<this entry still very much in draft form.... I hope to get back to it in the next couple of days.... George 9 June 2011 >
16 May 2011:
Before leaving Leliefontein, we went round the corner from Vera's place to see what Ivan and his team of workers were doing in the churchyard. In a place as dry as Leliefontein, water is a valuable resource and securing its supply is an important part of climate-proofing.
In the posted video clip, Ivan Roberts talks to Malinda and gives some of the background to work in the backyard of the historical Methodist Church in Leliefontein. At one level it's just another community care project in which local members of the parish are making their patch something to be proud of. But the godliness goes further than that: In the arid landscapes of Namaqualand, Leliefontein is something of an oasis. Living care is necessary to protect the water that collects in the geological nooks and crannies of the village, undoubtedly what drew Nama herders to settling there many centuries ahead of the Methodist missionaries. By removing the thirsty alien poplar trees, the natural springs are returning to functionality. :
NOTE: I realize that I haven't included any footage of the landscape in which Leliefontein is situated. From the footage of the churchyard, it looks like a pretty green place, but don't be fooled, that is because we were standing in a WETLAND. Although high for the area because of its altitude, the annual rainfall is of the order of 200mm per year.
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| Ivan Roberts, Wetland Rehab Contractor |
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| Malinda Gardiner: CSA comms |
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| A poplar removed from the wetland |
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