Cape Town - As a youngster Clayton Smith and his mates used to cool off in the Victorian fountain in Cape Town’s De Waal Park in summer, much to the annoyance of some of the dog walkers.
“There was one old lady who was always surrounded by lots of dogs. We called her the dog whisperer. She used to say ‘no, no… the fountain is for dogs, not people’.”
Fast forward several years and Smith is now the park supervisor. He lives on the property with his mother, Catherine, who is in charge of the public toilets and has four dogs of his own.
He said the park had been his haven when he and his mother landed up on the street for seven months. About five years ago, he was employed at the park.
The elderly woman was still around then and they became quite friendly. “She’s passed on now but we used to laugh about those days.”
The 12 hectare park in Gardens beneath Table Mountain, which opened in 1895, is popular with dog walkers, children and joggers.
It has beautiful old trees and there are plenty of picnic spots, including a long table that is popular for weekend breakfasts.
For child carers it is a daily meeting place where their young charges can race around and play on the jungle gyms and swings.
Patricia Magodla says what she loves most about the park is that it is relaxing and safe.
“And we get to know everyone who comes here.”
Many people visit daily, or in the case of Derick de Kock, three or four times a day. He comes with his cockatoo, Prince, who sits on his shoulder, and two dogs.
De Kock works at the nearby Pride Shelter, which offers assistance to people in crisis.
He says the park is a great place to meet people.
“Prince loves walking on the grass and biting the bark. I’m always worried about dogs attacking him but if they come too close I put him on my shoulder.”
Sandy Colman has been running dog training classes in De Waal Park for close on 30 years.
Her classes are mostly for puppies, although a Giant Schnauzer who has been coming for eight years must be one of the best trained dogs in the park.
“De Waal Park must surely be the best dog park in the Cape Peninsula. It is very safe, having gates at three entrances to the park, which shut automatically, even if people forget to do so,” Colman says.
At one stage De Waal Park, which is open 24-hours, had a reputation for muggings and dog thefts were quite common.
But in 2008 a group of volunteers set up the Friends of De Waal Park and “donated towards the maintenance and upgrading of the park”.
“It used to be dodgy with lots of muggings but that has changed. The park just needed some good people to step in,” Smith says.
“There was a murder a few months ago which was a real shock to everyone. It was a homeless man who we think had an altercation with people he had come to the park with.”
But Smith said the park was safe with some people even coming to walk their dogs at night.
“And I take a turn with my dogs every evening before I go to bed.”
He is employed jointly by the City of Cape Town and the Friends of De Waal Park to ensure that fixing or cleaning is always regularly seen to.
“When I first got here the park needed attention but I have a creative mind.”
The park is well known for its free summer concerts organised by Charles Lindsay Bowman in partnership with the city.
Smith helps Bowman prepare the site for concerts, which take place between November and March.
He also makes sure that people who sleep in the park clean up before they leave.
Helen Bamford, Cape Argus