1st Cape Town Free Chapter

FCCT 10th Birthday Celebration 
14-15 May 2022 at Waterval Country Lodge, Tulbagh

Well, it was a chilly and wet start to my Saturday as I left Somerset West for our meeting point at the Engen N1, but the weather soon cleared as it got light, and it promised to be a beautiful day. There was even a hot air balloon above me as I turned onto the N1.

With most of our members and their guests opting for 4 wheeled transport and meeting us at the venue there were only 8 bikes and 10 members for the ride out! After a quick coffee it was time to make our way to the charity handover at the “Huis Disa Kermis” which was taking place at the Tulbagh showgrounds.

A few more of our members came to support us as our charity lady, Lisa, did the handover of the winter bedding to Frans, the chairman of Huis Disa, the manager, Hannes, and Maggie who made all the arrangements for us.

They were so grateful for our generous R10 000 valued donation, and also the 6 lazy boy chairs and 3 hospital beds which Lisa arranged collection for, thanks to Bob Govender and his contacts with Medimerchant.

After the formalities it was time for coffee and pancakes 😊 and after some had stocked up on wine, biltong, jams etc, in support of the various “stalletjies”, we made our way to the venue at Waterval Country Lodge. We had been warned that the last 3kms of road was gravel but “us Harley okes are tuff 😊” and the big v twins took it in their stride. The road was quite rutted in parts, and I think if I had false teeth, I might have lost them 😊!!

We all arrived safely at the venue and were met by the remaining “caged“ members! Our accommodation was in glamping tents, which were very comfortable, and it even had air-conditioning for the chilly Tulbagh nighttime temperatures!

After settling in we gathered for some refreshments of coffee or tea and some nice fresh muffins provided by our hosts.

As lunch time approached, we were all eagerly waiting for the bar to open. 😊 I think we caught them off guard slightly with various bits of paper being used to see who was having what but it eventually all worked out.

Lunch was served which was lasagna and chicken schnitzels served with fresh bread and salad, followed by ice cream and chocolate sauce. After lunch some of us opted for some quiet time while other members went to look at the waterfall or gathered to swap stories and the odd bottle of wine!

Early evening we all met up around the firepit or bar while we watched the surrounding mountains changing colours as the sun set and the moon rose!

After a few words from our director Bruce dinner was served which consisted of braaied deboned lamb and chicken served with roast potatoes and veggies which was delicious. There was some wine provided by the chapter as well as a cash bar to keep us lubricated.

After dinner it was time to cut the birthday cake made by Kevin & Vani, which was delicious. I think most of us had headed off to our heated tents by midnight. 

After good night’s sleep it was time to get up bright and early for some tea and coffee. After the previous night some of us needed more than 1 cup 😊!

Breakfast was served from 8:30, and we helped ourselves to cereals, yoghurt, fruit juice, tea or coffee followed by some scrambled eggs with sausages, tomatoes, and hash browns as well as toast and jam.

After breakfast we all had to settle our bar bills, some of which were quite large 😊! After packing up we made our various ways back to Cape Town and those of us on bikes made our way back via the same route of Wolseley and the beautiful Slanghoek valley.

Thanks to Marianna and her team for organising such a memorable birthday venue for us and thank you to my better half Lisa for all her hard work in organising the beds, chairs and linen for the charity handover,  and to Bob Govender for putting us in touch with Medimerchant. Thanks too, to Bags, for the bottle opener gifts at the table!

I think it is quite an achievement for a club of our size to stay together for 10 years and we look forward to many more rides together.

Ivor Wills

Editor.