Royalty visits Franschhoek
2006-10-19
Susan Botha
THIS past Sunday was definitely not your run of the mill Sunday afternoon - especially in Franschhoek.
His Royal Highness, Prince Edward (Earl of Wessex), and his wife, Princess Sophie (Countess of Wessex), attended the President’s Awards function in the Groendal Community Centre.
Prince Edward is international trustee and chairman of the International Council of the Awards.
The organisation has been supporting the development of young South Africans for 23 years, and the International Award Association, of which the President’s Award is a member, this year celebrates 50 years of youth development in over 100 countries around the world.
Half an hour before the dignitaries’ arrival, all the participants in the youth programme, as well as guests, were seated. The royal visitors had clearly inspired most of the invited guests to forego their Sunday afternoon nap and to be on time.
“She looks just like princess Diana,” whispered a guest audibly as the royal couple entered the hall.
The princess is a dignified, friendly person with a lively interest in everyone and everything around her. Prince Edward and his wife congratulated every recipient personally, walking around the hall to the different groups, taking their time to make the event special to the young people.
They were followed by a swarm of photographers, vying with one another for the best shots.
Waiting for the Prince to reach them, a group of inmates from Drakenstein Correctional Facility were nervously wiping their sweating hands on their trousers.
“It was an awesome feeling, an experience of a lifetime for me and my fellow participants,” said one of them, Randall Khol, afterwards.
“Not many youngsters are afforded the opportunity that was afforded to us,” said a fellow inmate, Enrico Eysen.
Khol was also chosen to deliver personal testimony during the programme. He said since he had joined the awards program, he discovered there was no limitations to his potential.
“I have realised that we as youth are the makers of the future, we create what time will frame.”
Emma Heistein from Bridge House said that she had learnt an unbelievable lot about herself - “who I am, what I want”.
Kelly-Anne Groenevelt of New Orleans Secondary said since she had started the programme in 2004, she had learned to open up to the needs of others. “I grew up in a safe, secure, comfortable environment and now I had to look out for others.”
The programme was run by the youths: from the programme directors to the performing artists and the speakers.
The theme of the visit was ‘Challenging Young People Everywhere’.
The Award Programme has over 5000 active participants nationally, from a diversity of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
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