Here are five interesting people who came to Fourways in 2019
FOURWAYS – Fourways is a cool place, and it's had some cool visitors over the past 12 months. Here are five of the most interesting people to visit in 2019.
Fourways is a pretty cool place, so it is not surprising that some pretty cool people have visited the area in 2019.
The Fourways Review has put together a list of the most interesting visitors to the greater Fourways area over the past 12 months. From sporting stars to former residents making their mark on the world to a very unexpected primate, here are some of the most interesting people who have come to visit recently!
- A real-life astronaut
Dr Don Thomas is a Nasa (North American Space Agency) astronaut who has been to space four times, having orbited earth 692 times during his time in the skies. In September, the astronaut visited the Lanseria area as part of the 2019 Living Maths Space Tour. Spending time with 400 schoolchildren (including those from Diepsloot Combined, Kyalami Kids Preschool and Nietgedacht Primary School), Thomas hoped to inspire youngsters to follow their dreams, as it will be someone from their generation that will first land on Mars in the future.
Read more here: Visiting the Mars generation – Nasa astronaut in town
- This visitor caused a social media storm
The visitor that caused the biggest stir this year wasn’t even human. In November social media was abuzz after an adult baboon was spotted roaming the area, being seen on the streets for days before eventually being captured by animal welfare organisations while squatting at a Sandton hotel. The baboon wound up in Fourways because of the impact development has on wildlife, although his story thankfully has a happy ending after he was safely captured and released back into the wild.
Read more here: Safe capture for baboon
- A visit nearly 40 years in the making
In November and for the first time in about 37 years, the Kyalami 9 Hour endurance race once again returned to the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, bringing thousands of sporting enthusiasts and many talented racers (including Nick Tandy, local racing star Sheldon van der Linde and top of the tournament Denis Olsen) to Kyalami for a race to remember. Although the last time the event was held was in 1982, fans won’t need to wait as long for the next one – the race will be back in 2020!
Read more here: Porsche wins Kyalami 9 Hour
- Performer returns to his old stomping grounds
From 14 to 30 June the heart-wrenching play Family Secrets came to the Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino, telling the story of the relationship between a mother and son, both of whom had secrets. But a powerful story was not the only thing it brought to the area – one of its stars, Sven Ruygrok (who played the role of son Adam in the story), was actually educated right here in the greater Fourways area at Beaulieu College before matriculating in 2009. He now lives and works in Cape Town, so the show run was a chance to return to his roots.
Read more here: Every family has its secrets
- A sporting great teaches the next generation
Batting all-rounder Zander de Bruyn spent about 20 years in the world of professional cricket, both for South Africa’s national team the Proteas and overseas, before deciding it was time for him to start teaching the next generation of young sporting stars. In January, de Bruyn arrived in the greater Fourways area to take up the position of director of cricket at HeronBridge College, where he will teach players in both the primary school and high school how to improve their skills in the sport. His son also attends the school.
Read more here: Former Protea’s player now coaches at HeronBridge College
