Caleb Finn, the newly elected councillor for Ward 70 is a man of many talents.
Caleb participated in the annual Midmar Mile event near Pietermaritzburg recently, where he swam two miles to raise awareness for a local charity – Queen Butterfly Foundation.
According to him, this was his 17th Midmar event. “I swam my first one when I was only nine years old, and after that it became an annual tradition. Most years I did multiple events, and in 2009 I swam all eight miles for charity. It was quite an experience to become part of the 8 Mile Club,” he said smiling.
He said that as his life started to become busier, he swam less. He did not have time to train as much as was needed. Then, in 2012 his nephew, Greg, was diagnosed with Stage 4 synovial sarcoma cancer. “This is a soft-tissue cancer and Greg’s upper leg area was affected. The doctors only gave him 12 months to live. In February of that year I started a tradition of swimming the Midmar event in support and in honour of him and his fight,” an emotional Caleb said.
In February 2013, two months after his nephew had passed away, he began a new trend – swimming in memory of Greg. “That year I swam in support of Wits Palliative Care Clinic and in 2014 it was Rainbows and Smiles. In 2015 I asked everyone to suggest a charity that needed support, and I swam for them. This year I chose Queen Butterfly Foundation, and swam two miles in support of them,” said Caleb.
He does not necessarily raise money for the organisation he swims for, but tries to create awareness about the work they do. He said he did not have the time to do all the intense fundraising activities, but if only one person read about the charity he swims for and tries to make a difference, he has reached his goal.
“I have worked with the Queen Butterfly Foundation for quite a while now, and I believe in what they do. I believe they deserve support, and for people to know and understand what they are all about,” he said.
Caleb said swimming has always been in his blood. It was one of the many sports he tried that he was actually good at and enjoyed. At one stage he even worked as a part-time swim instructor!
When he was asked how many training sessions he had before this year’s event, he burst out laughing, saying, “One! Only one! Because of my
hectic schedule I could not squeeze in any more sessions and hoped one would be enough. I decided I’ll float myself across the dam twice, if needed!
But, it is definitely not the way to do it, you need to train four times a week for at least 45 minutes to one hour, and cover two kilometres,” he said with a big smile. He also added that he is working towards doing the full eight miles again – and be part of that special circle.
He concluded by saying, “I believe we are living in our own worlds, removed from what is going on around us. We should make time for those who are not as fortunate as we are, spend some time with them and then we will realise how blessed we are. It’s our responsibility to care for them.”
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