Back home we have the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Fund who looks after the needs of rugby players who suffered serious injuries playing the game.
The Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund pays homage to two young rugby players who died playing the game they loved.
In 1980, Western Province fullback Chris Burger broke his neck and died in a Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein. This led to the founding of the Chris Burger Fund by then WP captain Morné du Plessis and his teammates. Petro Jackson, a young player from Kylemore in Stellenbosch, died during a match in 1989, prompting (the pre-unity body) SARU to establish a similar fund in his honour. In 1992, the two Funds were united to form the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund, as it is still known today in its 30th anniversary year. For more information on the Fund, click here
Locally, as far as we know, there is no such support for players who suffer serious injuries playing the game we all love.
Recently a local player called Ben Kende suffered serious spinal injuries while representing HK in U.20′s World Cup qualifiers.
This is when RugbyAsia Channel (RAC) stepped up. The online channel, who provides the latest television rugby action, news, games, interviews from grassroots to club and international teams from around Hong Kong and the wider Asia region, came up with a novel idea to produce Hong Kong’s very first Rugby Calendar. They roped in some of the Territory’s finest players, brought in a professional photographer and put together what promises to be a hit amongst rugby supporters and local lasses alike. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the calendar will be donated to Kende.
All Blacks star flyhalf Dan Carter should be fit to play in their Bledisloe Cup match against Australia in Hong Kong in October, New Zealand captain Richie McCaw said on Monday.
Carter underwent surgery last week on a long-term ankle injury after the All Blacks wrapped up this year’s Tri-Nations championship with a 29-22 victory over South Africa.
He had been troubled by the ankle for more than three months and it started to become more of an aggravation towards the end of the Super 14 competition.
“Obviously Dan will miss our next match but the plan is for him to be available for Hong Kong,” McCaw said in a tele-conference. “I don’t know 100 percent but he should be all right.”
Carter, who broke the record for rugby union Test points earlier this month, will miss the All Blacks’ final Tri-Nations match against Australia in Sydney on September 11.
The Hong Kong clash is on October 30, ahead of a four-Test northern hemisphere tour that sees them play England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Tickets for the Hong Kong Bledisloe Cup clash are available at HK Ticketing
For more information about the Hong Kong leg of the 2010 Bledisloe Cup, click here
With Heritage Day/National Braai Day coming up next month (24 September 2010) some of us on this side of the noodle-curtain may long for a boerie (boerewors) or a lekker tjoppie (chop) on the day thousands of our countrymen back home head to their backyards for a good old South African braai.
If you’re not privvy to your own sausage-maker… fear not, you can still get your boerie-fix. Even if it’s just the taste of it, set on a bun and cooked on your Hong Kong balcony.
I found this video of (Englishman nogal) Heston Blumenthal cooking a Boerewors Burger (or “brrr-wos” as the famous chef calls it).
It’s quick and easy and better yet, the spices required are to be found anywhere in Hong Kong. All you need are coriander seeds (toasted), nutmeg, ground gloves, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and of course, a mixture of pork and beef. As a shameless promotional aside, Heston uses Waitrose products which can be found in Hong Kong as well.
My own twist includes some fresh coriander (or danya as it is called in the Cape Town Malay community).
Bruce Fowler from the Southern African Association in Hong Kong (SAAHK) is inviting all Springbok rugby supporters in Hong Kong to watch Victor Matfield celebrate his 100th Rugby Test today (Saturday August 28, 2010).
The Blue Bulls’ Matfield will become only the third-ever Springbok Rugby player to achieve this milestone after John Smit last week (number 2) and Western Province’s Percy Montgomery (number 1).
The Springboks will play Australia in their penultimate Tri-Nations Test at Loftus Verfeld later today.
South Africans in Hong Kong are urged to head to the ironically Aussie-themed WoolooMooloo Restaurant in Central.
WoolooMooloo is also the workplace of Bruce’s girlfriend so needless to say happy hour prices will probably prevail. Just turn up will you?!
Lira was born Lira Molapo in the East Rand town of Daveyton (Ekurhuleni). Her music is a sweet mix of Afro-Jazz, RnB, soul among others.
After winning a competitions for young singers and songwriters, Lira started performing live at the age of 16, singing both cover versions and self-penned songs.
In 2000 she was discovered by musician and producer Arthur Mafokate, who had her sign with his own record label, 999 Music. She wrote all the songs on her album that was called All My Love (2003) and released in May 2003.
Howzit-HongKong.com will feature a YouTube clip of one South African music legend every Friday as part of what we like to call The Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions. I am fortunate to be living right next to one of the most stunning working harbours in the world… Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. I often find myself staring across the Harbour at night, with the lights dimmed and one of my favourite musicians from home over the speakers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do…
President Jacob Zuma has defended China’s surging investment in Africa, telling an audience at Beijing’s Renmin University that China was making an important contribution to the development of the continent.
“We are still at an early stage of what will be an exciting journey, a journey out of poverty, a journey to sustainable improvements in the lives of our people, here in China, and on the African continent,” President Zuma said on Wednesday, the second day of his state visit to the country.
Zuma’s comments come as the debate over China’s role in Africa continues to rage. Critics have raised concerns about China’s support for countries like Sudan and Zimbabwe, as well as its questionable worker safety rules.
“Chinese assistance in infrastructure development in some of the less developed parts of Africa is certainly making an important contribution to future African development,” Zuma said.
African countries remain an attractive destination for Chinese investment funds, though Africa is looking for China to expand its investments beyond mining and resources.
South Africa, for its part, is looking to the world’s second-largest economy to increase its investment in the country. South Africa is strategic for China in that it is Africa’s largest and most advanced economy.
South African President Jacob Zuma and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signed the Beijing Declaration, outlining 38 cooperation agreements, following their one-hour talks in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.
And on the same day, Chinese and South African companies signed more than a dozen agreements covering investments in railways, power transmission, construction, mining, insurance, telecoms and nuclear power.
Zuma is being accompanied on his trip by over 370 representatives from the business community, the largest ever contingent from South Africa to visit China.
Leveraging the state visit of President Jacob Zuma, South African Tourism‘s China office held “The Tourism Round Table Activation” event on 24 August 2010 in Beijing.
Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism highlighted to key industry stakeholders the successes and lessons derived from hosting the 2010 World Cup event and the tourism focus beyond the tournament.
More than 100 tour operators, travel and lifestyle media and executives from multinational companies across China were invited.
The visit of President Zuma highlights the strengthening cooperation between the two nations including the signing of a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership aimed at deepening and broadening bilateral relations. The visit also demonstrates the importance that South Africa attaches to its political, economic and cultural relationship with China.
South Africa’s trade relations with China have expanded dramatically in recent years, with China becoming South Africa’s largest export destination by market since the start of 2009. China remains South Africa’s largest partner with regard to imports. Trade and tourism are often closely correlated.
“The World Cup was a phenomenal success and positioned South Africa to the world as a capable, friendly, welcoming, exciting nation and hence a great place to visit. Many people understand that South Africa has become a globally noteworthy destination for leisure, business and big event tourism,” said Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
Minister Van Schalkwyk
He added: “South African Tourism is confident that it will attract 10 million foreign visitors in 2010. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will contribute to this number, but will not be the sole driver of arrivals. Excellent service and a welcoming attitude enriches the diversity of our tourist offerings and enhances the experience of being a tourist in South Africa.”
The world-renowned STAR grading has been introduced in South Africa, lead by The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA). TGCSA is a business unit of South African Tourism, responsible for the administration of the STAR grading, and is the only officially recognized organization that authorizes accommodation establishments to display Quality Stars.
There are over 8,000 star graded establishments in South Africa. Travel to South Africa to experience quality and cost effective leisure and business accommodation facilities, providing a “Home-Away-From-Home” experience with world-class conferencing facilities for the visitors in South Africa.
“China is definitely a very important source market for South African Tourism, ” said Mr Bradley Brouwer, Regional Manager:Asia Pacific, South African Tourism.
SA Tourism’s Bradley Brouwer
“China arrivals to South Africa totaled 45,326 from January to December 2009 which was a 12.4% increase compared to 2008. China arrivals numbered 18,928 from January to April 2010 and it represented a 40.2% increase compared to the same period in 2009. In 2010, China became one of the fastest growing overseas markets for South Africa in Asia. South Africa is still quite a new travel destination to the Chinese people. So we see the Chinese market as having great potential.”
2010 is a critical year for both South Africa and China. South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup and China is currently hosting the World Expo in Shanghai – both global events. The target of the South African Pavilion in the Shanghai Expo was to welcome 10 million visitors during the whole 184-day Expo duration, which has been achieved in only 88-days.
The Expo as a whole has attracted over 100 million visitors.
The South African Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai. Read more about the Pavilion here
Images from the recent Tourism Workshop in Hong Kong:
With a potential Hong Kong bid for the 2023 Asian Games looming, it is not hard to understand why the issue of white elephants will be in the back of locals’ minds.
The following story about South Africa’s World Cup stadia and the fact that they are not suitable for cricket appeared in today’s Sunday Morning Post.
The story highlights comments by SARU President, Oregan Hoskins:
“What we are discussing today should have been discussed before we built the stadiums. It is tragic we have to act in reverse.”
The Athlone cooling towers were imploded this morning… a full 4 minutes ahead of schedule, catching the local radio stations and the assembled crowd totally off-guard.
As we reported earlier this week, here at Howzit-HongKong.com HQ we were poised to watch the event via a LIVE internet feed courtesy of Zoopy.com
However, when we attempted to log on to the feed, all our attempts came to nothing. Instead we were met by the following screen:
Thankfully, we found the following clip on YouTube:
News24.com reader Mitchell Wong Ho took this stunning picture. For more images click here
