JULY 2026

TALK
DATE: Tuesday 21st July
TIME: 20:00
SPEAKER: Nigel Amschwand
VENUE: The Athenaeum in Newlands, located at the intersection of Campground Road & Mariendahl Lane.
Drive through Boundary Terrace office park gates, turn left at the top into the dedicated Athenaeum parking area.
TOPIC: Looking at buildings from the 1700s to the 1950s. From Matjieshuis to Castles and a lot in between!

Nigel is a mechanical engineer, and a Fellow of the Institute of Refrigeration. Designing industrial refrigeration systems ranging from paddling pools for racehorses to systems for chilling 12 000 chickens per hour.

He has been a VASSA Member for about 30 years and has written a number of books of vernacular interest.
He is also a historical researcher with a deep passion for the vernacular architecture and social history of the Cape hinterland, particularly the Northern Cape and the Onder-Bokkeveld. 

OUTING
DATE: Saturday 1st August 
Leeuwenhof Slave Quarters
Details to follow

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2026 Membership fees are due now – see here for details

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READ THE LATEST VASSA Newsletter JUNE 2026 

or access all newsletters in Publications
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A GENTLE REMINDER /  CODE OF CONDUCT 

TALKS happen on the third Tuesday of a month, at the Athenaeum in Newlands. All are welcome, free of charge.
OUTINGS happen on the last Saturday of a month (usually). Members only.
VASSA outings/excursions usually take us onto exclusive properties, and frequently into private homes – which is a privilege deserving respect and courtesy, and our host’s privacy being safeguarded. Hence our Code of Conduct.

GENERAL

Only paid up members may attend Outings. (Visitors pay the annual price of membership to attend an outing.)
Always wear your VASSA name badge to Outings. It’s a courtesy to fellow members as well as a safety measure to hosts who generously allow us into their homes.

Strictly no pets ever, or children without prior arrangement.

ON ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

On arrival, make sure to sign the register which has a clause that indemnifies VASSA and/or its agents against all injury, loss, damage, costs and/or expenses which you and/or any other person may incur as a result of your participation.

Then, stay close to the leader so that the host can be introduced. Do not wander off before the introduction.

On departure, gather around the leader to thank the host. Do not leave before this.

If you have to leave before the end of the outing, inform the outing leader so that others don’t wait or look for you.

PHOTOGRAPH PROTOCOL

We need to safeguard the privacy of our hosts in this digital age.
Before taking interior photographs, check with the outing leader that this is permitted.

Although we may sometimes be allowed to take interior photos if we have permission from the property owner / occupant, we should use them only for personal or research purposes.
So do not post photographs of any interior on social media – this is deemed a security risk.

And never post images of a location / farm online with either GPS co-ordinates or the name and location / address attached, nor as a caption or other “tag” such as the “check in” option on Facebook.

Some already “public” exterior shots, such as the gateposts or gables, may be used to illustrate posts to social media or to the VASSA Facebook page.

ON THE PROPERTY

Switch off cell phones or put them on ‘silent’.

Do not … Touch anything / Pick up porcelain to check maker’s mark / Take books out of bookcases, etc. / Open closed doors / Sit on the furniture / Use the toilet without asking the host’s permission / Take plant slips from the garden.

Also do not … Engage the host in private conversations while everyone else is milling around / Use the privilege of an outing to organise private business arrangements or return visits with the host / Voice personal comments while on site.

LIMITING NUMBERS

Vassa outings are usually open for all members to attend. However, certain outings may not be able to accommodate a large group of people, in which case numbers are limited to a first come first served basis, and a contact email address is always provided to secure your spot.

If you cannot attend, let the organiser know so that someone else on the waiting list can.

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