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Ms Bea Reimer, who has been part of the Louis Trichardt SPCA since its founding days 30 years ago, announced her resignation as chairperson of the local SPCA and its committee during the association's AGM last week. The newly elected committee expressed their extreme gratitude towards her for keeping the SPCA’s doors open amidst very difficult times sometimes. Photo supplied.

Stalwart bids SPCA farewell after three decades

 

After three decades of hard work, lots of tears, many successes and a lot of passion and dedication, the Louis Trichardt SPCA said farewell to one of its stalwarts, Ms Bea Reimer.

Bea announced her resignation as the chairperson of the local SPCA and its committee during the association's AGM on 20 April. She had been part of the local SPCA from the founding days 30 years ago, when Kobus and Mirtel Odendaal often did trips to Tzaneen SPCA and then later headed up the opening of the town’s own SPCA.

Newly elected vice chairperson and public relations officer Ms Alicia Thomas paid tribute to Bea and the work she has done this week. “Keeping an organisation such as ours open and functioning for so many years is most definitely not the easiest of tasks, especially when one hears of how many SPCAs around our country have had to close their doors due to a lack of funding. Apart from the work involved, it is also an extremely emotionally taxing venture and it takes some extra-special people with the same passion and drive to keep things going and running smoothly. For the past 30 years the SPCA committee, under leadership of Ms Reimer, has done exactly that,” said Thomas.

Thomas contacted Bea’s daughter, Tanya Veldman, to share some of her mother’s experiences from the past 30 years she could remember.

From her arrival in Louis Trichardt in 1980, Bea has been involved with animal care and welfare.  Being a farm girl, she has always had a passion and love for animals. She started working at the Government Veterinary Offices alongside Dr Buchner and the late Dr Loock. During this time, she also took on the massive task of managing the administrational duties of the SPCA in her free time.

“There are so many stories Bea will be able to tell and they should really be recorded in a book of some sort,” said Tanya Veldman. These stories include times when Mirtel and herself would go around collecting dog licences and they would often find themselves in a situation where angry dogs were chasing after them. There was also the time when a crocodile had to be taken in by the SPCA and had to be kept calm and wet until further assistance arrived. So too did many birds of prey often spend the night until a rehabilitation centre could come and collect them. There have been all kinds of animals … goats, donkeys, cattle, sheep, dogs, cats, all of whom were extremely lucky to have crossed paths with Bea when they were in need.

Tanya has always been involved with her mother and all the SPCA events, even though she never became a committee member herself.  She recalls all the Saturdays spent at the legendary jumble sale next to Robot Electrical or everyone pitching in when the office had to be revamped. Special times were spent under the trees at the SPCA, pricing second-hand items and books for the next jumble sale - anything to make some extra money for the animals in need.

After quite a few SPCA inspector candidates that never lasted or just could not handle the task at hand, Lawrence Khodobo joined the SPCA team. He proved to be such an asset to the team and still is today.

There were times when finances were in dire straits and Lawrence had to relocate to Johannesburg, but Bea and her team always managed to turn things around and Lawrence was able to take up his position again within a few months.

“There were times, before our SPCA could afford an inspector, where Bea would go out on animal-cruelty cases and collect an animal in need herself. Then New Year’s eve would come and planning around fireworks and all the animals that suffered during this time would take main priority.  This was always one of the worst times of the year for my mother,” said Tanya.

In her chairperson’s report, Bea ended off with this message: “We all work on behalf of animals, and whatever we do for them must be done unconditionally and with love”. She also thanked her team that worked by her side for 30 years, committee members and kennel staff for their dedication and hard work. “We would also like to make a special mention to the committee members who resigned alongside Bea, namely Melody Mocke (treasurer), Sophie Zeelie and Kathy Tucker. For many years this was the team that kept things going through good times and bad. Thanks to you, we can step in and carry forward the legacy you leave behind and for that we, as the new committee, will be forever grateful,” said Thomas.

The new SPCA committee elected on 20 April consists of Pierre Thomas (chairperson), Alicia, Yolanda Cronjé (secretary), Grietjie Smith (treasurer), Adri Viviers (on-site liaison manager), Lesley Gaigher (public relations), Marja Pretorius (tin donations), Johan Cronjé, Dirk Meissenheimer (senior) and Estelle Britz. “We would like to thank all the members who attended our AGM this year. We look back on an amazing year and want to thank our community for their support and involvement in the past months.  Without you, we would not be able to do what we do and be the voice for those who have no voice,” Thomas said.

News - Date: 29 April 2016

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The newly elected management committee of the Louis Trichardt SPCA are, from left to right, Adri Viviers, Marja Pretorius, Alicia Thomas, Pierre Thomas, Yolanda Cronjé, Lesley Gaigher, Johan Cronjé and Dirk Meissenheimer. Absent when the photo was taken were Grietjie Smith and Estelle Britz. Photo supplied.

 

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

Email: [email protected]

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