Why is the cache called Bill le Barrow’s View – not only for the actual view, but also for the vision of one man.
In the early Sixties, Bill le Barrow was one of a party of men involved in the set-up of the Fernkloof Nature Reserve up in this area above Hermanus and here to determine the actual boundaries of the reserve. There were no roads up here at all and they came up in one of the party's Landrover from the Hemel and Aarde Valley to the summit of the mountain above the golf course. Bill could not walk and sat and looked around while his companions searched for the boundary pegs. He was overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery around and below him and the quality of the fynbos. It was from here that Bill felt that this view should be shared with others and that there should be a road built up to allow others to access the area. Another in the party was Ion Williams who is responsible for all the wonderful paths in Fernkloof and later the layout of Vogelgat Nature Reserve a private reserve above the lagoon.
Ion and Bill approached the Rotary Club of Hermanus for financial assistance; the Divisional Council provided the road making equipment and the Municipality the labour. Within ten days there was a dirt road to as far as the parking area you have just left. Because of their financial input the road was given the name Rotary Way. The Rotary Anns held a Sunday afternoon tea party at the parking area for funds and the road was soon extended to its present length and tarred as far as the parking area.
Bill le Barrow was born in East London in the Eastern Cape in 1913. He joined the merchant navy and had a devastating accident while in Colombo and a one handed doctor performed the first ever spinal operation and although severely handicapped Bill led an active life. He signed up during the Second World War and was probably the only serving officer with a smashed spine! He married and had two daughters and moved to Hermanus where he joined a local accounting firm and got involved in the community in many ways. While in Hermanus he got involved in the above story. The family later moved to Jagersfontein where Bill worked on the diamond mines. His love of the sea led to him starting the first Sea Scout Group in the Free State. He died in Jagersfontein in 1971.
So while you sit here and log your find spare a thought for the foresight and energy of this almost forgotten person with the vision of getting folk up here to enjoy this legacy.
Thanks to Whale Talk and SJ du Toit for interesting information on the history of Rotary Way.
