Richard & Jason have started "be a Blessing" - by which they regularly take disadvantaged children / young people on 4x4 outings and make a difference in these kid's lives..
For this coming Saturday they earnestly require 2 more vehicles to accommodate all the kids of "Beth Uriel House of Light"
PLEASE check their activities & link with them via their FACEBOOK Page:
OOPSSSSSSSSSSS - Sorry gents - teh URL does not link PLEASE Contact Jason direct?? be.a.blessing4x4@gmail.com ///// or tel: 0767803437
Below the info for Saturday 10 March BaB...
Thanx a miljion or two
Greetings
Uncle Mac [outoppi van Gauteng...]
Saturday 10 March 2012
Venue: Honingklip 4x4 trail, Bot River, Western Cape
To all participating drivers
Thank you once again for agreeing to give up your valuable time to contribute to the lives of others. We really appreciate your effort, though surely not anywhere near as much as you will find the kids do on the day. On the day we are planning to hold a number of “challenges” for the drivers and participants to encourage interaction and teamwork, as well as make it just a little more than “driving over bumps”.
We will be taking kids from Beth Uriel House of Light. Home to 26 previously disadvantaged young men between the ages of 16 and 24, Beth Uriel, "House of Light" is committed to the passionate pursuit of independence for each of our family members. With Christian principles and family values at our core, the Beth Uriel family is dedicated to creating opportunities for those who would otherwise have none. Wrestling with issues of poverty, lack of education and the affects of HIV and AIDS on youth, Beth Uriel aspires to offer comprehensive care in every aspect of our program. More info can be found here: http://www.bethuriel.co.za/home.htm
Honingklip Location
For more info, see http://www.honingklip4x4.co.za/
Logistics
We are always looking for a vehicle or two as standbys. At present we have a full complement, but we know how things go for people, and so would like to include 1 or 2 additional names who could, at short notice, be prepared to come on the 10th.
Please don’t cancel at this stage, unless completely and utterly unavoidable, as it WILL leave us short L. Final day for non critical withdrawal is 05 March 2012
In terms of Logistics, the following is a rough outline of the timings and locations for the day:
Meeting Point will be Southern Suburbs Only
0700
Common Ground Church
23 Milner Road, Rondebosch (opposite the common)
S33° 57' 32.40", E18° 29' 8.78"
Pick up Passengers
0715
Beth Uriel
Salt River
S33 56 07.7 E18 27 41.0
Depart from pickup point
0745
Arrive BP Grabouw
0845-0900
Redistribute participants amongst vehicles
Arrive Honingklip
0915
Complete paperwork for trail permits, deflate
0930
Trail Drive
0930-1300
There will be a couple of in-vehicle challenges during the trail, so keep your eyes and ears open.
Lunch
1300-1400
Non-Vehicular challenges, prizegiving, etc.
1400-1530
Pack up/tidy up/Wheel inflation
1530-1600
Drop passengers back home
1730
Please ensure you are fuelled up before heading out in the morning. We will be travelling approximately 15 Km on the trail, and approximately 190 Km from Salt River to the trail and back.
We will have a “catering staff” at the Lapa, AKA Graham Bartlett and Sandra Vice, who will prepare the food and fires in readiness for our return from the trail. A BIG thanks to them for the hard work without even seeing the rough stuff L.
We will also have a couple of dedicated photographers along for a change, to free up the drivers from running around like lunatics and keep the convoy moving along nicely.
Additional Logistics Request
Are you able to provide any prizes or sponsorships? Please ask around!
Does anyone have a spare tyre, not on rim, and an anchor/grappling hook to bring along on Saturday?
Safety:
The trails we undertake are not anything deemed to be dangerous, just a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we don’t want to take chances with the kids! With this in mind, there are a couple of very basic, common-sense rules for the day on order to participate as indicated below, as well as some suggested equipment needed.
Required:
Anyone behind the wheel must have a Driver’s License, and it must be with you on the day.
Your vehicle must be roadworthy, and for the most part mechanically sound. If deemed unsafe, then you will NOT be allowed to participate, so please make sure. We are taking other peoples kids along, let’s look after them.
Low Range capable; there are a number of areas we will be going that regular 4x2 or High Range may experience difficulties. We have only a limited time available on trail, and do not want to spend unnecessary time recovering vehicles.
Camera/Video Camera. OK, this could probably have gone into preferred or optional equipment, but we would like to put together comprehensive coverage of the day for participants, sponsors, and possibly even the media. The more pictures we can choose from the better. Teach your passengers to use your camera, get them involved too. Remember extra batteries, don’t run out halfway through. If you have more than one camera bring it along, and encourage the kids to use their cellphones too
Preferred equipment
Basic recovery gear. If you don’t have your own, for example snatch straps, your vehicle should at least have decent recovery points front and back.
Compressor to re-inflate tyres after the drive, and tyre pressure gauge
Spare wheel and jack!
Fire Extinguisher – you never know.
Basic First Aid kit. We are trying for a large one, but no promises.
General Notes:
Entry and use of route and facilities strictly at own risk.
Stay on the route\track and follow the route direction at all times.
No fires except in the designated area – please extinguish fire completely before leaving
Do not discard cigarette butts: bush fires are a major hazard and concern!
Leave only your tracks behind. Refuse bins are provided at the lapa.
We will have 2 designated Recovery Advisors in case anyone experiences difficulties. This will limit the number of people needing to be out of vehicles.
Passengers will be briefed to stay with their drivers/vehicles.
Keep an eye on the Vehicle behind you, particularly if there are unclear turns or junctions. Hang around long enough to make sure that vehicle makes the turn.
Seatbelts to be worn, EXCEPT with water crossings.
For water crossings, Seatbelts off and windows open.
Maintain a safe following distance.
Allow the vehicle in front of you to clear an obstacle before you make an attempt. Once you are through, call the obstacle clear.
No Flower Picking
Observe 25 KM/H Speed limits past houses
Driving up dam walls and similar is NOT permitted
Recovery cost by tractor and driver is R300 per recovery.
If vehicle doesn’t have any recovery points, the driver will hook the recovery belt. All vehicle damage will be the drivers own responsibility
No loose objects will be allowed inside or on the back of the vehicle.
All drivers must wear lace up / closed shoes.
Lastly on the safety aspect: NO ALCOHOL until we have safely dropped the children off where we collected them please.
In Vehicle provisions:
We will be doing something different this time out to standardise things. Rather than each person running around trying to organise snacks for their vehicles, and the vast range of what is on offer, we will instead work on the basis of supplying the requisite number of “snack Packs” for the drivers and passengers, approximately 4 per vehicle. These will include a couple of drinks each, as well as something nice to eat. We expect the cost to be around R20 to R25 per person, but we will include it in the total fees for the day to avoid penalising those who are able to carry more than the regular number of passengers. We figured this is a pretty fair system, ensuring that all get the same. And don’t worry, we will bear in mind that the type of snacks have a direct impact on the subsequent state of your vehicle interior J
However, please take along some water for drinking!!
Costs:
The cost for the day will be R 200, plus your fuel. Included in this will be the snacks, lunch and trail permits. This is based on R100 for trail fee, and R100 for snacks. However, we would ask people to consider contributing the “regular” trail fee of R 150 (i.e. a total of R250), as this would help cover many of the additional items. Come on, you know you were planning to anywayJ.
Here’s looking forward to a super outing on the 10th for both the kids and ourselves.
Blessings
The organisers