Thornhill Estate November 2017 | Page 3

FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN S o much to talk about, so much happening and that’s just in Thornhill. Mix in the whirlwind of worldwide geopolitical risk and I struggle to keep up with standing still. Yes, it is that busy everywhere we look. That makes this time of year so exciting. Holiday time is coming up, the time for families, for avoiding terrible office parties, time to work through the pressure so you can take a few weeks off with the rest of the country. Yes, it is time for… Christmas Night Markets! I could ramble on but I think you get the point, the an- nual holiday season is just around the corner so let us all put that extra effort in to make sure our bit of Thornhill is looking its best and we can all enjoy some relaxing quiet time at home, maybe a bit noisy now and again but that’s to be expected too. For those of you staying home this festive season enjoy the estate at its best, for those travelling away, sorry, you will miss out on the best weather by the pool, the nicest walks through the gardens as well as that stress free feeling you get if you never have to get into your car for a few days in a row. But that is a good few weeks away yet. Until then we need to bring you up to date on happenings around the area. Big news just now is the shops, the new road and do we get lights, roundabouts or what? Lakeside and Thornhill are working together and engag- ing with the developers and the JRA. At the time of writing this, the working committee had made a lot of progress in checking the current legal status of the road and junctions as well as building direction and support from the community at large – remember the petition!! We certainly wish them well and look forward to a more positive outcome than what was originally going to be dictated to us. You will note that progress takes the form of massive diggers and graders so I do hope negotiations go well as tying ourselves to one of those yellow monsters looks pretty dangerous to me! This is also a time for giving and, on that note, I would like to thank you all for giving so generously yet again to the Guards & Gardeners Xmas Bonus Fund. The guards and gar- deners truly appreciate your generosity. The estate is looking stunning just now and our security team is working well, loving the new roof. Well done to the THOA Team all round. Thanks to the community too. We are currently looking at putting up more cameras to assist us in identifying threats around the entrance as well as keeping track of the exit routes to aid authorities in the event of incidents. Part of our ongoing security up grades which we can never stop doing. I for one will be relieved when the shops are finished. Never mind the security risk, the constant trucks, dust and noise is a nuisance. We are told the shops won’t add to the traffic in the area to which someone on the Board asked how that was going to work, no shops opening up? Of course, the shops are going to change the area as they will attract traffic from all those flats that have just gone up behind Lakeside as well as others wanting to shop ‘in the country’. There is no question the area has changed from the sleepy site of two villages to a thriving small town. The growing pains have been considerable and the residential profile will change yet again. Something we all need to embrace, even most of us older residents who had the chance to savour the area when it was a backwater gem hidden in a modern city. Change, don’t try to stop it, an impossible task. Rather get involved in the various committee’s and help shape that change for the better. I have been asked to remind all of our dog lovers and owners that dogs must be on their Continued.... Your Thornhill Estate Contacts WEBSITE: www.thoa.co.za EMAIL: [email protected] GUARD HOUSE: 011-608-4361 ESTATE OFFICE: 011-608-0835