How Thesen Islands would have looked...if it wasn't for the contaminated Parkland

There would not have been any Parkland! Just a whole lot more houses. And waterways.

In the early days of selling the redevelopment of Thesen Island into "Thesen Islands", there was opposition in Knysna. One of the "sticks" with which to beat the redevelopment was that the houses would be built on "polluted ground".

Gray Rutherford, a partner in the Thesen Islands Development Co, used this opposition to persuade the board to turn ALL the contaminated area into Parkland. And to create a bird reserve in the area close to the Southern sea wall where Grey Herons were, and continue to, breed. In this way, potential buyers could be told NONE of the stands are, or will, be on contaminated soil.

An aside: The main driver of the opposition was an unemployed Texan lawyer, Jim Saunders, who devoted his days to trying to stop the redevelopment. What he wanted in its place was not clear... a park or something like that. Not accepting the the island was private property owned by a public company, Barloworld, was polluted and would cost money to clean up. One of his more outrageous claims was that there was a type of sand found only on the island (no where else in the world!) and building houses on it would be "akin to building on marbles" - the houses would just sink from view.

When I spot him nibbling on a pastry at Ile de Pain, I wonder if he still thinks he may suddenly disappear. Along with the building.