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About Mike Hampton

Fierce lover of Knysna, the prettiest town in South Africa. Activist, avid writer and founder of Love Knysna and Knysna Website Design. Community worker through Love Knysna Projects, a voluntary association aiming to put educational smiles on children and bring the community of Knysna closer together.

Magdaleentjie’s Pre-Primary School

Knysna Keep Posted on by

It took 2 German tourists, Anneke and Heike, to introduce me to Magdalena (you can call her Maggie, if you like) and her school of younglings. St. Patrick’s Magdaleenjie’s Pre-Primary began in a garage but, thanks to hard work and assistance from the Knysna Education Trust and Irish “samaritans”, it’s grown into a beautiful school. It’s colourful wooden walls will make you smile. It’s location on top of a hill with an incredible view to the sea or forests will take your breath away. The parents i met were warm and mostly dropping or fetching their kids on the way … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Places Every Kid Should See

Knysna Keep Posted on by

One of the goals of the OUR KNYSNA project is for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to experience the pure beauty of Knysna and surrounding areas. They mustn’t treat their suburb and circumstances as most of their world. That kind of thought imprisons the mind and kills dreams before they are born. We want them to discover a bigger world and no better way to start that than by making them proudly Knysnian. Lately, every time i look at my photos i’m reminded that so many kids haven’t seen these places. Soon, some of them will… NB: This though will be … ‘Click here to read full article…’

DA Takes Knysna’s Steering Wheel

Knysna Keep Posted on by

Good projects and ideas should be supported for what they are and not according to whoever is in power. In the case of South Africa, i’d be referring to those most likely to govern a town; the ANC (African National Congress) and the DA (Democratic Alliance). I say that because The Keep wants to deal with whoever will help and support. Nevertheless, it’s interesting times for the DA has not only taken back the steering wheel of power in our beautiful town of Knysna but also won control of most of the surrounding municipalities so that they control Eden, the … ‘Click here to read full article…’

A Street Kid Diary

Knysna Keep Posted on by

A Street Kid Diary Every raindrop hits me! In winter night, my skin reads the newspaper and I awake educated to the street The cold colds The robot beckons me to beg a coin Dressing in my unhappy face (they don’t know that the unhappiest shows nothing), I jostle with the Coca-Cola man to get my tax relief Later, I’ve got my bread and single cigarette and I’m playing hide-and-hide with the older boys Thank God, they don’t see the angel in my pocket so soon I’m sniffing her all the way to Heaven Sure, I’ve got no shoes and … ‘Click here to read full article…’