Mission 16
Rainbow Airbridge’s Ficksburg Christmas Party – 02-12-2006

We were approached by Helen to help with the supply of gifts for the Sunbeam Kids and Angels Home Christmas party to be held on the 2nd of December 2006. This request was followed by a call from Greta and Damon from Ferreiras; they had collected gifts at their annual Xmas party that required delivery down to Ficksburg too. Thanks to the staff at Ferreiras. Damon gallantly joined us for the journey and was very enthusiastic in further helping the Sunbeam Kids organisation.

I swung into action; contacting Ernie and Alan Mocke from Air BP our principal sponsor, he offered to purchase shoes and radios as requested by the children at Sunbeam and Angels Home. Funds were collected during the year by Alan’s staff and then specifically for this trip. So thanks to the Air BP staff, there were some very appreciative children on the receiving end on the day.

Ernie’s efforts assured us of pilots, Chris Wrathall in his Cherokee Six and Guy Leitch in the SA Flyer Cessna 182, these guys donated their time and aircraft, thanks, you experienced things first hand, and I am sure you did not leave without being touched in some way by the event and the people involved.
Thanks to Helen and her family and friends from the Rotary clubs of Ficksburg who organised the party
and collected us and the gifts at the Ficksburg airfield, a wonderfully kept tar strip on the northern outskirts of town.

On arrival we were treated to some breakfast at a lovely venue in town, and then off to the party. First off
we were encouraged to take part in a tug-of-war match. Ernie in his inimitable way took charge of the losing side and turned things around for them, with some enthusiastic sideline coaching of course.

Exhausted we all went inside for the handing out of some gifts and some singing and speeches. Each Child got a pair of shoes or a radio, as requested and the Angels home children got gifts purchased by us and Air BP, all received a gift donated by the Ferreira’s staff. Time for us, as usual, was of the essence,
we needed to beat the weather buildup, reported to start developing on the reef around 2 pm on the day. We therefore did not meet the Angels home kids as they were at a school ceremony but I understand
from Helen that they enjoyed the day too with a lot of gifts. The trip down and back went well and we got back about half an hour before the reported buildup of thunderstorms and what looked like a squall line coming up from the south over Johannesburg.

Once again thank you to all concerned, please have a look at the picture gallery, and please sign our Dreambook.