QEF cyclists met with loud cheers from thousands of Komani pupils
Annual fundraiser’s teams journey from Cape Town, Joburg and East London
More than 3,000 Komani schoolchildren cheered and applauded on Thursday to celebrate the arrival of a group of cyclists who pedalled thousands of kilometres to raise funds for deserving pupils to continue their studies at 11 local schools.
The three teams that took part in this year’s ride, setting off from Cape Town, Johannesburg, and East London, rode into The Rec after their incredible journey of traversing mountain passes, long flat stretches and busy roads to do their QEF lap of honour.
The riders had to raise a minimum of R30,000 each to join a team.
The money raised is disbursed by the Queenstown Education Foundation (QEF), the founders of the annual event.
One of the teams, the 16-strong 1965 Ride Cycling for Education Team – named after team leader Tony Frost’s matric year and doing their14th annual trip – rode 850km from Johannesburg to Komani. They had two support vehicles.
One of the support crew members, Chanelle Houston, from sponsor Houston & Associates, donned the team kit and joined the peloton for their traditional Pinky Day section of the ride between cherry towns Fouriesburg and Ladybrand.
The team Eduvelo Cycling to Educate, cycled even further – 1,060km from Cape Town.
This was a two-person effort, with Warren Wilkinson behind the bars and support crew member Doug Drimbell behind the wheel.
Another two-person team, Mike Boy and Trish Cottrell, of the C2E Cycling to Educate Team, cycled 190km from East London over the escarpment.
The money raised by all the teams is still being tallied.
The QEF invites bursary applications from the following schools: Balmoral Girls Primary, Get Ahead College, Queenstown Girls’ High, Hoerskool Hangklip, Laerskool Hangklip, Queen’s College Boys’ High, Queen’s College Boys’ Primary, Queenstown Get Ahead College, Southbourne Primary, Stepping Stone Primary, and Whittlesea Get
Ahead Project. QEF chairperson and local accountant, Roddy Sutton, said: “These schools have excellent facilities and proven academic leadership results.
“We work with them to identify enrolled learners who have proven they are utterly dedicated to their school career and are already excelling in their academics, sports, and cultural activities, despite resource challenges.
“The education they receive from these schools, with their parents’ support, lays a solid foundation for a bright future of serving our country.”
This year, four of the 1965 ride team members were school principals:
Herman Venter (Whittlesea Get Ahead Project), Arno Swart (Southbourne), Sandra de Bruin (Stepping Stone) and Kush Molotana (EduMeFun preprimary).
Frost said: “The whole objective of this is to raise money to help kids that have got the talent but just need some money to help them in school.
“We raised enough money in the last 14 years to distribute about 250 bursaries to deserving kids.”
Frost said they were proud of the contribution they were making to building hope in the community.
“It’s a sacrifice to do this [ride] but not one of these people [in the team] are concerned about that. “They are concerned about building up our country.
“What makes a difference in a community, in a group like this, in a school and in a town, is people’s willingness and desire to work together.”
Swart said: “It is my second ride and as the principal of Southbourne Primary School, I’m glad we are part of an organisation that gives back to the community.
He said of the long ride: “You learn a lot about yourself, you discover a lot, and then in the end what keeps you on the road, and keeps pushing you on is the fact that you are helping someone else in need.”
He said it was thrilling to be part of the handover of bursaries last year.
“Parents were deeply grateful as they had no idea of how they were going to pay their children’s school fees.
“This organisation is something that needs to keep going and needs to be supported by the local community.
“Last year we were two guys from Queenstown [Komani], now we are four, so next year we must be six or eight at least!
“It was a wonderful experience and I am glad to be part of the organisation where we can help others.”