KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna residents might recall a day recently when more than 80 Ferraris roared through the town's streets and had people stopping in their tracks as they gawked at these high-performance supercars in awe.
Ferrari club chapters from across the country and the world descended on Knysna on 29 September to commemorate the Southern Equitorial Ferrari Automobili Club's (Sefac) 50th year of existence in South Africa.
This visit, however, was not all just for fun and games.
The anniversary was commemorated with a 10-day nationwide tour – which included 11 international participants – that started in Johannesburg and ended in Cape Town.
Knysna was a stopover for two of these days.
According to Sefac Garden Route chairperson Alistair Gibb, there is also a strong fundraising component, "as is the custom in the Ferrari club".
"The funds collected are donated to various charities in the towns we visit.
"Two of the main events during this tour was an auction of mainly Ferrari memorabilia in Knysna, and another in Cape Town at the final gala dinner," he explains.
Gibb says that this year members donated generously and it was decided that a portion of the monies raised, which amounted to R300 000, would be handed over to Knysna Round Table to assist with their many projects following the June fires.
The Round Table Southern Cape's immediate past area chairperson Peter Bester says the Knysna contingent hosted the many Ferrari owners on 30 September for a private fundraising party.
"It is an honour for us that Sefac chose us to channel their generosity through to the Knysna fire victims, as these funds assists us to be able to assist the Knysna community," he says.
From left, at the handover of the donation, were Knysna Round Table (KRT) chair Clint van de Vlis, Ferrari Club SA chair Barry Simon, KRT member Peter Bester, Ferrari Club Garden Route chair Alistair Gibb, and KRT members Pieter Terblanche and Tobie de Clercq. Photo: Supplied
Bester explains that Knysna Round Table has identified the Families in Need voucher programme as one of the beneficiaries of their efforts to assist fire victims.
"Funds from this donation will go towards this programme.
"This forms part of our greater fire victim aid programme which Round Table has been involved in from the beginning."
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