5FM Sports presenter Sias du Plessis has pledged his support to The Unlimited Child and will take on The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon in February next year to raise funds and awareness for the organisation.
Sias and his new paddling partner Ryan Thompson will take to the water in their K2 as part of The Unlimited Dusi Charity Batch in aid of The Unlimited Child, which provides educational toys, caregiver training and support to enable underprivileged crèches to give children the stimulation they need to achieve their full potential in life.
The Unlimited Dusi Charity Batch is an online bidding system, which allows paddlers the opportunity to bid for a position in an earlier starting batch each day with all bids being donated to charity. A daily head start offers a huge competitive advantage as the paddlers will be out on the water earlier to beat the midday sun and will also avoid the congestion as more batches set off from the starting line. A record amount of R368 020 was raised this year for The Unlimited Dusi’s official charities, namely The Unlimited Child, the SPCA and DUCT (Dusi Umgeni Conservancy Trust). Bidding for 2013 Charity Batch starting positions open on Saturday, 1 December 2012.
According to Sias, affectionately dubbed Ginger by morning show host Gareth Cliff, his 2012 maiden Dusi was an unforgettable adrenaline rush and he is looking forward to getting out on the water again – especially as he will be raising much needed funds and awareness for such a worthy cause.
“Although I have not had much time on the water since The Unlimited Dusi 2012, I’m very excited about taking part again and will use the next couple of months to prepare. Being out on the water is quite a challenge, but worth the effort to be part of one of the biggest canoe marathons in the world,” said Sias.
Du Plessis is kicking off his fundraising campaign this week with a Comedy Night @ The Studio at Primi Rosebank. Sias partners up with local comedians Dillan Oliphant, Malcolm Ferreira and Jason Goliath for a night of side-splitting fun and laughter on Tuesday, 6 November. Tickets are R250 per person and include dinner, selected drinks and the show. Ticket proceeds will be donated to The Unlimited Child. For bookings, please dial 011- 447 0300.
Joining Sias in the Charity Batch celebrity line-up is TV anchor Liezel van der Westhuizen, who is returning to the event with her 2012 partner Greg van Heerden. Both from the Milnerton Canoe Club in the Western Cape, the two are paddling together for the second year running and are gearing up for a more competitive race in the colours of The Unlimited.
“I loved my first Dusi experience and am really looking forward to paddling in the beautiful Valley of 1000 Hills again. Greg and I paddle well together and hope to better our finishing time this time around. Mostly though it is about enjoying the amazing scenery in the Valley and getting out on the water,” says Liezel.
For more information on The Unlimited Child, visit the website at www.theunlimitedchild.co.za or to read more about The Unlimited Dusi, visit
More Info: http://www.theunlimiteddusi.co.za
Author: Christel Liebenberg from Peridot Communications. Originally distributed by MyPR.co.za.
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Liezel and Sias ready for action Photographer: Peridot
Liezel and Sias in friendly dual Photographer: Peridot
Ginger and Giraff ready for The Unlimited Dusi Photographer: Peridot
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