Jurie Beyers’ talent for turning scrap into fun helps Stepping Stone Hospice

When Parklands High School hosts its Family Fun Doggy Event with Stepping Stone Hospice on September 27, one of the highlights will be General Alberts resident Jurie Beyers (77) and his handmade creations.

Known for transforming scrap into quirky challenges, Jurie will bring his one-of-a-kind bicycle and a tombola game to entertain visitors while raising funds for hospice care.

“A friend of mine’s father passed away there a few years back and just recently, my brother-in-law also passed away at Hospice,” Jurie said.

“When you’ve been through something like that, and you see how good the people are who care for the sick, then it’s only a pleasure if you can succeed in giving back.”

His wife, Merle, summed up the family’s reasons simply: “We both grew up in families that had very little. People shared what they had back then. That’s how we were raised. Supporting Hospice is just a continuation of that spirit.”

The bicycle challenge everyone tries to beat

Jurie’s bicycle looks like a normal bike but has been cleverly modified.

The challenge is short and sharp: a five-metre track, “from here to that wall.” Riders must cover the distance without letting their feet touch the ground.

Jurie has turned it into a betting game to boost donations: “I will give you 10 to one. So for R5, you’ll get R50. If you pay R10, you’ll earn R100,” he explained.

“It looks easy, but it’s not. People love trying it, and I enjoy watching how determined they get.”

He’s used the bike at many functions. Once he stapled R500 notes together and dropped them during a workshop challenge.

“They were fighting to try and it went non-stop for about two hours. In the end they asked, ‘Can you ride it?’ So I got on my bicycle, I rode through their workshop, through their parking lot and back. Then I picked up my R500 and said it’s still mine,” Jurie laughed.

That blend of showmanship and generosity is exactly what he’ll bring to Parklands.

The tombola and how it works

Jurie also built a new game for the hospice day.

“It looks almost like a dartboard with a spinning wheel,” he said.

The tombola is a square table split into four coloured triangles. Four players each put money on a triangle, then the first player spins the wheel. If the arrow lands on your triangle, you win the other players’ stakes.

But Jurie has added Hospice segments between the triangles. If the arrow stops on a Hospice line, the money goes straight to Stepping Stone.

“I specifically made this just for the fundraiser,” he said. “The design is simple, fast and built to attract quick, small donations.”

A lifetime of making things work

Jurie’s ability to turn scrap into something useful is lifelong.

He grew up in Brixton and attended Forenstow High School while Merle went to Commercial High. He worked on the railways as a clerk before training as an apprentice mechanic.

“I resigned from the railways; my salary was R100 a month back then. I took a job as an apprentice motor mechanic and my pay dropped to R7 a week,” he recalled.

He stayed in the motor trade as a mechanic, foreman and manager until retiring at 60. Now 77, Jurie still prefers the garage to the lounge.

“I prefer to flee to my garage and that’s where I work,” he said.

Jurie even built much of his home himself after attending night school to learn brickwork. Over decades, he’s adapted the house, added a flat, and rented it out to family.

He collects old car parts and household junk and remakes them into projects. The household runs on reclaimed water tanks he fitted himself. He has three second-hand tanks and pumps roof water to raised beds across the street.

Merle laughs about his reluctance to throw anything away:

“That’s who Jurie is. He has always believed in using what he has to help others.”
She added another memory of their upbringing: “So life was different those years because everybody was poor. You were all trying to help each other. Today everybody sees what they can take from one another.”

Food, plants and small economies

The Beyers’ garden is part of their self-reliance. Jurie grows tomatoes, butternut, gem squash, beans and even a wild cucumber he learned about from a neighbour.

“I haven’t bought a tin of tomatoes for two winter seasons now,” Merle said. She freezes small portions to save money.
Excess produce is shared with neighbours, although Jurie admits some people take more than their share. To avoid theft, he plants vegetables in buckets so they’re less visible.

The garden grew after Jurie asked permission to cultivate land beside an old pipeline depot.

What he wants the day to do

Beyond raising money, Jurie hopes to create laughter and friendly competition.

“On the day, I want to challenge the young ones, even father and son pairs, to ride the bicycle against each other,” he said.
“If we can make it fun, people will give more, and every bit goes to Hospice.”

Merle offered a final thought about community values:

“Back then everyone helped each other. That’s how we were raised. Jurie is still showing that today.”

Parklands High School’s Family Fun Doggy Event will be part family day, part fundraiser. With Jurie’s bicycle, the tombola, and a string of small bets and challenges, organisers hope to attract donations for Stepping Stone Hospice and improve facilities for learners at the school.

Jurie’s stall promises to be one of the busiest, not just because of the prizes, but because people love trying to beat the bike the man built himself.