Talents and treats

On a baking hot Saturday, when folk would not be blamed for feeling that they were melting if they stood too long in one spot, dozens of volunteers manned their posts for their church bazaars.

Ladies and gents at the outside stalls at St Bernard's Anglican Church bazaar mopped sweat off their brows but bravely soldiered on, selling second hand goodies, books and toys. Inside were a mouthwatering selection of cakes and treats and in the church itself, an orchid and art display.

The AGS Church was also packed and running out of parking. The church building was full of stalls, including food....etc etc look at brochure. Outside, children were entertained with a playground and petting zoo, slide, 4x4s and jumping castles.

The talent competition had the children showing off their stuff, from singing and dancing to a violin piece by twins. One of the judges was Jacques Gombault of TV fame and he explained that the judges were looking for honest performances and wanted children to be themselves, not pretend to be their favourite star. They should also be age-appropriate in material they chose. All children who participated were congratulated for braving the stage and entertaining the appreciative audience. They were all winners for their courage, but the judges chose Brenda-Lee as overall winner.

But the police dog division must be congratulated for their active display in the blistering heat. While their audience sat comfortably on chairs provided or the grassy slope, the three officers put their dogs through their paces. Children were fascinated to see Jessie, a labrador-cross-retriever, sniff out explosives or weapons. All the dogs receive their training in Pretoria. Then it was the turn of Ice, a border collie, to find narcotics. The police asked children to sit in a circle and hid samples with one child. It was amazing to see how quickly Ice darted to each illegal item, without bothering the children at all.

The police officers and their dogs received loud applause for their display of excellent training.