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Breaking News	Chairmans Report	Estate Managers Report

Finance & Security Report	Maintenance Report	Specials

The HOA is growing from strength to strength and whilst there is still a lot of negativity out there with the all the doom and gloom surrounding the Global Economy, we here at Simola have got plenty of reasons to be excited about the future. Read all about it in the Newsletter…..Revamped Golf Course!, New Management!, Improved Security!, Links to fantastic photos of our Estate gardens, wormery and recycling plant!, and great getaway specials for Simola Homeowners. Also dont forget out faithful advertisers who offer specials and discounts to Simola Homeowners.

News Links:
Simola 2010 Link 1
Simola 2010 Link 2

We approach the end of a very difficult year yet we have much to be thankful for:

The estate landscaping has been greatly improved and the estate is in good shape;
The golf course has new greens, improved bunkers and is in excellent condition;
The security on the estate has been greatly improved with Prime Security on site;
The Association’s finances are in vastly improved over the position at the beginning of the year;
The first signs of our economy coming out of recession are present;
We anticipate the approach of the 2010 World Cup bringing a large numbers of overseas visitors;
Simola received excellent television coverage from the Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament and the Knysna Hillclimb held on the Simola Bypass;
One of the teams participating in the World Cup is most likely going to make Simola its base.

Annual General meeting The AGM was attended by 10 members who held 37 proxies between them. The contribution from members present was constructive, enthusiastic and of great benefit. The minutes have been circulated so members will be informed. After considerable discussion it was resolved on a proposal from the floor that the levies be increased to R 2569.00 including vat per month from 1st March 2010. The vote was 44 in favour with 3 against (those against were all proxies whose mandate was against any increase irrespective of the discussion and explanations given at the meeting). It was also decided again on a proposal from the floor that the Builders’ Deposit be increased to R20000.00 with R10 000.00 non refundable to allow for wear and tear to roads etc, inspection by the Estate Manager and other indirect costs incurred by the Association. This will apply to all new applications.

Trustees The following are the Board of Trustees for the ensuing year:

Athol Abdo	Chairman	athol@simolaestate.co.za
Russell Davis	Vice-Chairman / Maintenance	russell@loc3.co.za
Avril Kaschula	Developer	corporateoffice@simolaestate.co.za
Julian Lincow	Finance	julianl@documan.co.za
Peter Lay	Security	peterlay@telkomsa.net
Derek Carroll	Marketing	derek@simolaestate.co.za
Frank Ford	Estate Manager	hoa@simolaestate.co.za

We welcome Peter Lay to the Board of trustees. Peter enjoys the confidence of a large number of homeowners and so we were delighted to have him on the Board. He will oversee the important portfolio of Security. Please feel free to contact the Estate Manager Frank or any one of the Trustees in connection with any queries you have for the Association.

MTN Mast It was suggested at the AGM that I make contact directly with MTN in connection with the proposed mast on Simola as previous correspondence had been in the form of objections lodged with Knysna Municipality. This I did and after an exchange of correspondence it appears that MTN will not be proceeding with their application on Simola.

Constitutional Amendments We are examining the Constitution of the Association to update it and make provision for the changing circumstances. The Developer has the right to alter the Constitution during the development period and the proposals will be circulated in due course. Consideration is being given to:

Setting the date for the Annual General Meeting for the first Friday in December in each year to remove uncertainty and allow for forward planning (next AGM would be on Friday 3rd December 2010 at 14h30);
Re-visiting the build by dates and increasing the penalties;
Regularising the levies for the different phases and the group housing/sectional title developments.

Any other suggestions will be welcome and can be sent to me.

As we approach the holiday season we wish all homeowners Christmas greetings, a happy break over this period, may you travel safely and may the anticipation of a great 2010 year be realized.

Athol Abdo
Chairman

The Estate has seen plenty of very positive changes in the last 12 months. Starting with the introduction of Portfolio Heads on the Trustees committee, which has certainly assisted focus in the various categories of Maintenance, Finance and Security. From me personally, a very big thanks to the Trustees for all their guidance and assistance.

The introduction of Khulani as the contractors for Estate Maintenance, has improved the estate to the point where we can be proud of the verges and gardens and the open spaces has also started to take on character. The establishment of a wormery, nursery and recycling is a feather in their caps. Unfortunately for Khulani, due to budget constraints, we had to cut their income by more than 50% since the beginning of the year. How they managed to maintain and improve the estate is beyond admiration! A special thanks to Warrick of Khulani and Russel Davis, the Maintenance Portfolio Head.

This year has also seen some positive change with security, by the appointment of Prime Security and Management services. Their 24/7 Rapid Response Unit and the introduction of an In-house Control centre make us feel a lot safer. The quality of guards and refreshing new look uniforms certainly is in line with an up market estate. Prime's introduction of home alarms and monitoring complete the picture of in-house estate control. They have extensive programs in place for continuous training. Their response vehicle will eventually be kitted out to assist homeowners with minor mechanical repairs, first line medical and fire control problems.

The Control Room can be contacted on 0861 993399 and the Response Vehicle on 076 0598606.

Promotional activities involving the Estate has been numerous and very successful. o name but a few, the Vodacom Business Origins of golf where one of the presenters quoted on national television that "Simola is not only one of the best courses in South Africa, but compares to the best in the world." The Knysna Hill Climb was such a hit that it drew entries from across South Africa and was attended by over 6 000 spectators. What is rewarding to note, is that all funds raised was for charity. The event was also aired on national television no less than 9 times. Entries for next year have already been received. This will now be an annual event.

Building activities appear to have had a boost with 36 dwellings complete or ready for occupation, while a further 7 are still under construction. Applications have been received for a further 5 units and as we stand, we are over 50% occupancy in Phase 1 alone.

There are a few homes exceeding 1200 square m which proves that Simola is an excellent investment. Bright lights are showing again at the old clubhouse, now known as the Luxury Lodge, which has opened its doors for functions, golf packages and also operate as an up-market B&B. For further information please contact Sue Barbour at the Hotel or Anita Ford – 082 6676450.

Member's access to the Estate has improved with the upgrading of Gate 1&2's software, which can now accommodate 999 remotes (from 10). Therefore, for those members who wish to purchase remotes so that they can do away with the swipe cards, please contact your membership offices, who will request remotes on you behalf. The remotes cost R160 each.

Thank you to all those who has made my job so enjoyable and proud to be part of Simola.

Frank Ford

Despite the high crime statistics, Simola has had no incidents over the past 2 months. We believe that this can be attributed to the frequent patrols during the day and night and to the high visibility of the Prime Security guards and vehicles. This has sparked a few rumours that Simola is no longer an easy target. This is great news as even neighbouring areas are keen to talk to Prime Security to assist in patrolling their estates.

However, we are still having a huge problem with the fence. Constant maintenance is having to be done and this is being done on a weekly basis during the fence patrols. Damage from baboons and porcupines has been noted and the problem is under discussion.

Prime Security’s Control Room has been up and running for 3 months now and a number of homeowners have transferred their current alarms across to Prime. Prime is also now doing installations and looking at CCTV installations to better secure your home while you are away.

There was some quite heavy rain in early November which resulted in damage to the cameras at gate 2. Prime has done some investigation and it appears that it will not be viable to attempt to repair the system. It is outdated and this will give us the opportunity to install a more modern system. We are attempting to claim from the insurers and will keep homeowners posted on this.

The Vodacom Open and Knysna Hill Climb events came and went without incidents. Prime Security sponsored additional Guards and Patrols during both of these events. Apart from one or two very minor problems (cars speeding through the estate etc) we were very happy with the outcome and the effort put in by Prime.

So, in a nutshell, all has run smoothly over the past 2-3 months.

I am still breathing a sigh of relief to have had a bigger Landscaping budget approved at the recent AGM! Thanks to all Homeowners for sharing the same vision. Although we are not exactly cracking open the champagne, at least we can get back to work and keep the roads, verges and landscaping around the Estate looking respectable.

Until our new budget kicks in from March 2010 we will be running around doing whatever damage control we can do on a shoestring budget. Thanks again must go to Khulani (as always!) who have stuck by us through these difficult times. Khulani have put together a carefully worked out and closely monitored work schedule; and in order to keep our gardens and verges looking half decent we have implemented a “miss a week” programme. This allows us, with our reduced crew and budget, to replant and weed every week at the expense of one road which will miss a week every six weeks. Thanks must also go to Julian and Frank who have recently approved a small but vital fertilizer budget.

Our recycling programme is still on track and our Wormery and Nursery are doing well.

We ask Homeowners wishing to replant their gardens to support Khulani and the HOA and to phone us if they need plants. Although the point of the Nursery is to supply the HO Estate, we are more than happy to assist individual Homeowners with plants from our Nursery at very competitive prices.

Our plans for the future are still very bullish and I am confident that once we have ridden the storm out we can get back to the business of making Simola the most attractive Golf Estate in SA.

Thanks must also go to the Developer for making good on his promise of fixing the road between Gate 2 and Harmony.

Keep watching this space- the next report will be after the new budget kicks in and should be packed full of optimism!

Take care and drive safely over the festive season.

Russell Davis

ESTATE MANAGER
FRANK - 082 8201596 | OFFICE - 044 3823275
EMAIL – hoa@simolaestate.co.za