Little Eden Society honours its founders with name changes

To honour its founders, Little Eden Society has submitted a proposal to change two road names near its homes.

The first road the society hopes to change is a portion of Wagenaar Road in Sebenza to Domitilla Hyams Road or Domitilla Road.

The second road is an unnamed sand road between Delmas and Edel Eta roads near the society’s Elvira Rota Village, They hope to change it to Danny Hyams Road or Little Eden Road.

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Although the second group of proposed road name changes are set to be released by the City of Ekurhuleni in February, CEO of Little Eden Xelda Rohrbeck said the society hopes it will be successful in its submission.

Founded in 1967 by late founders Danny and Domitilla Hyams, Little Eden has grown from strength to strength in the decades it has been in the community.

The society is dedicated to providing a nurturing and compassionate home for 300 residents who often face marginalisation.

Originally born in Italy in 1918, Xelda said Domitilla is celebrated throughout her hometown region for the work that she did over the years.

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“Italy has a way of celebrating life and achievements, which connects people to history and we want to achieve something similar with little Eden and our founders.

“We hope to pay homage to them, their milestones, and the humanitarian values that they held so dear,” said Xelda.

In Xelda’s belief community leaders need to be remembered to inspire others and remember the work that they did for the community.

She said it would not only be a concrete reminder of the history and heritage of Little Eden but would also physically connect the society’s properties with the surrounding communities.

As their work sprang to life in Edenvale in the 1960s, Xelda said the ordinary couple started with three children.

In February of that year, the name Little Eden was approved and three months later the society opened its doors to the community when it loaned a room from Edenvale Methodist Church.

Xelda said over the years Little Eden has continued to grow with the support of the greater community as well as its donors.

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Speaking about the society’s excitement about the submissions’ potential approval, Xelda said it has been very isolated excitement for the time being.

She said the submissions were kept under wraps

Since the first group of road name applications were approved, Xelda said she would frequently follow up to determine progress.

“As the opportunity became more of a reality the progression of this significant occasion became more exciting,” she said.

“Recognising the importance of the significant contributions of the community is incredibly important,” said Xelda.

She said none of the work done by Little Eden is done in isolation.

“Everything achieved by Little Eden is done so in support of the community for the benefit of society as a whole.”