By Sarah Taylor
Learning the art of indigenous plant propagation was the focus of the Mandela Day event held at Pebbles Academy in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on Friday, 18 July 2025.
Executive Mayor of the Overstrand Archie Klaas, his deputy Elnora Gillion, and Overberg District Municipality Speaker Lindile Ntsabo were among the honoured guests who came to learn techniques for growing new plants from cuttings of fynbos plants, including pincushion protea and lemon-scented pelargonium, among others. The hands-on workshop was presented by members of the Hermanus Botanical Society, Di Marais, Jenny Badenhorst and nursery manager Tanzi Nutt, who shared their combined wealth of knowledge.
The workshop, which focused on plants from the local Cape Floral Kingdom, was also aimed at young adults attending the Pebbles Youth Development Centre. The mayor encouraged those present to ask the presenters any questions they may have and not to worry about them being silly.
‘I am teaching you about values and taking responsibility in life,’ said Archie. ‘Please look after these plants and don’t only grow these ones but do others. If you can sustain this, you will become a better person in life.’
The inspiration for the event came from a recent talk at Creation Wines by the Botanical Society of South Africa, said Creation co-founder and co-owner Carolyn Martin.
‘The idea was to put these ideas into action on Mandela Day, using our 67 minutes of community service to educate our youth and improve their environment for the future,’ she said. ‘The work that we are doing today is part of a little dream to increase the biodiversity at the school, to develop more sensorial aspects, and to increase the children’s awareness of their natural heritage. We want to create a better educational environment for the children and also boost awareness of our unique biodiversity. Most importantly, when we teach the children to look after the environment, they will see that the environment can look after them,’ she added.
The Pebbles Academy was established in 2017 to provide schooling for children from nearby farms in the valley, from pre-primary (seven months old) to Grade 7. Principal Johan van Tonder explained that the school now has 128 pupils, with class sizes ranging from four to 10 pupils. There is also a Youth Development Centre offering unemployed youth training and development in hospitality skills, with 14 learners currently enrolled in the six-month Youth Development course. The school employs 15 teachers as well as other support staff, and all staff and children are fed four meals a day.
The school was formed through a collaborative effort involving Carolyn Martin, landowner Anthony van Hoogstraten, the umbrella organisation Pebbles Project, the Cape Wine Auction, community members and donors, including Rotary International.
The school’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre consists of First Thousand Days (FTD) and ECD classrooms catering for children aged from seven months to five years. This centre has the capacity to accommodate 60 children.
Johan said that the Pebbles Academy had been an Afrikaans-medium school until this year when the first English class for Grade 1s was launched.
Trained in neuropsychology, Johan is clearly an asset to the school, as is his wife Hantie who joins him at work. She is responsible for the FTD and ECD classes, as well as being the school’s curriculum manager. ‘We hope someone will donate another classroom for the English stream to continue next year,’ she said.
Also on the Pebbles wish-list is a fourth minibus to assist with transporting the youngsters to and from school every day, as most of their parents don’t have transport and work full-time.
‘At the moment we have three buses, which are all working double routes, meaning that it is a challenge to get everyone to school on time each day,’ said Hantie. She noted, however, that the school has an exceptionally high attendance rate – 98% last term – and a waiting list of more than 60 children.
‘It is a lovely school, and I am so pleased to be involved,’ said Johan. ‘The children love to come to school – it makes them so happy.’
The event at Pebbles was preceded by a sumptuous and beautifully presented lunch at Creation’s Tasting Room, including B’Bos Trout Ballotine, a heavenly spinach and watercress soup with a delicate filigree-like rosemary tuile, and springbok loin with honeybush jus, all made from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
Drinks included kombucha spiced up with flavours of fynbos, naartjie and ginger, and an impressive range of six of the estate’s flagship wines to accompany each course, including Creation Viognier, Creation Reserve Pinot Noir, and the fun and fruity Creation Cape White dessert wine, described on the menu as a ‘jasmine neroli elixir’.
Creation staff member Jay-Lee Williams is a great example of the positive impact the Pebbles Academy can have on the surrounding community. A former head girl at the school and one of its first Grade 7 students, Jay-Lee demonstrated her excellent hospitality skills at the Mandela Day lunch. After graduating from Pebbles in 2019, she attended Hermanus High School and is now looking at furthering her studies in the education field, part time, while working at the Tasting Room. Creation has offered to pay for her studies.
‘If it wasn’t for our school, she wouldn’t have been able to progress like she has,’ said Johan.
- For more information about the Pebbles Academy, click here.
