The City Times was recently shown around the Bunny Park by an Ekurhuleni Parks official and it would appear the long-awaited opening of the park will be worth it.
The park was closed on March 1, 2017, for a total overhaul and was supposed to only be closed for about seven months.
Nearly three years down the line and the metro cannot yet commit to a reopening date, although sources predict around mid-March.
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Phase one of the revamp involved dredging the park’s main ponds and cleaning the canals.
Phase two tackled the animal shelters, play equipment, ablution facilities, the perimeter fence, the aviary and the relocation of bigger livestock and sterilisation of the bunnies.
Interestingly, the Bunny Park was previously known as the Rynfield Animal Park and Rynfield Children’s Park, according to Benoni’s history buff, Glynis Cox Millett-Clay.
She shared articles with the City Times which date back to 1967 and 1968 issues of the Benoni City Times en Oosrandse Nuus. These show photos of children having a ball in Rynfield Animal Park while on school excursions or visiting the animals they have “adopted” at the park to feed and pet them.
Under headline “Popular Park” in the September 27, 1968, issue of the Benoni City Times en Oosrandse Nuus, an article reports on how the Rynfield Children’s Park is nationally famous.
The article reads: The most popular, and certainly the most highly praised, of all council amenity projects ever undertaken is the establishment of the Rynfield Children’s Park. The park regularly attracts visitors from all over the Reef and further afield and the park is justifiably becoming nationally famous. Benoni children themselves never tire of the park and many youngsters are daily visitors. The domestic animals kept in as natural an environment as possible have become extremely tame and it is a common site to see ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, sheep, goats and even tortoises scampering towards the children in the hope of being offered a tasty carrot top or other greenery. The youngsters are free to fondle, caress and handle the animals to their heart’s content. The new aviary, through which the public will be able to walk, is rapidly nearing completion. Additional castle-like shelters, shady picnic huts and rustic benches are constantly being added to improve the facilities at the park.
While it is unclear when the name changed to the Bunny Park or exactly how old the park is, one thing is for certain – today, ironically, its name no longer represents what it was always famous for – hundreds of bunnies running around madly while children careered after them with carrots and lettuce leaves.
According to Jaco Burger of the Ekurhuleni Parks Department, the 50 bunnies which are in the park now are all sterilised and will remain in the secure enclosure they are in.
“The bunnies cannot burrow out of this enclosure, so there are no bunnies roaming freely in the park anymore.”
With regard to the bigger livestock which was removed, Burger said excess livestock from the metro’s other parks, like the Bokkie Park, which would have been auctioned will be relocated to the Bunny Park within the next six months or as soon as pastures are ready for grazing.
“We will definitely be reintroducing animals to the park, with the aim of again having a type of petting zoo for children to experience these animals from up close,” he said.
Smart new camps and enclosures are ready and waiting for the animals, and all are spacious and feature a covered gazebo for shade and protection from weather.
The park now also has new ablution facilities, conveniently located so that visitors do not have to walk for miles to find a loo.
But the most impressive by far is the newly-grassed picnic and party area.
Rolling green lawns and new play equipment will welcome visitors who either want to host a children’s party under one of the lapas or just relax on the grass.
The aviary has been demolished and the infamous castle a lot of people will remember clambering through as children is still there, but closed off to the public.
Let’s hope the amount of time and money which has gone into improving the park over the past three years will again ignite its popularity and attract visitors from all over Gauteng.
