Stand up and reclaim your bit of Nelson Mandela Bay’s public space to make it better for all the law-abiding citizens.
That’s the rallying cry from the joint winners of the Herald NMU Citizens of the Year urban renewal-community activism award, Friends of St George’s Park operations manager John Whitfield and Russell Road Regeneration Project founder Steve de Beer.
Whitfield, 69, said his team had completed five weeks of work in St George’s removing litter, while cutting back and clearing vegetation where it had invaded previously open patches and pathways.
“The aim is not to denude but to introduce some much-need maintenance, increase visibility, expose spots where mischief was happening, and make things safer.”
He said they did a last sweep of the park’s network of paths last week to ensure they were clear of any obstructions in preparation for the inaugural Parkrun on Saturday.
“Obtaining the right to stage a Parkrun for the first time at St George’s is an important milestone in our drive to get law-abiding residents to take ownership of this park and of their city.”
Friends of St George’s has also been involved in fixing up the park’s Mannville Open Air Theatre, clearing debris left by vagrants, mending fences and electric wiring stripped by thieves and installing new steel gates.
Other projects are focused on restoring the Pearson Conservatory, built in 1882, tending the long-neglected Scottish cemetery and returning to their former glory the park’s three historic sports facilities — the PE bowling, lawn tennis and cricket clubs.
He said the work was all being done by volunteers with the permission of the metro, together with residents of the Schauderville Mould Empower Serve (MES) shelter, with pro bono input from local firms and a steady stream of funding from a dozen larger companies.
“Each of the projects involves having to get vagrants to move on but we don’t just evict them, we give them the chance to link up with MES,” Whitfield said.
“There is also a move under way to establish another shelter here in Central to which they will be steered.”
A retired businessman, Whitfield said Friends of St George’s was also trying to convince the metro to channel its next park expenditure on a more secure perimeter fence with surveillance cameras.
“It is mind-blowing what you can achieve if you stand up, get out there, join together and do the spade work.”
De Beer, 64, said his team had expanded up Russell Road as far as the Horse Memorial, which was built to honour the estimated 300,000 British mounts which died in the Boer War.
Sponsored by the Greater Stellenbosch Trust, the restoration team have been clearing Russell Road and adjacent open space and parkland of tonnes of rubbish, plastic sheaths from stolen cables and caches of syringes and equipment used by drug addicts.
They have also been getting leaking sewerage lines fixed, clearing blocked stormwater drains, removing alien vegetation and planting indigenous trees.
“Previously there were just three bins along this stretch of road but there are now about 40 made from recycled pallets by the MES group and varnished and installed by us, as well as anti-litter signage,” De Beer said.
“We have also put in two benches and several trellises at the foot of Elliot Street that local residents can use for their refuse bags.”
He said refuse bags were being routinely torn open by vagrants, which meant the garbage spilt onto the street.
“The bags can still be torn open in the trellis but the rubbish is contained and much easier to clean up.”
De Beer, a retired promotional brands manager, said their work did sometimes feel like it was a matter of “two steps forward and three steps back”.
“But there is no greater sin than for an able-bodied person to sit around when there are problems to solve and work to be done, and the messages of support and the extra sponsorships that come in out of the blue are a constant source of inspiration,” he said.
“If everyone could adopt a road and work to regenerate it we could go a long way to fixing up our city.”
The top 10 category winners will be celebrated at a prestigious red-carpet gala awards function on September 20.
HeraldLIVE
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