50 Years of Umko 1966 - 2016 1966 - 2016 | Page 66

a police lieutenant-colonel, station commander at a nearby police station!
Oops!

At the Overnight Stops:
Chris Greeff

“Hubby Sandberg jumped on my partner Tim Biggs at the overnight stop
and broke his collar bone. We were lying third at the time, and I wanted to
finish the next day to get my 10th Umko finish. Doc Curson strapped Tim’s
arm up. My plan was to simply let him sit in the back as a passenger and I
would paddle to the finish. Doc did not think this was a good idea, so we
put a proposal to the organising committee for me to finish the race with
Danny Biggs, who was in a single. We would not be eligible for any prizes,
but we would be credited with a finish. This was bitterly appealed by some
who shall remain nameless, but I was eventually awarded my perpetuity
number”.

Manners and the local people

As paddlers we have the right to paddle on South Africa’s rivers and we
can get access wherever a public road crosses them. What we don’t have
rights to is farmlands or tribal trust land. We gain access to other parts of
our rivers and permission to camp and park and hold events thanks only to
the goodwill of farmers, landowners and custodians. It is absolutely vital
we treat this wonderful privilege with the respect and gratitude it deserves.
All it takes is to imagine what you would think or say if you woke up to
find someone on your lawn or in your flat and you will realise permission,
respect, sticking to agreements and leaving things as you found them are
the absolute basics needed to keep being able to enjoy our rivers like we
do. More than once farmers have banned paddlers from their farms (for
bad news like stealing a box of prize tomatoes, and for misdemeanours like
squatting under a tree, which unfortunately turned out to be a favourite
tree). Be a good rural citizen while on the rivers and the riverbanks, good
paddlers always make the effort.

©Craig Dutton

Farmers en-route

That stuff growing on the banks

That stuff growing on the banks

At one of the Swiftwater cou rses which Rob Hill hosts at Hella Hella the
topic of the famous Umko dagga plants came up during dinner.
One of the younger female participants seated next to Mike Vehbi stated
that it was a pity they hadn’t paddled along the lower stretches of the river
as she’d love to have harvested some of the illegal cannabis crop as she was
quite partial to the weed.
Her comment immediately caused all those who had heard it to look up,
go quiet and stare in her direction. And then begin to laugh. She demanded
to know what was going on.
Imagine her surprise and embarrassment when she was told that sitting
right next to her was a magistrate (Mike) and that sitting next to him was

UMKO 50 Years

Besides Ken Goodenough at the weir and the very special relationship with
Derek and Ron Freeman on ‘Whisky Canyon’ at Josephine’s, the Umko has
and had other friends and hosts. The Payns and Lynne & Barry Porter at
Hella Hella, Johan de Bruyn, Mr Green at St Elmo’s where Cunningham’s
drift is (the old main wagon route between Natal and the Cape where Mr
Conyngham operated the ferry), Mr Te Rielle, Mr du Toit, Johnny Sfaelos of
Valley View, Achilles Fontana on the north bank a few km upstream from the
mouth; Peter Krause downstream of Josephine’s who had a lovely orchard
on the left bank (a scene so beautiful it brought deeply romantic thoughts to
Roelof Roelie van Riet’s mind when paddling with Charlie Mason one year).
Not farmers, but also landowners en-route were first Dave Edwards and
then Craig and Denis Drennan at Hella Hella who run the Outdoor Centre
and have welcomed and supported the Umko from the outset. The Umko
generates welcome income for the centre and the new landowners (the local
clan) and provides some work for local people.
Without the generosity and hospitality of these good people the Umko would have
been far less than it is today.

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