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An interesting field trip held by SHA
Hennie Steyn addressing the Swellendam Heritage Association
After rain caused the initial date for an outing by the Swellendam Heritage Association to visit a part of Swellendam’s irrigation furrow system to be postponed, the outing was held on Monday morning the 24th of April.
About 30 members and visitors gathered at the carpark opposite the Drostdy Museum where committee member, Hennie Steyn gave a highly informative introduction as to the origin and purpose of the irrigation system when Swellendam’s Drostdy was built in 1746/47. Hennie Steyn’s talk was both informative and had little cameo stories interwoven into the talk which were highly entertaining.
From there the group went to Marloth Nature Reserve and were received by First Ranger, Mr Adam Nel. Here Mr Steyn related how Marloth Reserve had originated as an attempt to prevent the government forestation programme from completely swamping the beautiful fynbos which covered the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains.
The group the did a tour through the reserve to the site of the first waterworks in Swellendam and then the site of the forester’s sport field and dynamite magazine at the time the forest was in operation. The group then followed the route from the source of the Glen and Waaihoek irrigation furrows which start in the reserve to eventually fall into the Waaihoek dam and from there followed the route taken by the irrigation furrow to where it eventually discharges into the Masbiekerskloof dam.
The group ended the outing at the current water treatment plant where Mr Steyn explained where the source of Swellendam’s water was and how it was conveyed to the waterworks for purification for the town thus ending an informal but highly informa