Prof Booysen is Professor and Chair in the Internet of Things at the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University.  His research is on the Internet of Things, with a focus on Smart Energy, Water and Vechiles (specifically its application on paratransit Sub-Saharan Africa). He is also a founder of Bridge-iot (Bridge-to-the-Internet-of Things), founder of Green X Engineering, and co-creator of Geasy and Count Dropula. (a water saving system helping schools save thousands of rands with water usage). 

Andrea Angel joined BirdLife South Africa in 2016 as the Albatross Task Force Manager.

The Albatross Task Force team is responsible for keeping the thousands of pelagic seabirds that come to forage in our oceans safe from getting caught in fishing gear, through research, implementation of mitigation measures and legislation. It is the only team in South Africa whose primary objective is to mitigate at-sea threats to seabirds to ensure a lasting reduction of seabird mortality and compliance with mitigation measures.

Andrea has worked on seabird conservation-related projects since 2003, after completing her Science Masters in Conservation Biology at the University of Cape Town. She spent considerable time working on remote islands around the world including on Marion and a year on Gough, conducting research and management of invasive species that threaten seabird survival.

Originally from Chile she has lived on 3 continents and has been based in Cape Town for the past 20 years

BirdLife South Africa is a non-profit public benefit organisation dedicated to the conservation of birds. It strives to conserve birds, their habitats and biodiversity through scientifically based programmes, through supporting the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources and by encouraging people to enjoy and value nature. It has more than 5000 members in more than 40 bird clubs throughout South Africa and is one of the 115 BirdLife International partner organisations all working towards the conservation of birds and nature 

Hugo is an avid diver who has explored reefs, fish, coral, sharks and much more, all over the world.  He has been diving for over 50 years and has recently returned from the fascinating region of Micronesia.  Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, composed of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a shared cultural history with two other island regions, Polynesia to the east and Melanesia to the south.  The region has a tropical marine climate and is part of the Oceania ecozone

Of all the plastic ever made, half of it was manufactured in the past 20 years only, and all of it still exists in the environment in some form.  Without demonizing plastic, we MUST shift our behaviour with regards to single-use plastic as we find ourselves drowning in a plastic crisis.  A business as usual scenario will result in plastic outweighing all fish in the ocean by the year 2050. We cannot let this happen and every individual and brand can make a difference, today

As well as being South Africa’s most experienced travel writer, David Bristow – also known as The Eardstapper – is the author of more than 20 books on South Africa and Africa beyond.

Colleagues at Getaway travel magazine – where he was editor for 14 years – dubbed him the walking enviro-pedia. “It’s unlikely there is anyone better travelled than him and his knowledge of The Cape and indeed all of South Africa is encylopaediac,” commented Don Pinnock who succeeded him as editor.

With degrees in journalism and environmental sciences, you could say he has a well-rounded grasp on most things that do not involve rocket science. David has an abiding passion for all things pertaining to nature, culture, travel, history, Africa and just about anything else that is interesting.

But it is his love of life and the world around him that has led to him to be the pre-eminent story teller of the Cape – dramatic stories, racy stories, ghost or horror stories, love stories, comedies and tragedies; stories about the places and people who created the Cape. Interwoven with all this will be current issues, international trends and local anecdotes – you name it and he’ll provide the details.

Chantal has been working at Eagle Encounters for the past three and half years. She has a Diploma in Nature Conservation through her studies with CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology), Cape Town. This she completed in 2014. Chantal has various other conservation experience through her volunteering and practical study year. Before she started working at Eagle Encounters as a Handler in 2015, she completed her Nature Conservation studies practical working year with City of Cape Town’s Environmental Resource Management Department. She was predominately based at the Durbanville Nature Reserve. Her main passion lies in Environmental Education. She feels she is very fortunate to be able to educate children and adults daily on the importance of birds of prey in the wild and the conservation issues surrounding them, while physically being able to work hands-on with these incredible birds – which can be amazing and challenging at the same time

Peter Kirsten was almost 37 by the time he made his Test debut, because of South Africa's omission from the Test arena in the 1970s and '80s. At that time Kirsten, a wristy, uncompromising batsman and a glorious fielder, was a prolific runscorer for Western Province and Derbyshire. In 1976-77 he hit five centuries in consecutive innings, and six in seven. His talents were fading by the time he played Test cricket, but he battled doggedly, not least at Adelaide in 1993-94. South Africa had to draw to take the series against Australia, but Kirsten's 79 (in 310 minutes) and 42 (in 259) were agonisingly in vain. He made his only Test hundred at Headingley in 1994, in his penultimate Test.

Bruce started the Plastination Plant about 12 years ago. Bruce attended Internations Plastination Conferences and today the University of Cape Town has the largest plastination plant in the country, if not the only one. Bruce was instrumental in running national introductory workshops on Plastination as several South African Universities were interested in possibly starting their own plant. 

Did you know that at the end of the year, each cadaver's remains are placed in a coffin and cremated separately, and the ashes are returned to those families who request this service? Even in death human remains are handled with dignity and respect.

DATE:  THURSDAY 12 JULY, 2018: 10:00

VENUE: BELLVILLE CIVIC CENTRE

GUEST SPEAKER: SELWYN DAVIDOWITZ

TOPIC: HIDDEN SECRETS OF CAPE TOWN AND TYGERBERG.

 A keen interest and love for Cape Town lead to Selwyn founding his own touring company – I LOVE CAPE TOWN in 2000. He worked as a tourist operator as well as tourist guide, specialising in the hidden secrets of Cape Town and the surrounding areas, including township travel. In 2007 he shared the Wanderlust International tourist guide of the year award with a Rumanian. Selwyn has also lectured at the Tourist Guide Institute in Cape Town and remains actively involved in teaching and lecturing to aspirant Cape Town tourist guides.

DATE:  THURSDAY  14 JUNE  10:30 AM

VENUE: BELLVILLE CIVIC CENTRE

GUEST SPEAKER: Peter Kuhnert

TOPIC:  The Horn    

Horn is the fast-paced story of the rhino poaching scourge in Kruger National Park. Vietnamese syndicates are enticing the impoverished African locals to risk their lives for a few dollars, while they make millions. The South-African government appoints Eduardo Ruiz to the Kruger anti-poaching unit. The rhino holds a powerful lure for the anti-poaching patrol, a London journalist, a Hong Kong society lady, a syndicate boss and an Interpol agent who are all chasing the horn; on the living beast or as a powerful placebo.

Peter has the first to introduce passive microchip technology to the country. During a daring project at Pilansberg National Park he sponsored implementation of transponders into all the rhinos.

The book HORN written by Peter Kunhert, will be on sale afterwards for R200 (CASH ONLY) of which R50 will be donated to the Save the Rhino organization.

DATE:  THURSDAY 10 MAY  10:00

VENUE: BELLVILLE CIVIC CENTRE

GUEST SPEAKER: EDITHA WARD

TOPIC:  40 YEARS OF TRAVEL

For 40 years Editha has been travelling the world, mostly as a single traveler with nothing much booked apart from her flights. She knows where she wants to go, and what she wants to see and do, but things can be challenging, stimulating and adventurous.

According to Editha, some adventures one can do without, but the bad ones make good stories.

Her talk will touch on several countries, but the main focus will be Ethiopia, where Mara, her daughter, and she spent 20 days seeing 7 of the 8/9 world heritage sites with amazing happenings in between. 

DATE:  THURSDAY 12 APRIL  10:00

VENUE: BELLVILLE CIVIC CENTRE

GUEST SPEAKERS:

PHILIP PRINS

PIERRE GALLAGHER

DEAN FERREIRA

TOPIC: WILDLAND FIRE-FIGHTING IN THE FYNBOS BIOME – A NEW ERA

Our speakers will be Mr Philip Prins, Fire Manager of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), Mr Pierre Gallagher, General Manager of Cape Peninsular Fire Protection Association (CPFPA) and Mr Dean Ferriera, Managing Director of Nature Conservation Corporation (NCC).

The talk will focus on the exquisite biome of the unique fauna and flora of the Table Mountain National Park. The talk integrates the latest approach on biome protection, conservation and the uniqueness of a variety of species found on Table Mountain. The talk will include the planning of fire fighting in the fynbos biome.

Thursday, March 8

Speaker Philippe Menache. 

His talk is titled “Church Tourism in SA”. This PowerPoint presentation is mainly about country churches in South Africa with a few about city church buildings.  The emphasis is on architectural styles, the architects themselves and heritage value and concerns. There is no emphasis on religion whatsoever, but all the churches featured are of different Christian denominations.