Crazy, amazing... and very cold!
Grocott’s Mail’s weather watchers measured as high a 4°C and as low as 1C on the morning of the 13th Polar Plunge in Grahamstown, on Wednesday 21 June – and there was frost on the grass in many places.
The annual event to mark the midwinter solstice sees brave participants jump into Grey Dam for a brief, icy swim.
As promised, they were met with hot chocolate provided by PG Glass, who also collected blankets and items of warm clothing at the event, for distribution to needy communities as part of their PG Cares programme.
There was another heartwarming story on the nearfreezing morning.
Four members of staff at Rhodes University’s IT division did the swim to raise funds for four-and-a-halfyear-old Liam van Heerden, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
Manager Tracey Chambers challenged her team to do the Plunge, pledging R200 towards Liam’s fund for every staff member who did it.
Four staff did the Plunge - Liam’s dad Dean van Heerden, Anton Diedericks, Gershwin Sauls and Aldwain Loutz.