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Sponsor message from Main Sponsor
April 2012
________________________________________________________
Kgalaletso Tlhoaele
Retail Sales and Service Executive
Absa Eastern and Southern Cape

A decade of growth and success and yet another year of Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees festivities in 2012 is a good enough reason to start saving for the weekend of 29 June – 1 July to enjoy a jam-packed programme, which is sure to satisfy all the senses.
Absa is proud of its continued partnership with the Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees since inception in 2002, celebrating the Sunday’s River Valley, its people and all that the valley has to offer as promoted through the annual Wildsfees.

Over the past 10 years the festival has grown into the biggest and one of the most sought-after festivals in the Eastern Cape, an achievement that we can all be very proud of. This fantastic milestone, achieved in 2011 would not have been reached without you – the festival visitor. We need to brag about the festival to the rest of the country and I encourage everyone who is a festival fan to do so. You are the event’s ambassadors in telling the festival’s story and inviting people to visit at the end of June to enjoy the weekend programme and get to know our region.

Absa signed a five-year partnership in February 2011 and this will see festival-goers congregate in their 1 000’s at the Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees until 2015. This commitment did not come lightly. Absa’s decision to partner into the future of this festival was influenced by the manner in which the festival board and committee adopts strict governance around its operations and finances. This approach has seen the festival grow tremendously and these factors, together with the quality of the event and the value-add to the Sunday’s River Valley based on the festival’s objectives which set the foundation for this event, have meant that together we are creating a legacy for the Eastern Cape.

The festival is now top-of-mind for most Eastern Capers, as well as visitors to the region from beyond our borders. With Absa’s continued support the Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees will be embedded forever in the legacy, tourism and history of the Eastern Cape.

When I look at the three-day festival programme there are three words that come to mind: uniqueness, quality and value add.

Friends of the festival, as ambassadors we have a responsibility to promote this uniqueness, quality and value-add – if we do this collectively, we will reap the benefits in the future, not only economically and socially, but to also increase tourism in the area and attract top artists to perform on the festival stage.

There is a saying that “our fingerprints will never fade from the lives that we have touched”; by being part of the Wildsfees you are touching the lives of the people living in the Kirkwood Valley by creating jobs, investing in projects and skills development, among others, through this event.

We look forward to seeing all our Wildsfees friends and fans over the weekend 29 June – 1 July 2012, when you have the opportunity to enjoy the Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees programme and all that this town in the valley has to offer.

Kind regards
Kgalaletso Tlhoaele
Retail Sales and Service Executive
Absa Eastern and Southern Cape
 

 

 

• Absa het in 2002 ʼn vennootskap met die Kirkwood Wildsfees aangegaan toe hulle geld geskenk het aan die inwydingsgeleentheid, wat om die veiling van wild gewentel het.

• Absa het vanaf die begin jaarliks aan die fees deelgeneem.

• Absa het ʼn driejaar-benoemingsregtekontrak vir die tydperk van 2008-2010 geteken en die fees het as die Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival/Wildsfees bekend begin staan.

• Die fees is gebaseer op die sleuteldryfvere van bewaring, ekotoerisme, opvoeding en natuurlewe.

• Die fees het ʼn Raad wat deur plaaslike Kirkwood sakeman, Paul Marais, bestuur word.

• Die fees word hoofsaaklik deur vrywilliges deur ʼn Artikel 21- (sonder winsoogmerk) maatskappy bestuur. Dit is ontwikkel rondom ʼn jaarlikse wildsveiling wat, as gevolg van die goeie gehalte wild en die siektevry buffels van die Addo Olifant Nasionale Park wat te koop is, kopers van regoor die land en naburige state lok.

• Feesbesoekersverkeer het toegeneem met 38 000 wat in 2010 getel is. Dit beteken dat die aantal besoekers van ongeveer 3 000 in 2002 tot meer as 38 000 in 2010 gegroei het.

• Baie gemeenskapsorganisasies en individue het baat gevind by die gesamentlike Korporatiewe Maatskaplike Investeringsinisiatiewe (KMI) tussen Absa en die Wildsfees. Absa het in 2009 rolstoele aan gemeenskapslede tussen die ouderdom van 2 en 88 geskenk en het ook items wat broodnodig was aan bejaardes en weeskinders in die Sondagsriviervallei geskenk.

• In 2010 het die veiling ʼn omset van R10,8 miljoen gegenereer, wat dit een van die top drie wildsveilings in Suid-Afrika maak.

• Die fees bied meer as 300 spesialisstalletjies, wat wissel van kookdemonstrasies, wynproe, avontuurritte tot lewendige vermaak deur topvermaakpersoonlikhede op die grootste opelugverhoog in die Oos-Kaap, om ʼn paar te noem.

• Die fees is in vennootskap met die Parkeraad en dien dus as katalisator en platform vir werkskepping deur die bevordering van toerisme in die Sondagsriviervallei. Bewustheid oor die behoefte om ons natuurlike erfenis te bewaar, word regdeur die feesuitstallings, natuurlewekonferensie en stalletjies wat te sien is, geskep.

• Die lokaal is in digte valleibosveld geleë, wat help om die samewerking met die Spekboom Stigting vir die plant en rehabilitasie van hierdie plant te fasiliteer.

• Die fees streef daarna om ʼn groen geleentheid in die Oos-Kaap te wees en het die nodige maatreëls in plek om aan die gestelde kriteria te voldoen. ʼn Vennootskap is met Sappi daargestel ten opsigte van hul oorlog teen vermorsingveldtog (war on waste campaign).

• Die fees neem ook die gestremdes in ag en het seker gemaak dat die terrein rolstoelvriendelik is – een van die min feeste in Suid-Afrika met ʼn rolstoelvriendelike beleid.

• Fondse wat deur die fees gegenereer is, onderhou die Sondagsriviervallei-toerismekantoor en ondersteun ook ʼn aantal gemeenskapsliefdadigheidsorganisasies en -inisiatiewe.