19 years living in the park

Ilse Morgan (82) and her late husband Norman lived in Golden Harvest Park for 19 years.

Back in the day, when private houses were first being built in the park, before these houses were expropriated by the City of Johannesburg (see previous article), Morgan had a dream.

“We lived in Robindale but I was always determined to live by the koppie [in the park],” she explained.

“I knew my destiny.”

In 1972 the couple started building a house on a 10 acre property they affectionately called the ‘Little G’.

A ‘little bit of God’s garden’, in the park about 100m from the dam, says Morgan.

For two years the couple lived in a little cottage next to the house.

The house was built to reflect the Transvaal.

It had a slate roof, to keep it safe from fires, with thatch underneath explains Morgan.

42 Springbok skins covered the floor in the lounge, with other buck skins scattered in other rooms.

Animal heads lined the walls.

A Venda mural was painted on the outside wall, picturing a large cow.

And a Ndebele clan motif was painted on another section of the wall.

Light fittings were designed like Protea flowers, crocodile teeth were painted around windows, and curtain rails were assegais.

The house was completed in 1974, and the couple lived there until 1992.

“It was absolutely wonderful,” Morgan remembers.

“The best part of it was the solitude. There were also wild flowers, walks, hedgehogs, tortoises, wild birds, and the feeling of God being around.”

She explained that the worst part of living in the park was the veld fires during winter.

Their house never caught fire but many houses in the park did.

The 40-year-old house still stands in the park, and is owned by the Johannesburg Property Company. However, Morgan claimed that none of its originality remains.

Morgan now lives in Northwold.