Quiet Waters Timeline

1983

• Quiet Waters Farm acquired by Falcon College

1985

• October: Inaugural Quiet Waters committee meeting

1986

• April: Four picnic sites constructed
• June: Improvement of existing roads
• August: Upgrading of existing dam and weirs
• December: Seven kilometre long game fence completed

1987

• March: Tree numbering along roads trails, and around picnic sites
• April / May: Printing of a tree field card; Building of a translocation and holding boma; Introduction of Zebra and Impala
• June: First game pan built
• October: Construction of Blair toilets and water tanks at picnic sites
• November: Introduction of Kudu and more Impala

1988

• January: Publication of the first Quiet Waters booklet
• February: Electrification of game fence; Introduction of more Zebra
• March: Completion of Old Boys’ Study Centre
• May: Introduction of more Impala
• June: Introduction of Bream and Bass to dams and weirs
• August: Winning of Mike Drury Award for Conservation; Fund Raising Casino held in Bulawayo
• October: Construction of entrance hut
• November: Official Opening of Quiet Waters by the President of Zimbabwe

1989

• January: Cattle Club started
• May: Initial development of the campsite; Introduction of Tsessebe and Reedbuck
• August: Construction of game grid at entrance gate
• September: Completion of pipeline to Hamerkop Dam; Construction of second game pan
• October: Acquisition of the first Tuli cattle
• November: Opening of the Ian Homann Bird Hide

1990

• February: Construction of game pan in Wilderness Area
• March: Introduction of Warthog
• April: Acquisition of more cattle
• June: Cattle dip complex refurbished; Introduction of more Tsessebe; Three watercolours of Quiet Waters donated by Chrystal Wynne
• October: Introduction of more Zebra; Tree field card updated and printed
• November: Second Edition of Quiet Waters booklet

1991

• April: The sinking of the Mbonisa Vlei borehole; Oil painting of Quiet Waters donated by Chrystal Wynne; 20 head of cattle sold
• July: Introduction of two female giraffe
• November: Header tanks constructed at the campsite

1992

• March: Second game pan constructed in the Wilderness Area
• May: Birth of a giraffe
• June: Sale of 36 head of cattle
• September: 30,000-litre reservoir constructed on Umvumila Hill; Capture and sale of 11 Zebra

1993

• February: Purchase of a pedigree Tuli bull
• June: Piped water established at all picnic sites; Open air thatched rondavels constructed at all picnic sites
• August: Introduction of 5 more Tsessebe
• September: Construction of cattle/game trough at cattle pens
• October: Quiet Waters Tree field card reprinted

1994

• February: 7 head of cattle sold
• March: Completion of 3 A-framed chalets at campsite
• July: 3 ablution units constructed at the campsite; Third game pan built in the Wilderness Area; Sale of 2 purebred, Quiet Waters Tuli bulls

1995

• January: Open-air rondavel and boma constructed at campsite
• February: Introduction of Form 1 Adventure Course
• May: First hot-water boiler constructed at the campsite
• August: Second hot-water boiler constructed
• October: Introduction of Form 2 Adventure Course; Production of Quiet Waters Christmas cards

1996

• March: 12 head of cattle sold
• August: Commercial hunt involving a Canadian hunter
• October: Rodent survey – members of Junior Natural History Society (See Mammals check list)
• November: Veld and erosion reclamation exercise – members of Senior Natural History Society; 5 kilometres of the Wilderness game fence completed

1997

• March: Game fencing of the Wilderness area completed; 6 Tuli bulls and 2 steers sold
• June: Solar panel and electric lights fitted in the campsite
• October: 6 Zebra, 4 Giraffe and 5 Eland introduced – donated by Charles and Bev Davy
• November: Veld and erosion exercise by Duncan Middleton (Senior Natural History) completed; Gordon Macdonald interviewed by Maggie Kriel on her radio show; Topic – developments at Quiet Waters; Quiet Waters shirts and hats first on sale

1998

• February: A paper entitled ‘Rehabilitation of significantly eroded areas in Quiet Waters Conservation area, Esigodini’ published by the Geographical Education Magazine
• March: Second 30,000 litre storage tank on Umvumila Hill started
• May: The Quiet Waters cattle herd transferred from the park to the Southern Paddocks. 4 fenced paddocks using Quiet Waters material established
• May to July: Educational visits by 4 schools – Girls’ College (May); Carmel School (June); Portland Primary School (July); and Whitestone (July); Group of scientist from the UK carry out research on methane production using controlled burns on Quiet Waters (July)
• August: Second water storage tank completed

1999

• January: 4 Tuli bulls and 4 cows sold
• February: Construction of Fish Eagle Retreat started
• March: Construction of Chelicuti chalet at campsite started
• June: Fish Eagle Retreat completed
• September: Second borehole sunk, and pump and motor installed (on Philip’s Patch); 3 new game pans constructed
• October: Official Opening of Fish Eagle Retreat by Dave and Gill Stobart
• November: Chelicuti chalet completed; Game holding boma refurbished for reception of new game – Giraffe and Eland

2000

• January to March: Record rainfall and floods
• June: Production of Quiet Waters video
• July: Chairman’s trip to USA to attend Environmental Education Conference – paper presented on Quiet Waters; 5 head of cattle sold
• August: Bird life Zimbabwe (Mashonaland Branch) 4-day visit to Falcon College and Quiet Waters; Extensive repair of cattle pens and dip area
• September: Bush and tree clearance on Longden’s Dam wall; general wall repairs
• October: 2 Tuli bulls and 8 head of cattle sold

2001

• January: 4 Giraffe break through eastern fence and escape to Essexvale Ranch
• March: 10 head of cattle sold
• April: Cattle water trough built in southern paddocks
• May: 6 head of cattle sold
• July: Quiet Waters the venue for a visit by Falcon Old Boys who had been Members of the Falconry Club
• November: Game Count by Junior Natural History Society; Hamerkop Hide completed (built with funds received from the Estate of the late Mr Bill and Mrs Gwynn Taylor)

2002

• November: The Quiet Waters Committee restructured and job descriptions of its members defined; The Policy document for Quiet Waters, first drawn up in 1985, revisited and changes made

2003

• June: Crockery, cutlery mugs and glasses donated to Quiet Waters by the South African branch of the Falcon Old Boys’ Society
• July: Security guards employed by Mr Mike Stone start patrols of Quiet Waters and the rest of the College property; Game Count carried out by members of the Junior Natural History Society
• August: Visit to Quiet Waters by members of the Caravan Club
• September: Water point introduced at Hamerkop Hide; Introduction of a permanent security guard room at the campsite
• October: All campsite chalets and picnic site shelters re-thatched; Entrance gate gazebo completed with funds donated by parents. Dedicated to the memory of John Posselt and Orbert Linda

2004

• February: Fish Eagle Retreat gazebo re-thatched
• March: Directional sign posts showing visitors the way to the campsite
• May: All picnic sites named using Ndebele names for trees found in the vicinity of the sites
• June: All walking trails allocated Ndebele names of mammals found on Quiet Waters
• July: Umwane picnic site developed in memory of Adam Bryan, son of John and Alice Bryan who died tragically in 2003. An engraved memorial stone erected and an aloe garden developed. A memorial Service took place on 26 July, attended by the whole school; 20 head of cattle sold; Fences improved and repaired in the Southern Paddocks
• October: Holding and dipping pens built in the Southern Paddocks; Start of the construction of the new Mbonisa Weir by Jimmy Goddard
• November: Day visit to Quiet Waters by members of the Matabeleland Branch of Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, and residents of the MOTH Cottages in Esigodini

2005

• January: The new Mbonisa Weir completed
• June: Sale of 79 head of the Quiet Waters cattle herd. The money invested, with interest generated to be utilised for new developments. 15 head retained as a breeding herd; Grazing in Southern paddocks and the Wilderness area of Quiet Waters leased to Mr Mike Stone
• August: The extension of Quiet Waters and the realignment of the southern fence line started
• September: The Marais cottage burnt down as result of a veld fire
• 29th October: Party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Quiet Waters was held at the Old Boys’ Study Centre
• November: Visit to Quiet Waters by members of the Matabeleland Branch of Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, together with senior citizens from the MOTH cottages in Esigodini

2006

• February: The southern extension of Quiet Waters completed adding another 30 hectares to the park
• March: The repair of the holding boma started in preparation for the arrival of more giraffe; Start made on a new 45 page, updated Quiet Waters booklet
• Friday 12th May: Mbonisa Weir officially opened by the unveiling of a bronze plaque, by Jimmy and Jenny Goddard
• June: The repairs to the holding boma completed
• July: The realignment of the game fence on the eastern side begun, which adds another 30 hectares to the Park
• August: Large-scale upgrading of the campsite started, including beginning the construction of a new ’A’ frame chalet