Gemma's got our oysters on the soles of her shoes

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - This year's Knysna Oyster Festival proved to be a successful and fun one for all involved.

One lucky festivalgoer, Gemma Gelling, had a particularly great time in Knysna as she was named the first winner of the Knysna in my Shoes campaign.

To celebrate 40 years of the Knysna Oyster Festival, the Knysna in my Shoes competition was conceptualised by Garden Route travel blogger Rose Bilbrough, as a way of giving back to the festivalgoers who made the event special.

The campaign was also aimed at showcasing all the beauty and excitement that Knysna has to offer.

The campaign encouraged people to post pictures of their shoes around town at various landmarks and destinations.

Gelling is a Cape Town native and avid cyclist/runner who joined in the festivities while on holiday in Knysna. She found out about the competition relatively early on in the Knysna Oyster Festival week, coming across it while looking up events and races to take part in.

She was on her way to Gqeberha to visit her sister when she received a surprising Facebook message on 12 July saying that organisers were looking for her because she had won the prize. She received her prize on 14 July.

"I have been coming to this festival since I was a little girl; it is one of my favourite events of the year.

"The general atmosphere, the different events and experiences, the people, the organisers who put so much love and dedication into the planning and the endless supply of oysters and bubbly really make this event special and as a result it will always have a place on my calendar," she says.

Gelling's winning picture came as a spontaneous spur-of-the-moment decision.

"It was one of those moments when everything just falls into place. My grandfather wanted a new picture of the Knysna Heads as inspiration for an oil painting he was planning on doing, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a picture for my entry to the competition as the Knysna Heads are iconic."

The winning snapshot was taken by Gelling's mom, Linda, as one of the Ocean Sailing Charters yachts happened to be sailing by, capturing the photo at just the right moment.

Thozeka Sikali (left) hands Gemma Gelling her prize for the Knysna in my Shoes campaign.