Best of Friends
Text and pictures: Andrea Abbott. Article from the August 2013 issue of Country Life Magazine.
Friends of the Falls, Friends of the Museum, Friends of Beacon Hill, Friends of Symmonds Lane, Friends of Umgeni Valley. In the town of Howick these volunteers are making a lasting difference.
These days, amber is probably as synonymous with Howick as is falls. The latter refers, of course, to KwaNogqaza – the Place of the Tall One. Or, to use the more prosaic name, Howick Falls, where the Umgeni River plunges a hundred metres down a dolerite wall into a deep, dark pool in which lurks, according to ancient folklore and, more recently, a shrewd entrepreneur, the monster Inkamyamba a snake, they say, with the head of a horse.
It’s a legend that is part of South African travel history and of many a childhood memory of Sunday outings to Howick. So, too, is the milkshake afterwards at The Falls Rest restaurant across the road. And, just like the falls, that café has endured through flood and drought, good times and bad, along with the mighty plane trees that shade the garden in summer and, in autumn, famously carpet the ground in amber. But that’s not the only amber associated with the town. There’s also Amber Valley. And Amber Glen, Amber Ridge, Amber Lakes and Amber Lee (have I left any out?), all housing villages that are predominantly, as the shared name suggests, home to people in their autumn years.
My mother being an Amberite, I visit the town regularly and thought I knew it quite well. With the usual chain stores dotted here and there and some rather bland edifices lining Main Street, parts of the town carry a no-name attitude. Traces of colonial character remain in old buildings like the wood and iron house at 68 Main Street, now a busy restaurant, and the once gracious stone homestead, Afton, in Bell Street. But some historical buildings, the library among them, have been allowed to sink into a sad decay.
The area near the falls is a tourism hub and has fared a little better. There, art and craft shops and stalls, restaurants, the agricultural hall of 1899, and a fine museum generate a sense of uniqueness, of ‘somewhere else’. Nearby, the grey-brown Umgeni River slides by, silently severing the town in two. Museum exhibits tell that in the pioneering years of the 19th century it was more-or-less there, near the head of the falls that, for a fee, an induna would help travellers and their ox-drawn wagons to cross the river.
Subsequently, the British government established a village at the crossing. It was named Howick in honour of the Northumberland home of the then British colonial secretary, Earl Grey. In 1919, the rubber factory, Sarmcol (now Dunlop), was set up above the falls, the resultant infrastructure seeing Howick grow from a farming village into a bustling town powered by surplus energy from the factory’s hydro-electric power plant that still survives. Will someone tell Eskom, please?
Today, Howick is at the centre of an expansive agricultural district. It’s also at the heart of the Midlands Meander, nearby destinations including Midmar Dam that turns 50 next year, the revamped Nelson Mandela Capture Site with its remarkable metal sculpture of our former president, and Karkloof Canopy tours that has been known to entice the odd thrill-seeking Amberite, my mother among them.
All-in-all, it’s a pleasant place seated in a pretty valley with a river running through it. And while Howick retains a country air, like everywhere else in our country, change and development have brought new challenges. In response, groups of volunteers called Friends have launched far-sighted initiatives that non-locals like me might not immediately notice.
In other countries, like the UK, volunteers are taking charge of their areas. They’re not sitting back complaining but getting out there doing things themselves
Janis Holmes, town councillor and secretary of the Friends of Beacon Hill, explains the Friends concept. “In other countries, like the UK, volunteers are taking charge of their areas. They’re not sitting back complaining but getting out there doing things themselves.”
In the case of Beacon Hill – a 40 hectare remnant of rare and endangered mist-belt grassland with a spectacular 360 degree view of the Midlands – the Friends are working to ensure that the ecological integrity is preserved. Declared a Site of Conservation Significance in 2005, Beacon Hill boasts exceptional biodiversity, including about a hundred species of flora, many critically endangered, and at least 60 bird species. “The site belongs to the municipality,” Janis explains, “and, with the backing of our mayor, Mbali Myeni, the Friends are in the process of registering the land with the KZN Biodiversity Stewardship Programme in the Protected Environment category.” Currently, an exhibition of the site is on display at the Howick Umgeni Museum, the Friends of the Museum having helped set it up.
A third group, Friends of Symmonds Lane, are cleaning up an important tributary of the Umgeni. Once flush with sewage thanks to an ignored broken sewerage pipe in the river, Symmonds Lane water quality is now closely monitored, while invasive alien plants on the banks are being eradicated. Pioneer of this group, Pia Sanchez, has worked hard to reopen a trail along the stream. “In the 60s we rode horses to the top of Beacon Hill.” Pointing to the surrounding housing developments, Pia explains that the entire area was once grassland. “We want to restore the trail to pristine grassland and reconnect it with Beacon Hill.” Pia says the project will eventually be part of a vast conservancy starting on the shores of Midmar Dam and incorporating environmentally significant areas all the way to the Albert Falls. Driving this ambitious project is Liz Taylor, chair of the Howick branch of Dusi Umgeni Conservation Trust (DUCT), the group that was behind an epic 311 km walk last year, down the length of the Umgeni River from source to sea, to raise awareness of the state of rivers throughout South Africa, and to allow DUCT to become familiar with the uMsundusi/Umgeni river system.
Perhaps, though, the section of the river that’s most famous is the waterfall. And yet, for a while, the viewsite and adjacent areas descended into filthy shabbiness and became the haunt of vagrants. Famous turned to infamous. Tourists were bypassing Howick. Enter the Friends of the Falls in 2010, their mission to, inter alia, ‘give a warm, friendly welcome to visitors to the falls, to compile relevant statistics and keep the viewsite as clean and presentable as possible’. Thanks to those public-spirited tourism ambassadors led by resident Stan Goodenough, the Falls are back in business, statistics showing an ever-increasing number of visitors. “In March we had 22 352,” says volunteer Des Wright. “Of those, 11.2 per cent were foreigners.”
The rise of the Falls has benefited many in Howick. “Tour buses are coming into our area again, boosting the local economy,” says Sandra Murphy, owner of Yellowwood Restaurant. Built in 1872 across from the waterfall by the then Governor of Natal, Sir George Sutton, the stone house was aptly named Fairfell. New name aside, the building is unchanged and, says Sandra, is one of the best examples of farmsteads of the time.
Up the road from Yellowwood is Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve, the national headquarters of one of the oldest environmental organisations in the country, WESSA (Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa). A well-run gem of a place offering a range of activities, including educational programmes, full moon hikes, and a chance to get close to wild animals, Umgeni Valley has its Friends too. “They have various tasks such as photography, species ID, bird lists and raising funds for fencing for the reserve,” says hospitality and administration manager, Heather Ducasse.
Neighbouring the nature reserve is another wildlife facility, FreeMe, whose existence is almost entirely dependent on volunteers and donations. Established to rescue, rehabilitate and ultimately release injured, orphaned or otherwise at risk wild animals, the centre was made possible through the generosity of people who leased the land on a no-rent basis, who built the clinic for free, or who provided furnishings. But with a never-ending stream of animals arriving from as far as Ixopo and the Berg, continued generosity is vital. “People help to raise funds,” says animal rehabilitation assistant, Israel Silevu. “But we live from day to day.” Manager Rosalind Marais says the public needs to realise the extent to which wildlife is in trouble. “It’s a massacre out there. We’ve got to protect the wild.”
It’s protecting the wild areas that will be the saving grace of Howick, says museum curator, Claire Adderley. “Heritage is non-renewable, whether it’s natural or cultural. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Much of the 150-year-old built environment in Howick has been destroyed and replaced by tacky buildings. But we still have important open spaces and volunteers are laying wonderful foundations to protect them. Future development needs to harness all this community activity and draw on local knowledge to ensure that those vital areas are never compromised.”
Where to Eat
■ Dovehouse Organics – family venue offering excellent organic food 087 150 5131
■ Apple Cafe – renowned for Sunday themes (e.g. Moroccan) 033 330 7266
■ The Victorian Café – trottoir-style café. Delicious Victorian tea for two 033 330 2809
■ Little Mozambique – great Portuguese food, seafood, pub grub 033 330 3284
■ Yellowwood Café – relaxed family venue with wonderful view of the falls 033 330 2461
■ Corner Post – informal but stylish pub and restaurant 033 330 7636
■ Truth Café – at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site on the R103 about 10km from Howick. Light meals, including Nelson Mandela’s favourite chicken curry 082 895 1042
Where to Stay
■ Country Lane B&B – relaxed country-style guesthouse 033 330 8040
■ Stocklands Guest Farm – self-catering and B&B next to Umgeni Reserve 033 330 5160
■ Braeside – self-catering in the garden of one of Howick’s original homes. Extraordinary views of Umgeni River gorge 032 947 0785
■ Howick Falls Hotel – close to the falls 033 330 2809
Also see Howick Tourism for a wider selection
Where to Play
■ Howick Golf Club – an 18-hole course in a magnificent setting 033 330 3422
■ Sakabula Golf Club – this par 73-rated golf course provides a real test of golf 033 330 2550
■ Gorge View Bush Golf and Nature Conservancy – 13-hole bush golf course and 1.2km hike to the base of the falls 033 330 3076
■ Karkloof Canopy Tours – a two-hour Foefie slide adventure through the magnificent Karkloof indigenous forest 033 330 3415
■ Beacon Hill Regular walks on the last Sunday of each month 082 872 4333
■ Howick Falls in Falls View Drive
■ Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve – walks, game-viewing, swimming, flyfishing, cycling 033 330 3941
■ Karkloof Conservation and Tourism Centre – birding and walks in the Karkloof reserve 033 330 2992 or 072 376 3023
■ Karkloof Farmers Market – fresh produce every Saturday morning 082 820 8986
■ Midmar Dam Nature Reserve – sailing, water-skiing, boardsailing, game-viewing 033 330 2067
■ Howick forms part of the N3 Gateway Tourism Route. View self-drive itineraries on their website or via email.
Historic Buildings
If you’d like to read more about historic buildings in the KZN Midlands and some of the province’s leading personalities of the 19th century, get hold of Chimneys in the Clouds by D.N. Doming. Not available commercially, it can be ordered from Nicky Nielsen 076 671 3611.
Saving the Source
The source of the Umgeni River, the Umgeni Vlei, is a 600ha wetland nature reserve between Dargle and Fort Nottingham to the south-west of Howick and within the Drakensberg Alpine Centre Biodiversity Hotspot.The reserve was recently designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.The Ramsar Convention is an inter-governmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
More info on the town of Howick | More info on the Natal Midlands area |
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