Bertus captures the skies
2007-01-25
Malané Bosman
THERE is no stopping Bertus Colyn (36), blind telephone operator at the Paarl police station.
Not only has he competed as “Barry C” in the World Championship of Performing Arts in California (and won gold for each of his four entries), but he has now turned his voice to music motivational shows.
Bertus has been a member of the police team for 16 years. Not content with sitting behind the switchboard or standing on stage, Bertus ventured out onto the cricket pitch.
“I haven’t played cricket for a while though,” Bertus smiles.
“When I was awarded Boland colours I decided my body had suffered enough from all the falls on the pitch.”
Bertus had meanwhile married his Sonja and she was only too happy about his taking it a little easier.
Not for long, though. Bertus was off to Betty’s Bay to try his hand (and the rest of his limbs) at sandboarding.
“I did not do too well with that one,” Bertus admits.
“It was a wonderful experience, mind you, all except the 40 metre walk back up the dune.”
The cherry on the cake to quench Bertus’s taste for adventure came recently, when he flew a paraglider and a Cessna 172.
“I did not take off and land by myself,” Bertus smiles modestly. “But I got to play around in the air with both of them.”
Bertus remembers how getting off the ground with the paraglider was “quite scary”, with the downward spirals “thrilling”.
“We took off from Sir Lowry’s Pass with the wing. We needed only to run a few steps before we were airborne.
“But then the altimeter was omitting rapid downward tones, and I struggled to get into my seat. I didn’t realise I was supposed to hold my hands behind me in a tandem harness.
“After a few seconds we stabilised and I was listening to the sounds coming from beneath - cars, people, a train. Hearing everything around you, that’s what a blind person experiences.”
The landing was smooth and Bertus was elevated to the pilot seat of a Cessna that very same day.
“I’ve been dreaming of flying in a plane since I was a little boy,” Bertus recalls.
“It was only when my pilot started communicating with the control tower, that the reality of it all hit me. To my embarrassment I got tears in my eyes and I had to fight hard not to start crying.
“I had great fun over False Bay. The sound of the engine when you go into a downward spiral... my, oh my. Just like in the movies.
“The only difference was that I was handling the controls myself. I was so adrenalised that I could not fall asleep that night.”
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