Just a few words before
the end of the year:
1. As you all know
Frankie decided to take an official break from Committee
work. I hereby want to express my sincere thanks and
appreciation for her dedicated work and contribution
over the years.
2.1 The committee
members for 2008 are:
Chairman: Peet Harmse
Vice-chairman: Andre van der Walt
Secretary: Erena
Burger
Time keeper: Hester Lessing
Treasurer:
Nicolette Harmse
Vet coordinator: Ronelle Greeff
Additional members: Raik Richter & Leon Harmse
2.2 The
route
coordinators for the respective rides are:
(a) Leon Harmse: Okahjandja
ride on 16 February.
(b) Willem Bezuidenhout:
Otjozonyati ride on 12 April.
(c) Pieter du Plessis:
Out of Nature on 14 June
and
4 October.
2.3 The ride
coordinators and
contact persons for
the respective rides are:
(a) Peet Harmse: Okahjandja
ride on 16 February.
(b) Silke Bezuidenhout:
Otjizonyati ride on 12 April.
(c) Andre & Sonja
van der Walt: Out of Nature on 16 June and 4
October.
(a) 16 Feburary 2008 at
Okahandja: The Reit Club Okahandja (RCO) celebrates its
50th year in 2008. They intend to make a special
occasion thereof and plan to present several events
during the year, starting with the endurance ride on the
16th of February during which they want to be
involved. They have for example already arranged medals
with the 50 year logo of the RCO. Maybe that logo can
for the purposes
of that ride also be scanned in as
background on our certificates printed and issued at
that ride. More details will be submitted to you later.
(b) 12 April 2008 at Otjozonyati:
I am still in conversation with Gunnar Voigts (owner of
Otjizonyati) regarding the finalization of this
ride. Hunters have apparently booked the venue, but I
will later in the week discuss it with Gunnar again.
(c) 14 June 2008 at Out
of Nature: The owners of Out of Nature plan to develop a
permanent location for the holding of endurance rides
there and promised that next year we will groom etc. the
horses on a grass surface. The committee also intend to
hold an interclub competition during this ride. More
discussion is however needed in this regard.
(d) Friday 3 and
Saturday 4 October 2008 at Out of Nature: This is our
last ride for 2008. On Friday 3 October we will have our
AGM directly after the pre-ride meeting and on Saturday
we will have our annual party and prize giving function.
4. Full personal and
address particulars: All members please submit the
following particulars to our secretary (Erena Burger) at
sjb@namibnet.com: Full names and surname, date of
birth, postal address, telephone numbers (landline, fax
and cell) and most ofen used e-mail address.
(a) "Doping" case": The
NERA Council has discussed and deliberated about
the so-called "doping" case which occurred at the
African Championships held at Walvis Bay in August this
year involving the horse Armin's Zulu of Armin van Biljon
and Marius Carstens as the rider, and held a hearing
during its meeting on 3 November at Okahandja. What
happened in short was that some fodder of another horse
of Armin (Armin's Zebeda which was already withdrawn and
which contained the prohibited substance
Equipalazone)
was accidentally added by Armin to the fodder of
Armin's Zulu. It was expressly made clear by Armin that
Marius was not involved in this. According to the FEI
regulations etc. regarding the use of prohibited and
other substances the Council had no other choice than
to find both of them guilty of using a prohibited
substance. (According to the FEI documentation in this
regard the
rider is first and
foremost responsible for anything happening to a
horse.) Armin and Marius as well as the horse has been
suspended for a period of 6 months from the 1st of
October 2008 from taking part in endurance rides. The
results were taken away from the rider and horse
concerned and all the other riders moved one place
upwards, which now mean that Piet van Rooyen is the
official winner of the Afican championships
senior heavyweight division.
(b) Membership and
rider's fees for 2008: (i) Annette Hannekom has been
appointed as full time NERA secretary. This, and the
fact that more and more riders from abroad and overseas
are showing interest in and want to take part in Namibia
and southern Africa in endurance rides resulted therein
that NERA should broaden its income basis. The NERA
membership fees
for 2008 will therefore be N$600-00 per member (rider)
or other member, payable over a period of 3 months and
before
the end of May 2008 to each club. N$500-00 thereof will
be paid over to NERA as annual membership fees and
N$100-00 will remain as club membership fees. No other
fees will anymore
during rides
be paid over to NERA. Members who have already paid
their membership fees for 2008 (thank you very much to
them!) must therefore remember to pay the difference of
N$350-00 to our treasurer before the end of May 2008.
(ii) The Council
has also recommended that
entry
fees will be N$150-00 per rider (horse) per ride,
irrespective of the distance ridden.
(c) Language issue: The
NERA Council has discussed the issue why correspondence
is not always also in English. After discussion, the
Council confirmed its policy regarding language use,
namely that correspondence
send out may be in the language of the author
thereof. (Our policy is that WERC's correspondence will
be at least in English also.)
(d) Light weight
division: After discussion the Council resolved that
there will be no light weight division, and that the
various categories will be Child rider; Junior-Young
rider; Senior standard weight and Senior Heavy weight.
(d) Formula One Finish:
The Council resolved unanimously that it is not in favor
of the "Formula One Finish" principle.
6. First Committee
meeting:
Committee members:
Is it possible to held our first meeting to discuss the
Okahandja ride in the week of 7 to 10 January? Where
should it be held? Please provide me with a date which
suits you.
Regards,
Adv P J Harmse (Harmse
Legal Practitioners)
Erf 969, Martin Neib Avenue,
Okahandja
P O Box 1478, Okahandja
Tel. 264 62
501835 (w) Fax 501855 Tel. 502192 (h)
Cell 081 127
2015
e-mail:
harmse@mweb.com.na
Secretary: Mrs. E. Burger
E-mail:
sjb@namibnet.com
