GEORGE NEWS - The NSRI Station 23’s youngest crew member Jané Botha (17), completed the first 12 hours in her attempt to swim for 24 hours this weekend to raise funds for Station 23 (Wilderness).
Jané will be back in the water at Glenwood House School pool at 06:00 tomorrow, Sunday 22 October, to start the second leg of her 24-hour challenge. Jané set off at 06:00 this morning in the pouring rain.
The downpours and strong wind continued relentlessly throughout the day, causing localised flooding, landslides and road closures across the Garden Route. Twelve hours into her swim, she reached the halfway mark, still full of smiles, having completed a staggering 38.7km.
Undeterred by the adverse weather, Botha's family have been at the poolside with her all day, even feeding her as she swims without stopping. Throughout the day she has also been joined by fellow NSRI crew, Glenwood House learners and members of the public, all swimming for a minimum of one hour to support her.
Botha's swimming progress is being tracked, using a line of NSRI’s Pink Rescue Buoys (PRB), at the same time helping to create awareness of this award-winning project. Placed strategically on signs at selected inland rivers, dams and at beaches, these bright pink buoys act can be used as emergency flotation until help arrives. Their bright pink colour allows them to be easily seen.
To date, this ground-breaking innovation, has saved 157 lives. After every hour of swimming, another pink buoy is hung up on a pole next to the pool to track Botha's progress.
At the end of a long day, at 18:00, the sun symbolically broke through the clouds, and she exited the pool for the first time to personally hang up pink buoy number 12. Advice from a proud dad, dr Beyers Botha, “Don’t ever underestimate your dreams”.
The weather forecast for tomorrow, Sunday 22 October, is looking far more favourable and NSRI is appealing to local community to get behind and support her. You can book a lane and swim with her, or just come along and support.
You can also donate to Station 23 Wilderness via her givengain page. The funds raised will go towards Station 23 solar energy solution, so the Sea Rescue Wilderness can operate without having to worry about the impact of load shedding this season.
Follow the link https://www.givengain.com/project/jane-botha-raising-funds-for-nsri-national-sea-rescue-institute-
She didn't even stop to eat.
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