Velly cleans up for charity
Veliotes has lost his characteristic long, ginger beard for a worthy cause and is now clean shaven for the first time in five years.
From being the most recognisable personality at Benoni Northerns, friends, associates, teammates and fellow club members could easily be forgiven for walking right past Michael Veliotes this week.
His fund-raising initiative dubbed ‘Velly’s Big Shave’, was held in conjunction with the Benoni Northerns Athletics Club charity golf day at Benoni Country Club last week and garnered a healthy sum of R26 000 for the club’s development runners, over and above proceeds raised at the golf day.
An American-style accumulative auction was conducted where every bid proffered went into the overall pot, with the highest bidder winning the right to shave Velly’s fluff off.
While other bidders shelled out generous amounts, the top bid of R4 100 was submitted by Clayton Wiesner, a Northerns social hockey player and a keen runner, who couldn’t wait to get at Veliotes’s familiar attachment.
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The team from Pit Stop Barbers in Northmead kindly donated their service for the occasion and was on site with a makeshift barber’s chair and shaving equipment.
“It was fantastic to see the overwhelming support for this worthwhile initiative,” commented a beaming Veliotes. He was left clasping a handful of ginger facial hair, the only memento of what once was.
And as for the new look?
“It is very weird. I haven’t felt the wind on my chin in quite some time,” he quipped.
“I went to the club last weekend to umpire and I have to admit, there were quite a few people who didn’t recognise me.
