ONWARDS AND UPWARDS was the attitude of the group of hikers who tackled Constantia Nek to reach the majestic Woodhead Dam. The hike was inspired by the SAICE YMBI feeling a need to make a heritage site visit so exciting that young people would not be able to resist learning more about the civil engineering history in the Western Cape.

SAICE YMBI???
The YMBI is short for Young Members’ Branch Initiative. Caro-Joy Barendse is the Western Cape representative on the SAICE Young Members Panel (YMP). Towards the end of 2014 the YMP felt that it was difficult to have a proactive approach due to panel members being spread across the country. The YMBI was then introduced in an effort to regionalise the YMP. Each region has a YMBI that consists of young SAICE members who are on that particular region’s branch committee. The YMBI implements the initiatives of the YMP in their respective region. On the YMBI team we have Andani Nesane, Brandon Fredericks, Caro-Joy Barendse, Jody Klaasen and Liandie Otto.

The YMBI aims to address issues experienced by professionals who are bridging the gap between tertiary institutions and their working careers. We provide a platform for young SAICE members to voice their issues and coupled with this, we are interested in addressing issues related to young professionals outside the 8-5 job. Furthermore, we will be providing support to the student chapters as needed.

Off we go…
The group started hiking at 07h00 on Saturday, 11 April 2015, in the thick mist that gave the perception of walking in a storm. Once an altitude above the clouds was reached there was nothing but clear skies. Brian Holdridge, who is also on the SAICE Western Cape committee, comfortably led the hike while explaining what we could expect to see on top of the mountain. The path is well maintained and has a few huts owned by various organisations along the way for those interested in overnighting. The first dam that we passed was the De Villiers dam which was constructed by the Wynberg municipality. This dam was a beauty on its own and captured the water of a tributary of the Disa River. The Alexander and Victoria dams, which are dependent on the same source, were dried up at the time of the hike.

We eventually reached the majestic Woodhead Dam and took a break. The dam was named after the mayor at the time, Sir Thomas Woodhead in 1897. It was used to retain the water of the perennial Disa River after a drought in 1880 (http://www.hiketablemountain.co.za/table-mountain-walks-reservoirs/). We marvelled at the accuracy of construction with the technology that was available during the 1800’s. A peek through the window of the museum gave the group insight as to which tools were available for the building of the dams. As we contemplated an alternative path back down the mountain, we enjoyed the view of the shimmering water surface. After re-energising we packed up and were on our way.

Thank you!
We thank Brian for being keen on leading the hike and for sharing his knowledge with us and Liandie Otto for organising the event. We appreciate the support the event received and look forward to even more involvement from the young SAICE members at our upcoming events. Watch this space!

Article by: Jody Klaasen

Photographs by: Adani Nesane