In most communities on the Cape Flats public spaces or parks are littered with rubbish and playing equipment is removed and vandalised.
But a visit to the park on Cressy Road in Garlandale offers a completely different view.
Visitors are not only confronted with the neatness of the facility, but also the tranquillity.
All the equipment is intact and the spaces are beautified, thanks to the efforts of a retired mechanical engineer from the area, Noegh Crombie.
Born in Salt River in 1957, Crombie grew up in Surrey Estate and finally settled in Garlandale.
Instead of waiting on the municipality to take care of the local park, he decided to take up the challenge and maintained it.
“Many public spaces get vandalised or the maintenance is non-existent. My objective is to create a safe, clean and healthy environment where the community can feel free to enjoy the natural beauty of our city, province and country,” he says.
“So many of our beautiful resources have come to be taken for granted. Things like our diverse flora and fauna, our climate and the environment, in general, are not valued and treasured. It does not take too much to educate and involve the community to understand how to take care of, improve and appreciate our parks and gardens.”
Crombie says he would like to involve the youth in the project.
“By involving the youth I would like to ensure that this attitude to preserve and appreciate our natural heritage gets passed on, and hopefully spreads to other regions of the city. It is time for residents to take responsibility for parks in their communities,” he says.
An electrical engineer by trade, Crombie used to have a senior management position at a telecommunications company. He is willing to share his vision for Cressy Park Road with other residents in Garlandale and anybody willing to listen to him.
The “puzzle” is actually some games often played by children – hop-scotch and leap frog among others and these games are provided by the City to promote left- and right brain cognitive development among the younger generation.
While in other communities the equipment is vandalised and removed for a quick buck or two, his mission is to encourage the community to take care of the facility.
“With the help of assistants, I am trying to show other communities what can be done if you take care or responsibility in your community. My assistants share my love for preserving and appreciating our natural heritage,” Crombie says.
