Carol’s Column

Beneficial roll of the dice in sleepy dorp

The green wheat fields of the Overberg splashed with the Van Gogh yellow of the canola, rolled into the distance. Blob sheep and square cows decorated the slopes.

As the mayor of Caledon spoke, I observed four blue cranes flying above, streamlined, graceful and utterly free.

In this pastoral setting, I was listening to Caledon mayor Rhodes Johannes talking about the hopes of the people of the Overberg, specifically the disadvantaged.

He said that over the years it hadn't been easy for this community to find jobs in the area, which was why he and his people were happy that the Caledon Casino, Hotel and Spa was happening and in its final stage of development.

Johannes spoke - with disarming honesty, I thought - about the fact that with the benefits of jobs and increased revenue for the community would come problems such as people developing an addiction to gambling. He said counsellors would be provided to deal with these folk.

So this is development in the making.

Locals mingled with the developers, the Fortes King Group, and the other shareholders as spurting champagne signalled the new casino's roof-wetting.

Cow moos mingled with the sound of clinking glasses.

A casino in Caledon, you ask? Why Caledon?

Why not? Assuming you're asking a geographical question and not commenting on the morality of a casino, wherever it might be.

Caledon, among its many natural attributes, has famous hot springs. As far back as the early 1700s, employees of one of the colonial plunderers of the time, the Dutch East India Company, wallowed in the curative waters of the bruin bronne to ease their aching joints.

In the early 1900s, the Victorian-style Caledon Springs Spa was built, only to burn down in the 1940s. From its ashes arose the Overberger Country Hotel and Spa.

But the spa lost its sparkle until it was purchased by its present owners and turned into an upmarket resort.

But a casino? Here?

"Yes. What it means," said the mayor, "is food on the table. The people have jobs."

"What about the food going off the table if they gamble it away?" somebody in the crowd inquired.

The community, which was close knit, would watch for straying members, answered the mayor.

From him I learnt that over 80% of the jobs had gone to Overbergers, including those of 106 trainee croupiers and cashiers. This was without counting the staff of the hotel, labourers, artisans, chefs and craftsmen drawn from the area. The employment benefits steadily trickle through Caledon.

"A local woman has designed the uniforms of the hotel staff, and others will help her to sew them," another local said proudly.

Is a casino the right thing for such a sleepy country town, you might wonder? The developers believe it is, and they are also determined to preserve the natural heritage (a fierce alien wattle removal programme is already in action).

The community upliftment aspect is essential, and a trust has been formed, for there is no doubt that sustainable tourism is a key to the success of this project.

And not least is the development of a great entertainment and leisure complex, with top service, which makes good bucks for everyone.

Mayor Johannes apologised to everyone for having to leave the roof-wetting early as he had to attend a church meeting, which I thought epitomised the quirkiness of the situation.

Later, I spoke to my chambermaid. "What do you think about a casino coming here - won't it cause problems?"

"Ag, merrem, all those long-faced peoples what disapproves en keeps muttering, I want to say to them: today we all got jobs. Before this, there was niks."

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