Your Committee has held a virtual meeting and agreed on an approach to activities in 2021. We hope you will participate and keep your Society as active and involved as possible in trying times.
We have had to assume that Level 3 regulations will persist for most of the year. These regulations make it impossible to hold our regular indoor monthly meetings for the moment. But we will reinstitute a revised programme whenever it is possible to go back to ‘normal’.

Programme

1. Interesting virtual sessions offered by other organisations
   The Committee will monitor several programmes arranged by other organisations and arrange access for you to these sessions. You will not need to join the other organisations. You are invited to attend a Zoom presentation on the History of the Fernkloof Nature Reserve by Robin Lee on Friday 29 January 2021. It is part of the programme of the University of the Third Age. Details will be emailed to you the week before the meeting.
2. Annual General Meeting
   Our own AGM will be held virtually at 16.00 on Monday 15 March. There will be the usual business. We have invited a guest speaker to make a presentation and are pleased to tell you that Leanne Dryburgh Hassell will speak to us on the topic: Take Care with that Photo: It could become History. Leanne is a noted Overstrand photographer, runs a venture called Photowalkers that trains participants in photographic techniques while on walking tours. She is famous for her images of the wild horses of the Bot River Estuary.
3. Local Open Air Excursions
   Your Society will organise excursions to local historical sites, in strict compliance with regulations in force at the time of the event. Members will make their own way to the venue, and an expert will speak about the history of the area chosen. Printed material will be supplied. Likely venues are: Fernkloof Nature Reserve, Onrus(t), Mount Pleasant; Graves in Hermanus Cemetery of famous figures in Hermanus history; the Volmoed Trust.
4. Outdoor Small Group Discussions
   Local long-term residents will speak to members about their memories of living in Hermanus, beginning with stories of the town in the 194os. There will be strict compliance with Covid regulations during the meetings. Committee member Michael Clark who has lived in Hermanus since the 1950s will host the first meeting.
5. Monthly Newsletters
   You will receive a newsletter every month this year, except July and December. Each edition will contain local news of historical interest and information about events scheduled for the month. Please regard the present document as the January Newsletter.
6. History Society Website
   We will update the website monthly and inform you about any new material appearing there. We have transferred all posts in 2020 from Robin Lee’s personal FaceBook page to the website, and we will call your attention to new posts on Robin Lee’s page whenever these are made.
7. Administration
   We will increase the number of Committee members to six from the present four. Please contact Angela Heslop ((aheslop@hermanus.co.za) if you would like to serve on the Committee.
8. Library
   The Library will remain available to all members, but we have revised the process of taking out a book. If you wish to borrow a book, please email Angela Heslop to request the book, and she will arrange for you to collect it at the SANTA Bookshop at your convenience. The Bookshop is in Aberdeen Street, opposite the Hospice Shop.
9.  Membership Subscription for 2021
   We can offer only a smaller programme than in other years, but we do have some fixed expenses and need an income during 2021. We will send you a Membership Renewal form for the year, keeping the amount at the same level as last year. We leave it to your discretion whether you pay the membership for 2021, or not. However, no present paid-up member will be taken off the 2020 mailing list, and you will receive all communications whether you pay the subscription or not. All payments will be acknowledged.

Interesting session in January: 29 January at 10.00: U3A Session: Robin Lee presents a talk on The History of Fernkloof Nature Reserve. The link to the session will be sent to you a week before the time.