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After nearly two decades of envisioning such a facility, the Kingswood Community Centre/Clubhouse (CC/C) Project is now a reality.
This fact was fêted during an informal gathering of Kingswood residents on Saturday 2 March, while an official soil-turning ceremony was held with George’s first citizen as a special guest on Monday the 4th.
When gathering on the morning of 4 March at the site where Kingswood’s new community centre will be constructed over the next year-plus, CEO Willem Jacobs was relieved that thunderstorms forecast for early that Monday would hold off till the afternoon. Arriving on site in a golf cart, George mayor Leon van Wyk was heartily welcomed by a core contingent of Kingswood trustees and representatives of committees and companies involved with the CC/C Project.
The mayor was impressed by the location and ready to bless the soil-turning occasion with his words and best wishes. But first to share succinct information on the subject was Kingswood trustee Jonathan Witts-Hewinson, who provided background and a future vision of the facility’s multipurpose role. Not only would it benefit resident families and visitors to Kingswood, he said, but it would also be a significant new addition to the George and Greater Garden Route golfing community.
In brief
Jonathan listed the significance of the project as follows:
-  The availability at Kingswood of the proper community centre and clubhouse so eagerly anticipated by homeowners for 17 years. ‘This is now becoming a reality, so homeowners will finally be able to foster a real community spirit in a space to be enjoyed by all families, golfers and non-golfers alike.’
- Secondly, the facility will enable Kingswood to take great strides towards its strategic goal of becoming the preferred residential golf estate on the Garden Route. ‘Safe and family-friendly, it will add both value and status to Kingswood as a residential golf estate.’
- Thirdly, the availability of a proper clubhouse for players will considerably enhance the golfing experience and so enable Kingswood, as a world-class golfing destination, to take its proper place as full member of the Garden Route golf family.
‘Not only Kingswood, but also the City of George stands to celebrate what we have sought to achieve, and what is now becoming a reality.
’Jonathan emphasised the ease of engagements between Kingswood HOA and its professional project team when dealing with George Municipality. ‘These interactions have been nothing but exemplary, and it is heartwarming to know that we have such a proficient and dedicated team at our municipality.’
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Mic to the mayor Before tackling the official business of turning the first spade of soil that symbolically starts the construction process, mayor Leon van Wyk mentioned multimillion rand projects now on the go in George – and congratulated all in attendance on the success of Kingswood’s community centre development.
The mayor called Kingswood a key feature within George, and in the context of local developments explained the intricacies of engagements between the municipality and Western Cape Development Forum, which strives to improve relations between local and national government and the private sector.
‘The next WCDF conference is in May, and we have already seen a massive difference in the Western Cape – it took 15 years of the project in action for our province to get where we are today. ‘When I became mayor, our biggest problems involved infrastructure, which resulted in service delivery protests,’ said Van Wyk, adding that various projects were initiated at the time – and that the fruits of these labours are evident today. ‘We worked hard at pushing infrastructure, and are now nearing completion of our R500 million waterworks project.’
He concluded with a heads-up that the Western Cape economy is cooking, supported by a huge increase in national and international flights to Cape Town International and George airports, the latter located but a hop and a skip from Kingswood. ‘You are already an icon in George, and this development will enable our citizens from within and outside of Kingswood to enjoy your new facility.’
The people’s party
No, this is not a party political advertisement – it’s the part about Kingwood’s residents celebrating the CC/C Project on Saturday 2 March. MC once more, Jonathan Witts-Hewinson emphasized that the shindig on the new centre’s site was held in anticipation of the fact that young and old will be able to enjoy the facility.
‘By August next year, we will be holding another gathering to celebrate the opening of our community centre and clubhouse,’ he said. And if it took a little longer than expected, it was to serve the best interests of homeowners and ensure that the project would be delivered within budget. Jonathan thanked the small subcommittee of Tony Jacobson, CEO Willem Jacobs, and financial manager Marina Flear for being pillars of strength for almost 18 months. Paying tribute to everyone willing to assist with many aspects of the project, it was necessary to single out Stan ‘the action man’ Barbour for his dedication.
Apart from Stan and his wife Jenni, other families thanked for their valuable assistance were the Schoombies, Coetzees and Dames, and Marie Pienaar. Cathy Ahlers provided music on the night, Outeniqua Brew donated product, Highveld Toilet Hire supplied portaloos, and Knell Electrical contributed a generator and lights. Men’s Golf captain Ymke Schutte helped with the gazebos, Liesel Quinn of Kingswood Golf Operations provided tables and chairs, and Dawie Visser set up temporary fencing to keep happy partygoers from stepping into holes.
Jonathan expressed the ‘sincere belief that the finalisation of our community centre and clubhouse will afford all homeowners a much-improved lifestyle at Kingswood.’
Where we stand today
Since the above events, a site handover meeting to the appointed contractor took place on 12 March, and the construction process has since moved ahead apace. Now all residents have to do is sit back and relax and watch this family-friendly facility come to life.
A takeaway from the above is that people of all ages will be encouraged to use the new facility, which will exude a distinctly different atmosphere when compared with what is presently on offer at the gatehouse. In future editions of The BUZZard, more news will be shared about the centre’s new restaurant and other attractions for the whole family … watch this space!
