Meet the Team.... Riaan Neethling

Riaan Neethling is the chairman of our board of Trustees. Riaan spent a great deal of time in Darling as a child, but moved on to the bigger world of Johannesburg and Cape Town (and abroad) for his career. He worked for Eskom for 27 years in a number of capacities, and locations! He is semi-retired and serves as a management consultant for companies around South Africa.

Riaan is dedicated to The Darling Trust and works tirelessly to ensure the continuation and sustainability of our good work. He is very involved in the Darling Health and Sport Centre. Riaan's passion, hard work and enthusiasm make a significant contribution to the team. It is great having him on board!

Drama!

As part of the holiday programme that was run in the beginning of April, we organised a highly successful theatre workshop. The children absolutely loved it! At the end of the workshop they performed the pieces that they had created, on stage at Evita se Perron. Today we will begin the planning for offering free drama lessons throughout the year. We are so excited, and we'll keep you posted of all developments! Below are a few photos from their workshop performances...

Above: the audience!

Above: Frits van Ryneveld, the workshop facilitator and soon-to-be drama teacher!

The Darling Trust is on Twitter!

Yes, we are taking the next step forward in sharing with you our latest news. For daily updates, follow us on Twitter!

Remember to vote on 22 April 2009!

Our democracy is precious, and your vote is crucial in nurturing our young democracy. Regardless of which political party you support, remember to vote next Wednesday!

For more information on the elections, go the Independent Electoral Commission webpage.

April Newsletter

Our April newsletter has just been uploaded to our website. Take a look!

The Darling Trust is on Facebook!

The Darling Trust has just landed on Facebook! We've just started a group on Facebook and everyone is welcome to join us. Take a look at The Darling Trust Facebook Group!

Goodbye Will

On 31 March 2009, we bade a fond farewell to one of our most treasured staff members, our CEO Will van der Merwe. Will has been involved with The Darling Trust in various capacities since the early days when the Trust was still operated as the Perron Outreach Programme.

As of the 1 April 2009, Will will no longer serve in the position of CEO. Lara van Lelyveld, the current Operations Manager, will take over Will's responsibilities with the assistance of the Trustees. Although Will will no longer be serving as the CEO, he will continue as the Project Manager for the Darling Health and Sport Centre – a very exciting project which will be launched on 9 May 2009.

Will has certainly left very big shoes to fill and his passion, insight and endless energy will certainly be missed. We wish him all the best for the future.

April Holiday Programme - Dance Competition!

Just a few photos from the dance competition yesterday!


Our three judges: Chris, Carmelita and Julian


One of the competitors giving it his all!


Carmelita and Julian announce the winners!

A very big thank you to everyone for their hard work yesterday. It was a great morning!

Darling Tourism - a community that cares

Darling Tourism have recently expanded their website to include a section on the Darling community. The aim of this section is to share information on community and development projects with people interested in finding out more about Darling. We think it is great the Darling Tourism are so supportive of the local community!

The section has only just started so there are still organisations that need to be listed, but for now, take a look at The Darling Trust's profile on the Darling Tourism website.

April Holiday Programme

School holidays are here again, and it is time for another holiday programme! The Darling Trust, in collaboration with Darling Fokus, will be running a holiday programme from 6 to 9 April. This programme is a bit different to other ones we have organised in the past. The schedule is as follows...

Monday - Dance competition! Individuals and groups are invited to come show off their skills at the Darling Fokus building. The competition is open to everyone, with the winner getting a prize at the end of the day.

Tuesday - Outing to Yzerfontein. The outing to Yzerfontein will include a talk on environmental issues affecting our area and the unique fauna and flora we have. The children will also have a chance to relax and have fun on the beach!

Wednesday - Theatre workshop. A qualified volunteer will run a general theatre workshop with children, at Evita se Perron.

Thursday - Sport Day. The culmination of the week will be a Sport Day organised on our local sports field. Children will play rugby, soccer, volleyball and cricket. We'll also have a chance to play the more relaxed games, like egg-and-spoon race, and the all-time favorite, the three-legged race.

We are looking forward to a great week with the kids! Check back soon for photos!