What started out as an initiative to restore a park in Hutten Heights has flourished into a community driven movement to create a new culture within Newcastle, one aimed at restoring the city to its former glory.
The project, spearheaded by Gustav van der Linde, has now blossomed into the New City Newcastle group, which is gaining momentum and sparking positive change throughout the town.
Gustav’s endeavour began in February 2023, as he embarked on the mission to revive Newcastle, one area at a time.
His first task was to clean up the park located between Kloof Avenue and Singel Street, involving litter pickup, grass cutting, sidewalk clearance, and repairing play equipment. The ultimate vision was to unite community members, businesses, and the Newcastle Municipality in the restoration efforts.
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Since the inception of Gustav’s project, the New City Newcastle initiative has flourished with numerous residents joining the cause. Collaborating on various projects, such as cleaning up Impala Drive and several community parks, the group is now even eyeing the prestigious “Town of the Year” award.
Gustav explained, “Currently, we are cleaning over 10 areas in Amiel Park, Pioneer Park, Hutten Heights, and Lennoxton. The top area of Signal Hill has agreed to form part of this initiative and has also started taking ownership and cleaning this area.”
With a growing number of participants, the New City Newcastle group aims to inspire more people to take leadership roles in their respective areas for the collective benefit of the entire town.
In the coming weeks, the initiative is set to launch three significant projects. These projects are as follows:
- First, the group plans to paint the speed humps in Hutten Heights, extending to other suburbs with the support of the Newcastle Municipality’s sponsorship.
- Second, they will paint and clean the intersection of Impala and Victoria Road on 29 July 2023.
- Lastly, the group will undertake the painting of the bridge crossing on Hardwick Street in August 2023.
The overarching focus of New City Newcastle includes cleaning, restoring, beautifying, and maintaining the town. These projects are expected to bring about positive changes that will impact the lives of many Newcastillians.
In addition to the physical initiatives, the New City Newcastle group has also established a partnership with Hutten Park Primary School.
The school will be involved in various activities, including painting a refuse bin with the group’s logo, which will be placed in a nearby park. Additionally, some older learners from the school will join Gustav’s team in future clean-up campaigns.
Reflecting on the progress made so far, Gustav expressed his encouragement, saying, “We recently saw residents picking up litter in parks themselves, and there are more children playing in the play parks, where we are focusing on so far. We are now encouraging people to take ownership and get involved in the group.”
Furthermore, Gustav and the New City Newcastle Group are determined to create a new culture in Newcastle, where people actively contribute to positive change instead of merely complaining about issues. By embracing the motto “Get Involved – Get it Solved,” Gustav believes that the town’s problems can be addressed through unity and collective action.
Through a positive attitude and a united effort, Gustav envisions Newcastle winning the prestigious “Town of the Year” award in 2025. He emphasised, “As one of our members said, Unity in a community results in prosperity.”
As the New City Newcastle team prepares to tackle street humps, road safety, and bridge beautification on Hardwick Street, Gustav urges all Newcastillians to join the movement and create a better town for their children.
The initiative seeks to instill the importance of proactive community engagement and collaborative efforts for a brighter future.
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For those interested in supporting Newcastle New City, contributions can be made to the Newcastle New City Trust Fund via the DBM Attorneys Trust Account at ABSA Bank, Newcastle. The account number is 1090154598, with the branch code being 632005.
Donations should reference the unique identifier CN0675. For further inquiries, individuals can contact Gustav van der Linde directly at 083 308 0605.
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