Page 33 - Cornwall 1 2021

HEALTH & WELLNESS
THE BIG PICTURE

s I crest the hill before quarried from a site on Rietvlei as well as
descending Kelly Bray Lane, Cornwall Hill Estate’s quarry. The hand-
I have a wonderful view of cut stone is barely visible nowadays due
ARietvlei Dam and, if I crane to the original dam wall having been
my neck, a glimpse of the quarry on my raised between 1988 and 1990, with the
right-hand side. I am reminded that these addition of a concrete wave wall and a
two seemingly unrelated places have a reinforced earth barrier wall, as well as a
surprising connection: stone used in the surfaced roadway on top of the original
building of the original Rietvlei dam wall wall. Fortunately, fine examples of the
was quarried from Cornwall Hill Estate. craft of the stone masons involved in
the construction of the dam wall and
The Rietvlei Dam and reserve has its origins the pumping station can be seen in the
in the Rietvlei Water Scheme of 1929 when beautiful art deco buildings of the City of
the City Council of Pretoria bought the Tshwane Rietvlei Water Works.
farm ‘Rietvallei’ from the Munro family for
the water reserves which were needed for Completed in 1934, the dam lies in
the rapidly growing surrounding areas of the Sesmylspruit and is fed from four
Lyttelton and Irene. The Rietvlei Dam is fountains on the reserve, one fountain
one of several dams supplying water to the on an adjacent property and five
Pretoria region. The scheme is primarily boreholes on the reserve. The dam has a
responsible for conserving the catchment surface area of 204.13 ha, and a storing
area and accumulating and distributing capacity of 12.024 million m³ when full,
water from the dam. providing around 15% of Pretoria`s water
requirements.
The dam at Rietvlei was designed as an
earth-fill dam with a brick core. Hand The 3 800 hectare Rietvlei Nature Activities at the dam include freshwater
dug and hand built during the Great Reserve surrounds Rietvlei Dam. fishing on the northern and western
Depression (1929 to early 1930’s) it was Originally the property was not open shores and a variety of non-motorised
the saving grace for many poor and to the public, but game was donated water sports, which operate from the
destitute South Africans willing to do either by Mr A. Weyers or General yacht club.
any work just to survive. During those Jan Smuts from the farm Doornkloof
difficult years manual labourers were only (depending on which reference you We are privileged to have such a beautiful
too happy to work for four shillings per choose) and introduced to the area nature reserve in such close proximity to us
month, which would be the equivalent in 1938, a factor which contributed and I encourage you to pack the kids and a
of earning R278 per month today! All the to the proclamation of the nature picnic basket and go on a family day trip.
soil that was dug out was carted away reserve in 1948. The reserve comprises
by mule carts, evidence of which are the endangered Bankenveld grassland and SOURCES
numerous horse shoes still found on the has the capacity to support 1500 to www. tshwane.gov.za>sites>tourism>n
koppie across from the yacht club. It was 2000 head of game. The bird watching is atureconservation
during this initial building period that remarkable, with two dams having bird www. friendsofrietvlei.org
stone for the base of the dam wall was hides on the reserve. Reading: Irene by Nigel Helme

Cornwall View • Issue 1 2021 31