De Smidt St Park

The Beginning: A Lockdown Initiative

During the dark days of the Covid lockdown, De Waterkant’s then-ward councillor, Dave Bryant, allocated his annual ward allocation allowance among a few parks, including De Smidt Park.

At the time, the advice given to the DWCA was that the money could either be managed by the City or taken over by the community, with the full budget being spent on plants. We opted for the latter, allowing us to maximize the use of funds.

A Community Coming Together

Lockdowns had cut us off in many painful ways, and reviving the dust bowl of the De Smidt St park, being outdoors, healthy, was a way for us to reconnect. It became a great example of how a shared project could reignite community spirit, providing a place to meet neighbours and establish new friendships.

People contributed based on their strengths. Someone knew someone who had led the design of the Green Point Urban Park, giving us access to excellent design expertise. We connected with the City’s nursery in Newlands, with a few of us arranging transport to collect plants while the rest were delivered by the City.

Some community members rolled up their sleeves to plant and dig, while others supported in different ways—delivering trays of tea and much-needed sugary doughnuts on planting days. One of our residents, an expert in lawn care, gave us invaluable advice on transforming what had been a dustbowl into a lush green carpet.

Hard Work and Dedication

We prepared the ground, dug over 40 holes for saplings, planted what felt like acres of seedlings, and religiously brought our watering cans to keep everything alive. The City reconnected the water, making it easier to nurture our efforts via an irrigation system. We also stone-edged the beds, sometimes using rocks repurposed from local renovations.

Evenings often ended with community picnics, games of boule, and casual conversations around the new table sets we had purchased. The park was becoming more than just a green space—it was evolving into the heart of the Village.

City Recognition

Thanks to the combined efforts of the De Waterkant "Park People", in late 2021, the City recognized our efforts, awarding the DWCA Park Volunteer Group a Certificate of Recognition for our “dedicated and generous service to the community in Good Hope Subcouncil (16).”

A Lasting Commitment

Taking ownership of the park has been incredibly rewarding. The flourishing flower beds, the first spring leaves, and the herbs we can now harvest are all deeply meaningful symbols of what we have built together. The City and the GPCID supported us every step of the way, stepping in when we needed help beyond our capabilities.

We continue to visit the park daily, ensuring it remains a well-maintained and vibrant space. We have a well maintained compost heap, we crowdfunded to install a manual irrigation system, and we also purchased a lawnmower and a weed-eater to keep everything in top shape. The park now hosts a variety of gatherings, including:

Morning coffee meetups with freshly baked scones
Kids’ parties and family picnics
De Waterkant’s much-anticipated Long Table Dinner
And, of course, a space for dogs to play and make friends (whose owners scoop all the poop!)