For me Willows is a special place as it has all my holiday memories wrapped up in it. The only holiday that the McCleland family took was to spend the Easter holiday at Willows. My brain is crammed full with happy almost long forgotten recollections which include activities such as catching mullets in the pool and building huge dams around the water from the spring running through the shower. Amongst my pack of memories there is only one negative experience. This happened one hot weekend when my canoe capsized and I was trapped in it, fortunately only momentarily.

Main picture: Willows in the 1950s

But what memories does one accumulate of Willows if one’s experience is that of a young black girl Monica Vellem in the 1990s when her mother was a cleaner at Willows and her father a gardener? How does someone as young as this, process the fact that she may discretely watch other children enjoying themselves splashing in the water, fishing in the rock pools and building sand castles while she is not permitted to partake of the same activities? What reasons or justifications were advanced by her mother? If any?

But what is most probably etched in the forefront of her mind is being called racist names by despicable white children. These recollections must surely despoil her otherwise joyous memories of Willows.

Monica’s verbatim story
Although this history of Willows dates back way before I was even born, I enjoyed reading it. [Monica is referring to my blog on Willows] For me, Willows Resort is the place [where] my parents gave their all to. My mother cleaned the houses and my dad took care of the lawn and trees. [From the time when] I was a baby until my mid 20’s when the government [municipality] sold Willows, my parents only got to go home two weekends in a month. Me and my siblings basically had to grow up with absent parents. They worked hard so we could have a home, have clothes on our backs, go to school and eat. I can write this comment on here now because of my illiterate parents who gave their all in any job they were blessed to get.

Willows for me, was the place I was fortunate enough to go to in my school holidays. I remember waking up early mornings with my nephews just so we could enjoy the trampoline before the white people occupied it and call us racist names basically treating us worse than they treat animals.

Those experiences were not my favourite, but we knew enough hardship to not let any of that hate occupy our hearts. I very much enjoyed just sitting on the rocks nearest to the sea and just watching the waves, listening to God and having conversations with Him there always calmed me in a very deep way. I loved it and I recently went to the Kenton on Sea beach. Walking on that beach made me realise how much I miss Willows Resort.

I dream of taking my mom there, for her to enjoy a holiday because she worked st of her life in a resort but she has never ever gone on holiday. My dad passed [away]and these days more than ever I pray to be able to take my mom on holiday in Willows Resort before she too passes. She is elderly now and it is my honour to take care of her. She has never had it easy but I thank God for giving me parents that taught me to fear the Lord above all else and to worship only Him. Willows probably saved me from a lot of things I would have been influenced by in the townships during school holidays, so I choose to be grateful for the good stuff.