Bergvliet

The year is flying along and no doubt we shall soon be preparing for the AGM. The Association has been very busy and there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day (or night). As you will see above, we have experienced some changes to the Executive Committee since the last newsletter. I wish to express my appreciation once again to those who have served on the committee and welcome those who were recently added to the committee. Michael Roper did not stand for re-election last year and Jacqueline Edmiston has this year resigned from the committee due to family commitments. She will however continue to be the Webmaster of the Associations website on a pro bono basis. Michael Borgström a resident architect was newly elected at the last AGM having been co-opted last year, and we are pleased to have co-opted Elizabeth Owen of Meadowridge and an additional “legal eagle” in the form of Andrew Buhagiar who has already made a considerable contribution to the functioning of the committee.  We still have space for further Committee members and are happy to hear from any members who would like to serve on the committee.

Once again my thanks go to the Committee for their support, the Ward Councillors Penny East and Carol Bew for their attendance where possible at our monthly meetings and to Winnie Craythorne, our secretary, without whom the functioning of the Association would be severely affected.

This remains an ongoing task which is by nature time consuming if left to the committee. We would encourage you, our members, to place the attached “Invitation to Join” in your neighbour’s post box, if they are not members, – or better still, hand it to him/her when next you have reason to chat. If you don’t know your neighbor, perhaps this would be a good icebreaker. Feel free to run off a few copies and cover your street. Increased membership makes us more representative and increases the potential of the Association.

The Association was inundated with applications to extend trading hours by all the supermarkets in the area to permit wines sales on Sundays and effectively for all hours of trading. The Association has a long history of opposing the sale of alcohol in residential areas due to the increased propensity for vagrancy and anti-social behavior induced by excessive alcohol consumption. Assurances that  extended hours for supermarket sales of liquor are unlikely to exacerbate the situation have proven to be untrue since the Association is aware of the sale by a local supermarket of a box of wine to a clearly inebriated individual – which is a contravention of Provincial Liquor Legislation.

In addition, the Association has resolved to approve on – consumption licences for Lime Tree Café restaurant and Col Cacchia on the basis that no alcohol is to be served unless the kitchen is operational.