FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN
J
ust as we thought things were warming up, in came the cold
snap. Still not that bad for winter but a tad chilly at night for
my liking and a great excuse for a log fire all the same. We’ve
been talking about whether the rains will be coming
soon enough, and with that comes the lightning. For whatever
reason, we seem to attract a lot of lighting in the suburb which
has resulted in many past insurance claims for the association as
our many electrical items were getting hit hard. Last year we put
up a lightning rod near the gate which has proved very success-
ful in cutting down our claims in and around that area. This has
lead us to review other areas that could use them to protect our
fence and energizers. Fairway Park will be next to get one as we worry about the
trees there too. The base is in already so I expect it will be up and protecting us
in no time. We have had a few strikes around there which some have put down
to the high trees. This resulted in us examining the trees to see if they had been
damaged enough to take down but so far, they have been okay. We are often put
under pressure to cut down trees but we do our best to avoid that if possible. The
trees were here when we moved in and they are such a feature of the area that we
are loath to get rid of them. If they are a real threat we will do so as you will have
seen last year when we had to remove an oak or two in Oaktree Village. Not my
proudest moment as Chairman but a necessary step at the time.
What I do not appreciate is when residents threaten to take trustees to court in
their personal capacity. I bring this up as it has happened once or twice - not being
taken to court but being threatened with it. Imagine you volunteer your time to
a committee, apply your time and energy and suddenly you find yourself in court
being sued! Who would ever stand as a trustee if that could happen? All the
same you should be aware that our Constitution protects our trustees, agents and
employees from being sued in their personal capacity whilst engaged in bona fide
estate business. The THOA would step in to defend them should that ever happen.
Further, we have a robust decision-making process in place which has oversight
from the Governance Committee. This does not mean we cannot make mistakes
as trustees, but it does mean we are certainly applying our minds to the issues at
hand with all actions and decisions taken in good faith after this process has been
completed. In the case of the issues over the trees and lightning for example, we
had an expert check the trees and a qualified electrician check the connections. We
will continue to monitor the trees in question but we will only cut them down if
and when all other avenues have been investigated and found wanting.
The shops seem to be moving at a pace now and we believe the work to start the
road will soon commence. We are not getting the response we would like to stop
the traffic lights or get the taxi rank suitably located, but we will continue to see
if we can keep the roundabout at our entrance. Losing that will be a blow in my
opinion. Staying on the entrance we did hear of one car being stolen at the
Continued....
Your Thornhill Estate Contacts
WEBSITE: www.thoa.co.za
EMAIL: [email protected]
GUARD HOUSE: 011-608-4361
ESTATE OFFICE: 011-608-0835