruhenberg verteenwoordig word.  Sonder jou departement word ons hande afgekap.  Dankie dat julle altyd die toestemming gee het om die blomme te sny.

First, I want to recognise the Department of Nature Conservation represented by Monique Ruthenberg.  Without your department our hands are chopped off.  Thank you for always providing the permission to cut the flowers. 

Then I want to recognise representatives of the municipality – the Director De Ridder and other officials.  Then a special welcome to the Tourism Association represented by its Chairperson, Louise Nortje, accompanied her husband Tobie. 

A special welcome is also extended to Lee-Ann Singer, who is the marketing and sales director of the Singer Group and Western Cape Chairperson of FEDHASA, (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa). 

And then to our legendary Ilse Lochner, Chairperson of the Sakekamer. Welcome to you and your husband Flip.

For purposes of our theme I would like to single out Henriette, the sister of George Grib. Welcome.  A now a bit of local history in keeping with our theme of Nostalgia.

It was Jacy Grib, the mother of Henriette and George, who annually travelled from Lamberts Bay to stay in Clanwilliam for 14 days to help with the preparations for this wild flower show.  I am told that Jacy did not go home weekends and her husband Ben Grib came to Clanwilliam to “kom kuier” with his wife.  Wow! I do not know who was more committed, Jacy who ran after the flowers, or her husband Ben who ran after his flower.

Dit was Jacy Grib, die ma van Henriette en George Grib, wat jaarliks van Lambertsbaai gereis het om vir 14 dae in Clanwilliam te bly om te help met die voorbereidings vir hierdie  blommeskou.  Ek word vertel dat Jacy nie naweke huis toe gegaan het nie, en haar man, Ben Grib, het wel naweke Clanwilliam toe gekom om saam met sy vrou te "kom kuier".  Wow! Ek weet nie wie meer toegewyd was nie, Jacy wie agter die blomme aangehardloop het, of haar man Ben wie agter sy blom aangehardloop het.

What an example of commitment and a lesson especially to our younger generation.  Let’s make sure that we uphold this unique and valuable tradition of our region – “weekends with your wife”- the Clanwilliam, now called, the Cederberg Wild Flower Show.

I close with a special and warm welcome to our guest speaker Leon Kluge and his associate Tristin Wouberg.  Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the presence of greatness tonight.  Leon is an internationally recognised landscape designer, artist, botanist, presenter and writer.  Apart from several gold medals through the years at the Chelsea Flower Festival in London (Britain), he was awarded 3 gold medals this year (2024) as: (1) The top landscape designer, (2) Best New Design and (3) the Best in the “Great Pavillion”.  Leon’s gardens can be seen all over the world in countries such as Sinagpore, New Zealand, Comoros Island, Korea, Spain, China, to name a few countries.

Ladies and gentlemen, join me as we give a warm welcome and a round of applause to our guest speaker Leon Kluge who will now address us.

Ladies and gentlemen,Dames en Here, sluit by my aan terwyl ons hartlik welkom en 'n rondte applous gee aan ons gasspreker Leon Kluge wat ons nou sal toespreek.

ends