Durban — On New Year’s Eve, while many were reflecting on the year gone by, a Durban veteran athlete with 22 Dusi Canoe Marathons to his name spent the day recovering from his remarkable feat of paddling around Mauritius.
Graeme Johnston’s inspiring solo expedition was in a bid to raise funds for the Reach For A Dream Foundation.
Johnston, 62, said achieving this long-held dream was more than a personal accomplishment for him.
“It was a charitable effort to support Reach For A Dream, an organisation committed to fulfilling the dreams of terminally ill children. After completing the gruelling 188km solo paddle, I feel fulfilled. It’s been a lifelong dream to undertake this challenge, and doing it to help terminally ill children achieve their dreams makes it even more special,” he said.
Johnston said the nine-day adventure, starting and ending at Grand Baie, was fraught with challenges, including logistical issues with Customs delaying the release of his equipment.
However, this did not deter Johnston, who in response resourcefully hired and borrowed equipment from local Mauritians, ensuring his mission to circumnavigate the island and raise funds was accomplished.
Upon completing his journey, Johnston stood on the beach, expressing profound gratitude to the Mauritian community for their support and to the companies that sponsored essential items for his trip. He also thanked the individuals who donated to this noble cause.
“I am passionate about providing adventure experiences for children. My inspiration came from the Reach For A Dream Foundation, which had a profound impact on my partner’s son during his battle with leukaemia, granting him a cherished dream train ride. I was motivated by this and I decided to contribute to the cause,” said the former outdoor adventure centre operator in KwaZulu-Natal.
Head of communications and marketing at Reach For A Dream, Birgit Deibele, said through his extraordinary journey Johnston had shown that dreams could be achieved no matter how big or challenging they seemed.
“We are deeply grateful for his efforts and the funds raised, which will enable us to inspire hope and fulfil more dreams for children battling life-threatening illnesses.”
Deibele said Reach For A Dream sought to alleviate the strain that life-threatening illnesses placed on sick children and their families by providing these dreamers with the opportunity to believe in their greatest wish.
“These young children are under extreme pressure to deal with these medical issues and are in desperate need of encouragement. In addition, Reach For A Dream offers the child a magical moment to regain their childhood that is being lost to an illness’, Deibele said.
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