Movember motivation at The Fairway Hotel

Guests and staff of The Fairway Hotel had fun donning fetching moustaches and wrapping trees in blue in support of Movember at an event on 1 November.

Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide.

Emcee for the event Emmanuel Pietersen said, “There is so much attention and events placed on breast, cervical and ovarian cancer, and sometimes male forms of cancer get neglected when it comes to its awareness. This is why Movember is so important, as it makes people talk about the issue.

“A lot of people say ‘what is growing a moustache going to help?’, and it is all about generating awareness and encouraging the conversation about the problem. The biggest issue with cancer is that if you want to beat it, you have to be tested and be diagnosed early on.”

Andrew Oberholzer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa said, “We need to let men know that it is okay to talk about things like their sexual health and cancer. A lot of men fall victim to the ‘I’m fine syndrome’ or the ‘cowboys don’t cry syndrome’, and are too afraid to get tested for fear of being perceived as weak. So many men are remarkably ignorant about their health.

“As a foundation, it is our mission to educate all on the importance of getting tested for all types of cancer affecting men, such as breast, prostate and testicular cancer. It needs to be caught at an early stage so that it can be beaten.”

Taking inspiration from a similar initiative in Beaufort West, the hotel wrapped trees in blue material to symbolise their support for the cause.

“It’s the same concept as what has been done for female cancer support when trees were wrapped in pink. It is a great cause that we are proud to be a part of,” said the Fairway Hotel’s Cherelee Oosthuizen.

The hotel set up a variety of fun and interactive activities related to the cause, including ‘bra pong’, where guests throw ping-pong balls into hanging bras to score points.

The event also had live entertainment in the form a band comprising South African artists Jason Oosthuizen of Van Coke Kartel, Chris van der Walt of the Black Cat Bones, Werner Bosman of the Jesse Clegg band, Clint Falconer of the Dan Patlansky band, and Marcel Dalmayda of the Voice SA.

All drinks for the event were sponsored by South African Breweries, and guests were also treated to blue gin and tonic cocktails on entry.

Next year, the hotel aims to make a larger impact by wrapping trees along Republic Road.

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