U3A Athlone invites members of the public to attend a public talk on Thursday morning at Belthorn Recreational Hall in Athlone.
The discussion, titled “By Kayak to Africa”, will be led by Terry and Barbara Bell. The two were married in 1966 and set off in 1967 in a five metre kayak called Amandla, intending to paddle 7000km to Dar es Salaam. Thirteen years later, they reached their destination to start the primary division of the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College School in Tanzania where the two co-wrote the first primary school curriculum adopted by the ANC.
Terry – a Pretoria-born journalist, author, broadcaster and educator – is a former 90-day detainee who spent 27 years in exile. He accepted a challenge from a Canadian in 1965 that he could not paddle a kayak from London to Africa, and the couple’s adventures, trials and tribulations of that voyage form the basis of his latest book, A Hat, a Kayak and Dreams of Dar, which will be available to buy at the talk.
His previous book, Fordsburg Fighter – the story of an MK volunteer, as told to him – was published in 2016. The doors to the venue will open at 10:00 and the talk starts at 10:30 sharp. For more information, call Jacki Lange on 083 642 2567 or Ruan Wiggett on 084 714 5899.
