Local swimmer sets new Ebenezer Mile record

HAENERTSBURG – Ockert Vermeulen (17) from Polokwane broke the Ebenezer Mile record by 23 seconds in a time of 19:07:42 over the past weekend.

He received the Kenneth Smith trophy.

The previous record went to Smith in 2006. When Smith was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Thailand, his family set up a trophy for the Mile in his name.

His father, Neville Smith, was a well-known swimming coach in Tzaneen.

Ockert went on to also win the 3 000m males open in another record time of 36:45:73.

It was a sunny day and not the usual misty, cold weather that so often marks the Ebenezer Mile. A record number of 457 swimmers took part.

There were five events and the races began at 11:00 and finished at 15:00. Before the race began, master of ceremony, Morris Stander from Haenertsburg Rotary Club requested a minute’s silence.

This was in tribute to 90-year-od local Gub Turner who had died earlier last week. Turner was the oldest person to ever swim the Ebenezer Mile at the age of 80 years old.

Turner, together with local Fiona Stumbles, was instrumental in launching the Ebenezer Mile more than two decades ago.

Stumbles was at Saturday’s race to watch her young grandson, Jack Stewart from Unicorn Primary School, swim his first Ebenezer Mile race. Jack came seventh in the u/13 category.

Kerry Spratt, a teacher from Mitchell House in Polokwane, not only swam in the race but brought along several Mitchell House learners to swim as well.

The 18 sponsors were: Discovery, Stevens Lumber Mills, Supaquick, Greenbuilt Solutions, The Door Group, MC Brokers, SAB, Aquelle, Coca Cola Tzaneen, Rodney Cooper Estates, ZZ2, Makro, Westfalia, Black Forest Mountain Lodge, Forest Bird Lodge Magoebaskloof, Orion Magoebaskloof Hotel, Glenshiel Country Lodge and KM Bolts.

For all the results see the Ebenezer Mile’s Facebook page.