The area along Port Elizabeth's southern coastline which is reached via Marine Drive is where the Driftsands area can be found. In the late 1800's the movement of sand dunes towards the town was very worrying to the town council and plans were devised to stop the sand from "invading" and overrunning Port Elizabeth. One of the things done was a railway line that was built along the dunes and all the town's garbage was taken out there by train and dumped on the dunes. In the late 1880's Josep Storr Lister came up with an idea to stabilise the dunes by planting Port Jackson trees and exotic grasses. He commenced his work in 1890 and was successful in stabilising the dunes both in Port Elizabeth as well as on the Cape Flats in Cape Town. Only problem though is that the exotic species have today become a problem in the area and we now work towards eradicating them and allowing indigenous coastal bush to take its place. A small stone monument stands in Summerstrand next to Marine Drive as a memorial to the work Lister did. Unfortunately the plaque that told the story on the memorial got wings and disappeared many years ago.
Thanks to regular PEDP visitor Roche who reminded me of this very unknown monument.
wow, literally 100m from my flat and never noticed it. will be on the lookout for it.
ReplyDeleteWhy would somebody steal the plaque?!
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough there is also a plaque to him on Devils Peak thanking him for all the pines he planted there! I must look for it and post it too - he must be the most un PC man in TMNP's book at the moment!
ReplyDeleteI am telling fibs - it wasnt to Lister - it was to a chap called Jarman. Lister was the one who did the Tokai Arboretum on the slopes of Table Mt.
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