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It’s a place where the people of Citrusdal in the Olifants River Valley, in the Western Cape, can get to know each other. That is what their renovated park has brought to this community.
Having lived in Citrusdal for many years, Natasha Hunter is only now meeting many of her townspeople – all thanks to Truter Memorial Park’s transformation.
This park, which was named after the town’s first medical doctor, Pellie Truter, had fallen into disrepair over the years.
Mooier Citrusdal, a community group founded to beautify the town, wanted to tackle the park but did not have the resources.
“We consider Citrusdal the gateway to the Cederberg,” says Teresa Tierie, chairperson of Mooier Citrusdal.
Part of their mission is to attract more tourists to the town. “We have hot springs, many beautiful guest houses, Carmién tea and Piekenierskloof wines. We also have the beautiful scenery and it’s green all year round with all the citrus groves.”
In July last year, 17 women came together to start Mooier Citrusdal.
Tierie says:
So the group started to support the Citrusdal Local Municipality’s work. Each member could decide how and where they wanted to be involved and their enthusiasm was contagious, she adds.
Hunter who is the chairperson of Mooier Citrusdal’s gardens and parks says, about the impact of their projects:
Tierie spoke about the help that Lottoland Limited, the online gambling company, offered at one of their meetings. The group then realised that it was an opportunity to make Hunter’s long-held dream come true.
“A park is a gathering place for a town, but our little park was dilapidated,” says Hunter. “There is no shopping centre here. There are also no sidewalks to jog on or where children can ride their bicycles.”
That is why they wanted to transform Truter Park. The plan was to build a playground for toddlers and another one for primary school children, and to create a space where teenagers and adults could meet or exercise at an outdoor gym.
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Lottoland embraced their vision and gave Mooier Citrusdal R400 000 and six weeks to transform the park. “When we received help from Lottoland, we immediately got to work,” says Tierie. “We had to level the grounds, the moles had to be sorted out, and we had to pick up pieces of glass and rubbish.”
Local farmers sent tractors and many community members helped with the clean-up. The park of 10 250m² – roughly the size of one and a half rugby fields – was unrecognisable when Lottoland’s team returned to Citrusdal.
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Pathways of about 1km long were finished within two weeks and the two parts of the park, which had been separated by a ditch, were connected by two bridges. There are brightly coloured playgrounds for toddlers and primary school children, benches and a proper outdoor gym.
Thanks to Lottoland, 28 cultivated trees of about 2m in height were planted. The community also chipped in and the park now boasts 65 new trees. The municipality helped to install water and irrigation systems.
Reyno Engelbrecht is a proud member of the parks team: “It was very cold and I made a fire to warm my hands [in the park]. The next moment a lady came walking across the lawn towards me. She told me: ‘Sir, you are not allowed to make a fire here. We are busy cleaning up the park.’
Engelbrecht says:
Hunter says there are now 10 to 30 children in the park at any given time. “People from all our communities meet in the park and start building friendships.”
Ruben Richards, the executive mayor of the Cederberg Local Municipality, is pleased with what has been achieved. “This is a municipal park and it had fallen into disrepair. Within a few weeks, a miracle happened.
“I think it is a model for our country of what can be achieved if the municipality and its people work together,” Richards adds.
According to Tierie, Mooier Citrusdal is already dreaming about new projects. “We realise that there are still many needs in town and this is just the beginning.”
Lottoland helps towns make their dream projects come true. “In this way, we are not only transforming towns, but we are giving South Africans hope,” says its marketing director, Maryke Haywood.
Season 2 of Lottoland: Help ’n Dorp is broadcast on kykNET, DStv channel 144, on Wednesdays at 9.30pm and Sundays at 5pm. The programmes carry subtitles.
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For this series, Lottoland’s team is travelling even further and with bigger budgets to help communities renovate their towns, says Haywood.
Communities have six weeks to put the money to good use. Lottoland decided to assist after travelling all over the country to help welfare organisations with the Dankie Lottoland projects.
. Do you want to help Lottoland make a difference? If you are aged 18 or older, you can place a bet on more than 30 international lotteries.
Scan the QR code or visit https://www.lottoland.co.za/
