KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Oyster Festival's Flavours of Knysna together with the Brenton Ratepayers' Association used this year's Mandela Day to build kennels, sew dog blankets, and raise money for neutering and spaying a number of dogs in Knysna's underprivileged suburbs.
The result of their hard work will be delivered to the recipients through the social enterprise Emzini Tours and its Lukhahyiso safe house.
"Most of the Oyster Festival events nominate charities as beneficiaries of their fundraising efforts," said Flavours of Knysna organiser Picca de Bruin. "We chose to support Lukhahyiso, which is run by Penny Mainwaring, because of the wonderful work they do for the animals in Knysna's townships.
"It struck me that there must be a way to reuse the festival's waterproof posters, rather than just discard them," De Bruin said, adding that the Brenton Ratepayers' Association took to the idea enthusiastically. "The build took place at the Brenton-on-Sea community hall on Thursday and Friday 18 and 19 July, and more than 50 people came along to make the kennels and sew the blankets. This included members of the ratepayers' association, residents of Brenton and Belvidere, individuals from other parts of Knysna, and teams from Allsound Security, Brenton Haven, and Brenton-on-Sea Chalets," she said.
"People arrived with their tools and sewing machines, overlockers and fabric, as well as timber and other materials, and Allsound Security, Susan Campbell, Peter Myers, Knysna Roofing, and handyman André donated large quantities of wood for the frames, while Lancewood sent palettes that we used for the bases of the kennels. Knysna Municipality provided the venue at no cost, and also sent a large truck that delivered all the kennels to Frame by Frame, which is the collection point for donations for Emzini's projects."
De Bruin said many others helped, too – including Nautical South Restaurant, which made soup for the volunteers, and others who made themselves useful in many different ways.
"The gees (spirit) at the hall both on Mandela Day and on the day afterwards was awesome, and I couldn't help thinking of Alf Khumalo's famous photo of Nelson Mandela himself getting a hug from his dog Khrushchev, which was taken sometime in 1956 during the Treason Trial," said De Bruin.
The final tally saw 29 kennels built, more than 70 cushions sewn, and sufficient funds raised to spay/neuter six dogs. "This money came from individuals who were unable to attend the work sessions, but who wanted to make personal contributions nevertheless."
Read a previous article here: Mandela Day a score for the dogs
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
