There’ll be much buzzing about on dirt bikes next weekend as Stanford hosts the first round in the exciting Junior National Off-road Championships at Boscheuwel Farm, just outside the village on the R326.

Now in its fourth year, this event caters for riders between the ages of eight and seventeen riding motorcycles or quads. Competitors, together with their families, travel from all the corners of South Africa to participate. The 2009 champions Julian Greef Hoffman, Joshua Louw and Calvin Wiltshire  will again be competing.

The action starts on Saturday 6 February at 9h00. The junior motorcycle and quad classes will race for two hours and refuel at the pits on the Boscheuwel Farm. The senior classes will start their race at 12h00 and will be racing for about three hours. The loop for the two-wheelers will be partly sandy with tight technical sections as well as some hard pack sections while the route for quad racers will include rocky sections as well as technical parts in a forest and two river crossings.

Spectators are most welcome to be part of the action and although they can support their local heroes, motor-sport enthusiasts will be able to get close to the racing and view race bikes and quads prepared by some of South Africa’s well-known names including the former Dakar quad winner, Cornel de Villiers.

With the involvement of a series sponsor this year, the organisers - Western Cape Junior Off-road Club (WCJOC) - are hoping that junior off-road racing will be taken to a new level.

Take a drive out to the venue and give these talented youngsters your support! Stanford welcomes you and wishes you a wonderful weekend of competition and camaraderie.

Birdlife Overberg is hosting the popular and informative “Flight for Birders” identification course by Anton Odendal in Stanford on 24 and 25 February.  The costs will be R 350-00 per head, and include the course manual and a certificate endorsed by BirdLife South Africa – roughly 1,400 slides and drawings will be used.   The contents of the course get updated every second year and this has now been done – in many cases images of similar and potentially confusing species have been combined on the same slide in order to illustrate differences. The development of an infrastructure for birding tourists in the local area will also be highlighted.  In the vast majority of the slides English and Afrikaans names of species are printed onto the slide.   The course focuses on basic steps in the identification of birds, places heavy emphasis on where to find the rare and often endemic birds in southern Africa and illustrates how ordinary bird-watchers could become involved in the conservation of birds and their habitats.  The course will be presented at the Main Hall of the popular Stanford Arms Hotel.
Contact Elaine at mwjasser@mweb.co.za or 028 - 3161105  / 0824558402.

The annual Boxing Day Cricket fundraiser was held on the hallowed grounds of the Stanford Cricket Ground, otherwise known as the Market Square . The 12 illustrious teams battled it out in the hot sun, gallantly defending their pride. Delicious smells from the potjies wafted across the pitch, while families enjoyed the entertainment. The children had their very own cricket corner . This wonderful village event has been on the local calendar every year for the past 10 years. It started as a challenge from the locals to the weekend visitors, and now attracts a host of celebrity sportsman.  Jake White, Schalk Burger and Peter Grant were spotted patiently signing autographs.  The funds raised are for the local Animal Welfare charity and the Okkie Smuts ‘koshuis’ children. Make plans to be there for Boxing Day 2010 and be part of the fun!