This year marks the third year that Tokara Wine and Olive Estate hosted the annual Rare Plant Fair and Autumn Open Garden event, according to Annemarie Ferreira, owner of the estate. The event attracts vendors “from all over” and as far as Knersvlakte and Vanrhynsdorp, said Ferreira. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
A residence facility for adults with intellectual disabilities recently benefited from a local plant fair when the hosts donated all ticket proceeds to the facility.
This is according to Annemarie Ferreira, owner of Tokara Wine and Olive Estate (Tokara) in Stellenbosch. Tokara hosted the return of the annual Rare Plant Fair and Autumn Open Garden on 23 April in support of Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus.
Tokara also hosted the past three Rare Plant Fairs but has not held one for the past two years due to Covid-19 restrictions, said Ferreira.
The fair allows “people to come and find different plants, things that they might not find in general nurseries”, said Ferreira about the many stands where fynbos, carnivorous plants, cacti and succulents were sold. Along with the numerous rare plant vendors, Camphill Community Farms also had a stand selling produce cultivated by their residents, she added.
The Rare Plant Fair and Autumn Open Garden allows “people to come and find different plants, things that they might not find in general nurseries”, said Annemarie Ferreira, owner of Tokara Wine and Olive Estate. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
Spirit of cultivation
The Camphill Community is a worldwide organisation “[providing] opportunities for children, young people and adults with intellectual disabilities and other special needs”, according to Camphill Worldwide’s website. There are about 250 Camphill Communities worldwide, said Duncan Clews, farm manager at Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus.
Camphill has two communities in South Africa – one in Malmesbury and one in Hermanus. This year’s Rare Plant Fair and Autumn Open Garden was held in support of the Camphill Community in Hermanus, according to Aiden Morton, viticulturist at Tokara.
Agriculture plays a huge role in all the Camphill Communities around the world, according to Debi Diamond, head of the food gardening and poultry workshops at Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus. “We used to do high production by getting milk, yoghurt and cheese down to Stellenbosch and eggs into hotels, but we stopped and now only produce enough for the community and the excess gets sold,” said Diamond. PHOTO: Facebook/Camphill Community Farm
“We are working with adults with intellectual disabilities [in the farming environment]. They’re not mentally ill, they are just profoundly different,” said Duncan Clews, the farm manager at Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus.
The Hermanus Camphill Community is home to 50 residents, which includes their home life and admin staff, according to Michelle van Zyl, fundraiser at Hermanus’ Camphill Community Farm.
Adult residents follow a daily routine scheduled around workshops that form part of their therapy intervention programme, according to Clews. These workshops include herb gardening, farming, food gardening, poultry, estate cleaning and craft workshops.
“We still live in a society in South Africa where physically disabled and intellectually disabled people are shunned […] whereas the [Camphill] Community is a place where [they can] feel safe [and have] a purpose,” said Debi Diamond, head of the food gardening and poultry workshops at Camphill in Hermanus.
“There are about 250 Camphill [Community Farms] around the world. The headquarters is in Switzerland, but very strong [influence] in Germany, Switzerland and other countries,” said Duncan Clews, the farm manager at Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus. “The world is competitive as we know, and we are here to help people who cannot survive in a competitive world.” From left to right: A resident of Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus who chose to remain anonymous, Bryon Sharpe (coordinator of herb workshop processing), Jackie Thackwray (bookkeeper), Dollie de Villiers (Pollux house leader), Zandile Jacisa (administrator), Michelle van Zyl (personal relations and fundraiser), Debi Diamond (head of food gardening and poultry workshops) and Duncan Clews (farm manager). PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
Camphill Community Connections
Tokara has a personal connection with the Camphill Community Farm in Hermanus as Morton’s sister is a resident, explained Ferreira.
“It is just wonderful that they’ve chosen a charity like that,” said Morton. Camphill Community Farms “have the same ethos as the bigger Tokara picture” regarding their self-sufficient gardening practices, Morton said.
The Rare Plant Fair offered a “variety of plants on sale from indigenous flora such as fynbos and proteas to more exotic [species]”, according to the Tokara Rare Plant Fair and Autumn Open Garden 2022 website. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
By Jamie Venter and Jean-Marie Uys