Welcome to our very first Sunday morning edition of the South Africans in Vancouver newsletter! I read somewhere that Sundays are the best time to send newsletters—something about people being in their most relaxed mode, sipping their coffee and taking things slow. So if you’re reading this in chill mode, then hey, it’s working.

As you’re reading this, Belinda and I are somewhere on the long road between Vancouver and Banff—or maybe Jasper. We haven’t quite decided yet. Apparently the route through Jasper and down to Banff is worth the extra time, even though it adds a couple hours. So we’re playing it by ear and seeing where the road takes us.

We’ll also be in Calgary on Wednesday, April 9th—filming some interviews at Baobab and Safari Outpost, and catching up with a few local Saffas. If you’re based in Calgary and want to connect, give me a shout—we’d love to meet more of the community while we’re in town.

And if you’re somewhere along the road between Vancouver and Banff, or not far off the route, let us know! Would be lekker to stop in for a quick coffee or even just a wave from the driveway. Always keen to connect with more Saffas wherever you are.

Part of why I love these kinds of road trips is exactly that—it’s not just about the destination, it’s about the people and the moments along the way. Driving for hours through this beautiful country really reminds you just how ridiculously massive Canada is. There’s something special about the open road, endless pine trees, and hours of chatting (or just comfortable silence) as you cruise along with your person.

Wherever you are this morning—still in bed, out for a stroll, or heating up your second mug of something lekker—I hope this little update from our corner of the Saffa-verse brings a bit of warmth and connection your way.

In this week’s newsletter:

• 🔥 Upcoming Events

• You Never Know Who’ll See That Card

• 📜 Wills, Cake, and a Bit of Serendipity

• 🌍 Howzit Canada & Founding Member Shoutouts

• ✅ That’s a Wrap

🔥 Upcoming Events

The calendar’s looking a bit quiet at the moment, but don’t stress—we’ve got a few things bubbling away behind the scenes.

First up, the next SAFFA Pub Night is happening on Monday, April 21st, which also happens to be Easter Monday. No need to RSVP—just rock up anytime from 6PM to 10PM at Sailor Hagar’s. Everyone’s welcome, whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth. Come grab a pint, meet some lekker people, and unwind.

We’ve also just wrapped up all the paperwork for the West Vancouver Cultural Festival on June 6–7. This one’s going to be a biggie! We’re setting up a full South African Institute of Canada pavilion—with biltong, sweets, games, and activities. The whole shebang. Block it off in your calendar now—it’s going to be lekker.

And yes, we are busy planning more. We’re chatting to Serengeti in Langley about a proper Boerewors Roll Day, working on a real-deal potjie competition, and cooking up a few other ideas too. So watch this space—plans are simmering. Slowly. Like a good potjie.

You Never Know Who’ll See That Card

Right—so I finally got business cards. I know, I know… who even uses those anymore? But every time I meet someone new and they ask, “How can I get hold of you?” I find myself awkwardly fumbling for my phone, mumbling something about a YouTube channel, and trying not to write my email on a serviette. So yeah—business cards it is.

Last weekend, Belinda and I took a drive out to Horseshoe Bay, and on the way back we popped into a little coffee shop along Marine Drive in West Van. Next to the shop was one of those old-school corkboards for community notices, so I stuck a business card up there—felt very proud of myself for that little piece of old-school marketing.

A few days later, I get a message from Harris, one of our newest SAIC Founding Members(legend). His wife had spotted the card while walking past the same coffee shop and snapped a pic, sending it to him with a “Hey, check this out—there’s a South African guy doing something interesting.” Harris recognised the name immediately—“Oh yeah, I just had coffee with that oke!”

It reminded me of something another guy said to me recently: “You never know. It only takes one connection to change everything.”

One card. One coffee. One connection. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to build something meaningful.

📜 Wills, Cake, and a Bit of Serendipity

On Tuesday night, over a slice of cake at the Herholdts’, Madeleine dropped a bit of a bombshell: she’d heard a talk about Canadian wills, and apparently if you don’t get it right, it could be completely invalid. Got underage kids? They could end up wards of the state. Stress levels: high.

Now here’s where it gets a bit serendipitous…

The very next morning, I had a call scheduled with Veronica Armstrong, a South African-Canadian lawyer that Harris had referred me to for something completely unrelated. Before we wrapped up, I asked her: “By the way, do you also handle wills and estate planning?”

Turns out—she does! And she’s been living in Canada for almost 30 years, so she understands exactly how confusing this stuff can be for South Africans trying to get their legal affairs sorted here.

So I asked her: would you be willing to help the community understand what we actually need to know?

And she said yes.

Veronica’s going to write a no-nonsense article about Canadian wills for South African expats, and she’s also offered to host a free Zoom info session where you can ask your questions. Absolute gem.

So stay tuned—help is on the way!

🌍 Howzit Canada & Founding Member Shoutouts

HowzitCanada.ca is growing! We’ve just opened up listings to include South African service providers—not just business owners. That means if you’re a SAFFA working in insurance, mortgages, real estate, law, physiotherapy, hairdressing—whatever it may be—and people can deal directly with you, you can now list yourself.

Because let’s be honest—it’s not just about the business. It’s about finding someone who gets you. Someone who doesn’t flinch when you say “I’ll do it just now.”

👉 Head to howzitcanada.ca, and add yourself.

Just a quick note—we manually approve all listings before they go live. Because let’s be honest, there’s always that one oke who tries to sneak in spam, shady links, or a fake crypto business. So if your listing doesn’t show up right away, don’t panic—it’s just in the queue. Give us a day or two to check it and get it up. Unless you are that oke… then ja, maybe don’t.

We also want to give a massive welcome and thank-you to our newest Family Founding Members: Harris Abro and Boitumelo Oageng Cardwell—your support makes all of this possible.

And to our newest Business Founding Members—Netvleish and Serengeti Trading in Langley—thank you for backing this community effort and helping us build something that lasts.

👉 Want to become a Founding Member too? Here’s where to get involved:

https://www.thesouthafricaninstitute.ca/memberships

✅ That’s a Wrap

Right, that’s it for this week’s update. Whether you’re tackling your will, sticking up a business card, or just trying to feel a little more connected in this big old country—thanks for being part of this growing little SAFFA community on the West Coast.

Hey, let me know how I did in today’s newsletter. Is there anything else that you think should be better? I respond to all replies, so give me a shout and let me know what you like, what you didn’t like. Always good to hear from you.

Cheers,

Callie