08/02/2019
Help support GHS
Germiston High School Supported by the rowing comunity
The Germiston High School Rowing Club is known for their hard work, dedication and ability to give young South African athletes opportunities in the sport of rowing.
Based at Germiston Lake, the Club is made up of athletes, coaches and support staff from primarily disadvantaged backgrounds and over the years have always struggled for funding. Unfortunately, they were dealt a devastating setback when a severe storm destroyed their boatshed and the majority of their boats with it on Thursday 17 January 2019. The disaster took place right in the middle of the 2018/2019 rowing season and only on one week before the prestigious RMB VLC National Sprint Regatta where the club had their sights on claiming a number of victories.
Niger Bakker – with the full support of Rowing South Africa - started a GoGetFunding Page aimed at raising funds for Germiston High School Rowing Club to ensure that the club was able to recover and rebuild their boatshed and the boats which were in it. By Wednesday 06 February 2019 the page had raised R93,000 form 105 generous donations, almost half of the page’s R 215,000 target.
In addition to the support from individuals within the rowing community, a number of neighbouring clubs and schools also put their hands up to assist this special club. East London Boating Association (ELBA), hosts of the RMB Buffalo Regatta, pledged R 10,000 to Germiston High School Rowing Club and challenged other rowing organisations to match their generous support. King Edward VII School and Holy Rosary School Rowing Club came forward and assisted Germiston with an additional R 10,000 each towards the rebuilding of the Club. The University of Cape Town also did their part through committing to donate 2 boats to the rowing club to assist with keeping their athletes on the water.
It was Rand Merchant Bank and the Team Powerhouse Trust, two of Rowing South Africa’s biggest supporters, who went above and beyond and donated R 100,000 to Germiston High School Rowing Club – doubling the overall cash total of this support and rebuild project to over R 200,00. Furthermore, the South African National Rowing Squad gave their assistance through the donation of a double (2x) made by world renowned international rowing boat manufacturer, Filippi.
The coming together of the South African Rowing Community has been tremendous, with individuals, clubs, rowing organisations and external supports all assisting the Germiston High School Rowing Club to rebuild and by doing that ensuring that the Club continuous to bring rowing to athletes who otherwise would never have taken part in the sport.
If you would like to contribute to the Germiston High School Rowing GoGetFunding Page, visit: https://gogetfunding.com/germiston-high-school-rowing-storm-rebuild/