Fishing event empowers the disabled
Every a year a local NPO organises an outing for the disabled community, which allows them network and enjoy the outdoors.
FOR nine consecutive years, a local non-profit organisation, Ramcat Fishing, has been using angling as a means to unite and support Durban’s disabled community.
The annual event, organised by a group of retired military veterans, strives to provide members of the physically challenged with an opportunity to network and enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment. On the day, the group of passionate volunteers also help their guests bait, cast and reel in their catches.
The initiative, according to organiser, Gerhard Smal, began as a means of helping injured veterans. “We were all called to serve back in the day, and some of my military friends were injured during the war, so we started the Ramcats with the hope of helping them. Soon we were getting calls from physically-challenged civilians who were interested in participating, and so the event grew,” he said.
“It is such an privilege to see the faces of the people on the day light up. It is something they look forward to all year,” he said.
Fellow organiser, Frank Kruger, who is wheelchair-bound, said he was thrilled that the event also helped shape the way society perceives the disabled community.
“It creates an opportunity for the public to see what disabled people are capable of. We are not just supposed to sit at home all day. We can be active and enjoy the outdoors,” he said.
What’s more, he said through the event they are also embarking on a mission to establish places where the disabled community can fish all year round.
“Many disabled people enjoy fishing, but there are few, if any facilities that are safe and cater for people with special needs, but we are hoping to change that,” said Kruger.
The next Ramcats Annual Fishing Day for People with Disabilities will be hosted on 9 July, in partnership with the QuarPara Association of KwaZulu-Natal, at the Durban Naval Base from 5.30am to 2pm.
Participants must be accompanied by a helper and should bring their own rods. Breakfast and lunch will be served as well as juice and refreshments throughout the day.
Community members interested in helping out on the day are also welcome. The cost is R20 for the disabled and R50 for helpers.
- Contact Frank Kruger on 083 968 4669 or Ashley on 031 701 7444.
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