Farmer paddles the extra mile for charities
Simon Dunshea hopes to paddle the entire length of Lake Tanganyika unaided in his solo kayak to raise funds for two charities close to his heart.
MBOMBELA – On Friday local avocado and macadamia farmer, Mr Simon Dunshea will embark on the trip of a lifetime when he will attempt to paddle the length of Lake Tanganyika to raise awareness and funds for two causes close to his heart, Supporting Baby Daniel and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa).
Tanganyika’s waters lap the shores of four African countries: Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. It is the longest fresh-water lake in the world at over 670 kilometres and holds approximately one in every six drops of fresh water in the world.
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Dunshea hopes to paddle the entire length unaided in his solo kayak with only the last 140 kilometres uncertain due to political instability in Burundi. He aims to average 30 kilometres a day which will take between six and eight hours.
If he manages this, the trip should take him approximately 20 days. Along the way, he will have to catch a lot of his own protein to eat, camp on shore and watch out for chimpanzees and crocodiles. He will stop at three lodges en route.
Dunshea said he only heard about the opportunity to go on the trip three weeks ago. He had to organise a kayak and all the equipment in a very short space of time.
It just came around at exactly the right time in my life. Although I keep fit, I only have 20 kilometres of paddling experience under my belt, so I have had to start training every day. It is going to be a massive physical effort but one for which I feel ready,” he said.
Dunshea added that the members of the Lowveld Canoe Club had been hugely supportive in giving him training and advice for the trip. He chose the two causes in honour of a friend who passed away from cancer.
“If he was alive, he would have done it with me. It’s the kind of trip he would have loved to have done,” Dunshea said.
Supporting Baby Daniel is a cause in aid of a six-month-old Daniel Ferreira, who was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in both eyes. Wessa is an environmental organisation which implements high-impact environmental and conservation initiatives in southern Africa. Any funds raised by Dunshea will be shared evenly between the two.
Check out Lion heart Tanganyika paddle on Facebook for more information on how to get involved. Dunshea hopes to get sponsored R2 or more for every kilometre paddled.
