Roaming ambassador puts disabled animals in spotlight
Tripod has taught me so much. I have started a campaign to place disabled dogs with disabled people to help rehabilitation
WHO is courageous? What makes somebody a hero?
If you know such a person, you can nominate him or her for the inaugural Johnnie WalkerSunday Times Nation’s Greatest Awards.
Nominations are open until next Sunday. The awards seek to recognise individuals who make South Africa great, whether it is through a single, selfless act or a daily commitment to a career or field of endeavour.
The competition is an opportunity to give inspiring and welldeserving individuals the exposure they need for what they do and to honour their work.
Among those nominated so far is Marne van den Heever, who is partly disabled.
After a car accident about 10 years ago, and suffering from depression and panic attacks, Van den Heever adopted a small puppy to walk with on the beach and gradually made a recovery.
He later rescued another dog, Tripod, from a squatter camp, where it faced being killed because it had only three legs.
“But, in the end, he rescued me,” Van den Heever said of the dog. He later walked from Cape Town to Pretoria, pushing the three-legged dog in a wheelchair.
The trip created awareness of disabled people and animals.
Van den Heever is now a “roaming ambassador” and Tripod is the official mascot of the South African Veterinary Association.
“Tripod has taught me so much,” he said. “People gravitate towards him. I always wanted to look after animals, and so have started a campaign to place disabled dogs with disabled people to help rehabilitation. Dogs can be better therapists than human beings.”
Tripod now has his own Facebook page and is a familiar face on the pages of newspapers and on TV.
Dog lover Bridget Kassier, who nominated Van den Heever, said: “Marne is so inspiring and so brave to give up everything to do this amazing walk. He’s proof of what can be achieved with that kind of passion.”
Melanie Campbell, Johnnie Walker’s marketing manager, said the campaign aimed to inspire personal progression by acknowledging the achievements of South Africans.
“Linked to this campaign, we have partnered with the Sunday Times, South Africa’s top-selling weekend newspaper, to launch the Nation’s Greatest Awards, which will publicly acknowledge these remarkable individuals.”
The categories are: greatest hero, greatest individual, greatest professional/entrepreneur, greatest inventor, greatest community member, greatest mentor and greatest challenger.
Grace Makumbi is another deserving nominee.
Said Vasantha Govindasamy, who nominated her: “Grace is my nursing service manager at Alberlito Hospital [in Ballito, north of Durban] and I met her when I transferred here six years ago. She saw potential in me and has personally mentored me. Not only is she a great leader, but is also involved in all of our community projects.”
Govindasamy is grateful to Makumbi for helping her to become a clinical facilitator at the hospital.
Makumbi said: “I am overwhelmed to be nominated because what I do is part of my work. Growing my people gives me pleasure. I want to improve the healthcare sector for all South Africans, especially women.”
Another nominee is Mark Mead of Cradle2Career.
Mead, an entrepreneur who is now a non-profit motivational speaker, has been setting young minds alight across KwaZuluNatal as he speaks to pupils on the importance of creating their own jobs and fulfilling their own dreams through entrepreneurship.
He says: “I was fed up with seeing disillusioned youths. I wanted the youth of this country to know that they have a great future and can be selfemployed.
“My entrepreneurial workshops see me going into schools to inspire them to go and wheel and deal on weekends, and create jobs for themselves.”
The response has been phenomenal. Mead’s Facebook page has attracted 3 500 followers since the beginning of the year.
James Siddall, who nominated Mead, said: “He believes that the country’s youth hold their own and South Africa’s future in their hands. The rapturous feedback he has been receiving is testimony to the power of his message. Now Mead is looking at taking his talks to a nationwide audience.”
Nominations for the Johnnie Walker Sunday Times Nation’s Greatest Awards can be submitted on www.nationsgreatest.co.za
Log on to the website and nominate your greatest achievers in the seven categories. Nominations close on August 25, and four finalists in each category will be announced on September 22. A panel of judges will select the winners, who will be announced in October. Susan Russell, general manager: marketing of the Times Media Group, which owns the Sunday Times, said the newspaper was delighted to have struck a partnership with Johnnie Walker, a premier brand that complements the prestige of the awards.