Event write-up

Stellenbosch River Festival 24 September

Students and Stellenbosch residents can look forward to some great Eerste River fun on 24 September when an official Interkoshuis and Corporate Tube Race will take place as part of the first-ever Stellenbosch River Festival.

Host of the event, the US Canoe Club, has come up with the idea as part of their annual canoe race on the Eerste River. While the canoe race will be from Jonkershoek to Spier Estate over a distance of 20 km the tube race will be from Hangbrug to Piet Retief Bridge over a distance of 3 km only. Fierce competition is expected in the Interkoshuis event while prizes will be awarded to corporate teams for best corporate image, spirit and originality. The prize giving ceremony will be at the Piet Retief Bridge site.

The organizers, however, want to make sure that the major part of the income generated by the festival is channeled back into the society via charitable projects. Most of the funds therefore will go towards the Adopt-the-River partnership between the Stellenbosch Municipality and the Department of Water Affairs. This partnership is responsible for environmental education and cleaning up the Plankenbrug, Krom and Eerste Rivers. Their main challenge is to remove the evils which threaten our water resources such as lack of adequate basic services for informal settlements on river banks, illegal dumping, alien vegetation and industrial affluent while creating job opportunities for the unemployed. This year alone 50 tons of waste was removed from the Plankenbrug River and 90 jobs created for unemployed people. A smaller part of the funds will go toward the US Canoe Club's developmental paddling project.

The University of Stellenbosch Canoe Club is staging this year’s festival as a pilot project with the view of upgrading it to an international event, which could become a major tourist attraction very much in the same mould as the Sella Canoe Festival in Spain, that draws 300,000 spectators every year.  Turning it into a huge festival eventually will generate an influx of a great number of visitors to Stellenbosch with obvious advantages to the local business fraternity.

This festival is only made possible by guaranteed water release from the Department of Water Affairs through the tunnel systems from Theewaterskloof and Berg River Dams.  For more information the chief race official Mike Owen can be contacted at 072 210 8604 or stbriverfest@gmail.com. Entry forms for the Interkoshuis and Corporate Races can be downloaded from the blogspot www.stbriverfest.blogspot.com

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Stellenbosch Rivierfees op Erfenisdag 24 September

Stellenbossers kan hierdie maand uitsien na ‘n grootse ‘fees’ op die Eerste Rivier met die eerste amptelike binnebandresies vir koshuise wat saamval met die WP Kano-Unie se jaarlikse kanovaart op gewaarborgde water. Dit val hierdie jaar saam met Erfenisdag volgende Saterdag, 24 September.

Die WP se K1-wedvaart vir enkelkano’s trek vanaf 10:00 in Jonkershoek weg en eindig 20km later by die Spier landgoed. Die binnebandresies vir koshuise begin om 12:00 by die Hangbrug en eindig 3km verder by die Piet Retiefbrug net onderkant Paul Roos Gimnasium.  Dit word om 12:30 gevolg deur ‘n korporatiewe plesiervaart wat oop is vir alle organisasies.

Afgesien van die eer om die eerste koshuis oor die eindstreep te wees, is baie pryse op die spel vir oorspronklikheid en ‘gees’ - veral in die korporatiewe afdeling. Kyk www.stbriverfest.blogspot.com vir die inskryfvorms. Die prysuitdelingsfunksie om 14:00 is ook by die Piet Retiefbrug.  Die beste plek vir toeskouers tot hierdie kleuryke skouspel sal ongetwyfeld net onderkant die Adam Tasbrug langs Die Laan wees.

“Ons eerste poging tot ‘n Stellenbosch Rivierfees kan nie meer gepas wees as om met Erfenisdag saam te val hierdie jaar nie,” sê Anthony Penderis wat namens die US Kanoklub as hooforganiseerder optree. “ Die grootste deel van ons inkomste uit borge en inskrywingsgeld word geskenk aan die Adopt-the-River projek van die Stellenbosch Munisipaliteit en die Department Waterwese.

“Hulle is verantwoordelik vir die instandhouding van die Eerste, Plankenburg en Kromrivier en die bewaring van ons watererfenis. Hierdie jaar het hulle reeds 50 ton vullis uit die Plankenburg Rivier verwyder en in die proses werkgeleenthede vir 90 werkloses geskep. 

“Ons konsep van ‘n Stellenbosch Rivierfees is gebasseer op die reeds beproefde Sella Wedvaart-model in Spanje. Hierdie wedvaart lok jaarliks inskrywings van meer as 40 lande en sowat 300,000 toeskouers en word voorafgegaan deur ‘n week se feestelikhede. Die potensiaal van ‘n suksesvolle Stellenbosch Rivierfees is voor die hand liggend met die bykomende voordeel dat dit tot bewaring van ons watererfenis aanwend kan word,’ sê Penderis.

Die hoof-wedvaartbeampte Mike Owen kan by 072 210 8604 of stbriverfest@gmail.com gekontak word vir meer inligting.