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#ALLOVEROVERSTAND
31 March 2021
LOVE A LITTLE LOCAL
Their land brought forth frogs Writer Elaine Davie
F
ortunately for the people of Hawston, unlike their Egyptian counterparts at the time of the Exodus, the frogs were not a nuisance; they knew their place. It was a delicious cool, watery wetland at the bottom-end of Hawston behind the dunes. Frogs of all shapes, sizes and conditions could be found there, fat and flourishing. And the people, too, loved the place – and the frogs – so much, that they called it Paddavlei. Hawston old-timers like Niel Arendse and Kapief Wessels, many of whom can trace their ancestry back to the establishment of the village of Hawston in the mid-19th century, remember the important role Paddavlei played in the life of the community when they were little. At that time, it was a stretch of clear open water traversing Hawston from one side to the other. Bordered on the sea side by an ancient Milkwood forest, it linked up with the Vermont Salt Pan to the east, Skilpadvlei to the west and eventually the Bot River Estuary, in an interconnected, richly biodiverse eco-system. Fauna and flora which thrived there in abundance included frogs, terrapins, fish, birds and indigenous plant life like ‘matjiesriet’, ‘papkuil’ and arum lilies. Niel and Kapief remember as children having boat races with their friends on the water. Their boats, which were handcrafted by local resident Sam Gibson, had feathers as sails and competition was fierce amongst the children as to which was the fastest. “It was so beautiful here then, neat and clean and safe; this is where we learnt to swim,” they recall. “There was a little ‘pompie’ too (a small fountain) where the water came out of the ground sparkling fresh. The women used to do their washing there with home-made blue soap and while it was hanging on the bushes to dry, it was a good time to catch up on all the gossip of the week,” they chuckle. The only thing
they didn’t like about Paddavlei was that when the North-Wester blew, the papkuil broke apart, liberally scattering their seeds, and bringing on community-wide sinus attacks. Looking at Paddavlei today, it is difficult to reconcile it with the idyllic picture they paint. And sadly, the greatest damage has occurred during the past decade or so. Now, it’s just an entanglement of reeds as far as the eye can see. Mostly, it is impossible to see the water at all and the fountain is completely overgrown. The rich diversity of endemic fauna have been replaced to a large extent by invader species. The reasons for this unhappy state of affairs range from the leakage of sewage and fertilizer into the system, a diversion of the water course, the removal of sand for building purposes, the large-scale removal of the papkuil, several years of drought and the proliferation of litter. Enrichment of the water by sewage and other pollutants has mainly been responsible for the out-of-control growth of reeds, which has entirely changed the eco-system, excluding many of the endemic species. So, for example, while there are still lots of frogs in the vlei, an invasive species, the Common Platanna has replaced the endangered Cape Platanna. Sheraine van Wyk, Educational Manager at Whale Coast Conservation is one of the parties involved in trying to restore Paddavlei to something approaching its former glory. “It can be done, but it’s not going to be a quick fix,” she warns. “It’s going to take time, money, careful planning and collaboration. “This is a public space, so it falls within the purview of the Overstrand Municipality (OM), but the Department of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), both National and Provincial have to approve any proposed plan. Talking of which, consultant firm, Blue Science, has been tasked with developing a workable Management and Maintenance Plan (MMP). But most important of all are the voluntary members of Hawston’s own Paddavlei Eco Group (PEG). Like
Niel and Kapief, they are all a feisty lot and will go on pushing until the job gets done.” “Ja,” they say, “we know it will never be exactly like it was, but what we would like to see is that it comes as close as it can, definitely much better than it is now. We have already done a lot of cleaning up, and educating and involving the community; we’re not just sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it for us.” Noel Dreyer and his team of Hawston cadets are also on board, helping to clear litter, engaging with Sheraine in a frog monitoring programme and creating a walking and cycling trail which includes the beach, the protected Milkwood forest and Paddavlei. Before schooling was so severely disrupted by Covid regulations, other children were also actively involved. As the PEG members emphasise, without the involvement of the upcoming generation, the project will have much less chance of succeeding. They are also adamant that no future littering will pass their beady eyes and will be firmly dealt with. The Municipality, especially the Environmental Section, under the oversight of Penelope Aplon has also played its part in helping with the clearing of reeds and sorting out sewage leaks. A section of reeds near the road has been cleared away and a lawn planted, so that in the meantime it can serve as a small recreational area for residents, a promise of things to come. As Sheraine says, already these individual initiatives are bearing fruit and it was thrilling in spring to see a whole field of arum lilies flowering again in Paddavlei, after years of being strangled by reeds and alien Brazilian pepper trees. More good news is that at last the MMP has been approved by DEFF and all the participants in the Paddavlei project are rearing to get going with its implementation. When a community displays such a passion for reclaiming its heritage and is prepared to throw everything it has into making the dream come true, it deserves our full support.
The Hawston Green Team at work clearing more than 100 bags of litter from Paddavlei. PEG regularly mobilises the Hawston community to get involved in the restoration of Paddavlei in collaboration with Overstrand Municipality. PHOTO: Niel Arendse
PEG members Niel Arendse and Sandra Oktober (far right) together with a friend and Hawston cadets set off for a session of frog monitoring, which is overseen by Sheraine van Wyk of Whale Coast Conservation. PHOTO: Sheraine van Wyk
Two of the Hawston cadets who are active and enthusiastic members of the Paddavlei frog monitoring project measure a captured frog. This is a fun way of learning hands-on field research techniques. PHOTO: Sheraine van Wyk
