Declan Houton - Freedom Park Poem 2007
I came back down to Cape Town, with Niall Mellon’s Township Trust,
And fourteen hundred volunteers, prepared for wind and dust.
But Mother Nature had to wait, to rain on our parade,
As the plane took off from Shannon, half the luggage was delayed.
So keen were we, the buses couldn’t get us there too soon,
And we marched into the Township, behind the piper’s tune.
We’d come to work in Freedom Park, where 50,000 dwell,
To build 200 houses, and a little Hope as well.
Our Garden was a haven, which the locals would enjoy,
An oasis of a playground, for every girl and boy.
It had seating for the weary, and a Wendy House called Scally,
But we had to have to redesigned, without the handball alley.
The artists and the painters decorated many places,
There were brightly coloured houses, and a wall of smiling faces.
Let’s not forget the concrete car, one of Honda’s types,
With bottle tops for headlights, and two ‘go faster’ stripes.
The Garden came together, thanks to Dominic and his team,
The builders and the gardeners, who wore the Olive Green.
One young lad showed potential at this landscape gardening game,
And should do it for a living, I think Gavin was his name.
Another famous Gavin came in solidarity,
A true friend of the Townships, and of the Charity.
He may come to Johannesburg, with us next year for more,
If he would bring his family, it would be some En Core.
This Blitz was very different, with Security so tight,
We worked behind the razor wire, from morning until night.
There were checkpoints; there were guard dogs; the police looked very grim,
Were they to keep the natives out, or keep the Irish in?
With so many people working, in this cramped vicinity,
A huge consideration was for Health & Safety.
The Emerald Safety Officer, was our own William Doyle,
And needless on-site accidents, it was his job to foil.
This grave responsibility; it nearly drove him bats,
He was busy chasing people who did not wear their hard hats.
He did hardly any labouring; and it’s a shame to say,
That his hammer, like Excalibur, never saw the light of day.
We had standard building-site mishaps, but nothing serious,
We also had near misses, often quite hilarious.
It was normally Pink Ladies, causing water bottle woes,
They should really spend more time, practicing their throws.
There were other daily nuisances, like television crews,
The radio and papers also wanted interviews.
With the many family members that the Rynnes had on display,
Each time that they were interviewed, our team lost half a day.
And then there was Big Brother, or ‘Reality T.V.’,
Could they not see our houses were the prime reality?
I don’t mean to be negative, or your enjoyment douse,
But I wanted to complete our homes, before we made ‘Our House’.
With all of this exposure, perhaps a star was born,
RTE could do a program, about Paddy on the Horn,
Of Africa. Or failing that (and not to be a cynic)
There could be some volunteers, who’ll feature in The Clinic.
The Arches was the venue for the evening fun & games,
There are so many stories but I cannot mention names.
Except the Karaoke Queen, whose voice was in great form,
Claire Kelly kept us entertained, ‘til her vocal cords were ‘Torn’.
With so many different colours, we’re like Mellon’s M&M’s,
How apt for Mayor and Minister, to visit us again.
If their enthusiasm for this project could be spread,
No matter what our target, we would be well ahead.
Now we account for 1 in 5 of Cape Town’s low-cost homes,
With the framework to achieve much more, if we flesh out the bones.
Our finest year may even be the 12 months from today,
So keep momentum building, ‘til the shacks have gone away.
And finally I’d like to raise a glass to one and all,
To the man to asked for help, and to those who met the call.
I hope you’ll have the decency to toast with Nederburg,
To Niall; to all you volunteers; and to Johannesburg.
Declan Houton November 2007
