North Durban duo tackles Tinman for change
Virginia teacher and best friend help raise funds and awareness for the Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa (CHOC), Bloom Centre for Children with Special Needs and the Intshisekelo High School in Inanda
![Justin Paynter and Gavin Skevington recently completed the Tinman Triathlon Series event in Durban raising funds and awareness for CHOC. Skevington, a Durban North resident has also been involved in fundraising initiatives for Bloom and Intshisekelo High School in Inanda.](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2018/11/45shgav1-Large.jpg)
IN the last two years, Gavin Skevington has raised more than R90 000, helping raise funds and awareness for the Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa (CHOC), Bloom Centre for Children with Special Needs and the Intshisekelo High School in Inanda.
The 35-year-old and his best friend, Justin Paynter recently took on and completed last weekend’s Tinman Triathlon Series in Durban. Dressed in their Friesian bovine patterned suits the Cows are famous for, the pair managed to complete the event in two hours and 28 minutes.
Incredibly it was the duo’s first Tinman and they managed to complete the event with little or no training.
In other news: Nixon crowned SA champ in East London
Paynter explained how he teamed up with Skevington for the event.
“We were having dinner one evening and Gavin said do you want to do a triathlon with me for CHOC, I said okay, that sounds like fun, let’s do it,” Paynter said. “He is one of my best mates and I’ve watched him through his journey raising funds for all three initiatives he is involved in and I wanted to be part of this journey for a change.”
Skevington said he plans on doing a few more Tinman events with Paynter in the near future.
“I must admit I remember Justin joining me to do the Tinman event very differently to the version he gave,” laughed Skevington. “We had met for coffee and I said I was doing the Tinman for charity and he said he would join in. Really, for both of us, we wanted to try and encourage people to do better for the community and look past themselves and see what they can do for others. I’m glad that Justin and Gordon Reid, who also completed the Tinman with me are committed to making a difference in other people’s lives,” he said.
Read also: 2019 elections likely to be in May
The Virginia Preparatory School physical education teacher said he was already working on his annual bowls day in aid of CHOC.
If you would like to contribute to Skevington’s cause, click here.
For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram