Cocky’s Day for caddies, charities
The Cocky’s Reunion Golf Day took place on August 1, at the Modderfontein Golf Course.
The aim of the golf day was to raise funds for the caddies of Modderfontein Golf Course, as well as the Edenvale SPCA and Edenvale Care Centre Hospice. It also served as a reunion and memorial day for Modderfontein sportsmen of all codes.
Sometimes the caddies, who travel from townships to work at the golf course, do not get a bag for the entire day and have to return home with no money. Sometimes they even have to walk home because they have no money to pay for a taxi.
Modderfontein resident, Mr Allan Bartram, organised the event which raised R36 000 for Modderfontein Golf Course’s caddies. An additional R5 000 was donated to the Edenvale SPCA and another R5 000 was donated to the Edenvale Care Centre Hospice.
This was in memorium of Mr Norman Aitken Bartram, otherwise known as Cocky.
“My brother, Cocky, was a brilliant and gifted junior golfer at Modder Club circa 1955, and he went on to become a much loved, and popular, long-serving member of Modder,” said Mr Bartram. He added that Cocky had a wry and often biting sense of humour.
Dinner and prize giving was held in the evening. SA cricketer, Fanie de Villiers, was the master of ceremonies.
The Modderfontein Golf Course caddies will benefit from the donation by getting weekly, budgeted, allowances for the next year. If the caddies do not get a bag during the course of the day, they will be tasked with picking up broken pegs, cigarette butts, bottle tops and other trash left on the course. They will also be charged with clearing rivers of litter from time to time and by doing this they will get an allowance to cover their daily expenses.
“We will also have enough cash raised for a nice Christmas box for the caddies in December,” said Mr Bartram.
