The biggest cover up to hit Plettenberg Bay
Stephen Ritky highlights the story behind the BIGGEST COVER-UP to have ever hit Plettenberg Bay.
Just over 7 weeks ago, before lockdown, following some serious reading and on-line chats about the Covid-19 Virus, followed by conversations with Dr Nicky Whiteman of the then brand new Bitou Covid-19 Response Team, a thought process turned to a plan of action – get masks into Plett fast.
Long short… there is more to this!!!
The goal was 47 000 masks…
50 381 have been made, packed and moved on to faces in Plett.
44 804 have been given away as FREE masks to “less financially able” folk.
R505 532.00 has been paid to make these masks.
But that really is not the full story here. What needs to be shared is that (with the exception of R80k from the PlettAid Foundation) the above has been achieved entirely by YOU, the residents of our town, for our town and for the people of our town. Paid for, not by the government or the municipality or industry association or group… but by YOU.
If you dropped a piece of cloth in the trolley at Kwikspar, dropped a coin in the donations account or bought 1 of the 7 983 masks sold via WhatsApp or via the stores who moved masks for us… YOU did this.
5 514.41 sq meters (ignore the off-cuts) of linen & cotton rich cloth and around 55 kilometres of ties… YOU donated it.
Half a Million Rand injected into our local population at a time when the folk who got paid for their masks would have had nothing. How many wedding dresses, ball gowns, kids’ toys or other such were made in the last weeks? Virtually none I guess. These are the ladies who YOU have helped to work to feed their families.
The other mention must be the “Home Team.” This is a bunch of ladies who, to date, have made around 6 680 masks in their homes, on their home sewing machines, using mostly their own linen… while under lockdown! Many have blown out their machines. We got “Edward Naaimasjien” called in and cleared to work under lockdown to keep them running. Unbelievable bunch of ladies!
So… If you see the sticker in the pic on a mask in the various shops around Plett & beyond… that’s YOUR story. And it’s not over.
As we push from the mad rush of making free masks fast & furious to duplicating “Team Kerry’s winner Sculpted mask” across 3 teams on opposite ends of Plett (Kranshoek, Town & Kurland) we hope you will support the shops that support us. Not only are funds from their purchase going into Free masks but some of those shops pass back of their profits to make more free masks.
We have just landed a whole range of funky material for the masks. Of course, we have also started making the plain black, grey, white, etc. “work” masks which can have your logo slapped on it at an additional fee depending on numbers. Masks sold in our neighbouring towns here on the Garden Route will be credited to that town & profits will go towards FREE masks in that town.
The long term aim is to keep the ladies gainfully busy while their men stand aside in amazement. Well… not quite… some may have been seen cutting cloth, spinning ties, threading elastic or cleaning up behind the ladies.
That’s the sorry behind the biggest cover-up any town has ever pulled off.
This has been & will continue to be, one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives.
Thank you and BRAVO to YOU on YOUR project!!
Thank you also to all below and more…
- Buco Plettenberg Bay.
- Beacon Isle Kwikspar & Tops.
- Thyme and Again Farm Stall.
- City Paint & Tool Plett, Knysna & George.
- Knysna Health.
- Main Street Pharmacy.
- Pna Plettenberg Bay.
- Delia’s Plett.
- The Clean Shop Plett.
- Chiro LIFE.