Members Info

COMMITTEE 2009

Chairman     -     Jurgen Mattthaei

                            namsafcon@iway.na

Secretary     -     Monika Lewis

                            otjiterazu@iway.na

Radios & Webpage     -     Lukas Maree

                                            lukasjnr@blagencies.na

Additional Members    -     Johan van Schalkwyk

                                      -     Alex Rogl   -   otjiruze@mweb.com.na

                                      -     Abe van Wyk   -   ab@katjapia.com




CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING MARCH 2005

Dear Members!

Another year passed and here we sit together for the 6^th AGM.

First of all I want to thank all members and the Exco-team for every single input. It is hard with such little time on everybody hands.

Last year we decided on three general meetings, but we held only two, because of lack of time with most members. The first meeting was held at Otukarru on Saturday, 12 June 2004, where we decided to hold an aerial game count. Thanks to Mr. Matthaei’s input to get hold of Dr. Flip Stander, we finally did the count on 16/17 September 2004.  I think this was a big achievement and hope that we can do some more over the next three years to get an overall impression of what is going on in our area. Big thanks go to Dr. Flip Stander and his team – Lisa, Patrick & Ben – we really have a wonderful copy in our hands.

Mrs. Luise Hoffmann gave her time and information about plants in our area and the members went on a little excursion with her to identify some plants.

Unfortunately after that meeting, we lost one of our members on 9^th July, Mr. Lukas Maree. He gave a lot of time and input to all the conservancy members, fighting for our power line.

In between we hosted Devan Mc Granahan – a student from U.S.A., who collected data in all the different conservancies. See his report in the new CANAM newsletter.

Our last meeting for 2004 was held at Onjona on 20 November. We welcomed the Tjitendero-Family as new members and hopefully all the outstanding members are going to join this year?!?!?! Remember: together we are strong and we need a community.

Dr. Flip Stander gave a very detailed report on the aerial survey and Dirk Heinrich and Anja Wischer joined the meeting to write an article in the Allgemeine Zeitung. Also present was Mr. Thomas Peltzer to give an update of CANAM.

Nearly two years ago, 23^rd May 2003, we had our meeting in Midgard, where Mr. Mosé Tjitendero and Mr. Jerry Ekandjo invited the Swakoptal Farmers – and here we meet again, trying to take the road together. I’m glad that you take your precious time to be here as one of our farmers and members.

Hopefully with everybody’s input we will achieve some more goals this year to conserve our beautiful nature around us and to strive for positive results. We must see that Ovitoto-Conservancy is coming on the road. Only with joint forces we can achieve a joint management strategy to let this valley be alive in every sense of the word.

Nature Conversation includes a cooperative and long-term utilization strategy – so please members and friends let us all strive for this!

                  CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING MARCH 2004

After the AGM of 15th March 2003 I took over the reigns of this conservancy.

Today we have the 5^th AGM and as Mr. Matthaei stated last year:” we are still together and alive”-although very quiet and on a low profile.

I can assure all of you that it is not an easy task to run this conservancy, any conservancy, as everybody is too busy with different things just to survive. There is NOBODY between us really with a lot of time. Still---it is a bit disappointing that there are only very few members – always the same—who really try to support each other just to achieve something for the benefit of everybody.

After a meeting on 23^rd May 2003 with the Hon. Speaker and the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs in Midgard we had three general meetings in our Swakoptal conservancy.

The first one took place on 11^th June 2003 at Otjiterazu.

Mr. Wolfgang Schenck of nuevas-ideas talked about different ideas on marketing conservancies as a whole.

The second meeting was held on 13^th September 2003 at Otjikuoko.

Bonny & Mandy Schumann were informing our members about ‘Cheetah friendly beef’

Mr. Kavita, chairman of Ovitoto conservancy, and his speakers gave information and an insight into the development of their own conservancy.

On 8^th November some of us joined the Canam Workshop in Otavi and our meeting followed on 29^th November at Otjisazu where everybody had the chance to meet the new management couple and for them to meet the neighbours. The main topics there were a combined marketing and price structure mainly in our hunting business. The non-hunting side is still outstanding and must be dealt with next.

The game utilization for the purpose of venison (biltong hunt) must be discussed today.

We had some achievements for the year:

Thanks to Wolfgang Schenck with whose help a little information brochure was distributed in Germany at hunting fairs through my sons, Alexander, Markus & Werner. The feedback is not too big yet, but things like this take time.

In the meantime –through Jürgen Matthaei’s and Alexander’s efforts –we hosted Mrs. Bärbel & Mr. Wilhelm Grefe, a German booking agent and who loves Namibia. Jürgen and myself showed them around in the conservancy, gave them the opportunity to meet some of our members and their homes/farms, to give them an insight what they are going to market for us. Due to a lack of time we could not come to all of you, but thanks for everybody’s time and friendliness, it was much appreciated.

A standardized pricelist for all trophy-hunting participants was decided on for 2005. This must be discussed today.

The ‘biltong hunt’ price structure must also be finalised through the participants.

Thanks to Burkhart Rust we “hear” that our radio system is in a working condition, although not really used by a lot of members. It was a lot we paid for, why not use it???

Last but not least I want to thank all our members supporting the idea of our conservancy, hopefully it will become more alive in the near future?

Jürgen special thanks go to you and your family, I appreciate your support

Tanja you are always there when I need you, to phone, type, send mails----whatever

Burkhart for your time to call us on the radio, those who have them and listen to you.

Chris, Lukas &Abe` dat julle tyd maak vir die vergaderings, sometimes you just send your wives but we understand

Lukas to you goes special big THANKS from all the “NAMPOWERFANS” between us; you had the big work with it.

Also to my sons overseas and here who bear with me and all the discussions around the conservancy---YOU ARE THE FUTURE.

To everybody hosting us for the meetings, it gives us the opportunity to see more in our own neighbourhood.

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Are you an active member

The kind that would be missed?
Or are you just content to say
Your name is on the list?
Do you attend the meetings?
And mingle with the crowd,
Or would you rather stay at home
Complaining long and loud?
Do you give, up a little time
And help to make things click
Or leave the work to just a few
And talk about the “clique’
There’s quite program schedule
That means success if done,
And it can be accomplished,
With the help of everyone,
So come to the meeting
And help with hand and heart;
Don’t be just another member,
But take an advice e part.
Think it over, member.
Are you right or wrong?
Are you on active member,
Or do you just belong?