The Death of the Hydroponics!

[Michael Alexander]

Scanned this today from a 1972 article...... I was down here  not too long ago, the place is trashed, I will try and pop down to th ehydro on the weekend and get a few snaps for comparison.....

[SandyB]

Dont get me  upset seing  this  sad  demise ..  I made my opinion  known  previously on  even  "giving"   this  huge  potential business  to  someone  .. or at least selling it for a nominal price .. soo short sighted ..  such a waste  .. such dereliction .. now mostly  beyond   rescue ..  and  anyhow I read the glib  comment  about  transport  arrangemments  phasing out the need for  the hydroponics  .. now in this  day of  carbon footprint .  rising  fuel  costs ..   etc .. would it not have made more sense ???? hindsight ??

[Bertie Horak]

Yes very upsetting indeed.  I will always remember Oranjemund as a wonderful green town and lots of flowers everywhere.  And also the pride of looking after your garden.  Sad that it seems to be disappearing.  I remember my Dad was always so proud of his gardens at the hostel.  I think this was taken at North Hostel.  Even with a mine dump in the background - in the middle of the desert - look at the beautiful flowers that loved the soil of that beautiful town!

[John Haycox]

Hi Mike,

This is sad indeed, I was shocked to hear about the generators being sold, but this is far worse, what a waste.

When we came to Oranjemund, fresh veggies were just something you read of in books.

Our parents used to buy dehydrated veggies in carboard tins about 300mm high with a diameter of about 100mm, closed top and bottom with metal.  I think it was imported from Rhodesia.  Just add hot water and you had loverly green beans, cauliflower, cabbage or whatever.

Then we heard about this guy in Plumstead, Cape Town, that grew veggies in stainless steele troughs, drip feeding them some kind of chemicals.

The next thing we knew, the big sand removal excercise took place, and the hydroponic garden was established.

It was not long after that, that the market had to be built to accomodate the sale of fresh veggies.

To us this was magic.

[Michael Alexander]

One kind of imagines the hydroponics as the heart of Oranjemund, the blood of Oranjemund, the place that gave colour to the town.... Well the heart is gone....now... and the blood is flowing out......

[Skinny]

Mike who is to blame for ruining the hydroponics. William Klemp. Nobody else. He took it over and trashed it like every thing else, the one green at the bowls club, the golf club, the town and I could go on and on. Where is the aresehole now.... In windhoek doing the presidents gardens on a ten year work permit with no questions asked but if hugo van rooyen gets hold of him he will kill him and he is not popular in kimberly where he comes from. So please blame the right person. He took the company and town for a ride got his money and ran like a jackal. Hope he gets his just desserts. Now he is busy buggering up the windhoek country club. Good luck to them.

[Michael Alexander]

Well, I could'nt wait so somebody I knew went down to the Hydro to take some snaps..... She informed me that the gates are now locked, strange she thought , s last year the gate was hanging open.... Anyhow a little bit along the fence there was a gap, where there was no sign... so she took the following snaps...

Turns out that in one corner of the shed, there is life..... green plants growing, must belong to the J&p GROUP, hence the padlocked gate....... pity they could not breathe life into the rest of the place....

Here are the snaps..she sent, I forget her name now.....

[Michael Alexander]

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[Michael Alexander]

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[Michael Alexander]

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[Bertie Horak]

I have been looking into prices of tunnels and greenhouses for my future plans.  Can't believe that couple of hundred grands' worth of tunnels have been left to rot like that!!!!!!  Makes me FURIOUS and even if I don't know the people responsible, I hate them for either being too bloody lazy, or too "slapgat", or plain and simple a**holes with no pride in their work or responsibility.   No man, let me go take a few drops, my blood pressure's rising dangerously!

Yes Sandy, don't really want to look at the pictures as well.  Really leaves a very sad feeling deep inside.

[SandyB]

Interesting ??  some  bit of life still there ,, what i saw just upset me so much I could not even  look too long .. pity about the dead trees .. they supplied much needed  wind  shelter ..

And .. Strong words but thanks for the  bit of  history  Kaye ...  obviously very bad choices on part of company .. like mine on the "wisdom"  of transporting  fresh goods long distance when they could  be  done right there ??
or  even worse for me .. the " wisdom"   of  our lovely wind  shelter   that  embraced  and  sheltered  the  town  ,,,  the   trees .. now ??  brown  houses .. lots of wind and  dust .. just puts  the town  dangerously  close  to becoming  another  dusty namibian  dorp  ...

[John Haycox]

Where are the hydroponics situated?

I was looking at Google Earth last night trying to remember what it looked like 50 years ago when I left for Standard 8 and never went back again.

Single Quarters with red roof on my left, looking North.
11th Avenue tarred road in front of me going past the school. 
We lived to the right, number 21. Someone send me a pic please of 21 and the two houses on either side.

12th Avenue sand road
13th Avenue tarred.
14th Avenue sand road
15th Avenue tarred, what we called Dessert Street.  no houses after that

The original Hydroponics were built about 50 meters North of Dessert Road.
Where those wavy tarred roads are.

[Michael Alexander]

John, a better idea from your era perhaps?

[Michael Alexander]

Another one... A= Hydroponics  and B= Abbatoir