Cheers and champers for sky-diving gran, 100
COOL, calm and collected was the state of mind of Cape Town greatgrandmother Georgina Harwood when she pulled off her third successful skydive yesterday.
Harwood, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday, arrived in a red jumpsuit for her “wonderful and exhilarating” tandem jump, which she sealed with a glass of Champagne.
Almost 50 relatives watched from the ground as the “cheeky” gran made her daring jump on the Cape West Coast.
The moment she hit the ground, she was congratulated and handed a glass of Champagne — which she duly finished, simply saying: “Lovely!”
“I [wasn’t] nervous, I never have been, because the method of tandem jumping is very safe,” said Harwood.
“I just [felt] cool and calm and collected. I [felt] sad to know that I’ve got to hit the ground eventually.”
Earlier, Harwood arrived in a gyrocopter, much to the delight of onlookers and her family — 11 of whom, including two great-grandchildren aged 13, did jumps during the day.
“One came all the way from England and another from Australia especially for the jump today,” she said.
She struggled to contain her joy as she looked on at the different faces of her family — from toddlers to teens and grannies, all singing in a worldly array of accents.
Harwood did her first skydive when she was 92, after her son, who was a paratrooper, thought a tandem jump would be a good idea. She didn’t hesitate, and went on to do her second jump five years later.
Kate Homer, one of Harwood’s granddaughters, said she wasn’t at all surprised by her granny’s antics.
“She doesn’t procrastinate, she always just does. Her mentality inspires me.”
As part of her jump, Harwood was
She hit the ground and was handed a glass of Champagne — which she duly finished. ”Lovely," she said
hoping to raise money for the National Sea Rescue Institute.
“The people who work there put their lives at risk,” she said.
She said she was “thrilled and overwhelmed” by the outcome and the response to her jump, adding: “I can't find any more adjectives.”
She was led out of the landing pit in a guard of honour, and when asked what she would do next, Harwood replied: “I heard my daughter is planning a shark cage diving trip.”