AN OVERBERG ORIGINAL Cyril’s Dairy Farm Legacy
W hen you meet Cyril Walker, you quickly sense the quiet determination that built one of the Overberg’s most respected farming legacies. Now 86 and retired in Greyton, Cyril looks back on a lifetime of hard work, humble beginnings, and a deep love for the land - values that continue to shape his family’s thriving farms today. Cyril’s roots in the Cape stretch back to the 1860s, when his grandfather arrived from England as a young barrister and settled in Montagu. His father grew up in Darling, and Cyril spent his own early years in Som- erset West. “We were farmers, but when I was twelve my parents lost the farm,” he recalls. “I only went up to Grade 10 - after that, it was time to work.” His first job was at the Post Office switch - board in Somerset West. While waiting to turn sixteen so he could officially apply, Cyril worked on nearby farms, packing grapes at Vergelegen and Beswini. “I always loved the rhythm of farm life,” he says. “Even then, I knew I’d find my way back to it.” When the telephone exchanges became automated, Cyril was transferred to Caledon in 1957 - and it was there his true farming story began. To support his young family, he started growing veg- etables and onions in his spare time. A local farmer, Steven le Roux, offered him
Ou Plaas with a loan from the Land Bank - despite having no capital of his own. “It was a run-down place, spooky even,” he chuckles. “No running water, no proper house - just one big building with the garage, a bedroom and the dairy under the same roof. My wife never complained once.” To keep the farm afloat, Cyril started a small dairy. Friends donated ten cows, and local farmer Daan de Toit lent him five more for calving. From those humble beginnings grew a herd of 3,000 cattle, alongside successful crops of onions, apples and pears. “You just listen to advice,” Cyril says, “then use your own discretion.” Through floods, droughts and lean years, Cyril’s perseverance paid off. “The 1981 flood washed away half our land, but it gave us our best onion crop ever,” he smiles. In 2000, his family expanded, pur- chasing Nuwe Plaas and growing to over 1,600 hectares. Today, ten pairs of fathers and sons work on the farms - a testament to his lifelong commitment to fairness, trust and loyalty. Cyril’s son, John, now manages the farm and has worked there since 1990, alongside his son-in-law, Guy Emslie, who recently retired to Greyton. “I always believed in paying good wages and treating everyone with respect,” he says. “We never once needed the police at Ou Plaas - that’s how much trust there was.”
land and water to expand, and with help from friends and the local co-op, Cyril’s business began to flourish. His big break came when he purchased
Now enjoying a quieter life in Greyton, Cyril reflects with quiet pride. “The greatest reward,” he says, “was providing for my family and building something lasting.” “Farming’s never easy — but if you’re dedicated and prepared to work hard, it gives back more than you can ever imagine.”
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THE GREYTON POST
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
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