|
 With the resignation of BRA founder and first Chairperson, Emma Schoeman, a new era has arrived for the Association. The kick-start which came at a critical time in the history of Swellendam Municipality, and indeed all municipalities in South Africa, with “service-delivery!” the cry on everyone’s lips, needed the special skills and energy that Emma offered. A big thank-you is extended to her as we believe that her challenging of authorities and communication with higher authority contributed to the realisation amongst these officials of the seriousness of their neglect. Report backs in the media recently , regarding the Councils intention to remedy the situation are encouraging and have been witnessed in prompt responses received this year already.
The man taking over the Chair for the rest of the BRA year is Laurence Matthews, who will endeavour to keep the channels of communications open with both Municipality and members. He believes firmly that BRA is not attempting to run a parallel municipality, but a watchdog organisation, trying to get the best deal for all the residents of Barrydale, including Smitsville and neighbouring farms. Life in a country village is all about the interaction of different groups of people, such as you may not experience in the city...
Pictured here on the Caledonian Canal of Scotland in 2007, Laurence is drawn to waterways. He grew up next to the Swartkops River, Port Elizabeth, but from age 9 attended St. Andrews College in Grahamstown. After National Service he attended Rhodes University attaining a B.Sc in Geology and Zoology and met Dot who enticed him back to then Rhodesia, where they married. He started his career as a geologist at Mashaba on the asbestos mine, taking a year’s sabbatical to do his Honours back at Rhodes.
Laurence returned to S.A. in 1975 and the next 30 years saw his experience broaden in mining, quarrying and exploration not only in Africa, but in places as far flung as Philippines and West Indies. Early in his career he was both Mining Manager and Production Manager at G & W Base and Industrial Minerals, in charge of open-cast workings for various minerals and their subsequent milling.
Later his interest in gold saw him joining ERPM and Nigel Gold Mine before going it alone, consulting. This ultimately took him beyond our borders to East, West and Central African countries and overseas.
Consulting allowed him to take leave of Gauteng and seek refuge in more peaceful surrounds. Barrydale called and from there he spent time in Alabama helping a civil engineering colleague on designing drainage schemes and proposed river dredging for the US govt. Experience with waterways arose from gold reclamation work he initiated on the vleis of the far East Rand.
In semi-retirement, his input on the water courses and reticulation in Barrydale was sought by the Barrydale Community Forum on which he served from late 2005.
|