A Glimpse into Nelson Mandela Bay's Past

The magical thing about cities is that you can spend the festive season in the same place every year for 20 years and still not explore every inch of it. I learnt that a few days ago when my family walked the Donkin Heritage Trail. At that time I thought I’d been everywhere in Port Elizabeth but now I know I was wrong. There was a lot I didn’t know about this historic city. For instance, I didn’t know that the 1820 settlers were sent to live here by the members of the Cape Colony. This made me wonder about these people who had agreed to leave their homes and settle in a foreign area. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wonder about them for too long because there was a historical museum along the Donkin Trail. This museum was set up in the home that Reverend Francis McCleland had built for himself.

You can read a bit about it on the outside wall but my family and I decided to explore the house as well. The house was decorated with the furniture and accessories that would have been there during the 1840s. Thus there was a sewing desk, servant’s quarters, a machine that looked like a waffle maker, jelly moulds, beds, a doll house with many dolls, a butter churning mechanism and even a well.

But, that was not the only place we explored on this trail. We also went past the Public Library, the City Hall, the High Court, the Advocate’s Club, the Queen Victoria Statue, the Holy Rosary Convent (if you walk up the Bird Street side of the building you can read some famous quotes painted onto the one wall). There are also a lot of beautiful artworks along the way for you to photograph even one that includes flying taxis.

Even though we saw so many amazing sights my favourite is still the Donkin Reserve, Pyramid and lighthouse because of the history and clever artworks there. For those of you who do not know what I’m talking about I’ll describe the scenery up on that hill. In front of the King Edward Hotel there is a parking lot and then a large tree that hangs over a circle that is made of coloured stones. It is really beautiful and the ideal spot for a selfie. From there you walk passed a few inspiring Nelson Mandela quotes to the lighthouse and brown pyramid. The pyramid was built by Sir Rufane Donkin who dedicated it to his wife, Elizabeth (she is the reason Nelson Mandela Bay was originally named Port Elizabeth) whilst the lighthouse was built in 1861 and now holds the Tourism Centre. If you keep walking you will notice that to the left of the pyramid (if you’re facing it) there is a large strip of mosaic which is used to tell numerous stories. When you’re done taking photographs there you can walk to the silhouette of Nelson Mandela and then if you follow the path down you will notice the silhouettes of many other people. From here you will get a very good photograph of the giant flag that towers over the bay. FYI it is the biggest South African flag in the world.

So, if you ever get the opportunity to visit this amazing city I recommend you walk this trail, go to the Boardwalk (watch the Magic Fountains at night), swim in the rock pools at Pollock beach and eat lunch at Schoonies (the calamari there is my favourite).


And, don’t forget that ‘nothing is what it seems’ so if you think you know a city very well then dive deep into its history and you’ll realize that it’s even more interesting than you originally imagined.

Mother Nature Calls

We all have our heroes. We would all bow down and clean their shoes if they asked us to. Some of us might even embark on adventurous journeys just to spend more time with the ones we admire. And, if they died and used their last words to beg us to save the environment, surely we would immediately start doing so?

But, then again, we are human and thus even when we are fully committed to a cause we sometimes get distracted and forget about it. So, if we are going to work towards a green future I believe we need some things to remind us about our dream in case we forget it.

First of all, we need a prayer and I have found what I believe is the perfect one for our adventure:

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A Prayer of Commitment

Every part of this earth is sacred.

Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the children of the Earth.

The air is precious;

for all of us share the same breath

This we know, the Earth does not belong to us:

we belong to the Earth

this we know, all things are connected;

like the blood which unites one family

our God is the same God,

whose compassion is equal for all.

For we did not weave the web of life:

We are merely a strand in it.

Whatever we do to the web

We do to ourselves.

In honour of Ian [Player] and in gratitude for this planet of life

We commit ourselves to do all we can to uphold and preserve life in all its diversity.

Second, we need a symbol to remind us of our quest: this shall be a tree and thus every time you see a tree you must remember that we must respect our environment (hopefully you’re not living in a desert).

If you still need something else, then I suggest you go to the nearest spot of wilderness (it does not have to be a game reserve) and appreciate the beauty that surrounds you. This will be enough to inspire you to change your ways: recycle, become an activist against poaching and campaign for people to respect the environment.

After all, if we are lazy and do not act now; there will be not much left to save.

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From Radio to TV

Last year I was lucky enough to be interviewed on Jacaranda FM and when I heard my voice coming out of the car radio I was unbelievably excited. I jumped up and down before asking my grandmother if I was dreaming. She told me I wasn't.

It was an amazing experience that I thought would never happen again, and then I was interviewed on SABC 1. I was a bit nervous during the actual recording and thus when I watched it for the first time I often wondered if I'd really said it all; I felt as if it was a clone on television not me. But since I don't have a clone I quickly became overloaded with pride and excitement.

If you missed it then here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BOIZVuOpW8

I'm hoping that every person who watches it or has watched it is able to come away knowing a little more about rhinos and why we need to save them.

Family Challenge

I have family on four different continents and thus it’s not very often that we’re all together for Christmas. So, last year my Grandmother came up with the idea of a Christmas Challenge. We gave my cousins a time limit and told them to create the best gingerbread house that they could. Thankfully, my sister and I had already built our one so we didn’t feel too pressured by the competition. However that was until we saw some of the finished products.

Before I show you two of the photographs I need to tell you something about my family. We’re all quite competitive and, we’re VERY creative which is why we all designed our very own kind of gingerbread house. The shapes varied from log cabins to lighthouses, some of them had working lights, others were sparkly but they are all equally inspiring.

The Australian Lighthouse

The judges voted the Australian Lighthouse as the winners, but I know that everyone who took part (including the bystanders who took the photos and suggested ways to improve our houses) thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and I’m sure we all will participate again next year. So, if you’re looking for something to do that will get the ENTIRE family involved I suggest you look at these photographs for inspiration. And, if you don’t want to make Gingerbread Houses you can have a sandcastle competition instead or maybe you could test who could build the biggest playing card tower.

Santa's Workshop

Now that you're armed with ideas to challenge your family with, I hope you choose one and get it underway soon. Please send me the photographs of your finished products - I'd love to see them.

Be Yourself

2015 has finally started and I'm already doing all I can to achieve my New Year's Resolutions. One of my goals is to be more confident in just being myself because as you'll read in this blog post (written by Robyn Stark) being yourself isn't always easy but it's worth it.

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Why gain their approval if it is only temporary? We live in a society filled with people who tell you to be yourself, and then cut you down for being the slightest bit original and weird. Why you may ask. It makes them feel uncomfortable and insecure because that person isn’t afraid to be themselves and isn’t afraid to be judged.

People are afraid of change, of something out of the ordinary because it takes away their sense of security and the more predictable life is the happier they are. Awfully boring, if you ask me.

It is human nature to express yourself, to let the birds with the words of your heart free, to release the wolf of your soul that wants to conquer the world, and knows all your deep and dark secrets but still knows your infinite potential. You need to share your heart, your soul, and your thoughts, as this will help people accept you for all your flaws and imperfections.

For many people, art and poetry is a limitless option to show who you think you are, without people knowing anything about who you really are. Art is expressive, full of colour and with the depth of the sea and the height of the stars. You can’t judge a piece of art work without knowing the real reason for its existence. A picture speaks a thousand words, more than you’ll ever know. Poetry is taking the picture and putting into words, words that capture your heart and leave you thinking.

This is real beauty, more than the superficial beauty that society highlights in fitting in. Take that pen and let the emotions flow down through a mixture of colour and imagery. And next time someone shows you a poem or piece of art, remember that they are sharing a piece of their soul with you. That is precious. Treasure it and pay attention to what people show you without telling you. And remember that, when you do express yourself, originality is key.

Written by Robyn Stark

Follow her on Twitter: @robyn_stark