"Dear Adri, Judy, Tasha and Chris,

Thank you very much for inviting me and the privilege to have attended, this wonderful evening, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was so impressed with the number of parents who attended; this shows not only dedication from the children but also from the parents. I was also impressed with how both the music and art classes have grown in numbers. Judy and Adri can really be commended for the work they do. Their passion and love for the children show and that is why the classes are growing every year. A very important aspect of these classes is the boost of self confidence and feeling of self worth. I met some of these children 2 years ago when they just started attending the classes and the change in their attitudes improved tremendously. They walk onto the stage with their heads held high and they play from their hearts. While looking at the art works I overheard the artists boasting about their paintings and the parents were truly impressed, so was I.

Last but not least another person to be commended is Oom Niklaas who is such a strong pillar of support and I really appreciated the fact that his contribution to the success of these classes was acknowledged.

Thank you very much and once again congratulations on a stunning event.

Owen Britz-van Ryneveld"

artworks by Darling children ages 6 through to 15...

shining gems

the whole art class, certificates in hand for participation in the program - Oom Nicholaas, Adri van Aswegen (beloved art teacher) with the art students...

our beloved, dedicated and tireless teachers: front Adri van Aswegen (art teacher) and Judy Wood (music teacher)

An Evita's Darlings initiative to raise funds for the Early Childhood Development Centre of The Darling Trust.

On behalf of Evita’s Darlings & The Darling Trust, we would like to sincerely thank the following sponsors without whom this event would not have been possible!

Ami smuts – Annique
Anri & Antoinette van Heerden
Aroma
Cafe Mosaic
Cloof Wine Estate
Darling Brew
Darling Cellars
Darling Engen Garage
Darling Romery – Lentefris
Darling Spar
John & Gillian Duckit
Ormonde Wine Estate
Riaan & Hannelie Neethling
Rika & Ian Mitchell
Steve’s Electrical
Today’s Pies - Atlantis
Trinity Guest Lodge
Vyge Vallei
Withington Wines

And to the hard working Evita's Darlings parent committee and teachers who put many hours into making sure the evening was a success!

And last but not least, thank you to those who bought tickets! A whopping R8,900 was raised for Evita's Darlings' School! Blessings to you all!

Thank you BATA South Africa for their generous donation of 400 pairs of boy’s and girl’s school shoes to The Darling Trust. On Sunday the 12 June, excited children from the community came to collect their shoes at Evita se Perron with Tannie Evita to hand them out. On the 14 June, Bata representatives came to handover 80 pairs of shoes to the children at the Early Childhood Development Centre here in Darling. The learners were delighted and couldn’t wait to try on their new Bata Toughies! The balance of this donation will be distributed amongst the rest of the Darling schools in the new term. The Darling Trust would like to sincerely thank Mr Garces and the Bata Children’s Foundation Project for considering The Darling Trust for this generous donation!

On the 18th June, Neil and Loretta Rhoda opened their home to the public in aid of The Darling Trust's Music Outreach Program - Neil and his daughter, Lindsay, warmed the hearts of all who took time out of their Saturday afternoon with their jazzy guitar numbers - well attended and received with much enthusiasm from a keen audience, the Rhoda family with the help of Jane Wallace and Brenda Wintgen raised R1290 for this cause. Thanks to Judy Wood, our music teacher, for attending and giving a brief introduction to this outreach program which has been running for over 8 years now. Thank you Neil, Lindsay, Loretta and all who helped make this afternoon one of easy listening and enjoyment for such a worthy cause.

On 21st June (the shortest day, longest night) the Ladies Lunch Winter Warmer held at Jane Wallace's lovely home was yet again enthusiastically supported by our Darling Dames - despite that it was 26 degrees, all who arrived were wrapped up in their favourite winter woollies ready for bingo and a lunch to see a winter through! Thank you ladies for all your hard work and determination to keep the fundraising ball in the air - Jane and Rene in the kitchen cooked up a storm to warm any soul and Brenda and Loretta kept the sherry and champagne flowing reminding us to celebrate every day as a gift and one to share with those in need. As always we look forward to seeing more of these lovely lunches supported by more and more Darlings.

On behalf of The Darling Trust and the Trustees - thank you!

On behalf of The Darling Trust, we would like to thank Keith Kirsten, Pieter Kotze from Reliance Compost and Tiptrans for generously donating and delivering a truck load (30m3) of gorgeous, very welcome compost to the Darling Community Garden on Friday 22 July.

The community garden gave Darling a 'face lift' a few years ago - when the area was transformed from a diesel-soaked railway siding to a green and shady place to rest and gather, watch children play and catch up with passers-by. Initially designed by Keith Kirsten, the people of Darling helped dig and plant, literally creating a garden in a day! And again when the garden needed rejuvenation, everyone brought a spade and 'mucked' in. Our community garden really is 'all about community'.

Thank you to all who have made this piece of 'oasis' into something which Darling can be proud of!

EVERYONE from Joan Rivers to the Queen herself will have something to say about “the dress” and “the hair”, but perhaps the most honest and unfiltered commentary on the royal wedding comes from a houseful of hat-wearing women in the small town of Darling.

About 30 women in the town beloved of Tannie Evita gathered for a fundraiser luncheon for The Darling Trust – a fund set up by Evita Bezuidenhout’s creator, satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys – and, of course, to watch those royal nuptials. From late-morning the women began sipping cocktails and gossiping about what hat the Queen would choose and the attire of the guests filing into Westminster Abbey.

Chidley Loedoff said the event was a pleasant reminder that there was still a place where real princesses got their day in the spotlight.

“It is so nice to have something like this. You just don’t see real princesses (other than animations). I am going to collect pictures and things to make a scrapbook (to show my grandchildren) as a reminder that real princesses do exist.”

While the royal wedding was something that royal followers will never forget, the luncheon was an event that The Darling Trust hopes will make the ladies of the town remember the fund.

The operations manager at The Darling Trust, says the community is tight-knit and very willing to donate – shelling out R150 each to attend the lunch.

“This is a little more intimate (than other fundraisers). The trust has benefited from community involvement. People just want to help. They don’t ask questions, they just help.”

Hostess Jane Wallace has lived in Darling for 18 months and called the fundraiser in her home a “trial run”, saying that if guests had a good time they would come back for more trust fundraisers.

rachel.valdez@inl.co.za ARTICLE - WEEKEND ARGUS 30th April 2011

A very big thank you to freelance photographers Dale Yudelman and Trevor Samson for these wonderful photos of the ladies!

On behalf of The Darling Trust, I would like to extend sincere thanks to Jane Wallace for opening her lovely home. With the help of Loretta Rhoda, Brenda Wintgen, Omnia Grobler, Rene Haslem and the willing husbands who supported these ladies who organised a very, successful Royal Wedding lunch on Friday 29 April! Royalty comes with different faces and Darling is definitely blessed with the finest 'royalty' when it comes to contributing time, effort, love and willingness to support events, which help in so many areas of the community. Thanks to Cloof Wine Estate who contributed to the cheer of the day by generously donating Daisy Darling wine for the event.

The Early Childhood Development Centre is growing in leaps in bounds [from opening last year March with 10 learners, to enrolling 80 learners this year with a brand new Grd R class] It's truly inspiring to see the work that is being done with such dedication and motivation to keep the learners coming back for more and taking home precious tools which they need, for when they go to 'big school'. The ECDC now has it's own PTA, who are also involved in fundraising for various needs at the centre. We are currently installing 2 extra toilets in the second class room and putting up a partition for a little kitchen from which we will be able to feed the 80 learners daily. With this in place we will be authorised to feed our children at least 2 nutritious meals a day.

Our music teacher, Judy Wood, is working hard at getting the 50 music students 'exam ready' slowly one 'note' at a time and you can look forward to a music concert presented by the these students later this year. Funding for instruments, sheet music, theory papers and tuition is always welcome - these lessons are free and the students are dedicated and committed. Adri van Aaswegen is injecting the most amazing 'colour' into the lives of 20 learners - her lifeskills program on a Saturday builds confidence and strength where there is fear and sadness.

Yes dear ladies who were there to enjoy the lovely delights on that very auspicious occasion, you have contributed to the above mentioned outreach programs happening at the ECD and we hope this can be the start of many more events which impacts on our community.

Please keep a beady eye for more of these events and thank you in abundance for contributing to The Darling Trust's cause and making the dream of a better life a reality!

The Darling Trust would like to thank Anne Twaalfhoven, on behalf of Nike, The Netherlands, for the generous donation of the brand new Nike soccer boots to the Dynamo soccer team here in Darling.

Tonja Verheul is the Dynamo’s angel, forever working away at getting them more equipment and sponsorship every year – Thank you Tonja!

Needless to say they were overjoyed and couldn’t wait to have their first game with them! This hand over of equipment to the team would not have been possible had it not been for the extra weight allowance from Tonja’s friends visiting Darling over this time – thank you Tonja, Jacqueline, Ellen, Josje en Inge for this (we know you couldn’t bring much of your own clothing with!) and Merel who sponsored an extra 2 suitcases to transport more luggage. Thank you Merel Fabels de Jong and Reimer Koopal (an 11 year old boy) who sent out the e-mails to many people in the Netherlands and got this enormous response of donations in shirts and boots.

This contribution to the Darling community is greatly appreciated and makes it possible for us to come closer to our goals and dreams of a better life for all. The Dynamos continue to grow and evolve. This is only possible because of thoughtful contributions from individuals such as yourselves and organisations such as Nike; Netherlands.

On behalf of Semora, The Dynamos, The Darling Trust and the community, thank you for your willingness to help where needed and your generous support.

"The Team": Gary Barrows, Linda Els from WaterWise, Chris Adonis, Nicky Azure, Brenda Wintgen, Eden Allison, Loretta Rhoda, Eoudia from WaterWise, Tasha St John-Reid and Louise Swanepoel

Engen Petroleum funded the WaterWise "Train the Trainer" project in Darling which took place over two days at Evita se Perron and our Community Pool and Education Centre.

Sea Rescue's Educational Initiative, WaterWise, was invited by The Darling Trust to present the training program in the gorgeous little theatre at Evita se Perron. Six local community members had each taken a day of leave, in order to volunteer to learn how to teach water safety and CPR to children who frequent the new municipal swimming pool in Darling, as well as in local schools.

These six new trainers and three WaterWise educators then, on Saturday, gave 60 local children a fun filled morning of learning..

The children learned, by demonstration and practice, how to help others in difficulty in water, how to call for help, and how to do CRP.

Thank you to:
Engen Petrolium who sponsored the training and prizes for each participating child. Pieter Niklaus, our local Engen business owner. It was thanks to his avid involvement in our Darling community that Engen chose Darling for this project. Linda Els, Eoudia Erasmus and Charles McHelm from WaterWise

Mr. Rob de Vos, Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, visited our Early Childhood Development Center with his family and friends.

Evita’s Darlings were able to celebrate their first Christmas party at the Early Childhood Development Centre on 8th Decemeber 2010 - thanks to our sponsors! Parents, grannies, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters were invited to share the festivities.

Evita’s Darling sang and danced for the visitors and 3 learners graduated to Grade R; Wadely Bruintjies, Jaime-Lee Faro and Blanche Spiers.

When Father Christmas finally arrived all the way from Namibia the room went quiet with surprise and anticipation, the silence didn’t last long as Father Christmas got everyone singing once again!

Every learner received a gift and a hug from Father Christmas after which hotdogs, cakes and cooldrinks were handed our to everyone and enjoyed!

It is only as a result of the following generous donations that we were able to have such a rich and enchanting evening for the children.

THANK YOU: Darling Chickens for their contribution of buns and sausages for all the parents and children; The Lindbergh Arts Foundation for contributing tea, coffee, sugar, milk (enough for a year!), cake, chips, treats as well as art materials for all the classes of 2011. We felt privileged to have Elizabeth and Lara as our guests who helped us serve over 100 excited children!

Jane Wallace generously and lovingly donated and wrapped each present for every boy and girl for Santa’s Bag!

Mrs Evita Bezuidenhout hands over a cheque of R140,000 to Chris Adonis, Project Manager of The Darling Trust.

Evita & her publisher Umuzi have generously donated royalties from Evita's Kossie Sikelela cookbook to The Darling Trust

" IN DARLING DREAMS DO COME TRUE"

On a wet and windy Friday afternoon, volunteers turned up from all corners of Darling bringing with them a wonderful variety of plants from their own gardens to ‘Tannie se Tuin’, for a community planting day!

After a rainy morning, the clouds parted just in time for the volunteers armed with spades and other implements, to start the planting.

Within an hour, this veritable army of volunteers under the guidance of Will van der Merwe had the whole garden set out. More rain over the weekend was a bonus in giving these new additions to Tannie se Tuin life and a fresh start!

Thanks to Pieter-Dirk Uys for this wonderful initiative and gift, Will for the implementation, Rika and Loretta (our newest volunteers at The Trust, this being their first project) who mobilised more volunteers, The Darling Angels for yet again ‘mucking in’ and all the other budding gardeners who braved the weather giving their time for the community.

As Tannie Evita would say – “ If the people lead, the government will follow!”

"Everybody knows that 24 September is the Public Holiday on which South Africans across the spectrum celebrate their cultural heritage and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all its people. Various events are staged throughout the country to commemorate this day and celebrate the contribution of all towards building our Rainbow Nation.

On Heritage Day 2010, The Darling Trust presented a unique collaboration between Coenie de Villiers and Tannie Evita Bezuidenhout. Two household names came together to review the state of the nation, so to speak. Coenie de Villiers, singer, composer, songwriter, TV presenter, and Pieter-Dirk Uys in the persona of Evita Bezuidenhout, famous white female witness to the changes in our beloved country over the past 30 years. Their presentation flowed effortlessly, in the form of a reminiscing conversation. As master storytellers they touched on aspects glad or sad, or both, often funny, looking now inward, now forward. And to enhance or extend each theme, Coenie performed songs capturing their essence. Coenie’s eloquent renditions and Tannie’s inimitable style and quips, made them nervetouchers. We could all relate. We were all moved

The magic did not end there. The following day Coenie conducted a workshop for prospective songwriters from the local community. First he illustrated the process with examples from his own or other songs – how to change key to change the mood, how to use repetition, or crescendo. Coenie then turned the adage ‘You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear’ right on its head by turning the humble workshop offerings into songs with instant appeal, delighting those witnessing the magical process facilitated by this brilliant artist. The mark of the man showed in how he spent those two hours, focusing on the task at hand, giving the group his all, regardless of their ‘merit’. He shared the principles of finding your own voice, conveying your story with honesty, simplicity and meaning. What a privilege to have been part of the group! All left in awe, but equipped and inspired as well.

Magical Heritage Day? Yes, magical is indeed the appropriate word – even more so when one considers that these fabulous performers and role models did the show free of charge, donating their effort and the entire income raised to benefit the wonderful work of The Darling Trust." - Ri Steyn

The Darling Wildflower Society has held this event every year since the first show in 1917. Our colorfull stall generated great interest from passers by.

The 7th annual Voorkamerfest in Darling was graced with perfect spring weather and brought nearly 4000 visitors to the town. Even though the tickets were sold out a month before the event, people still flocked to Evita se Perron in hopes of getting in. The food and market stalls were constantly busy with a buzzing atmosphere, complimented by our very own 'fiddler' with guitar in hand on the rooftop of Evita se Perron. The acts, performed in local Darling residents' living rooms, included various expressionistic dance acts, guitar and harp instrumentals, comedy country music, storytelling, opera, stand-up comedy and magic, along with the famous Blinde-Boere Orkes and brilliant puppetry thrown into the mix. The 14 taxis and their drivers escorted the visitors to their unique venues, which ranged from small RDP houses to beautiful Cape Dutch homes.

The Darling Voorkamerfest is held during the first week of Spring which means that the flowers along the West Coast have begun blooming, so the picturesque drive to Darling becomes a major attraction. Another draw card is the Darling Wine Route, which boasts excellent wine estates, five of which donated wine to The Voorkamerfest for this year's performers, as well as conducting wine tastings at the local venues and Evita se Perron.

Adri van Aswegen took her art students for a visit to the IZIKO-Museum and Planatarium in Cape Town shorty after the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The children were exposed to a variety of artistic styles and concepts and created their own little masterpieces.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah visited Darling, Tannie Evita Bezuidenhout’s hometown in June to view the town’s new swimming pool and bless its Education Centre.

The Archbishop is patron of the Darling Pool Project and The Darling Trust which was established in August 2003 by Tannie Evita’s alter ego, the actor, Pieter-Dirk Uys. He congratulated Uys for his consistency in lampooning politicians of the apartheid regime, and continuing to lampoon politicians today. And he congratualted the people of the town who worked so hard to raise the necessary funds for this centre.

On the 23rd of May a Nguni Day was held to benefit The Darling Trust. This all happened on the farm, Droërug, which belongs to the Stoch family. The farm is 7 kilometres from Malmesbury and is breathtakingly beautiful. Scenes from "Out of Africa" come to mind in an effort to describe the beauty and calm of the fields of Droërug. The day was opened by Tannie Evita, after which Cedric Stoch gave background on Nguni breeding and the current situation of the industry in South Africa. Then visitors could go on tractor rides to view the herd. What an amazing experience for city dwellers to see these beautiful animals in their natural environment. The aromas of curry and lasagne welcomed visitors back from their trip. Also for sale were Nguni hides, paintings by local artists as well as paintings done by children from our own Elsie Balt Art School.

The day was arranged by Hilary Prendini Toffoli and raised almost R10 000!! for The Darling Trust. The day was a huge success and enjoyed by all.

A huge thank you to the Stoch family for their generosity and support of The Darling Trust.