Kelvin kicks troubles into touch
MOST 11-year-olds do not dream of hobnobbing with princesses and presidents, but that is precisely what Kelvin Alvin will be doing next month.
The young rugby player and his teammates from Orchards Primary School in Norwood, Johannesburg, have been selected to travel to Monaco and France, thanks to their impressive skill on the field.
The South African Rugby Legends Association is sponsoring the dream trip.
Kelvin is in Grade 5 and plays for his school’s first team. Rugby is an important part of his life.
“I like the way I feel when I play with my team and when we win.
“It makes me feel very happy,” he said.
But Kelvin’s enthusiasm reveals little of the challenges he has had to overcome for this opportunity to become a reality.
He lives in Norwood with his great-uncle Brian Alvin, 67, who is like a grandfather to him.
Brian is a pensioner, but works as a car guard to supplement his income.
Before Brian took him in, Kelvin lived in Berea, Johannesburg, and had to walk 7km to school every day — which meant he struggled to stay awake in class.
Until recently, Kelvin did not have a birth certificate, which meant Brian could not apply for a passport for the boy when he was chosen for the trip.
The many unsuccessful attempts to apply for Kelvin’s documents was costing Brian time away from his post as a car guard, , his only income besides his old-age pension.
The tour was fast approaching and the family could not wait the five weeks or so it might take for Brian to obtain full guardianship of Kelvin.
Legal Aid advocate Wilna Lambley decided to act quickly to help the family when she learnt of Kelvin’s predicament.
An urgent court application in the High Court in Pretoria turned the tide for Kelvin.
Last week, Judge Bill Prinsloo made an order that Brian can apply for Kelvin’s travel documents without his parents’ consent.
“The judge commented that you can’t take an opportunity like this away from the child,” Lambley said.
Kelvin is now counting down the weeks to the tour, during which he will rub shoulders with President Jacob Zuma, Princess Charlene of Monaco and Blitz Boks Cecil Afrika, Kyle Brown and Frankie Horne.
This is the first time a South African team will be participating in the under-12 St Devote tournament in Monaco.
The invitation came at the request of the princess, a former South African Olympic swimmer.
The squad will spend a week abroad sightseeing and playing rugby against teams from France, Italy, Spain and other countries.
Kelvin, who plays flyhalf, dreams of becoming a professional rugby player and a doctor.
He did not get to watch much rugby on TV, he said, because “there’s other things my grandfather wants to watch, like 7de Laan”.
But he has seen enough to have chosen Bryan Habana as his role model.
He will meet Habana in Toulon on the tour’s French leg.
He has seen enough to have chosen Bryan Habana as his role model