CALTEX CLEAN-UP
The promised litter clean-up last Friday was a wonderful success, with 300 primary school children making a clean sweep of
Each school had prepared thoroughly for the day, with its one hundred participating pupils divided into groups of twenty, under the watchful eye of one of the enthusiastic teachers. The pupils were well-briefed before setting out, with instructions to separate the rubbish into different bags of glass, paper and plastic, ready for recycling. Each group had a map, showing the area they were to cover, and the groups worked steadily through their areas with almost military precision.
The weather played along, and fortunately the strong winds of the previous days had abated. The day was sunny, calm, and not too hot, and the children all seemed to enjoy the chance to be out in the open, rather than in a stuffy classroom.
One group in Lotusville had a shock when they came across a large leguan with a clutch of eggs under a tree in
Clive Kombani from the municipality had a busy morning, as several groups sent desperate pleas for more bags. When the bags were all collected later that day, in five loads, an amazing total of 1141 full bags of rubbish were counted!
After a very productive 3 hours in the streets, the groups all congregated at the library hall for a short ceremony. Janet Tinus (HOD Luxolo) acted as MC, and introduced the children to the sponsors. She revealed that Volks garage and Tienie Appel had a special place in her heart, as her father had worked at the garage, enabling him to pay for her studies to become a teacher. She also pointed out that Caltex is the only franchise operating in
Jonathan Tsheti, Caltex Eastern Cape, marketer from East London, travelled specially to
Tienie Appel, who was responsible for securing the funding from Caltex, and who also donated on behalf of the garage, shared his vision that this should be an annual event. He commented on the enthusiasm of the teachers, and how they successfully motivated the children.
Councillor Desmond Coetzee gave the children some background information on Camdeboo municipality, reminding them that it was rated the best in
It was then the turn of the representatives from the schools, who unanimously agreed that the programme was very worthwhile, and that it was a valuable way to encourage the community, municipality and schools to work together.
Five learners from each school, one chosen randomly from each group, received a small cash prize. Each school also received three donations of R300, to help support three needy children. Some of these children were part of the clean-up, and their parents were invited to attend the ceremony.
Some of the children were understandably getting a little restless by this stage, but Tienie Appel soon had them on the edges of their seats with a game of “the money or the box” for the principals. Despite the temptations of up to R500, all opted for the box – and all felt as though they had been conned when the boxes all turned out to be empty! However they were not disappointed when their prizes were revealed – a brand new 4-in-1 laser printer for each school, donated by the sponsors. This caused great excitement!
A special thank you was given to two members of the community who had volunteered to help. Daniela Hamblin and Jan Muller, both members of
The ceremony concluded with the children and teachers being given refreshments, also provided by the sponsors.
Many people in town were slightly skeptical beforehand, as to how well the children would participate, but all were very happy to be proved wrong, and many made a point of thanking the children as they cleaned up. This was much appreciated by the children and teachers. It is to be hoped that the children have learned an important lesson, and that they will encourage their families to think before they carelessly drop litter. Appel and Caltex are to be congratulated on a wonderful initiative that has benefitted the whole community.
