Zandvlei Trust

Westlake Walkway Garden

This is a working partnership with the City of Cape Town and The Zandvlei Trust and currently sponsored by De Kock Estates, Lakeside.

photograph supplied by Geoff Bailey

Sean Privett, Brian Metcalf, Geoff Bailey and son Gareth in August 1996 on a Zandvlei Trust Arbour Day.

This photo has recently been found (Sept 2005) and helps illustrate changes along the Main Road, in Lakeside. They are surveying the damage caused by the City of Cape Town tractor mowing machines.

 

Look at the garden in Sept 2004, the leaning cedar tree is still there. The dead cedar tree has been removed. The gum trees are still there. The Cape honeysuckle is there and much larger.  Not quite the same view, but one can make out the landmarks.
This is the work of Una Hartley, "David" Mxolisi Sinquana and a few volunteers of Zandvlei Trust. 

Come and help maintain this garden they can not do it alone any more.

This aloe is just begining to flower in early June 2005 on the ridge over looking the Wetlands, opposite the Fire Station in Lakeside.

This is almost the middle of winter 03/06/2005 and look at the garden blooming just below the notice board beside the entrance pathway.

Spring, Una and Davids hard work have made the pavement garden look like this on 28/09/2004 opposite the Shopping Centre, Lakeside.

The garden is bloomimg opposite the Lakeside Fire Station on 28/09/2004.

The landmark gum tree was sawn down on 3/08/2004 as it had rotted and was a danger to anyone near or underneath it. The vista from the Main Road is now more open over the Wetlands.

This picture shows Clifford Dorse, Elzette Krynauw, Gavin Oliver ( from the Zandvlei Nature Reserve) and Una having cleared the long grass, they are putting in some donated plants along the pavement – September 2001.

Begining.

In 1999 Una Hartley had the vision of making the area along the Main Road, Lakeside into an attractive garden from the weed and litter infested, under utilised edge of the Westlake Wetlands. Her inspiration came from Clifford Dorse's foresight to install the bollard fencing along the Main Road and installing notice boards designating the Westlake Wetlands Reserve, also Emily Dibb's garden opposite Rhodes Cottage and her house in St James, Main Road.

On going planting.

The Zandvlei Trust members have also planted Strandveld plants in the area on Arbour Day for the past 15 years or more.
Her idea is to draw passing motorists and visitors attention to the Wetlands and Zandvlei in general. Often passing motorists dont realise that there is a huge water body on the other side of the railway line, which provides a variety of amenities for recreation – yachting, windboard sailing, kiteboarding, canoeing, fishing, walking, bird watching, picnicing and others.

Part of the funding.

Our "paper and glass recycling igloos" are sited on the opposite side, in the service road and opposite the shopping complex. She believes that shoppers now enjoy going to the complex as it is now a more attractive area.

Surprisingly few business owners and the shopping complex Management have acknowledged this voluntary service with any help or donation even when approached!!

Arbour Day workers May 2001 from left; Geoff and Ross Bailey, Hugh Manning, Gavin Lawson,
Cherry Giljam, Una Hartley, John Martheze, Pat Coles, Clifford Dorse, John and Sandra Fowkes were also there.

Lisa Campbell, Brian Campbell, Elzette (Zandvlei Nature Conservation Officer) and 
Pat Coles planting along the bank of the 'new' Pond excavated in June 2001.

City of Cape Town officals help.

In conjunction with Clifford Dorse (Nature Reserve Manager) and Johan Heroldt (Parks and Forrests), she set out single handed and with occasional volunteer help to make the garden. She "got" suitable donated plants from many sources. Heavy hose pipes stored at the Lakeside Fire Station have to be dragged down the pavement for half a kilometre. In June 2001 Clifford and others decided to remove some of the reeds to expose the water to create a habitat suitable for a variety birds, fish, animals and insects. "The Pond" as it is referred too, has been a success and many have said it should be enlarged to make more water surface visible. Not long after it was dredged a person was seen paddling around on a lilo in the water.

(David) Mxolisi Sinquana 'our gardener' is a familiar face at the Westlake Walkway, planting shrubs, watering and clearing litter. The proceeds from the "recycling igloos" in the Main Road, Lakeside help to pay David's wages. So please support the paper and glass bottle recycling process.

Una then got (David) Mxolisi Sinquana to help her. He usually works in the garden once a week but there are many times when he has to come more often. Zandvlei Trust did not have sufficient funds to pay David on an ongoing basis, so the Exco Committee decided that part of the "igloo recycling" income money could be contributed towards his wages.

Una always needs more volunteer helpers please, as there is too much for her to do alone. The area is roughly 2.5 hectares in extent. The length of the road side garden is 450 meters.

Sponsorship from NGO and NPO organisations.

 The recycling igloos and its base was a sponsorship from the Claremont Rotary. The glass "igloos" had to be bought.
The Cape Bird Club donated a maintenance fund to help pay for a year in 2002. The World Wild Life Fund and The Roland and Leta Hill Fund were approached and agreed to fund the wages of David for a year in 2003 – 2004. The fund managers again allocated us an amount to pay Davids wages for 2004 and part of 2005.
Craig Clampett from De Kock Estates, in the Main Road, Lakeside have undertaken to sponsor Davids wages since 2005.

A request to supply water connections for the hose pipe was implemented by Mr Heroldts dept. He also has made bark chips available for the mulching of the garden and topping up the pathway surface. Watering the plants below the Main Road a lot easier now. A drip irrigation system was installed in the roadside flower beds. This was funded by Zandvlei Trust and part of, by the local Ward 64 Councillors, annual budget. The remainder of the irrigation piping was given to the Friends of Park Island, to help their effort in establishing the roadside garden, across Zandvlei, in the Marina da Gama.
There is a good understanding and working relationship with the City of Cape Town and our organisation, which had been initiated a number of years ago.

Some of the local Lakeside residents and members helping to plant the 90
new Strandveld plants, purchased by Zandvlei Trust and the Zandvlei Nature 
Reserve on Arbour Day 2002.

Opening of the Westlake Walkway. 

Clifford had a pathway implemented in 2000,  which is parallel and below the Main Road, away from the traffic and some of the noise, for people to use and be closer to Nature. The path is regularly used by walkers and joggers now.

March 2002 the official opening of the Westlake Walkway by Cape Town City – Councillor Qually. Clifford Dorse (in karki uniform) introducing the proceedings

Kirstenhof Gardening Club visit the road side garden.

The nearby "Kirstenhof Gardening Club" visited the site on the 25 September 2003 to see what had been achieved and heard how Una has gone about achieving what she has.

Una addressing part of the Kirstenhof Garden Club on 25/11/2003.

A work calamity.

On the 5 December 2003, Una, Dennis Mortimer and his grandson Blake Pengelly were working on the slope across the road from the Fire Station, when Dennis disturbed a bees hive. Dennis was severely stung and was taken by ambulance with Una not as badly stung, when she came to his aid. Una was discharged the same day but Dennis remained in hospital for a few days. Read more.

David clearing up litter from the garden in December 2003.

Every day all sorts of rubbish is picked up. It is predominantly food packaging with bottles of all descriptions. Cardboard and plastic of all sorts are found, it is wind blown at this time of the year (summer).

Thank you

Thanks to Emily Dibb, Zandvlei Nature Reserve Nursery, Good Hope Nursery – Cape Point, Capricorn Business Park and others who have donated plants to this 450 meter pavement project.
Thank you Mr Basson of Lakeside, for the donation of pincushion proteas in July 2004.
The Trust has installed underground irrigation to water the plants during the hot summer months.