Hi All
The one thing I enjoy about Zimbabweans is the way that the less able, elderly folk are taken care of by their immediate community. For some it is just something that happens in the rural village; for others it is generally helping with an “Old Age” organisation. Yet one of the most unheralded groups are Zimbabweans living in the diaspora – the latter generally congregate in their newfound (“Temporary”?) locality once a month regaling second-hand accounts of recent events in their hometown.
One such group holds an annual golf tournament at different locations around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast in Eastern Australia. Starting off as Zim Aid, about 24 years ago, they have now teamed up with the Zimbabwe Old Legs Cycling tour. Last year a few of the sportier types undertook a cycle ride around the Yarra Valley of Victoria in Southern Australia. This year they plan a 2-stage fundraiser with the first leg covering Vietnam followed by a gruelling 430 km ride along the Bulawayo Victoria Falls Road. Cyclists pay their own expenses and all monies raised go to supporting the pensioners.
Last Sunday I took the opportunity to drive up to the Beerwah golf club at the foot of the Sunshine Coast to join in the prizegiving for this years Old Legs Australia golf day – there were many familiar faces amongst the 80 participants and partners enjoying lunch at the Beerwah Club. Mark Johnson has taken over the management of that very successful setup with a
fun-filled presentation of awards being led by that well-known, roguish character, Simon Lamond. Old legs have teamed up with ZANE this year and we were treated to a soul-searching update on their latest achievements by Barbara Passaportis.
I didn’t manage to play golf this time around but, with my short foray along a few of the nearby holes, I could see that it was a great course to play on – similar in layout I guess to the Borrowdale Brooke course but with many more trees.
Behind every successful golf day there is, of course, a committed support committee with ex-Zimbos Mike Weeden and Lynn Norman amongst those folks putting their hands up once again.
There will be five riders in Vietnam starting in the village of Ha Giang on the China border north of Hanoi on 15 October and hope to finish 2200 kilometres 23 ride days later in Ho Chi Minh City. The Tour will resume in Bulawayo on 23 November with seven riders for the Zimbabwe leg and will end in Victoria Falls on 29 November. They will route through Hwange National Park. Good on ya mate. Mike G.