Page 3 - Cape-Camera-Nov-Dec-2021

Cape Camera November/December 2021

News from the Council

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of a year that Council had an all-day session on
started with so much hope that the worst of the Covid pan- Sunday, 5th December to plan for
demic is over, but it was not to be and only became increasingly next year. It was a very produc-
more frustrating and exasperating when we were hit with new tive day and a huge thank you to
variants of the virus that led to renewed restrictions that affect- all council members for giving up
ed our life, and in particular so little chance of getting together their time to ensure the smooth
face-to-face. In the end it became another year that many of running of the club. Some time
us would like to forget, and we cannot wait to see the last of was spent to discuss our vision for
it although that seems not easy to achieve if not everyone is the club for the next five years. It
prepared to be vaccinated. was felt that it is very important to
Fortunately, and just in time before the outbreak of the Omicron retain current members and to en-
variant that now threatens our holiday and Christmas season, courage their participation.
our club could end the year on a high note with a celebratory Having our own clubhouse is still on the agenda and certain
Awards Evening that was held in the beautiful home and gar- members have been tasked to try and identify suitable prem-
dens of our past president Richard Goldschmidt and his charm- ises. I know it is a dream of many of our members to have our
ing wife Joyce. What a wonderful occasion it turned out to be, own clubhouse where we can meet and socialize.
and not only because of the perfect weather and setting but A very important project currently under way is the sorting of
most of all because of the joy we all felt to see so many of our our storeroom and the protection of the items therein. Our club
photography friends that we had not seen in person for many is in possession of very valuable items from a heritage point of
months, some as long as two years ago. view and these items must be catalogued and properly stored
Congratulations to all members who won awards for their im- to prevent degradation by factors such as heat, dust and hu-
ages which were all exceptional and of a very high standard. midity.
However, it was not only an occasion to celebrate the achieve- Something that has been on the cards for a while, but had to be
ments of the best photographers, but also one that was dedi- postponed is an exhibition of members’ images. I cannot wait
cated to all those members who so willingly and selflessly to see our work professionally displayed in a really nice appro-
contribute to the smooth running and the success of our club priate venue. Please let us know if you are aware of a suitable
throughout the past years: A PSSA Life Dedication Award was venue for an exhibition.
given to one of our previous long-serving presidents - Detlef Council has also planned the calendar for next year, reviewing
Basel. Our hard-working Lesley Parolis received a PSSA Certifi- competition themes and as far as possible trying to match out-
cate of Appreciation and Andre Mouton was presented with the ings and speakers to that. As you can see many items are still a
President’s Medal for his contribution to our club’s communica- work in progress and we have some ideas that still need further
tion activities. He also received his Honorary Life membership thought and discussion.
award - together with other long-serving members - Nicol du
Toit, Lesley Parolis, Ariane Jensen and Manfred Krumrey. We would really appreciate your input and invite all members to
This reminds me that I need to apologise to the following peo- share their views and give us some feedback on what you think
ple for not mentioning them at the year-end function: A big works really well and ideas on what and how we can change to
thank you to Trudi du Toit for all the work and time she has put improve our shared experience.
into sorting and documenting our treasures in the store room, Thank you to all our member for your support during the year.
and Steff Hughes for her time and effort to keep the Facebook Enjoy the festive season with your family and friends and keep
group going. safe. Jacoba van Zyl
Despite not being able to meet in person, our members have President
continued to take part in all our club activities via Zoom meet-
ings at competition and E & D evenings, which were all well
attended. We again had some wonderful and inspiring pres-
entations, many from amazing expert photographers and not
only local ones but also from overseas – all thanks to a most
welcome new technology in these difficult times.
Despite the Covid situation, we were able to continue with out-
ings and for our last one of the year, Kim Stevens had managed
to get us permission to photograph a dress rehearsal of the
Cape Town City Ballet on the 8th of December. It was a very
enjoyable afternoon, but difficult if you have not done stage
photography before.
The Western Cape Photographic Forum training course for as-
piring judges (JAP) has come to the end of its first year of a two-
year cycle. Everyone who has signed up for it, is most impressed
with the quality of specialist photographers/teachers and feel
that they are getting an excellent basis for becoming capable
judges at the end of the course.

Cape Town Photographic Society 2