ZFHOA

Our sense of community is our security

FRIENDS OF THE PARKS

Although the Home Owners Association maintains the Parks as a Security Measure, this is limited to the Cutting of the Grass, Trimming of the Edges and Pruning Trees and Undergrowth to maintain a Clear Line-of-Sight.  Repairs to the River Course are also carried out if they impact Safety & Security and Infrastructure, such as the Pedestrian Bridges, are maintained regularly.


Everything else is undertaken by the Friends of the Parks or through Community Projects, such as


  • The Family Park Initiative
  • 100L Family Park Tree Initiative


The Friends of the Parks are those Residents, Neighbours and Companies who contribute to the creativity, improvements and beautifying of these community created and maintained Public Areas through donations of Trees & Plants, Materials such as Building Materials, Split Poles, Playground Equipment, etc and Services.


One of our greatest Contributors is the Country Club Johannesburg and their Groundskeepers, Golf Data who frequently assist with Machinery such as a TLB & Seeder, Fertiliser at cost, Grass seed, etc as well as invaluable assistance and advice.


Another frequent Contributor is our friendly Civil's Contractor, Birdsong Logistics & Plant Hire, who frequently donate and deliver Soil and Rock as well as occasionally allow us the use of their TLB.


The Civil work in the Children's / Family Park (WEIR) would not have been possible without the assistance of Atterbury and Labucon who donated and delivered more than 80 Truckloads of Soil and 90 Tons of Rock.


The Civil work in Park #09 (STORM WATER DRAIN) would not have been possible without Afrisam's Jukskei Quarry and Unitrans who donated and delivered more than 90m3 300mm Shot Rock.  Birdsong once again donated and delivered more than 30 22m3 Truck Loads of TOP SOIL.


There are many, many more who make up the Friends of the Parks and who deserve our gratitude but none more so than Jac van Niekerk who planted more than 300 Indigenous Trees and gave 30+ years to our Community created & maintained Parks!  Jac retired in October 2017.

November 2016 - Family Park Initiative

The ROCKLANDS FAMILY PARK, located at 55 Canterbury Crescent, has been a part of the Community for more than three decades and Children in the Community have spent many happy hours enjoying themselves there.  Prior to the Family Park Initiative the Park was, on the whole, tired and in need of a facelift.  Much of the equipment was old and unsafe!  A group of Residents shared their vision for the Park with the Community and Joburg City Parks at the beginning of September 2016.  They envisioned a place that gives Children in our Community an alternative to their iPads, Notebooks and Video Games. That gives them a space to climb, swing, play sports, be active and socialise.  A place that is fun, safe and well-maintained.  A place where entire Families can spend time together.  With more than R25,000 raised through donations, the upgrade was overseen and managed by a special Children’s Park Sub-Committee who are invested in making sure your donations and assistance are well utilised in creating an awesome Park for the ZFHOA Children and Families. The Sub-Committee is also committed to maintaining the Park.

 

Task completed in November 2016 were;

  • Removal of old, unsafe equipment
  • Repair of some of the existing equipment, such as, the foefie slide, trampoline and tyre walk
  • A number of new pieces of sizeable equipment to start;
  • A large wooden jungle gym with two platforms with roofs, a bridge, slide, ramp and rope, tyre climb and log ladder; a wooden double swing set;  a wooden balance beam
  • A beehive shape metal climbing frame
  • A roundabout
  • A wooden Swing Set
  • A wooden See-Saw
  • Creation of a BMX bike track using the concrete pipes in the park
  • Relocation and upgrade of the braai facilities to City of Joburg approved built-in permanent braais   (all work & materials donated by a Resident)
  • Installation of a second tap closer to the new braai area   (all work & materials donated by a Resident)
  • Installation of a Gazebo to shelter the City Park's picnic set   (all work & materials donated by a Resident)
  • Johannesburg City Parks Department removed all dead and dangerous Trees from the area

 

The ZFHOA undertook routine maintenance to fertilise the area, dig out Paper Thorn and plant grass seed in barren area

October 2017 - 100L Family Park Tree Initiative

You may or may not know that South Africa’s Eucalyptus Trees are being killed by the Cossid Moth (Coryphodema Tristis) and in 2016 alone we have lost thirteen of these Trees, five of which were in the Family Park.  In addition, our Willow Trees are more than forty-five years old and nearing the end of their life spans (area established in 1971).  In 2016, we have lost seven with four more so far in 2017 …

 

With the absolute success of the Rocklands Family Park Initiative, it was imperative that we plan to not only replace the lost Eucalyptus and Willow Trees throughout all the Parks but that we introduce additional Trees for much needed shade in the Rocklands Family Park. 

 

Although Jac van Niekerk has once again propagated more than thirty small  Indigenous Trees which will be planted throughout all the ZFHOA Community created & maintained Parks it was important to plant larger 100L Indigenous fast-growing Trees in the Rocklands Family Park for much needed shade whilst the Children Play and Families picnic or braai.

 

With special thanks to the Sponsors, who have donated twenty-two 100L Trees for the Family Park, that is now a reality!

 The TREE NAMING CEREMONY (Plaque) was be held at the ARBOR MONTH COMMUNITY SOCIAL on the 1st of October 2017.