Loving the response (locals and visitors) to the rejuvenated Oatlands Park. Thanks to many for their voluntary contributions. Particularly the anonymous angels who installed the lights! Anyone know who illuminated the park so brilliantly? Wasn’t us!
Gratitude and encouragement to others to do same or similar to add to the charm. It’s a community park.
Thank you to Makana Revive for their support of Given Faxa and his team. The Park is their base but they’re cleaning a large part of town too. Doing their best and loving it.
A mini-library soon to be installed by my good friend and master-craftsman, Rowan Engelbrecht. An experiment of sorts. I love books and people should read. Done wonders for many. Donations of any old novels, children’s books etc appreciated.
A final thank you to Andrew and Bridget Swift for removing part of the pile of leaves. It’s a big job and Andrew spent a good part of his Saturday carting half-compost away to the dump. Seems a shame to dump it (potentially magic, cattle-dung infused compost) so if anyone would like some, please help yourself! Given and co. available to help.
Most important. Visit the Park. Wonderful space that brings many together. Even for the briefest moments as they traverse to school or work, or just sit for a bit.
GRAEME HOLMES
Before moving back to Grahamstown in Oct 2017, Graeme was a bank executive based in the big smoke and craziness of Joburg. He has 20 years’ experience in the Payments Industry. He is a Chartered Accountant, has a Masters in Management by Research (MMR) from Wits Business School, and attended an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) offered by INSEAD (The Business School for the World!) in France.
Graeme is the founder of The Grahamstown Project. It’s simple. He says, “Grahamstown is a microcosm of South Africa. If we can’t get this place to function properly then the whole country is stuffed. Many of the troubles we experience as a country today have their roots here in Grahamstown. it is here where black and white people first engaged in conflict on the African continent. It is here where 9 wars of dispossession over 100 years took place and virtually destroyed the amaXhosa nation. But we are where we are. I don’t have a British passport and the boat-trip back to where my ancestors came from is exorbitantly expensive. Furthermore, this is my home. I am a son of Africa. We must work together to redress the injustices of the past and move as one into a brighter future.”
Graeme is an avid historian, writer, vlogger and public speaker. Like and follow the Facebook page. Join him on a tour. Contact him. He would love that.