2 August 2013

VREDEFORT DOME TOURIST GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the meeting held on Friday 02 August 2013 at 9h00 at Godlife Church, Parys.

The interim chairperson, Christo Meyer, welcomed all the guests to the meeting and expressed the wish that the meeting will be fruitful for all present. Attendants introduced themselves to the meeting.

Apologies were received from the following:

Wild Waters, Mfundo Ngcangca (Registrar Freestate), Leloane Seleke and Wilna Kruger

Attendance: The meeting was attended by 25 people including the Registrar for tour guides and other officials from the North-West Tourism Office.

Additions to agenda:

The following items were added to the agenda:

– New Generic Adventure Guiding Skills Programme

– Criteria for qualification and registration of tourist guides

The minutes of the last meeting was read and adopted by the members present at that meeting.

Draft Constitution:

The draft constitution, the main item on the agenda, was read and discussed paragraph by paragraph. Very valuable inputs were received from members of the meeting. Quite lengthy discussions took place and the suggested additions and changes will be effected in the document which will be dealt with again at the following meeting, before finalisation as the constitution of the Association.

The Tourist Guide Code of Conduct an Ethics:

This is an undertaking that every tourist guide to be must sign and submit, among other documents, in order to be registered as a tourist guide. The document was explained and discussed. Inputs were given by guides as well as officials from the Provincial Department of Tourism and the Registrar. The meeting decided that Christo Meyer and Jan Fourie must refine the document and submit it to the next meeting for adoption.

Matters of training and registration:

A paper on a New Generic Adventure Guiding Skills Programme was presented to the meeting by Graeme Addison, followed by fruitful discussions. A number of issues and important questions were discussed and clarified by Departmental officials and experienced members of the meeting. The general feeling at the meeting was that there is a need for assistance and guidance for young people who want to train and register as tourist guides. Operators also expressed the need for clarity about the whole process of training and registration. It was agreed that this issue must remain on the agenda of meetings of the association until everything is sorted out to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Website for the association:

The importance of a website for the Association was mentioned by Graeme Addison and he offered to design and develop such a website and that it will cost the association nothing. After discussion the meeting approved that he goes on and finalise such a website.

Identification of guides in the Dome:

Apart from the official identification tokens that guides have to ware, it was suggested that a logo for guides belonging to this Association, also be designed. The logo could be in the form of a sew on badge. This will be a matter for the management committee to take forward.

Heritage Day 24 September 2013:    

On behalf of the Vredefort Dome Tourism Association, Warrin Floris announced that, on this day, celebrations will be held throughout the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site. All roll players, landowners, District and Provincial authorities, will participate to allow tourist and visitors access to all establishments and sites of special interest. Guides were asked to be available where ever their services will be needed.

Next meeting:

The next meeting will be held on 30 August 2013 at Godlife Church, 83 Loop Street, Parys at 9h00.

Closure:

The chairman expressed his gratitude to all present for their attendance and fruitful and positive contributions and closed the meeting at 12h30.