Two Bits – Showing real community spirit

Back when Ballito was a village, many people displayed what can only be called ‘community spirit’. There were the service clubs – Round Table, Lions and Rotary, the Wednesday Club, and others – that made significant contributions to keeping the spirit of community alive, but I’m thinking of those individuals who volunteered to do the unpopular jobs, like firemen, community safety, lifesaving, that sort of thing.
The Thomé and Borsei brothers come to mind in particular, though there were many others, as there are today in the Neighbourhood Watches and the service clubs, who give of their time without reward to look after the community.
Coming from Jo’burg, seeing the lengths some people would go to to help others made a huge impression on us. In the cities you barely know your neighbours and many would walk away rather than get involved in others’ problems.
Where the others I’ve mentioned above left off, Willie and Mercia Power’s boys starting showing a community spirit a mile wide.
While their parents had their noses to the grindstone building up their hardware business, the boys were off on their own mission, though no doubt many of their projects were backed from Willie and Mercia’s pocket.
William, Quentin and later Brendan started the area’s first Nippers club at the lifesavers’ hut at Clarke Bay and taught many children, including our own, to swim and be able to handle themselves in the sea. For which we and many other parents still in Ballito and those who’ve moved on, are eternally grateful.
Daddy wasn’t in the background writing checks, though I don’t doubt he contributed his share to the fundraising efforts. They had to beg and borrow every cent for equipment, which they did with good grace, and after a long slog were even able to enter teams in Nippers events in Durban.
I recall asking them at the time why they’d started a Nippers club. They looked at me blankly and just said they thought it was a good idea. Silly me!
Since then they just haven’t stopped, in particular Quentin and Brendan (William has emigrated). They started the Specialised Rescue Unit because sometimes the official emergency services were lacking, and over the years have contributed enormously to the well-being of the community by saving lives – of people and animals.
The have been joined and supported by others who bought into the idea and have raised enough money to buy a vehicle, rubber duck and rescue equipment. I’m aware that there has been some resentment over the years from the ‘professional’ emergency services but, truth is, they’re often beaten to the draw by the SRU. And the SRU isn’t doing what they do for gain – it’s just what they like to do. Some people drink beer, some play golf, the SRU team likes helping people in need.
So, it came as no surprise last week when five of the regular SRU team jumped in their van and raced off to help the people of Knysna in their hour of need. The Knysna area has been badly damaged by huge fires that have wiped out more than 400 homes and left thousands homeless and desperate. The SRU saw where they could play a role was in providing backup for the 800 firefighters, fetching them food and drinks and so forth.
A big round of applause for Brett Michielin, Kyle Meyer, Louis Kotze, Dean Fletcher and Johan Muller who gave of their time so selflessly to help others in distress.
As you will see elsewhere in this issue, the community has rallied to help Knysna victims, including animals, by collecting food, medicines, clothing, blankets etc.
It makes us proud to be part of a community that cares about others.

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Whew, we’ve just sent the official magazine for the “Ballito Pro Two Thousand Seventeen” off to the printers. As usual it has been a pretty intense effort by the editorial and graphic design teams of this company, Wordsmiths, Jess Turner’s Umhlali-based Confab design shop and event organizer Collette Bundy, with many, many extras.
The mag will be delivered door-to-door on the Dolphin Coast in a couple of weeks’ time and we’re holding thumbs it will turn out as well, if not better than the editions of the last two years.
This year’s event (June 27 – July 9) is going to be bigger and better than ever and I know the Pro will do the Dolphin Coast proud in the surfing world yet again. Everybody involved, sponsors and contestants, love Ballito, the organisers have been working flat out to get the show ready, so all that’s left is hoping that the weather and the ocean play their part in making it another successful Pro.

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Two farmers from the sticks, up Doesberg way, were taking their first trip to Jo’burg on the train. A vendor came down the corridor selling bananas. Each bought one.
The first one eagerly peeled the banana and bit into it just as the train went into a tunnel. When the train emerged from the tunnel, he looked across to his friend and said, “I wouldn’t eat that if I were you.”
“Why not?”
“I took one bite and went blind for half a minute.”