I arrived with a clenched jaw, a sore back and stomach cramps. In a few hours of welcoming hugs, delighted doggie barks, kitty purrs, gentle walking, blooming flowers, delighting in delicious food and many, many deep breaths, I began to feel human again, all the tensions and pains leaving my body, carried away by the honey-scented breeze and the rapids of the shimmering Doring River.
Oudrif, the place I always return to — my soul’s home.
Only three days at Oudrif restored me to myself. The last few weeks have been extremely stressful again — change is never easy, even if it is for the better — but a weekend in this blissful place in the Cederberg always inspires me and recharges my batteries, allowing me to face everyday life again. Many thrilling things are happening, and good news is coming in almost daily. A period of transition still lies ahead, but I feel ready. It’s time to bloom and celebrate, and to leave the stresses of the recent past behind me.
Oudrif is full of stunning nature, beauty and powerful stories. It attract visitors who are often avid readers — writers also visit, among them quite a few I have had the privilege of working with — and so I always make sure that Karavan Press books are available in the Oudrif library for eager hands. For the past few years, the sales of our books at Oudrif have also supported CLAWS (Clanwilliam Animal Welfare Society). And now, third time in a row, a Karavan Press book hamper is one of the prizes you can win when you enter the annual CLAWS Lucky Draw.
One of the CLAWS/Oudrif miracles I’ve witnessed over the years is Jack’s full recovery from near-death caused by terrifying neglect and cruelty. When Jeanine Mitchell of Oudrif rescued Jack, he was on the verge of starving to death and he could not walk. During my recent visit, Jack joined us on one of the walks. To see him bouncing around the Oudrif landscape, delighting in everyone and everything, was heart-warming beyond words.
By entering the CLAWS Lucky Draw, you can support CLAWS in helping, healing, nurturing animals in the Clanwilliam area, and making miracles like Jack’s recovery possible.
And you can win the following prizes:
OUDRIF ACCOMMODATION FOR TWO WORTH R7800
WINE FROM JOHN MAYTHAM’S COLLECTION WORTH R5000
KARAVAN PRESS BOOK HAMPER WORTH R2280
HOGHOUSE BREWING COMPANY CAFÉ VOUCHER WORTH R1000 & HOGHOUSE BREWING COMPANY BBQ VOUCHER WORTH R1000
GRAVITY ADVENTURES VOUCHER ADVENTURE FOR TWO WORTH R1100
DRIEHOEK AWARD-WINNING WINES WORTH R500
Entries close on 26 September. Draw will take place on 29 September. Winners will be announced on 30 September.
I recently had the great pleasure of spending another weekend at Oudrif. We went to see the flowers, but ever since I first heard that locals had seen aardvarks in the area, I have been dreaming of a sighting myself … And every time on the way there, I would say, “This time!” But for seven years, the aardvarks had ignored my wishes. Until now! Once again, I said, “THIS time.” And just before arriving at Oudrif, right in front of us, like a mythical creature imagining itself into being, there she (or he) was: an aardvark! Pure wonder!
Needless to say, I am in love!
As I am in love with this little one, who is the latest CLAWS (Clanwilliam Animal Welfare Society) rescue puppy staying at Oudrif before finding his forever home:
Every year, CLAWS fundraises through a Lucky Draw Raffle. This year, you can win a Karavan Press book hamper – among many other fantastic prizes – and support CLAWS.
CLANWILLIAM ANIMAL WELFARE NPO 262-101
Entries close on 26 October 2024
Draw will be on 28 October 2024
Prize not redeemable for cash
Winners will be announced on social media and contacted directly
We had a much better venue – the Aquatic Club at the Clanwilliam Dam Resort – with electricity (apart from loadshedding) / generator, toilets, running water and a stunning view. Two vets and two veterinary nurses joined forces with Jeanine, who is a qualified veterinary paramedic, in helping the animals of Clanwilliam and area in attaining a better quality of life wherever they came from and whatever the challenges their humans were facing in their everyday life. No one was turned away.
Whereas last time I mainly helped Jeanine collect the animals and bring them home after their operations/treatments, this time I only briefly accompanied her on one of her trips.
For the most part, I assisted the volunteers who were watching over the animals in recovery: this involves monitoring their breathing and general well-being, cleaning up when they cannot control their body functions after anesthetics, turning and massaging their unconscious bodies as they gradually wake up, and making sure that they are safely back in their cages before they become fully conscious of what’s happening (particularly crucial with feral animals who freak out the moment they are back among the living).
Around a hundred animals were treated during those two days. We lost one – I watched the attending vet try to resuscitate the cat for about twenty minutes, but nothing could be done. Her efforts were herculean. We all felt the loss. One other cat had an epileptic fit, but made it through. One dog and his human arrived from a nearby farm after the dog had an unlucky encounter with a porcupine. (For the moment, the area does not have a permanent vet, so the two were fortunate that the fight happened during the project, and they did not have to travel to Piketberg to find help.) Everyone was taken care of with love – no matter the vomit, ticks, fleas and all. Those in need were assisted with food and whatever else was available.
Natalie from The Hoghouse (where you can buy Jeanine’s handmade beauty products which she makes at Oudrif to raise funding and awareness for CLAWS) was also there with her bakkie, fortitude and compassion – I watched her catch a feral feline runaway with her bare hands and still cannot believe what I saw. She has been assisting CLAWS in all kinds of ways for many years. (She took the photo of me with the recovering animals.)
We spent the night at Oudrif, where after a full day of work with other animals, Jeanine still attended to her Furry Family and two rescue pigeons. Bill cooked a wonderful veg lasagna and even had a glass of bubbly ready for us. I walked to my cottage exhausted, but the Milky Way was smiling above me, the hot shower was blissful, and the few hours of sleep deeper than ever despite the five o’clock wake-up for the second day of work.
If you want to experience Oudrif, they have a fantastic special on at the moment:
They are a registered NPO. Everyone is struggling at the moment, and they are no exception. It will take months for the organisation to pay off their project debts, but they soldier on regardless.
At Oudrif, you can also buy Karavan Press books. All proceeds go directly to CLAWS.
These two will fly again. And the rescue kitten who travelled with me back to Cape Town yesterday has found a wonderful forever home.
Guess who has already volunteered to help with the next CLAWS project … :)
The little boy did not know what was wrong with his listless puppy. But he knew who Jeanine Mitchell was and that she would help.
I met Jeanine at Oudrif. She and her husband Bill own and run the place I always return to. I think part of my soul never really leaves Oudrif, so I have to go there to feel whole. Each time I visit, I meet other fascinating guests, and animals. Jeanine fosters cats and dogs who can no longer be taken care of for whatever reason by their original families and she finds new homes for them. She is the project manager at CLAWS: Clanwilliam Animal Welfare Society. Between 12 and 14 July, CLAWS, together with the remarkable Cape Town vet Dr Annelize Roos, organised another Pet Sterilisation Project in the greater Clanwilliam area.
The Pet Sterilisation Projects focus on the vaccination and sterilisation of disadvantaged dogs and cats to prevent more unwanted pets and feral colonies occurring in this sensitive environment. (The greatest threat to African Wild Cat is hybridisation with pet and feral cats.)
Jeanine and her team of volunteers pick up the animals from their homes or trap them if they are feral and take them to a building (neglected and grotesquely looted, but beggars can’t be choosers – that is the only place on offer to the Pet Sterilisation Projects at the moment) on the outskirts of Clanwilliam near the sports stadium. There, they are vaccinated or/and sterilised by Dr Roos and her team, and those who need to recover after an op are taken care of by more volunteers at the venue. Anyone who wants to have their pet(s) vaccinated or/and sterilised and can transport their animal(s) themselves, will also be assisted at the venue. People from the entire area arrive throughout the three days. Only those who can afford to are asked to pay the full fees for the services. Others make small donations, if they can. Everyone is assisted.
No electricity, no running water, no toilets, but everyone makes it all work no matter what the challenges (including the generator blowing up and damaging operating equipment, and threats of break-ins at night from the tik-addicts in the area). It’s brutal, but the community rallies around the Pet Sterilisation Projects and all you encounter are smiling faces wherever you look, even after everything goes wrong. Because in the end, nothing really does. Dedication and passion save the day every single time.
The Three Volunteers :)
In my small capacity, I have been supporting these Projects through all avenues of donation – and with books, Karavan Press’s and my own, which you can buy at Oudrif and all the money from the sales goes towards CLAWS – for as long as I have been visiting Oudrif. But, this year I decided to volunteer as well and went up to Clanwilliam for the three days to assist in whichever way I could.
For Jeanine, these three days mean 14 to 18 hours of work daily. It’s relentless. She has assistance only for part of the time. But she never loses her energy or her cool. Her patience and care – for the animals, their humans and the people she guides and works with – are astounding. She knows how to make a plan. I felt out of my depth most of the time and made many mistakes, but she gently taught me and all the others to step up and help to the best of our abilities. There is a gigantic responsibility involved, and life and death situations occur where the wrong decision or action can have dire consequences. Around 200 patients were attended to during the Project. Only one animal arrived too late to be saved. All others were helped, returned home or adopted. The listless puppy abandoned into Jeanine’s care by the helpless little boy could no longer stand properly on his little paws when we found the two, but with a little bit of food, the proper medication, a bath, and all the love around, within a day, the puppy was already going for a walk with me, barking to demand attention and wagging his tail with excitement. Jeanine will foster him at Oudrif where I am sure he will charm the pants off all the current visitors until he is fully recovered and ready to be adopted. He will have one more adult doggy companion getting treatment and healing at Oudrif after this Project.
All other abandoned animals who arrived at CLAWS’s doorstep this time found new homes already during the three days we were there.
Successful adoptions.
In the years that the Pet Sterilisation Projects have been up and running, the team has been able to vaccinate and sterilise thousands of animals. Singlehandedly, Jeanine has also saved many lives of animals who were sick and dying because of abandonment or lack of appropriate care. CLAWS is active throughout the year, helping people to deworm, vaccinate, sterilise and heal their animals. They use the opportunity to educate the general population about animal care issue. During a recent canine distemper virus outbreak, Jeanine and CLAWS were on the frontlines trying to assist (you can read the Daily Maverick article about the outbreak: “Virus has swept through Western Cape town of Clanwilliam, causing death and suffering to dozens of dogs”). She raises the funds to make this all happen from donations or out of her own pocket. At Oudrif, she makes compassion bracelets and handmade beauty products that are sold to raise funding and awareness, while Oudrif supplies logistical and financial support. In Cape Town, you can buy the beauty products at The Hoghouse. I love the liquid and solid soaps and the lotions, and my home is never without them, but there is so much more to choose from.
The most efficient way to support CLAWS is a direct donation:
I will be going to Oudrif again in August and will be taking cat/dog food, blankets, sheets, towels, cushions and hot water bottles (all needed during recovery) with me. If you can donate any of these things, please get in touch with me and I will pick them up from you (in Cape Town) and take it all with me. Everything helps! The next Pet Sterilisation Project will take place later this year. It makes a huge difference, to the animals and the communities they live in.
Please hug your Furry Family from me. The Cats send their purrs.
Karina Magdalena 