A Bellville man has published a book about the history of Parow.
Parow Quo Vadis? is Dr NicolasWalters’s third book on the history of the Tygerberg area.
This book tells the story of the Parow area and the areas surrounding it such as Bellville and Plattekloof.
Dr Walters, 68, said: “There are so many misconceptions about Parow and the Tygerberg area, and hopefully this book can end those misconceptions and make people, particularly the residents of Parow and the areas surrounding it, aware of the history of the area.”
Dr Walters was born in Parow and spent most of his life living in the Tygerberg area while working as the executive director of the Medical Research Council in Cape Town.
Dr Walters said the towns surrounding the Tygerberg – Durbanville, Bellville and Parow – had lost their unique character and independence when they had merged into the larger City of Cape Town.
“Durbanville became known at the town made by the ox wagon, Bellville as the town made by the railway and Parow as the town made by developers,” he said.
Parow Quo Vadis? follows his earlier works which are entitled The Children of Altydgedacht and From Pampoenkraal to Durbanville.
“When I retired from the Medical Research Council in 2014, I decided to dedicate my life to researching these areas and documenting my findings not only for future generations but also for the people currently living in the Tygerberg region,” he said.
Among the many issues in his book, Dr Walters singles out the effect the Group Areas Act had on the area as well as the history of the farms.
“The history of the Harderleben, Rustenberg and Plattekloof farms was a really interesting section for me as these farms are all where it started.”
Dr Walters’ next project on his list will be to document the history of the Cape Agulhas.Â