WRHA new vice chairman

[Cornelius]

Good day

I would like to inform all members and friends that André Lourens has been elected the new vice chairman of the West Rand Herpetological association. I would like to welcome him on-board and wish him all the best. I am sure he will have a great influence on the association as a whole.

Please see below a bit of information on André

“I was born in Germiston and grew up in the Free state and KZN. In September 1981 shortly after moving to Pietermaritzburg, I saw an article in the “Huisgenoot” by Johan Marais on South Africa’s venomous snakes and said to my parents that I am going to start a hobby on snakes. Well at that stage, there were many Brown House Snakes, Herald snakes, Short snouted Whip snakes and Night adders. I always picked up the dead snakes from the road, took them home and identify them.
During the June school holiday in 1982, I met Johan Marais at the Transvaal Snake Park and had a chat with him. Thereafter we corresponded via written letters and a lot of knowledge was gained this way. Collecting snake articles, buying books and ID of dead snakes were other ways in which I learned a lot. In February 1983, I got my first Brown House Snake and then things escalated at a rapid pace. Then my sister bought me my first Boa Constrictor which we went to pick up from Johan Marais.
In 1986 whilst staying in Bethlehem, I attended to my first snake bite call out during a school holiday. And ever since, I have always had a great interest in snakebites.
After my Military Service, I started to study Veterinary Technology at the former Technikon Pretoria and at the same time I was doing in service training at Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (now – Onderstepoort Biological Products LTD) where I am still working today (21 years later) as a Production Technologist in the Viral Vaccine Department.
Since 1991, I have presented talks and lectures to various school groups, adventure groups, corporate groups, ambulance collages and even church groups at camps and I will hopefully soon start doing it again.
Since 1992, I worked on the ambulances as a volunteer and I am currently an Intermediate Life Support Emergency Care Practitioner.
Currently I keep various exotic and indigenous snakes – venomous and harmless and have a great interest in the Elapidae family and Egg Eaters

My goals for the association are as follows
The WRHA, should be a forum / foundation where information and assistance can be exchanged and where the members of the Association becomes a big, happy “family.” Furthermore, I would like for us to also include and “adopt” younger members since they are the future generation that need to continue where we one day may stop. We need to educate them now already!! Members of the public should feel free to contact members of the WRHA and or attend our meetings in order to have questions answered. The members and Association need to support each other in such a way that it will be to the advantage to the members, the Association and herpetofauna. I would like to see that the Association becomes actively involve with any possible herpetological project in what ever way we can – internally and externally.

The Association needs members in order to exist and your inputs are vitally important. An association, is definitely not a one man show and thus each member is welcome and important to the future existence of the WRHA. “
Once again welcome Andre


Best regards,
Cornelius Viljoen

Cellphone: +27 (0)76 412 3423
E-mail: corneliusv@scania.co.za

[Bushviper]

Well done Andre. I am sure you can help them with your previous experiences at other associations. There are tons of people in that area of the province that will hopefully be drawn to the association.

[Pelamis]

Thank you Cornelius and BV! I am very excited about this and look forward to the challenge.