The Unlimited Dusi 2012 is being invaded by the Ginger Army, which fortunately has no implication on the water quality of the river, which will be staging one of the world’s most prestigious and ultimately gruelling canoeing challenges next month. The three-day event will see top paddlers battling it out over a 110-km course traversing some of South Africa’s most treacherous waterways from 16 – 18 February.
The Ginger Army comprises some headline-grabbing South African celebrities, who have taken up their paddles in aid of The Unlimited Dusi’s official charities, namely The Unlimited Child, a non-profit organisation lobbying for awareness for the dire need of early childhood development intervention, the SPCA and DUCT (Dusi Umgeni Conservancy Trust).
In charge of the Ginger brigade is 5FM sports presenter Sias du Plessis, affectionately dubbed Ginger by morning show host Gareth Cliff. Able troops for his charitable platoon include TV presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen, radio and TV personality Bonang Matheba as well as a bunch of top paddlers.
The Ginger Army will also be actively promoting The Unlimited Dusi Charity Batch, an online bidding system, which can get the highest bidders to an earlier start for each day’s racing. Participants in The Unlimited Dusi are grouped into batches setting off every 10 minutes from 06h00 for the daily stage. By securing their Charity Batch placement, sixty entries will get a head start by moving up to an earlier start.
To date, the Charity Batch for the 2012 race has already raised R108 861, but it is expected that this amount will increase significantly before bidding closes on Tuesday, 7 February, as competitors will try to secure the competitive edge with an early start.
Paddler Donovan Baney has already secured a bid from various sponsors to the sum of R13 500. “Being a part of The Unlimited Dusi Charity Batch is a double win for me. Not only do I get the opportunity to give something back to the local communities, but also the chance to beat the midday heat,” mentions Baney.
The Unlimited Child provides educational toys and caregiver training, which enables underprivileged crèches to give children the stimulation they need to achieve their full potential in life. The Unlimited Child has already significantly influenced the lives of close to 14 000 children and 626 caregivers in over 220 crèches in the Valley of 1000 hills. For more information, visit the website at www.theunlimitedchild.co.za or to place a bid, go to www.theunlimiteddusi.co.za and click on the Charity Batch link on the homepage.
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