DEAR Editor,-
At one of the last annual general meetings of the then Town Board (before amalgamation and in due course, absorption into the newly-created Hibiscus Coast Municipality when all the towns, villages, etc, lost their unique identities) Carl Wentzel (chairman and last mayor of Southbroom) proposed the idea of erecting an entrance wall.
This would have been around 1993-ish. Everyone thought it a splendid idea – it was to be a community project.
And, as it turned out, the construction was entirely voluntary, with no cost to the town board. Ian Cochrane donated all the bricks and cement; Duncan Seth did the architectural drawings and Roger Langstaff and his crew built the two walls. Gratis.
A small garden was later planted, but over the years became a messy jungle.
Libby Cochrane then decided to give it a makeover and make the garden as maintenance-free as possible. This was about 14 years ago. At the time Len Harvey was involved in some pretty extensive building developments and on one of the sites several gigantic boulders had been exposed – Libby knew they would make stunning features, so she asked Len to make it possible.
Using a front-end loader, Len did just that. Opting for a ‘rock garden’ over a number of weeks, Cedric Nhlumaya, (Libby’s right hand everything-man) and Libby, selected, lifted and carried (in Libby’s trusty trailer) in the region of 25-30 loads of river rocks. She then planted the aloes and algaves or ‘swan necks’ as they are commonly called and the three currently in bloom at the entrance really create a striking show.
So – a total community effort. Maybe other communities can be encouraged to do likewise? The Herald’s pictorial series has certainly highlighted the fact. It is time for communities to get on with making a difference to their own ‘backyards’ instead of arguing it is up to the municipality.
NICOLA MACKENZIE
Southbroom
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