leisurewheels.co.za SEPTEMBER 2019 93
A
T 8am, 32 volunteers and their steeds
gathered in the gloomy parking lot of
the recently revamped Atlantis Dunes
office facility, awaiting the arrival of 40 eager
kids from the Atlantis School of Skills, who
were chosen by the City of Cape Town (CoCT)
to join in the fun.
Both event and venue have matured since
this event began nine years ago. When Atlantis
Dunes off-road executive (Adore) and CoCT
initially came together to organise this event,
the continued use of the Atlantis dunes as a
4×4 venue was in doubt. The dunes were on
the verge of being named a nature reserve and
CoCT officials were unsure about the 4×4
fraternity as a whole. Volunteers are, after all,
hard to come by and you never quite know
what you’re going to get.
Yet the first event was a huge success, to the
point that it has become a happy annual
occurrence for all involved. Where once all
parties nervously greeted one another,
wondering how things would turn out, it’s now
a meeting of old friends among both the
drivers and the CoCT regulars, all looking
forward to a fun day.
Nine years later, what is now known as the
Witsand Nature Reserve embraces the 4x4
fraternity as an essential part of its activities,
and these activities form part of the
management plan of the reserve.
But enough of the red tape. On to the real
reason for this event’s existence: the kids.
With the kids fed and watered and the
drivers’ moods lifted by copious amounts
of coffee, the kids were led into the all-new
events hall. There they were given a talk
by Bongani Mnisi of the biodiversity
management branch on the importance of
environmental management and preservation.
Councillor Cynthia Clayton spoke about
former President Nelson Mandela’s legacy and
building our nation.
Then it was on to the main event. The kids
were allocated to cars and the mandatory safety
speech was drilled into the drivers. After that
the cars roared into the dunes, much to the
delight of squealing kids in the passenger seats.
The organisation of the event improves
every year and this year was no exception.
Because of this, there was even time for a
second activity. Sandboarding was organised,
courtesy of Mamba Sandboarding.
After that, the kids and drivers had another
couple of hours of thrilling drops, power slides
and general driving fun before heading back
for lunch, provided by Cajun Spur (Table Bay
Mall), and the self-proclaimed World-Famous
Atlantis Dunes Friday Avie Club.
Even though the day started dark and
gloomy, it ended with many happy smiling
faces, which is enough to brighten even the
gloomiest day.
We look forward to doing it all again
next year.MANY
THANKSA day like this
wouldn’t be possible
without sponsors,
which include
Thorpe Suzuki
Table View, Total
Parklands, Cool
Bananas, Red Bull,
Monster Energy,
Truda Snacks,
Clippa Sales,
Vodacom Paarl,
Puma Drinks and
the Combat Jujitsu
Academy. TuffStuff
Insurance donated
enough money to
purchase protective
overalls for learners.
As an official and
properly organised
event, there needed
to be a medical
presence on the day,
and once more,
Metro Rescue and
EMS provided their
services free
of charge.The Atlantis Dunes
gate is located at
S33° 35’ 54.2” E18°
26’ 55.7”. Permits
are available at the
gate. Witsand is
open from Monday
to Saturday from
8am until 3.30pm
and on Sundays
from 8.30am to
12.30pm.Opposite page, main: More than 30 volunteers and their steeds gathered at the recently
revamped Atlantis Dunes. Opposite page, bottom: Kids enjoying refreshments before
an exhilirating day in the dunes. Top: Flatout down a dune is sure to get the adrenaline
pumping. Above: Numerous sponsors were present and without them, the day would not
have been possible.