CANSA Relay For Life Mossel Bay is counting off the days before the yearly Relay Event, to take place this year on 5 and 6 November at the ATKV Amphi Theatre. Teams are welcome to join in the fun by registering their teams, consisting of 10 to 15 members at R600 per team.

Relay For Life is one of the most exciting events globally. CANSA is proud to be one of 23 countries participating in this wonderful international initiative to fight cancer.

This year, chairing the Relay For Life Mossel Bay for the 8th year, Freddie Fauls invite all to participate in his years’ event. We will be offering everyone in our community to participate in the fight against cancer, presenting the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those facing cancer will be supported and that one day cancer will be overcome.

At Relay For Life, team members take turns to walk or run around a track for 12 hours. Participants enjoy camping-out, entertainment, good food, games and community camaraderie. People who join, all share a common purpose – their desire to fight cancer and to support CANSA in its work.

Relay For Life is a celebration of life for cancer survivors, an opportunity to remember the precious moments of loved ones lost to cancer a community joining forces to fight cancer, an excuse to stay up all night and celebrate life with family and friends.

All teams are welcome to join and team registration herewith officially are declared open for 2016/17 in the Republic of Relay For Life.

For all inquiries, contact Freddie Fauls on 0835602457 or email on fauls@lantic.net or contact Lucinda Viljoen on 0826633529 or Lucinda@cansa.org.za.

Fifth Oystercatcher Trail Run ends with historic overall win for Carine Gagiano Sabie-based athlete Carine Gagiano may not have won a stage, but the Nedbank Athletic Club runner produced 3 days of consistent running to become the first woman ever to take the overall honours in the 2016 Oystercatcher Trail Run. Her winning margin was just 32 seconds. In 2nd place was Arnold Smit, with an unlucky

Nelius Swart settling for 3rd, after inadvertently taking a wrong turn on Sunday’s final stage.
The race saw 3 days of almost perfect weather conditions, with cool temperatures and partly cloudy skies greeting the athletes as they departed the base at Fred Orban’s Sandpiper Sports Centre, each morning.

Day 1 was from the Gourikwa Nature Reserve to the Gouritsmond jetty. The 25km stretch saw the athletes running inland via the Ystervarkpunt lighthouse, before running alongside the coast and enjoying the magnificent trails of what is rated as one of South Africa’s top 5 hikes. The water point at the Eco Marine Lodge was a highlight thanks to the now traditional freshly baked ‘roosterkoek’. Nelius Swart took the stage win on day 1.

Day 2 saw the runners facing a 20km stretch from a Gourits River farm to the Sandpiper Sports Centre in Boggomsbaai. This was the most technical of the 3 days, mixing up sand with a long stretch over small, ankle-rolling boulders that have caught out a few athletes in the past. The water point at the Fransmanshoek was once again a highlight, with magnificent views over the sea.
It was Nelius Swart who stormed to the win, in 1:48:23, with Collin Albertyn 2nd in 1:52:44. Carine Gagiano took her 2nd successive podium with 3rd, and Arnold Smit came in 4th.
The final day started at Dana Bay 2nd beach and made its way via Pinnacle Point to Mossel Bay along the dramatic St Blaize hiking route, where the earliest evidence of modern man was found. With her consistent performance each day Carine Gagiano was 1st overall with Arnold Smit 2nd and Nelius Swart 3rd.

A huge thank you to Fred Orban and the Sandpiper Sports Centre, Halfway Toyota George, First Ascent, Gourikwa Nature Reserve, Eco Marine Lodge, Jakkalsvlei Wine Estate, Boss Tea and Glenhoff Craft Beer for their support. Entries for 2017 will open on 15 October and is limited to 150 runners. See more results and photos on www.trisport.co.za. Photos: Chris Hitchcock Article : Jeff Ayliffe

For more information contact
Sonja Otto +27 82 579 7595 sonja@trisport.co.za

The Cape Pioneer Trek is one of the most anticipated stage races on the mountain biking calendar, and is an African biking experience like no other. The magic lies in the unique combination of exciting yet diverse trails, passionate people and authentic human connection. “Challenge. Community. Race. Experience. Pain. Party. The Cape Pioneer Trek is all those rolled into one. The best thing is, it’s not only about race time. It’s also the build up, the time of preparation when you ask yourself, can I make it? And the time after, the time of the memories, when you know, yes, I did it! Nothing can beat this kind of experience.

That’s why for me, the Cape Pioneer Trek is one of the top mountain bike races in the world.” says Henri Lesewitz.

Over a 7 day period from 16-22 October, the Pioneer will take riders from unspoiled coastal tracks to dense woodlands, great mountains and the vast plains and wildlife in the heart of the Karoo. We’ll be back with a fiery urban element that takes the race to the spectators. Soak up the spray from the Indian Ocean with a spin on the beach, before heading up, up through lush coastal pine forest towards the foot of the Outeniqua, your first big-mountain experience. Soaring passes and white knuckle descents deliver you into the shimmering depths of the Klein Karoo desert. Watch the mercury rise as the racing cranks up a gear, the race heading North, offering fame and fortune for those who dares to take her on.
Feel the tingle of excitement, love the burn, embrace the adventure! With world class organisation and amazing trails, the Cape Pioneer Trek will return riders to the soul of the sport and leave them with a lifetime of memories. Perhaps it’s the shared physical challenge, maybe it’s the karoo hospitality. most likely it’s both of these and more. the pioneer spirit reminds you how life should be, plants your feet firmly back on the soil, leaves you smiling. More Photos on http://zcmc.co.za/ 

Our October Meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on WEDNESDAY 19th at the Eden Country Inn on the R102 road, Little Brak River. This is to accommodate our Guest Speaker Dr Pieter Kotze from Hermanus. Please refer to the attached flier for details! Kindly mark your calendar/diary right away!! This event is being widely advertised in the media.

As predicted, the Space Probe Rosetta which sent the mini-probe Philae onto the surface of Comet 67/P, has finally impacted onto the Comet on 30th September, thus ending a great scientific achievement lasting several years.

The Planetarium Sky Guide for October – now attached for your use and interest.
Please make every effort to be present on 19th! The programme will follow the usual pattern, “Welcome, Anything of Interest? Our Guest Speaker, Questions and Answers, Tea/Coffee & Chat.”

Short intro on Geo Magnetic storms:
A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave and/or cloud of magnetic field that interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field. The increase in the solar wind pressure initially compresses the magnetosphere. The solar wind’s magnetic field interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field and transfers an increased energy into the magnetosphere. Both interactions cause an increase in plasma movement through the magnetosphere (driven by increased electric fields inside the magnetosphere) and an increase in electric current in the magnetosphere and ionosphere.

The increase in the number and severity of bullying incidents in South African schools calls for urgent and sustained intervention, an education expert has warned.

“Almost every week we hear of another desperate learner or parent having to deal with the physical and emotional trauma of bullying, yet society and authorities’ responses continue to be reactive and unsuccessful in addressing the bigger issue,” says education expert Dr Gillian Mooney, Teaching and Learning Manager at The Independent Institute of Education, South Africa’s leading private higher education institution.

“These cases making it into the media represent only a fraction of the mistreatment many children go through. But the devastating consequences of bullying are leaving a lasting mark on the lives of countless youngsters, and the problem will continue growing unless an effective strategy is developed and consistently enforced,” she says.

Mooney says that national and provincial education departments throughout South Africa do have policies and procedures in place, albeit to varying degrees, on how schools should respond to bullying behaviour.

However more needs to be done to consistently support and educate learners, parents and schools to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone on the school grounds, she says.
Mooney acknowledges that the challenge is enormous, and says that the crisis of bullying relates to more than just schools.

“Society itself has become a virtual fight club, with examples of bullying behaviour abounding on social media, for instance. People feel free to behave appallingly, to the degree that anti-social behaviour has become almost accepted practice.”

Bullying is centrally about trying to gain power, says Mooney, which means that a rise in bullying can be expected in societies where citizens feel disempowered.

“Bullying has a ripple effect, where it is the bully, the victim and the bystander who are affected. Other problematic home circumstances, for instance domestic abuse, divorce or the death of a parent, could also provide context in which the bully seeks to gain power through negative behaviour.”
She says it is important that high-profile and easily accessible structures and processes are put in place to help schools deal with bullying, as teachers often feel their hands are tied and victims of bullying feel that they have no voice. Additionally, bullies themselves should receive adequate support and counselling.

“Most importantly however, ways must urgently be found to address the prevailing power imbalance by demonstrating that bullying will consistently have clear and structured consequences for perpetrators,” she says.

“Some provinces have gone some way in setting up structures and processes to deal with bullying, but even in those instances, more must be done to communicate these interventions and systemically enforce anti-bullying processes.”

Mooney acknowledges that bullying in schools does not stand independently of the mindset and zeitgeist in which we find ourselves as a society.

“While there is no quick fix for either the malaise in broader society or indeed within our schools, we have a duty to ensure that the most vulnerable among us are better protected, and feel empowered to know that they can speak up and rely on the adults around them to prevent them from physical and emotional harm as far as possible.

“When we have a situation in our schools where known bullies continue to wreak havoc upon the lives and futures of others, knowing that the system is slow and ineffectual in responding to anti-social behaviour, we are doing the victim and our society as a whole a great injustice.”

DANGEROUS MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BULLYING

•FALSE: ADULTS SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT WHEN CHILDREN ARE BULLIED
Adults must become involved. Teachers can monitor bullies to deter bullying behaviour. Principals can discipline. Parents can report to schools.

•FALSE: BOYS ARE THE MOST LIKELY VICTIMS
Both boys and girls are equally susceptible to bullying, although perhaps in different ways. Both boys and girls are the targets of physical bullying. Girls are more likely to experience relational, sexual and cyberbullying.

.•FALSE: CHILDREN SHOULD JUST TOUGHEN UP
This myth is a hangover from ideas like “boys will be boys” and that children will “work it out”. Bullying can cause real harm and should
not be ignored.

•FALSE: BYSTANDERS SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT WHEN THEY WITNESS BULLYING
Evidence suggests that bystanders are also affected by witnessing bullying. Observers also give bullies the audiences that they crave, and legitimacy if they do not sanction the behaviour. Children can be taught to reduce bullying by noticing, reporting and intervening.

•FALSE: IT IS EASY TO SPOT A BULLIED CHILD
Children do not report everything that happens in their lives to their parents. Adults need to find ways to make reporting bullying easier for children, and to follow up effectively when they do.