Pay-it-forward with Secunda Rocks and discover your creative side
One should think of their initiative as a giant game of hide and seek, using inanimate objects
SECUNDA – Secunda rocks, literally.
This “pay-it-forward” initiative named Secunda Rocks was founded by Ms Celeste Potgieter and her daughter, Ms Danelle van der Watt, in October last year.
Imagine finding a brightly painted, often very creative, pebble on your walk or run along the Secunda parkrun route, with the note at the bottom of the small rock explaining that you can either hang on to it for a while or pay it forward to someone else and make their day.
“It is incredible to see the excitement on people’s faces when they discover such a little gesture,” explained Ms Potgieter. “It is truly remarkable how much joy one pebble can bring.”
The mother and daughter team agrees that not only is it fun to find a rock, it is also therapeutic to paint the pebbles and very rewarding to give them away.
Ms Van der Watt explained that one should think of their initiative as a giant game of hide and seek, using inanimate objects.
“The idea is to get out and about in your local area and get hunting. Keep your eyes open because they could be hidden anywhere.
“The eye-catching colours usually give them away, with designs from love hearts and rainbows to miniature pieces of art with Cornish seascapes painted on them.”
However, the real game begins on the bottom of the pebble where there are instructions on what should be done with the discovered rock.
“The idea is to take a photograph of the rock where you found it, share it on social media using the hashtag so that the person who hid it in the first place can follow its journey, and then re-hide it in a new location.”
She said some rocks have specific instructions to hidden in a specific place or to be taken as far away as possible.
According to Ms Potgieter, the goal of Secunda Rocks is to encourage creativity, community involvement and to get people out into the fresh air.
Anyone can be a rock painter, a hider and a hunter.
There is no age restriction and even little hands can enjoy this activity.
The artist must take a photo of the created pebble, share it the Secunda Rocks Facebook page and then go out to and hide the creation. The hunter who finds a rock should take a photo and post it on the Facebook page.
The hotspots to hide or hunt for rocks is along the parkrun route and areas around the Secunda Duck Pond.
Ms Potgieter learned about rock idea from her sister, Ms Vivienne Biccard, who is an avid Cape Town Rocks supporter and gave Ms Potgieter a few beautifully painted pebbles.
Ms Potgieter will be tying a theme at certain times, such as Christmas that was a cause for many smiles in December. Valentine’s Day is another theme.
To find out more about Secunda Rocks, visit the Facebook page. There are various ideas, a quick guide to painting rocks and instructions on how to be a hider and a hunter.
