pioneer rally

by

driving blind

i’m driving blind this weekend.
 
or at least i’ll be driving the blind. i’ll be behind the wheel with a blind navigator in the passenger seat, reading a braille map and telling me where to go. all part of the pioneer rally which is  a fund-raiser taking place on saturday morning.
 
a number of us “schlebs” (whatever) are being paired with students from the pioneer school for the blind in worcester. we take off from sandown motors in century city and drive to worcester with the student providing directions based on the braille map. i certainly hope he/she is better at map-reading than i am because when i lived in l.a.  i was known to travel from woodland hills to pasadena and wind up in alaska! i even find it hard to follow my (ubiquitous) gps sometimes! “turn right, then keep left”. huh?!
 
i’m looking forward to it though. from time to time the production office at work gets requests for attendance at charity events and we get to choose whether we want to attend. this one, for me, was a no-brainer, seeing that my grandfather was blind for a large part of his later years. he was unbelievably self-sufficient, walking his large property with his cane and his dog bonzo at his side, he’s stand for ages, with his head cocked, just listening to  and taking in the life happening around him. he was a business man, and he would get me, at all of 9 years old, to come sit with him. he’d take the key to the cabinet next to his bed from his waist coat pocket, feel for the hole and unlock it. then he’d get me to count the notes he kept there, putting them in stacks of ten, and paper-clipping them for the trip to the bank. “put all the heads together” he would keep reminding me. and i felt so special and privileged to be there with him, that he trusted me, out of everyone, to do this task for him.
so in honor of the memory of my grandfather, moos davids, watch out for me and my perfectly able and capable navigator along the road to worcester tomorrow morning. see ya!

 

 

 

Stars are gearing up for rally

2009/03/26

ANTICIPATION is steadily mounting for the third Rotary Pioneer Rally to be held on April 18.
The rally, conceptualised by local busi­nessman Mr Willem Venter and organised by the Worcester Rotary Club, will once again benefit the Pioneer School. Funds raised by the rally are to the school for bursaries. In this way organisers, sponsors and participants make it possible for less fortunate children with visual impediments to attend the Pioneer School.
The rally also offers ample fun, entertainment and unique experiences to those who take part. Celebrities are paired up with blind navigators, equipped with a Braille map, and together they take on a specified route chartered by Sarel van der Merwe, a racing celebrity himself.
Teams start off at Sandown Motors in Century City towards their final destination, The Golden Valley Casino, where a glamorous event will be held. Locals can cosy up to some of their favourite stars from approximately 15:30.
In previous years celebrities queued up to be part of this event and this year is no exception with a host of well-known faces in the South African entertainment industry expected to make their way to Worcester to particpate in one of the most exciting fundraising events in town.
Celebrities possibly attending this year’s rally include Coenie de Villiers, Chris Chameleon, Anton Goosen, Lise Beekman and Marc Lottering, to name but a few.
Previous rallies have raised close to R300 000 for the Pioneer School. With this year’s Rotary Pioneer Rally, organisers aim to once again raise the bar and promise another hugely successful event.