The Water Crisis: Start harvesting rainwater! 

If you are not harvesting at least some of the rain that falls on your roof, you need to start without delay. Having only a few thousand litres of water in tanks that can get you though, at minimum, a week of no water is insurance you need. You don't want to be putting your faith in the Muni being able to supply your water all the time. 

An example of what's possible: 

In 2016, I put in two 5,000 litre water tanks harvesting about 140 sq m of my house roof. Then, at some stage the HOA loosened the setback requirement for tanks. They now allow a tank to be positioned outside of the building line, with certain restrictions.  I could squeeze in another tank of  4,750 litres, which I did in 2023. If I could have squeezed in a 4th tank, I would have!  When my tanks are full, I have 14,750 litres (14.75kl) of water. I increased the roof area I harvest to 218 sq m. 

A quick check shows that in the last year, I used 11kl of Muni water*. I always keep about 5,000 litres in the tanks for emergencies.   * My wife and I living permanently here. Roof repairs and painting resulted in use of the rainwater, so I switched to the Muni water for a period. 

As a rough guide, 1mm of rain on 1 sq m of roof gives 1 litre of water. 

ReCap of my blog post dated 4 December, 2023:

"Sadly the ponds have many water birds, some who are permanent residents whose home is rapidly drying up. This is a warning of what could happen to the humans who have made their homes on Thesen Islands if they don’t start storing water. "

- excerpt from my letter to the HOA on 30 November 2023.   

More from my letter:

Elfrieda's response primarily reiterated the challenges and reasons behind the reluctance to pursue various water projects, as mentioned in the first board communiqué of 2023. I find this response disheartening, given the urgent need for proactive measures, especially in light of the escalating water crisis in Knysna.

The inadequate water harvesting practices across Thesen Islands have become a growing concern for me. 

I strongly believe that the HOA should play a pivotal role in addressing this issue by setting an example. Specifically, showcasing rainwater harvesting at the clubhouse would embody a 'lead by example' strategy.

Our dependency on the municipality for water becomes increasingly precarious, considering their ongoing challenges in waste collection and sewerage pump maintenance. With water restrictions already in place due to insufficient town water supply and no immediate plans to increase storage capacity, our reliance on small dams filled by river pumping poses a significant risk. Yet the cash strapped municipality, desperate for more income, is still approving a block of flats in lower town, a mall in Main Street, houses, RDP housing and who knows what other developments.

In summary, we face a critical situation with inadequate water supply, managed by an inefficient cash strapped municipality, and a growing demand for water. This is a pivotal moment that demands immediate action and collective responsibility.

Possible practical solution: Introduce an HOA requirement mandating water harvesting for every renovation project exceeding a certain threshold. This can be a first step in ensuring sustainable water practices within our community.

The Ponds

The current predicament with nearly empty ponds, following a R2 million investment, is disheartening. Sadly, the ponds have many water birds, some who are permanent residents whose home is rapidly drying up. This is a warning of what could happen to the humans who have made their homes on Thesen Islands if they don’t start storing water. 

The initial ponds were likely designed to be fed by run off but are the new ones? 

Can we investigate how we can get runoff?  

At the north end across the road there is a swale with a drain in it. When it rains, masses of water runs down the drain into the lagoon.  What about a sump pump and some piping to run the water into the top pond? There is electricity at the capped borehole. 

By my rough measuring, I estimate the clubhouse to have over 600 sq m of roof. One square meter of roof receiving 1mm of rain delivers about 1 litre of water. 10-year average rainfall on Leisure Island is about 680mm. This water could serve the needs of the HOA offices as well as contribute to the ponds. 

Don't Bring the Big City with You

First posted 11 July, 2024

As more and more people move to the Garden Route and it grows to accommodate them, we are losing the open spaces and the beauty, the slowness of life that encourages the enjoyment of what this area offers naturally. 

What we have lost, and are still losing, on Thesen Islands reflects what is happening beyond the gate.  

➤The Encroachment into Open Space 

Boating down the waterways after many years, I was struck by how boats, canoes, paddles, rubber toys, jetties and floating jetties, boat hoists and walkways, were all crowding into the waterway. 

The year long plus fight a few years ago (2018/2019/2020 blog archive) against the increase in bulk might have been won, but the subverting of the Design Guidelines continued with the insidious allowance of more and bigger decks, jetties and boats on what is actually "common property". It has made the narrower waterways feel more Asian floating village than waterway. 

That pools, yes pools, are allowed 500mm from the gabions is peak crowding of the waterway.  

The one boundary, the boundary that allowed everyone to enjoy the view of the waterway, the one that you would think would be sacrosanct has been breached. Now is it more “look at my neighbour’s toys", than look at the ripple of the water.   

Shoehorn development, squeezing as much sellable or rentable space in as possible, is what happens all over Knysna. 

Blocks of shoebox sized 😉, cheaply built flats in place of 2 or 3 houses, a cheap mall. Another one on its way up across the road, all with that "must have" of Knysna redevelopment, insufficient and inadequate parking.  

I kept a letter to the Cape Times years ago from Christopher Bisset of Rondebosch about the new Montclare Place shopping centre. I kept it for this, his last paragraph: “Every time you drive down the ridiculously steep, narrow ramp and stoop your head in the horribly cramped parking lots, you give your blessing to an architecture that exists only to squeeze profit from every inch of available space.”   Sounds familiar, right?     

➤ Value the Open Space 

The constancy of the HOA eyeing the open space of our Parkland as wasted space. Either an opportunity to make money, cutting it up to sell plots or use it for cellphone towers, or the latest, to build a Padel court(s) using a special levy, meaning we dig into our pockets. They haven't said where they want it, but where but our Parkland?  It reminds me of when, in 2014, I heard in a coffee shop about the well advanced plans to sell off stands in the Parkland. 

28 November 2014

I walk at Steenbok Park on Leisure Island. A few weeks ago, when I was walking there, I thought “In all the years I have been getting their "Friends" newsletters, I have never read of a scheme by LIRA’s Board to build on, cut up, sell off parts or their park!”  

In the 20 years I have lived on Thesen Islands, the Parkland has been under attack by the HOA many times.  Read about the 2014 plan to sell stands here      

➤ Care for Nature

Looking at the original sales brochure for Thesen Islands, I read that “11 hectare Parkland and Bird Reserve is a magnet for the rich bird like of the Islands.”

And of the “Many detailed environmental studies…used in the masterplanning to ensure that the Islands will exist in harmony with the Knysna Estuary environment. Bird plant and wildlife specialists are helping plan suitable habitat…in the waterways, the parkland area and Bird Reserve.”

Many of us were attracted to Thesen Islands because of these features. We enjoy the natural open spaces, the ponds and the birds, the long views. Like everything, it needs to be maintained. But the Board of the HOA, under the guise of letting nature take its course, take a different view.

The Board decision is that the ponds and surrounding vegetation should be managed going forward according to the natural rains and seasons. 4 July 2024

So what does it mean? No effort to get water into them.  Abandoned ponds, framed as letting nature take care of itself.  The premise that ponds can be taken care of by nature is absurd. The big May rains putting lot of water into them, notwithstanding. See graph below. 

The ponds were planned and made by man. Nature had nothing to do with them so nature is not equipped to take care of them. Using the HOA’s logic, you could throw your old refrigerator in the lagoon, telling your astonished neighbour and HOA that you are letting nature take care of it! 

Or look at it this way. Would it make sense if the HOA said that the golf greens, like the ponds "should be managed going forward according to the natural rains and seasons", and never watered them? 

But it gets worse. A few years ago, a rushed vanity project of the board just before an AGM cost R1.5 million to gussy up the top 3 ponds made them completely reliant on Municipal water (ignoring a history of restrictions). The pond levels and surrounds were changed. So today there is no, or little runoff, from the surrounding area into the ponds as originally designed. If we had done nothing, we'd saved R1.5 million, and the ponds would arguably be in better shape.

All the while the HOA downplays the amount of rain we receive. We're in “a climate with unpredictable rainfall” (Where is rainfall predictable? you may ask) with “continued low rainfall” followed up with “The current rainfall is now between the 5 and 20 year averages so we need to accept this as a baseline.” (Last 2, not true for 2023) 30 January 24.

In 2023, Leisure Island received 960mm of rain, far exceeding the 10-year average of 667mm, as well as the 20-year average of 759mm.  2023 Rainfall - Knysna-Plett Herald

"Continued low rainfall" says the HOA, not so says Steenbok Park!

Then, without providing their analysis, they say “it has been determined that there is insufficient rain to fill and keep the ponds full from harvesting roof top water.”  20 March 2024.

Does this justify not harvesting any rainwater for the ponds? 

And 4 July 2024: “It has been it has been determined that neither the use of the borehole nor an RO plant will be either environmentally friendly or financially viable to fill the ponds. 

The borehole (ruled out years ago*) and the RO plant (never a serious consideration) are put in there to make doing nothing sound better.      *Another waste of our money, about R200,000. The board at that time decided not to consult with the South Coast expert who said, straight off, they would not find good water! Read more

Yes, harvested rainfall may not be enough to fill the ponds, but it well could be enough to keep some water, and the water birds, in them. 

The best runoff is coming from the drains that were put in from the road taking the water into the southern pond. Who thought of that? I did in 2019. Does it fill the pond? No. it does not. But it helps. 

I fail to understand the reasoning that the least expensive option – rainwater harvesting - to get some water into the ponds is discarded as it won’t completely solve the problem!   

In an email (30 Nov 2023) to the HOA urging water harvesting, I estimated that the Club House has about 600 sq m of roof. In 2023 with 960mm of rain and the accepted 1 sq m of roof receiving 1mm of rain delivers 1 litre of water, 576,000 litres of water could have been harvested from here alone. My email

Rainfall graph above from "Friends of Steenbok Park", June 2024. 

➤ Enjoy the Slowness

Knysna is slow. Don’t try to speed it up. You won’t be able and you’ll just get uptight. When the traffic on the N2 is moving at the speed limit, be it 80 or 100 km/h, and there is a long line of cars going at that speed, don’t tailgate the car in front of you to intimidate him/her to pull over. Think: The roads are dangerous primarily because people drive too fast. Or cannot think. 

When you are driving on Thesen Islands and the car in from of you is going at 25 km/h even though the speed limit is 30 km/h, don’t tailgate.  And, this is not something you do not know - there are kids, some very small in the roads, riding out of blind intersections, coming out of everywhere. Slow down for their sake, at least!

You moved to Knysna for the lifestyle, remember. It’s slow. Enjoy it.  

And if Thesen Islands is your home, get involved. Write to the HOA about stuff you like and don't like, make suggestions. Speak up. Often, you can influence decisions that have profound impact on our way of life here. 

This blog is a lot of my opinions, some people agree with them, some people, often HOA trustees, don't. But I say this: In 2014, I sounded the alarm about the plan to cut up and sell off the Parkland and members rallied against it, forcing the trustees to can the idea. In 2018, I took up the fight against the increase in house sizes and while it was ugly, with many blog posts, that too was defeated by clear thinking members. Thesen Islands would look and feel a lot different if both those plans, pushed by HOA trustees, had won.

 

“Don’t bring the big city with you” comes from what a friend in the township was told by a neighbour after he got the luck of an RDP house in what is now called Millionaire’s View in Greenfields. It is a row of houses on the top of the hill, looking over the lagoon. Most of the houses are now much grander than what they started out as. My friend has cows. When he was moving in, his neighbour said to him, “Please, Tata, don’t bring the farm with you!”   

 

1933: Aerial Photograph - Thesen & Co. Ltd., Knysna - Saw Mills & Furniture Factory  

Dated 1933, this is the oldest aerial photograph that I have seen. Taken 11 years after sawmilling activities were concentrated on Thesen Island in 1922.

What is certain is that the Saw Tooth building, now housing shops and offices, is likely the oldest building currently on Thesen Island. 

At the top right, there appears to be a short sea wall. The whole of the island would be virtually encirled by a sea wall which was built over many years. This sea wall defined the perimeter of what would be come Thesen Islands.

In the middle of the island there seems to be some houses, one of them fancy with a big garden. They were the first of a number of houses that were built for employees.    

The narrow gauge railwy line that was in operation from 1907 to 1949 is not easy to see, but is still visible. It started at Diepwalle and ended at the Thesen Jetty.  Read about the railway here 

This photograph belongs to Trevor Johnson and I thank him for sharing it and the other photographs posted on the blog in November, 2025. Trevor was a longtime employee of Thesen & Co, from 1970 until the closure of the operations on Thesen Island on 29 June, 2001. 

During the gradual handover, beginning in 1999, of the island from Thesen & Co to the Thesen Islands Development Company (TIDC) he made an invaluable contribution to the sucessful redevelopment of the island with his encyclopedic knowledge the factory infrastructure. 

When Thesen & Co finally closed down, he was still too valuable to lose. So he was employed TIDC, then the TIHOA for many more years. Early owners in Thesen Islands remember his willingness to help where ever and when ever he could. He still lives in Upper Town Knysna.        

1977: Aerial Photo with Points of Interest 

 

Points of Interest 

A:  The Boat Shed. Now hardly recognisable with the 2 new buildings globbed on at both ends. 

B: The Slipway. This is still visible. 

C: The Oyster Co. The line visible from the jetty towards the Oyster Co is the salt water supply pipe for cooling the turbines, which was recirculated back to the lagoon. The Oyster Co tapped into the pipe for salt water for their oyster tanks. (Source: Trevor Johnson and GT Berry).

D: The Sawtooth building that was repurposed to shops & offices. 

E: The Gantry. Still visible today in the residential area of Thesen Islands.

F: The Dry Mill. The steel frame has been incorporated into the Dry Mill Apartments.

G: Staff houses.

H: The Pole Yard, now where he Parkland is. The creosote dripping off the freshly creosoted poles mildly polluted this area of the Parkland. Creosote treated poles are still used as jetty poles. 

I: Discarded sawdust. 

J: The Power |Sation, now home of The Turbine Hotel.   

K: The first Boiler house/Power Station, later the Electrical Maintenance worksop with storage upstairs. Then the Company Clinic until the Thesen & Co closed on 29 June, 2001. Now houses "Milk & Honey". (Source: Trevor Johnson).

L: The Bird Reserve Pond. Without apparently much effort, it has water in it. Mismanagement by succession of trustees has seen it almost dry up.

M: Known as the "The Compound", workers from the Eastern Cape were housed here.  

More information, corrections and comments on this photograph welcomed.

Thesen Islands Sales Centre, alongside the Boat Shed, March 2000. The Knysna Oyster Company entrance can be seen across the road from the Sales Centre. 

Another view, also taken in March 2000.

All photographs from the collection of Trevor Johnson, longtime employee of Thesen & Co from 1970 until the closure of the factory on 29 June, 2001. 

 

1947: Aerial views of Thesen's Island. Taken at the same time but from slightly different angles.   

The label on the above reads "Thesen Industrials (Pty) Ltd. Knysna 1947

2 slighty different stamps on the back of both pictures read "Aircraft Operating Co. of Africa Aerial Surveying" Both have a handwritten date, one "1947", the other "Apr 1947".  

Points of interest: The Boat Shed is visible, although the rounded roof was changed at a later date. The roof has "Thesen & Co Ltd" painted on it. As does another building where the first shops of Thesen Harbour Town are now.  It is interesting that this was done as with the lack of airplanes, there weren't many who would have seen the signs. 

The Boat Shed slipway is also visible.  

The narrow gauge railway on the jetty is visible. There was a railway line than ran from Diepwalle to the Thesen Jetty from 1907 to 1949.  Read more about this interesting bit of history here on the Knysna Woodworkers website. 

The Saw Tooth building is visible. This still exists, the South end now housing 'Scratch Golf' and other businesses. 

2 smokestacks are visible. There are a number still existing. 

Staff houses are visible on the right. These were still in use until the factory closed. The palm tree on Quill Island was in the garden of one of the houses. The tree had a small aluminium sign on it, with the names of the people who lived there and the date. It was stolen by an idiot a few years after the stands were sold.  

The sea wall that forms the edge of modern Thesen Islands is clearly visible along the edge of what is Crab Claw Island. Before you get to the sea wall there appears to be what is a large sawdust mound North of the entry road.  There is history that  makes this possible: There was a huge sawdust mound in the area of Crab Claw Island (C20 to C40 approx) in 1999. This was removed by mixing it in with the topsoil when the Islands were created.

What would become Costa Sarda is visible, as is what is now Lower & Upper Old Place. It is interesting to see what appear to be a number of scattered buildings, small farms perhaps, up the hill towards the Hornlee turnoff. What is Hornlee now, was a small forest. 

The white area just below the horizon in the right could be a quarry. 

Observations and comments welcome!

Both photographs are from the collection of Trevor Johnson, longtime employee of Thesen & Co from 1970 until the closure of the factory on 29 June, 2001. 

Modern aerial views of Thesen & Co operations on Thesen Island 

More from the collection of Trevor Johnson, a longtime employee of Thesen & Co from 1970 until the closure of the factory on 29 June, 2001. 

The grassy area where Avocet and Bitou Islands are now, used to attract many Water Dikkops. On the left and in the foreground are 2 staff houses.  The long building running East to West, with the skylights, was the Dry Mill which was repurposed as The Dry Mill apartments. 

   

The Thesen Islands Sales Centre can be seen next to the Boat Shed. The famous and much loved Jetty Tapas is missing from the jetty. It burned down one night in about 2000. Stef Mulder, living in the Boat Shed, famously slept though the sound of the exploding gas bottles. 

The old Parks Board building can be seen at the end of the jetty. 

The cylinderical structure in the middle was the incinerator that was used to burn waste sawdust, mostly at night, creating an impressive orange glow seen from a long way away.

Looking towards town. The Knysna Quays appears to be built out. In 1999, it was still not finished. The developer went bankrupt and the bank had to step in and finish the project. Sales consultants at the TIDC Sale Centre (opened December 1998) were asked "Look at Knysna Quays! How do I know you won't got broke, too?"

Leisure Island and the Western Head in the background. The Dry Mill building with the skylights is prominent here. 

  

Thesen & Co at Night and Sawdust burning.  

The factory was very visible at night. This picture was taken from the Causeway, opposite the Yacht Club Road.
 

The Incinerator burned sawdust waste. This seemed to take place at night. I thought that this was done so the townspeople would not see the black smoke.  Depending on the wind, if you lived in town, you'd find back soot on your window ledges on some mornings. If you had a yacht in the lagoon, you'd experience this, too.  The steam boilers used to generate electricity for the factory, including the timber drying kilns also contributed to this, too. Thesen & Co also supplied electricity for the town of Knysna until about 1974. Exact date? 

There were people who said that the respiratory and eye irritation issues they experienced, disappeared when the factory closed down.  I lived in Hill Street, Upper Town during this time. 

Thesen & Co - Boat Building; Cape to Rio Yacht Race Winner

During World War II, on behlf of the British Admiralty, ten motor gunboats (110ft overall) of the Fairmile Class, were built and launched at Knysna, while over 600 life boats and smaller craft were also produced.  -   Industrial South Africa 1956.

Fairmile Motor Launch ML 4002 being launched at Knysna in early 1945 

Caption source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/southafricansinww1ww2korea

Caption: 

The Thesen Family Centenary Sloop "Albatross II" sailing down the Knysna Lagoon en route to Cape Town to take part in the South Atlantic Cape to Rio Race 30 December, 1970.

With the Compliments of Thesen & Co (Pty) Ltd. 

Albatross II  - Winner of the first Cape to Rio Race in 1971

In 1971, two Van der Stadt 222 design, 42-foot sailing yachts were built to compete in the first Cape to Rio transatlantic ocean race. The first was the ‘Albatross II’, which was built in Knysna at the Thesen’s Boatbuilding Yard, the second was the ‘Mercury’, which was built in Bremen, West Germany. These two South African yachting teams sailed neck and neck for much of the race, but it was ‘Albatross ll’ that eventually took the lead and won the race, putting the Thesen Boatbuilding Yard, and Knysna, on the map. Also participating in the race was ‘Voortrekker 1’, the original South African flagship in the event, also built in Knysna by the Thesens. 

Source: 

https://www.southernyachting.co.za/take-to-the-helm-with-southern-yachting-academy/#:~:text=In%201971%2C%20two%20Van%20der,and%20Knysna%2C%20on%20the%20map.

 

 Factory Scenes 

Looking North from the Admin Building. Partly hidden by Coral Trees, the Boat Shed can be seen on the left. The triangular shaped concrete bollards are re-used along the roads on Thesen Islands.

The back side of the above:

Wet saw mill.  Wet (green) logs are easier to cut.

Main entrance into the Thesen & Co operations - 2nd December, 1995. This entrance was where the Gate House now is. 

Hopper filled with sawdust chips for loading into trucks to take to the Chipboard factory in George. In front is a Poles 20 ton mobile crane used to move machinery as well as in construction.

Conveyor belt with weather shield use to move woodchips to the wood fuel store at the Power Station. 

A child getting a ride in a fire truck. Driver Trevor Johnson. Child of P du Rundt, who is also Father Christmas. You can just make out his eyes! 

 Workers and Big Logs 

Anyone know who they are?

Anyone know who they are?

Large yellow wood log being trimmed before being loaded into a veneer lathe. 

A veneer lathe is a specialized wood processing machine that rotates logs and peels them into thin, continuous sheets of wood called veneer. The yellow wood would be on the face, the outer layer of the plywood board. Photograph from about 1980.

Many people lived on Thesen Island when it owned by Thesen & Co.

I started working in the Thesen Islands Sales Centre in December 1998, soon after the Centre was built next to the Boat Shed.

The Thesen & Co operations were, of course, in full swing. We were intruders into their world. Not welcomed, but tolerated. We were not allowed through the main gate and would not be for 6 to 9 months. Barloworld was selling the island to the Thesen Islands Development Company. Virtually all factories and other buildlings would be demolished. Everyone there would lose their jobs. The people - families - who lived in the staff houses - would lose their homes. Why would we be welcomed?  

So we worked side by side in an uneasy relationship. Eventually we got access to the Island. Pegs were fixed marking the outline of what would be come Ferry,  Hammock and the east edge of  Plantation Islands. I would drive down the planned waterway between Jubilee & Plantation Islands with prospective buyers, the metre high grass parting like water at the front of the car, and passing the sides. "This is how it will be in your boat!", I'd say. A very low boat sitting low in the water.    

A small platform was built on the far east of Hammock which demonstrated what the ground level of the Islands would be after they were raised, using the sand dug out for the waterways. It was all make believe and the early buyers were those who could use their imagination. The downpayment was a hefty 20% and we had to get a significant number of sales before Investec would commit financing.  The pressure was on.

Meanwhile the the locals opposed to the redevelopment were denigrating it to anyone who would listen, including prospective buyers. After years of complaining about the pollution from factory, they didn't want it to go. But the time of having a factory on a prime piece of land in the middle of Knysna Lagoon had passed. Barloworld was cashing in. Other people wanted the island to be turned into a park, overlooking who would pay for the years of pollution that needed to be cleaned up. The island was owned by a public company with obligations to shareholders and the sale paid for the clean up. Others were just bitter that someone, other than them, would benefit. "It will never happen" they'd cry.  There was the American lawyer with a leather bag full of papers under his arm, who said the buildings would sink into the sand. Building on Thesen Islands, he said was "akin to building on marbles!"   

But people would be losing jobs, about 600. Other jobs would replace them in the construction of Thesen Islands; one example, the stonepacked gabions of the waterways were built by hand. 

Then the constuction of the houses fuelled a boom. If you were in Knysna in the early 2000's you know what I mean. You couldn't get a seat at Harry B's in Main Road on a Friday or Saturday nights. Nor at Oldes when a rugby game was on. Construction bro's everywhere. It was good times for many.

I managed to get a tour of the factory in the last days. I had my camera with me and shot a roll of photos which I now can't find anywhere. Thank you for Trevor Johnson for sharing his collection.  What is sad is that no one thought of making a good photographic record of the Thesen & Co factories and their workers. 

So we are lucky that we have photos of some of the houses that some of the workers and their families lived in. According to Trevor Johnson, there were about 20 in total. Houses were knocked down and added as the factory expanded. The workers who lived on the island were power station and engineering staff who worked shifts around the clock.    

 

Go to this post see see the location of the Compound where workers from the Eastern Cape were housed.     

The palm tree can be seen on Quill Island. There was a small aluminium plaque on the tree which had the names of the family who planted it/lived there and the dates. Sadly, it was stolen by one of our idiots.

There is a date - Dec 83 - on the back of this photo.

In the background is the rubble of 3 demolished brick houses that ran east to west at what is now the south side of Plantation Island. House were usually timber, like the one in this picture.  

2 views of the same house.

Source: Trevor Johnson

 The Gantry 

Before the installation of 2 yellow cranes on the gantry, the logs were sorted after they were dropped into the saltwater pond in the foregound. It was about 2 to 3 m deep. Most logs would float, but there would be a problem when a log would sink!  The pond was then used to store water for the firefighting vehicles, which is why there is water in this picture. 

There were 2 10 ton Demag yellow cranes, one on the north side; the other on the south. They were used to move the logs from the trucks to the debarker.  The removed bark was sent by conveyor belt to the fuel store where it was used to fuel the turbines. 

Logs being removed from a truck by one of the cranes. The other crane is visible in the background, claw ready to grab a log.  Source: Trevor Johnson

History Matters. Facts Matter.

Responding to a recent call for a meeting—and the claims it contains.

“Let’s call a meeting,” reads the latest email from a resident, alleging financial mismanagement, constitutional abuse, and lack of oversight.

But there was a meeting—just four months ago: the Annual General Meeting (AGM). That would have been a good time and place to raise these concerns.

But now we see this claim:

“R1 million is gone. No oversight.”

With no explanation. No detail. No evidence.

Then comes another accusation:

“A clause in our HOA Constitution once guaranteed access to financial records. That clause—without discussion, vote, or a Special General Meeting—has simply been removed.”

I was curious about this, so I dug into my emails. Here is how this happened—and there’s a twist to the tale.

Brandolini’s Law

"The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."

— Alberto Brandolini, Italian programmer (2013)

Also known as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, Brandolini’s Law captures exactly why falsehoods, once released into the wild, are so difficult—and time-consuming—to correct.

Yes, the Clause Was Removed—But in 2019

Not last month or last year, as the writer seems to think. But at the 18th AGM held on 3 January 2019. A significant change, yes—and yes, it was passed without proper discussion.

The HOA’s email of 11 December 2018, titled “18th AGM on 3 January 2019 – Constitutional Changes,” listed ten changes. This removal wasn’t one of them. Instead, it wrapped the rest in this vague statement:

“The balance of the many changes relates to updates to national laws, improvement to the wording and grammatical enhancements, that make the document easier to read.”

That wasn’t true.

Minor issues—like boat parking and tenant subletting—were listed. The removal of a key financial oversight clause was not. Why? Was it an oversight—or intentional?

Who were the trustees at the time? Read on.

Remember What Else Was Happening in 2019

To understand the context, I looked back at my own archive—Thesen Islander News (not to be confused with a similarly named blog).

Late 2018 marked the start of a three-year fight between members and trustees over plans to increase bulk on Thesen Islands. The legacy of that battle still lingers—most notable with where we are today, P53.

From HOA communications:

• 9 Nov 2022: Knysna Municipality (KM) issues a stop-work order on P53.
• 2 Aug 2023: Order lifted, conditional on compliance with approved plans.
• 24 July 2024: Still non-compliant. “As-built” structure does not match plans.
• 16 May 2025: HOA repeats that the Arbitrator ruled in favour of KM-approved plans. Costs awarded against the HOA, but compliance is now legally enforceable.

You submit plans. You receive approval. You build accordingly.

You don’t build outside those terms, then want the rules changed.

There is no wriggle room. The rules cannot be changed here. The Design Guidelines are an integral part of the Constitution and the trustees are bound by the provisions of the Constitution.

Red Herring Alert! Repeating that the HOA cannot enforce the Design Guidelines as the zoning falls under the Knysna Municipality is not true. And it never will be, no matter how many times it is repeated. Firstly, the KM will only look at plans that have been approved and stamped by the HOA Design Review Panel. Secondly, we members are bound by the Constitution which obliges us to comply with the Design Guidelines. And sneaking plans past the KM without the HOA approval won't work either.

Silencing Those Who Asked the Difficult Questions

This was also the time the HOA officially decided to ignore Craig Smith's questions and was looking to prevent him from attending the AGM.

As I wrote on 18 December 2018:

“I have seen the letter the HOA sent Craig Smith putting a freeze on communication with him (well, more accurately, the HOA is now going to officially ignore his questions). I also hear he is banned from attending the upcoming AGM.
These actions have the strong smell of the HOA wanting to avoid answering the hard questions he is asking.”

📄 Original post: The Banning of Craig Smith

One of those questions?

“House Williams P53 – the minutes of the DRP reflect these plans were approved on 23 July 2018. From a bulk perspective, do these plans comply with our 2015 Design Guidelines? If not, how much over bulk, and what is the motivation?”

📄 Read the full email here

Who was on the Design Review Panel at the time?

From the Chairman’s Report, 18th AGM:

The DRP is chaired by Sam Lurie, with members: Mark Williams (Trustee), Trevor Griffin (architect), Edu Lohan (Town Planner), and Roberto Boni (architect).

Back to the Constitution Change - A Twist in the Tale

Digging through my emails from that time, I discovered that Smith himself opposed the constitutional changes. On 2 January 2019, he wrote:

“I was involved for two years in updating the Constitution before it went to a legal expert. The version presented is vastly different from the one I last reviewed. Many of the changes are questionable and have no legal basis.”
“I’ve informed the office that the constitutional requirements to adopt it at the AGM were not met, and we cannot vote on it.”

Who Were the Trustees During These Turbulent Times?

• Bill Cooper – Chairman
• Remia Eksteen
• Mark Williams
• Sam Lurie

Source: Draft Minutes - 18th AGM 3 Jan 2019. 2 other trustees present, both resigned in 2019. Other trustees also came and went.

In Summary

I haven’t agreed with every decision the current trustees have made - read my recent blog posts. And I may be disagreeing in the future. But I believe that they have the interests of Thesen Islands at heart. Trying to undermine them with wild claims is corrosive and creates disharmony. We've lived through 3 years of that. No one wants that again.

So when someone suggests another emergency meeting, shouting “R1 million is gone” without evidence, or accusing the HOA of misconduct without context—remember:

It’s not just one email.
It’s not just one resident.
It’s not just one issue.

It’s about how our community chooses to govern itself.

When memory fades, misinformation grows.

History Matters. Facts Matter.

AGM 2025 - Padel Court Proposal - A Lot is at Stake

 At the upcoming AGM,  members will be asked to vote on the Board of Trustees' recommendation that a Padel court be built in the Parkland and paid for by members. Every member  will pay more than R2,000 each for this. 

Read the information sent out in the AGM pack. The Board's "recommendation" is for a court, paid for by all of us, and there is going to be a vote.    

A few weeks ago, I wrote to the HOA suggesting that this inadequate proposal be withdrawn from the AGM agenda - the major issue being that no members whose homes are closest to the court have been  consulted -  but they rejected my suggestion. It is full steam ahead. 

Early this year, a member who lives close the Parkland heard rumours of the possible location and wrote to the HOA. The HOA replied that "the proposal is in the early stages and requires more input."  And that "members would be apprised of developments".  

Yet the member never heard from the HOA. Neither did the other members living close by. None of us did. Until the AGM pack.  

But, in reply to my letter, the HOA tells me that "Meetings have been held over the year with the pro- padel representatives regarding their proposal." So the only "input " they were interested in was from those wanting the courts!   

As I understand it, for a quorum at the AGM, you need 15% of the members present. I don't know how many members there are, but it is about 550. 15% of that is 83 members. 

If only 83 members show up at the AGM, and 42 of those 83 members vote for the Board's recommendation, we'll all be paying for a padel court located too close to some member's homes, affecting their lives and, likely, property values. Then the conflict will start. For which we can thank the Trustees.   

Here's my letter to the HOA and their reply, with my comments added:

Sent: Tuesday, 17 December 2024 09:51

To: Paul Burchell - GM TIHOA

From: Ken Rutherford

Subject: AGM - Proposal for Padel court(s)

Dear Paul,

 

I’ve reviewed the HOA documents for the upcoming AGM, including the proposal for building one or two Padel courts, and I have serious concerns about both the process and its potential impact on the community.

 

The proposal seems to have been put forward by a member in favour of the court(s) and rubber-stamped by the trustees without fully considering the broader consequences. 

 

While the trustees recommend a single court with no lights, the proposal includes the option for two courts with lights. 

 

This raises concerns about transparency, as members could be asked to vote on a project where the final scope would be significantly larger than what’s currently recommended.

 

Most importantly, the proposal fails to address the potential impact on neighboring properties, nor does it appear that those who would be most affected were consulted. The included plan shows that:

 

3 properties are within 100 meters of the proposed court(s),

 

Looking further, 

 

10 properties (including the clubhouse) are within 150 meters,

 

4 more properties are within 200 meters, and

 

2 additional properties are just beyond that, at 220 meters.

 

That’s 16 properties in total, all within a range where noise is likely to be an issue. Based on regulations in countries like the Netherlands and the UK, Padel courts should ideally be at least 160 meters away from residential areas to minimize noise disturbances, with even greater distances—over 200 meters—recommended for multiple courts. 

 

This proposal doesn’t meet those standards, and the inclusion of an option for two courts with lights makes the potential impact even worse.

 

The funding model is another issue. Members are expected to cover the construction costs rather than adopting a user-pay system. This approach is unfair, especially since the tennis and squash courts were not funded by members.

 

User fees were considered but dismissed due to concerns about VAT registration or income tax. Yet the proposal estimates income of R550,000 for one court at 65% utilization, which is well below the R1,000,000 VAT threshold. 

 

While tax may eventually be payable, it feels like the decision to dismiss user fees and charge the construction costs to members instead is simply the easier option.

 

This proposal feels rushed and incomplete. Members are being asked to vote on a project without enough information, and the impact of those who will be most affected has not been considered. I strongly believe this proposal should be withdrawn from the AGM agenda. 

 

The trustees need to revisit this idea, conduct proper research, consult with members—particularly those directly impacted—and return with a plan that’s fair, transparent, and well-thought-out.

 

If this goes ahead as it stands, it risks becoming another divisive decision, adding unexpected costs, hours wasted, while making many members frustrated and angry —especially those living closest to the court(s). 

 

Please take the time to get this right for everyone.

 

Sincerely,

Ken Rutherford

P79

 

It is ironic that residents who chose to live near the Parkland now face another threat to their lifestyle. Ten years ago this month, I exposed a plan by the trustees to build houses in the Parkland, a proposal that was withdrawn following strong opposition from members.

 

2 posts on this (there are more) from my blog,  Thesen Islander News, in 2014:

 

I never thought...the real threat to the Parkland would be of an invasion led by HOA Trustees   

 

I heard a rumour that the Trustees were planning to cut up the Parkland for stands..... I thought it was a joke! But it isn't 

 

I got a reply from the HOA on 20 December 2024. Here it is, with my comments added.

"The issues you have raised in your email regarding the padel court proposal have merit and have in fact been discussed by the Board at length. The noise factor is a big one which could prejudice homeowners in the proximity thereto. The Board have allowed the proposal in the pack for consideration and will discuss all the issues raised before any vote is held. 

This was deemed to be the most fair way to air this issue with proper Member representation. They are also well aware that many Members will not play padel and may therefore not be willing to contribute."

 

My comment: To write that the Board "have allowed the proposal in the pack for consideration" is not a true picture of what is happening. The Board has recommended a Padel court, to be paid for by members, and it is up for a vote! 

"Meetings have been held over the year with the pro- padel representatives regarding their proposal and as a result thereof it would be inappropriate for the matter to be withdrawn from the AGM Agenda. Members as always are encouraged to attend the AGM, in person or by proxy, and make their views known."

 

My comment: No meetings were held with any of the members who will be directly impacted by the proposal. Why not?

That the Board recommends a court and puts it up for a vote, is a slap in the face of those members who will have to live with the consequences. The failure of the Board to look out for the interests of ALL members is devastating. 

Members need to make their views known at the AGM, either by attending or by proxy. It is clear that the court will have significant impact on those living close to it.  Members need to look out for members, even if we would like a court. We cannot look the other way.  Vote No.

I have lived on Thesen Islands for over 20 years. This is the 3rd Christmas that I have had to spend alerting members to bad decisions by the Boards of Trustees. I won't get into why the decisions were taken, but the common thread in all is the failure to consider the the interests of ALL the members.