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This article is reproduced in full via News 24 in South Africa. The original post can be viewed by clicking here.

Photo: tania sandberg Albert Tamontino was the recipient of a new wheelchair on Monday. At the handover (back, from left) Gail (daughter), Erwin Vermaak (dealer principal), Carol Matthews (marketing executive) and Travis Clarke (sales manager).

ALBERT Tamontino was the happy recipient of a new wheelchair on Monday as part of motor dealership Mark White Nissan’s “Change your Wheels, Change a Life” campaign.

Tramontino turned 87 on 29 July, and says the chair is a wonderful birthday gift. He has severe Dementia Alzheimers, heart valve problems, peripheral neuropathy, meaning he has little feeling in his legs, and blood-flow problems.

His daughter Gail, who takes care of him, says the wheelchair will change their lives tremendously as she wants to take him on outings and the wheelchair will give her the freedom to do so.

“He is my only family and has been staying with me for 10 years, since my mother passed away. The blood-flow problem makes it difficult for him to move his legs and he also battles with balance,” Gail says.

She says her dad is a kind, loving person. “He is one of a kind, when they made him, they broke the mould.”

Mark White Nissan launched the first campaign in April whereby for each vehicle bought in the dealership, a portion goes to the wheelchair foundation. A wheelchair is purchased and handed over to a person/s within the community in need.

“We proud of the fact that our dealership is the only dealership in South Africa that has this campaign. We are even prouder that one month after launching the campaign we handed over our first wheelchair,” said Carol Matthews, Mark White Nissan, marketing executive and organiser of the campaign and the wish list said. This is their third handover.

“If anyone needs one, please send me the names, or if you know of someone who has an old one, and it is time for an upgrade. All names are put onto our wish list.”

If anyone needs one, please send me the names, or if you know of someone who has an old one, and it is time for an upgrade.

 

 

2009 turned out to be a far better year than anyone expected. The news of the recession has been all doom and gloom, and yet we have had a great years’ hunting!

We would say that one of the most exciting things for us has been the fact that we have had so many wives and families come on safari this year. As we tailor-make our safaris for each individual, we are flexible and are able to make the experience unforgettable for each client.

100_1164Our youngest ‘hunter’ this year was a 6 year old and have even had an 8 year old girl shoot an ostrich! Most memorable was Caleb who arrived on crutches with a broken leg, but was out there every day and even shot a few himself. On one occasion when they were stalking, he and Jonathan, the PH, did some kind of ‘leopard crawl’ with Caleb on Jonathan’s back!

Although the rains have not been as plentiful as we had hoped, our veld is looking good and the animals are in good condition. We have had some excellent trophies this year and have shot some exceptional buffalo, all well over 40”. We are very pleased that the herds are breeding well, and a magnificent 46” bull was spotted recently!

As Ezulu is a new reserve, we are thrilled that the place has matured on all levels. We offer a truly unique experience in that we have the 3 hunting areas, and each place complements the other, offering a broad hunting experience, never allowing one to get bored.

Our generous sponsors and donors continue to support the Ithemba Trust, and allow many disadvantaged children the opportunity of an excellent, well rounded schooling.

We were honoured to have a visit from the Wheelchair Foundation, who spent some time here and did some hunting. A function was organized and some clothing and 14 wheelchairs were handed over to locals in need. Among those was a 68 year old grandmother who had her leg amputated 6 months beforehand, and had been struggling to get around. Her new wheelchair would change her life and that of her family who were caring for her.

2010 has arrived, and South Africans are looking forward to hosting the Soccer World Cup in June and July. Our hunting days are filling up fast for next year, so suggest you reserve your dates timeously. Some exciting packages are on offer, so best contact us for details if you are interested.

We wish all our clients, family and friends a happy and blessed 2010.

As usual we will be exhibiting at the SCI Reno Show, so please pay us a visit.

The Swarkei/Ezulu team.

SOURCE: Safari News Reel

man_recipient_pretoria_smallOn Sunday the 30th of January 2005 a group of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Pretoria went to the Modisha (part of Moretele) Association for the Disabled (close to Winterveldt) in South Africa in order to hand over 12 wheelchairs to needy recipients.

Thank you very much to Rotary International, the Wheelchair Foundation, and all who were instrumental in making this possible.

Click on the image to the right or the link below to see a slideshow of this distribution of wheelchairs.