IN April paddler Stuart Geldart, completed one of his first legs of his epic journey to showcase the beauty of the coastline but also highlighting the effect pollution has on our rivers and oceans. Geldart, an upper Highway resident also known as The Purposed Paddler will be paddling the South African coast from Kosi Bay to Cape Town, covering 2 000 kilometres of the country’s coastline.

His goal is to raise funds for local NGO, Adopt-a-River run by Durban North resident, Janet Simpkins. The organisation facilitates partnerships between corporate, government and community role players for the benefit of our rivers and ocean.

So far Geldart’s journey has been documented by a team of filmmakers and support crew who also plan to capture the beauty of the KZN coastline.

“I had been working on a yacht overseas for a number of years and one thing I could not escape, despite being able to visit remote, idyllic and often beautiful places was how plastic pollution was affecting our oceans. I began seeing how widespread the problem was in these far flung places. That’s when I conceived this journey and decided to tackle this epic paddle from Kosi Bay to Cape Town when I returned home,” he explained.

Geldart, who has completed five Dusi Canoe Marathons, said he felt ‘The Purposed Paddler’ journey was more than just raising awareness.

“I think we’ve moved away from creating awareness. So many people are aware the effect pollution is having on our oceans. The move now for me is to see more government involvement, more policies and stricter regulations on the threat of plastic and other pollutants to our rivers and oceans. I’ve spent a lot of time caneoing on the country’s rivers and having done a few Dusis I see how pollution is affecting the uMngeni and Msunduzi Rivers. There comes a stage where you want to see a change from the top and if we can reach someone up there to bring about this change I’d rest easier. That’s why we’ve partnered with Janet and Adopt-a-River because we share the same passion, to witness a drastic change in the quality of our rivers and oceans. We are going to need to see a more stable commitment to pollution clean-ups and waste management across South Africa at a government, large corporate and company level,” he said.

Geldart said he aims to complete his journey by the end of the year.

“I plan on tackling the next leg of my journey from Durban to the Wild Coast at the end of May. That will require more preparation as some sections of the Wild Coast are inaccessible for my shore side support crew. I definitely want this trip to be done by the end of the year but I’ve also acknowledged that I’m taking my time with this trip. I’m not racing anybody or intent on breaking any records,” he said.

To find out more about Geldart’s journey or to find out how you can help, visit his Facebook page ‘The Purposed Paddler’ or Instagram (@thepurposedpaddler). You can also help support his journey by visiting: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/stuart-geldart.

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