Redford Conservancy

I – CLEARING OF ALIEN INFILTRATIVE VEGETATION

– REDFORD ROAD

Shortly after the inception of the Redford Conservancy, it started on the ambitious project of clearing the six kilometers of road verge along both sides of the Redford Road. At that time the road was inundated with huge wattles which were spreading seed onto adjacent private properties. Together with the Provincial Roads Department, the Redford Conservancy removed all these wattles and other alien vegetation and has maintained the verges ever since then.

Picture: Baby Wattle Trees

– VERGES OF THE SIDE ROADS THAT BRANCH OFF FROM REDFORD ROAD 

Once the Redford Road was properly under control and follow up operations every six months were sufficient  to keep it that way, we embarked on another daunting project which was to clear up the verges of all the side roads, and this was called Operation Side Roads. Once these were under control, responsibility for their maintenance was  passed on to the adjacent landowners with varying degrees of success.

We were given assistance in this project by Cape Nature who helped us to put a business plan together for the project and supplied us with poison to get rid of the aliens.

In May 2011 a meeting was held with our local Crags Fire Association regarding their intended clearing of firebreaks on the verges of Redford Road and some of the side roads. Various interactions with the CFA followed, with the Conservancy endeavouring to ensure that the least possible harm would be done to the indigenous flora that had been rehabilitated over nearly a decade. The Conservancy acknowledged the importance of effective firebreaks and the CFA undertook a transparent process of dealing sensitively with indigenous species with consultation on each section to be cleared.

The Conservancy considered donating a portion of our resources to the CFA, to assist with the associated costs of keeping the verges free of wattles etc, and in May 2012 started again with a follow up operation on the Redford Road verges and removed a years’ worth of regrowth.

Redford Conservancy encourages ongoing alien clearing on private properties and along corridors , e.g.  a walk was arranged along Whiskey Creek, and members pulled out aliens as we walked.

Picture: Flowering Wattle Tree

II – ANIMAL CORRIDORS AND WALKING TRAILS

Members of the committee surveyed the valley and creek running through the Redford House estate, through Sweetwaters, and then through the van Hees and Wilson properties where it eventually becomes a deep gorge via the Rosenthal property and on to Whiskey Creek. The objective was to plan a conservation corridor, which would give safe passage to wild animals in the area linking up the National Parks and Nature reserves around The Crags. The enthusiastic co-operation of Kobus van Huysteen (new owner of Sweetwaters) was solicited. Much alien clearing has been done in the valley on that farm and there are sections that are currently being burnt, whereafter they will be managed into rehabilitation. A pathway has been cut through the natural forest and fynbos and the streambed cleared. The path links up with the path on Redford House, where a special gateway was erected which allows people and wild animals to go through, but not cows and horses. Kobus van Huysteen has also planted a large number of yellowwoods in the existing forest on Sweetwaters along the path. These are doing very well.  The next step is to link these pathways and gate accesses through the van Hees and Wilson properties as a Crags meander. The indigenous vegetation on the van Hees and Wilson properties as well as on Redford House is already well established.

In the process of working on this project we keep an eye open for animal snares which are a big problem in this area.

Our thanks go to Maretha Alant of SANPARKS who has assisted and encouraged us in this project.

Picture: Maretha Alant from Sanparks, Jane Luck and Pru Bolus (kneeling) inspect the remains of a bushpig on Sweetwaters forest Trail.

An outing we had to “Duiwelsgat River” in The Crags, a fossilised elephant’s tooth had been found by Patrick Brink, one of our members. We had lovely walk down to “Duiwelsgat River” and then had a lunch at Pru’s House and a talk on Elephants by paleontologist Chris Gow from Knysna.

Walks around the Noble Farm

These were also sent from Sharon van Hees of Sweetwaters Farm. This will be the next section to be added to our conservation Corridor when it is linked by a pathway.

III EVENTS / MEMBER PARTICIPATION

Several walks have been organized by Jane Luck and Pru Bolus. One of the outings was a walk down the Whiskey Creek and was well attended by both Crags Conservancies, i.e. Redford and Southern Crags. Everyone participated in ring barking and pulling out aliens to reduce infestations in the indigenous forest. The walk was followed by a picnic in fantastic warm sunny weather up the Keurbooms and a ferry ride back home.

The most recent event was a walk from Redford House onto Sweetwaters to show our members the new path initiating the Redford Conservation Corridor. They were also shown, from a distance the restoration of the old barn on Sweetwaters.

Picture: After an event we all gather around and enjoy something cool to drink and a bite to eat.

Hillary Peter’s book launch at Forest Hall:

Karen Saks gave a talk and slideshow on “Living with Baboons”, this is very problematic in this area.  Please follow this link for more information. 

IV CONSERVATION OF OUR ARCHITECTURAL, GEOLOGICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE

Colleen is compiling a photographic record of heritage buildings in The Crags. Buildings over the age of 60 years are protected by the Environmental Act. This record is intended to make the community aware of this heritage so that it can be conserved and enjoyed.

We are all very proud of the conservation of the old barn on Sweetwaters, which could be as old as 150 years. It dates back to the first arrival of English settlers into the area, and in those days it was known as Redford Farm. William Derbyshire and his family established themselves on Redford Farm. The families were brought to PlettenbergBay from Derbyshire by William Newdigate, the third son of the Earl of Newdigate, who built Forest Hall in The Crags. William Derbyshire was a millwright and built a water mill on Redford Farm. Kobus van Huysteen is searching for remains of this mill. Congratulations to Kobus and to Neil van Hees who has nearly completed the meticulous restoration of the old barn.

Picture: One of our oldest building in the conservancy.

Restoration of the historical barn on Sweetwaters Farm

Well before the time I arrived to live permanently in The Crags in 2008, I had heard about the old barn on Sweetwaters Farm. Constructed anywhere between 100 and 150 years previously, the local story claimed that its framework was constructed from Yellowwood. Being endeared to old buildings with the charm and atmosphere of our forefathers’ history, coupled with my particular love of old wood and having once renovated our own pre-war first home, I always displayed a mild interest in its existence. I was not well acquainted with the owners at the time of Sweetwaters Farm and, in any event, the old building was always locked and chained as though no-one had set foot in it for decades. Its faded and peeling green corrugated exterior with characterful roofline, somewhat concaved in profile, hinted at its vintage. Sweetwaters Farm itself is in fact the original location of the mid-1800’s farmstead of Redford which burnt down sometime in the 1950’s.

I had no idea at that stage that I might one day be privileged to play a role in the restoration of the old barn. But indeed it came to pass that my neighbour and friend, Kobus van Huyssteen, became the new owner of Sweetwaters Farm in early 2011. In April of that year I saw the inside of the barn for the first time. Packed to the rafters with discarded objects of all sorts, both old and not so old, layered in many decades of grimy dust, crumbling clay plaster and mortar between the stone masonry, evidence of woodworm and water decay…….It was hard to establish, even seriously doubtful whether most of the poles and other profiles of timber used in the construction were yellowwood at all; and if so, how much of it could be saved. I visited the barn with Kobus on his monthly visits a few times more, and the idea of turning my hand to helping with its restoration became an unavoidable and exciting reality.

So in July 2011, with the significant help of a part-time worker, the project began. As we cleaned and sanded it, most of the woodwork was revealed to be not only yellowwood, but also what are believed to be entire ironwood tree trunks fashioned into pillars that support yellowwood tree trunk rafters. Stable-type and loft doors as well as a yellowwood loft floor were all stripped out, cleaned, treated for termite and replaced. Windows that were  too decayed to restore were replaced with facsimile windows custom-made of old yellowwood that was acquired for the purpose. In fact we were lucky enough to obtain a supply of old yellowwood sufficient to replace virtually all of the structural wood that was beyond restoration. The barn is constructed on a compacted koffieklip foundation; the stone walls arehalf a metre thick, up to  a height of one metre or so; above that is timber framed with corrugated iron. We acquired additional corrugated iron of the same vintage and profile from demolitions in Cape Town. These were used to replace decayed or missing sections, and to complete the barn doors. Alongside the barn is an additional stone construction believed to have been a pigpen or similar small animal shelter. Additional stone masonry was necessary here, and it was also reroofed using antique corrugated iron.

Newspaper cladding was used as a dust seal on the planked yellowwood loft ceiling at a later stage in the barn’s history. Articles from The Star dating back to 1942-1948 were still readable and some of those that were in better condition have been decoupaged onto the yellowwood ceilings.

People with a history in The Crags going back as far as the 1950’s recall the colour of the barn to have been bright red (evidenced under the green during the restoration), and there is a photograph on record from the 1970’s when this was still the case. The colour of the barn has now been changed back from green to red; although in fact it appeared that the very first layer of paint was evidently black!

The photograph below shows the barn as it is today.

Neil van Hees

V. NEWSLETTER

We compile a newsletter which is circulated to our members and interested parties.

Click to open our July 2012 newsletter.

Click to open our November 2012 newsletter.

Picture: We usually end up with supper in the kitchen after a talk on some aspect of conservation 

VI. OUT-REACH PROGRAMME

We help with Kurland Village annual clean up operation

Picture: Left: Joseph Mapondo and Cindy-Lee Cloete.

Our notice board is kept at Langa Lapu next to Morne’s shop on the N2. 

Heritage South Africa

Van Plettenberg Historical Society