KZN’s best kept secret

DRUMMOND? Where is that?

This is a question which always amuses Sue James, chairman of the Drummond Conservancy and a resident of this beautiful valley just outside Hillcrest towards Pietermaritzburg.

“Drummond (including Peacevale) is one of the best kept secrets. It is a suburb of eThekwini that has defied the urban trend and kept itself true to its approximately 250 residents. It is that rural way of life with having the convenience of the city next door. It is having your community know one another socially and interactively. It is the subsistence farmer living next door to the equestrian estate living next door to the plant nursery. It is the horse rider that waves to the passers by with a big smile and a thanks for driving slowly,” said James.

The area is fortunate to still have fairly frequent sightings of duiker and porcupines and rare sightings of bushbuck, genets, white-tailed mongooses and caracals. There is a healthy bat, frog and snake population showing an amazingly well-balanced ecology. The bird life includes the majestic Crowned Eagles and the spine-tingling sound of the African Fish Eagle is an unmistakable sound of Drummond.

Drummond began as a commercial forestry when Durban was a distant city near the harbour, which has left the area with the ever-present threat of alien vegetation. With the urban sprawl happening around Drummond, and Cato Ridge area threatening to become a logistics hub, the job of the Drummond Conservancy is to conserve the “green lung” and help establish the area as a safe haven for existing and future flora and fauna.

The conservancy has been busy of late- with the entertaining “Walk on the Wildside” in July. This has become an annual event and is the biggest annual fundraiser for the local community to get together, socialise and provide interesting flora and fauna talks. This year the community was entertained by Pat McKrill on snakes and frogs and Steve Woodhall talked about butterflies. There is always a wide range of indigenous plants on sale. The highlight of the day revolves around two guided walks along the edge of a Krantz and under a waterfall.

With proceeds raised from this and a generous donation from a local business, the main access road verges through Drummond have already been cleaned and cleared of alien vegetation. Along these roads, indigenous gardens have been planted to beautify the area and these areas need constant weeding. Future plans will include alien eradication of other roads in Drummond too.

The conservancy started a monthly newsletter for local residents via the email database educating them about alien plants and their eradication, as well as what indigenous plants are available and what they add to nature.

The Drummond Conservancy is also in the planning phase for a Bat and Frog evening possibly happening in November, which forms part of a fundraiser but also another ‘educate the area’ project.