Dear Members,
We have finally come to the end of 2021; some are grateful they have made it this far while others are riding the wave of success brought along by various factors; sometimes strangely out of our human control like the wonderful rains we have received the past month. The farmers are expecting good crops which in turn should lead to good bird numbers for the next season both waterbirds and also landbirds.
We are very excited about 2022 as we have a whole program scheduled for our members.
- We will continue with our monthly themed training sessions presented by experts in that specific field. We had wonderful feedback from attending members in 2021 on the themed sessions hence our decision to continue in this style of session. As numbers fill up fast we will give paid up members the first option.
- As I mentioned the rains; we were forced to postpone Battle of the Breeds 2021 which was also our Year-end Function. We have rescheduled it for Saturday 22 January 2022. Our entries are full for the day but spectators are more than welcome to come and support their various breeds on the day. We have received absolutely wonderful prices from our various sponsors. A big thank you to all of them.
- We have also applied to KUSA for approval of an additional testing date to present Natural Ability Tests to be hosted on 26 and 27 March 2022 in the Midvaal area just outside of Vereeniging. The working Spaniel Association has also requested to present a trial under the auspice of the Highveld VHD Club on the same weekend and venue. This still needs to be approved by various parties and also the Highveld VHD Club. For a fun day out watching dogs work there are very few breeds that can outperform an energetic spaniel and I would encourage members to come and watch these little balls of energy just GO GO GO.
- We have also scheduled Versatile Testing for the weekend of 17 September 2022 and hope to evaluate 10-12 dogs over the weekend.
We will sadly be saying goodbye in the new year to some of our friends namely Oscar Neumeyer and his family that will be making a new start in Germany in the near future, our wish for you and your family is for success and happiness in this new chapter in your lives.
To the committee that assisted me in this rough year of changes, an absolute THANK YOU for all your unselfish commitment and time to this cause.
And finally to all our members; without you, a club is just a name on a piece of paper. Highveld is developing into something special and I am excited to spend more time next year with our members and their dogs. Enjoy this Christmas season, please be safe on the roads and may you spend a blessed time with your families and loved ones.
Proudly Highveld
Hannes Oberholzer
