Although this PE suburb has been transformed over the years by new development it has managed to retain its charm. Hear from a local about what it is like to live in Charlo.
Local PR company owner, sports and events writer, Coetzee Gouws, was born and bred in Port Elizabeth and is as engrained in the suburb of Charlo as the roads he watched transform from dirt to tar. He’s a well-known Eastern Cape sports personality who has been closely associated with the local cycling for many years. Although he spends much of his time travelling for work, there’s no doubt that Charlo is the place he calls home.
“I was born and bred in Charlo. My parents’ house (in Christopher Avenue) was the third in the suburb and we had dirt roads until the mid-1980s. I remember all the neighbours getting together for a braai in the middle of the street when it was eventually tarred. I lived there until I bought my first house in a suburb on the western side of the city in 1997. I moved back to Charlo in about 2008,” he says.
Having spent most of his life in Charlo, Coetzee has seen the area grow from strength to strength.
“When my parents bought the erf and built the house (late ’60s to early ’70s) everyone thought they were mad as it was very far out of town. In those years, Walmer was a town on the outskirts of PE and Charlo was even farther away. These days I find it to be extremely central. I can’t think of another place I would rather want to stay,” he says.
Coetzee has witnessed changes like a piece of veld becoming the suburb of Broadwood, while another vacant section close to his parents’ house made way for the St Peter’s Church.
“During the flood of 1981, there was a hole the size of a swimming pool in Timothy Road. I used to walk to Circular Supply Store in Circular Drive with 20c in my pocket to buy one of those long chomps. That was the closest shop. Today there are several shopping centres around the suburb,” says Coetzee.
The “personality” of the area is its biggest attraction for Coetzee. “The suburb feels safe and it’s one of the few areas where I enjoy walking at night.”
Coetzee lives in a ’70s-style home, which he recalls seeing being built when he was a young child.
“I also recall being afraid of the owners; I think they were German and that seemed totally foreign to me at the time. Later on, I said that if the house ever came up for sale, I would want to buy it. I just loved its position. I was out of town when it came onto the market and was forced to purchase it without seeing it on the inside,” he says.
The house is built in a U-shape with a swimming pool on the inside section, giving it a lot of privacy. The look and feel of the house is standard for the area.
Coetzee’s love for the suburb stretches from the school he attended, Charlo Primary School, to the streets he goes for walks through after work.
The suburb feels safe and it’s one of the few areas where I enjoy walking at night
Coetzee’s favourite spots in Charlo:
- Charlo Primary School, where he went to school
- The sports fields with green and inviting lawns
- Charlo’s two family-friendly parks
Three lesser-known facts about Coetzee:
- I grew up wanting to be a sports commentator.
- In the late ’90s, I resigned from my job to meet my idol (a sports commentator) in London.
- I’m overly sentimental and drive old cars because I can’t get it over my heart to get rid of any of them.
Interesting facts about Charlo:
- The streets are all named after men.
- It’s nine minutes’ drive away from Sardinia Bay (but don’t tell anyone).
- On most maps, half of Christopher Avenue is named Norman Road.
