Men Who Made a Difference In Hermanus

MEN WHO MADE A DIFFERENC ERIC JONES - FATHER OF OUR CLIFF PATH

Betty Jones described to me how the cliff path was born. “One Sunday afternoon Eric took me for a walk to the cliffs near Kraal Rock. In those days there were only foot paths to the fishing spots. Eric was collecting seed of the pink Cliff Lily for Kirstenbosh.Gladiolus Carmineus is endemic to our coastline and grows prolifically on our cliffs. He looked at the cliffs, dropping into Walker Bay, with a magnificent backdrop of high mountains and rather thoughtfully said that there should be a path running along the top of the cliffs and the full length of Hermanus. A path for everyone to use and enjoy the splendour of our coast. He thought about it a few days before making a proposal to the newly formed Botanical Society.”

The project was received with enthusiasm and Ion Williams, working with one laborer to cut the path, took on the task of plotting the route. Tying bits of white sheet to the fynbos along the planned route, the path started to unfold and has, over the years, become one of the unique features of Hermanus.

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Flight Lieutenant RE Jones was a fighter pilot in WWll in RAF 605 Squadron during the Battle Of Britain. One of 'The Few' in the famous speech given by Sir Winston Churchill.He was shot down over Kent on 15 September 1940, the last day of the Battle of Britain.He took a cannon shell in his arm, but managed to bail out and landed in an apple orchard close to an old farm house he knew from weekend visits before the war. The farmer, who was familiar to him, picked him up and took him to the local hospital where the nose cap of a cannos hell was removed from his elbow. After his recovery, he was posted to Central Flying School at Uphaven where he completed his instructors course and posted to Kidlington RAF Flying School. He was then sent for a few months to South Africa, 24Air School Dunnotar, to train SAAF pilots, and then back to the UK and Mosquito Training School, High Ercal. He was re-assigned to 605 Squadron Night Intruding at Castle Camps at Bradwell Bay.

He spent time as Chief Flying Instructor for Mosquito bombers in Debret, Nova Scotia,Canada then re-located back to England where he spent the last few months of the war flying night bombing raids over Europe in the Mosquito. He was demobbed on Aug 20th1945. He had a lasting love and admiration for the Hurricane fighter aircraft and the Mosquito bomber. Sadly, there are no Mosquito airplanes left flying in the world today.

HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HERMANUS

During the war, Eric Jones loved his few months in South Africa and thus immigrated in1947 having secured a passage on a troop ship to Cape Town. Before going to Johannesburg as planned, he visited a friend in Hermanus, fell in love with the little village and stayed. He was appointed as manager at Eric Westcott’s cool drink factory in Mitchell Street. He married Betty in 1948.

Eric had a passion for growing seeds and gardening, and soon the area between the factory and their home became the first plant nursery in Hermanus. He once imported 70named varieties of hydrangeas and soon became known as the 'Hydrangea King'. He regularly supplied nurseries in Cape Town with hydrangea, bougainvillea, camelia and hibiscus plants.

In 1957, Otto Prillevitz, with the help of Ion Williams and Eric Jones discussed and subsequently implemented the beginnings of Fernkloof Nature Reserve, Eric acting as manager until they appointed Harry Wood to the position.

Eric Jones died in Hermanus in 1994. He died with a letter in his shirt pocket that his daughter had written to him from America, giving details of her first solo flight. His memorial service was held on the lawns of his beloved Fernkloof, with sunbirds twittering in the proteas and francolin scratching in the undergrowth. His ashes lie scattered around a rock on the mountain side that he loved with a passion, and was instrumental in turning into a nature reserve.