Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2013 | Page 71
Auden wants us to see that we are not just names and numbers,
we are not simply the sum total of the official record. He is saying
that if you want to know the real story of a life then you have to
read between the lines, you have to look at
what is not on the page, but what is found
in the contents of our hearts and in the
complexity of our characters.
But again, why am I choosing this place
and time to talk about the nature of what we
define as heroic, to discuss the nature of
how we look at ourselves and each other?
Why, in the middle of a celebration, am I
discussing poetry with you?
And the answer is simple:
We are here tonight to celebrate ‘ordinary
people’.
We are here tonight to celebrate our
‘Unknown Citizens’.
When our national teams play, the eyes of
the whole country are upon them. When our
politicians speak, their words are reported
here and around the world. When our
musicians sing and our actors act and our
artists create we all stop and look and celebrate their art.
But what about the old Gogo who walks for miles each day to get
water for the dozens of children in her care?
What about the hard working social worker who tirelessly tries to
make life better for the people around, her even when her own
life is a struggle to survive?
What about the business people who could be making millions
for themselves but, instead, chooses to devote their lives to
raising millions for those who have the least and who need it
most?
Hero is a word we use too easily. We are quick to celebrate those
people and things that entertain us, the loud, the impressive,
the self-promoting and the self-obsessed. But we seldom even
notice those people who sustain us in our darkest hour.
And that is what we are doing here tonight.
We are here to celebrate all the Unknown Citizens who dedicate
their lives to the millions of unknown citizens who are the soul
and the beating heart and the real life blood of our country.
And I am here to tell you that what you do does not go unnoticed,
what you do does not go unrecognised, what you do does have
value and it is valued.
All of you, all the ‘unknown’ citizens, all the ‘unknown’ NGO’s and
‘unknown’ organisations, all of you matter, what you do matters,
what you are and what you represent matters.
And that is why we are here this evening. Why we are here for
our very first awards evening, the very first evening of this kind
in South Africa.
I am proud that the national lottery board is
hosting this event, proud to have initiated
these awards, proud that we are able to
start the process of recognition and reward
for those people doing such vital, essential,
life changing work here in South Africa.
And, this is my commitment to you:
This is just the beginning, and it is a good
beginning.
It is my hope that you will all join me in
working towards ever bigger, ever bolder,
ever more significant recognition for these
heroes. I hope you will join me in celebrating
the very best of us, tonight and in the months
and years to come.
Because, more than anything that is what
tonight is. It is a celebration. Tonight we
celebrate heroes … If I could I would give
every single person here an award, and
all of the tens of thousands of people who
stand behind you I would award them too. They are the people
who represent everything that is great about the South African
spirit and if I could I would celebrate and award every single one
of them, those nameless, glorious, hard-working unknown, but
never forgotten heroes.
We cannot all win awards for everything we do. But we must
all remember, everything we do matters, everything we do is
important, everything we do is known – if only by the people
whose lives we touch every day … The people who, in many
cases, would have no life at all if it were not for the interventions,
the dedication and the hard work of the people represented here
in this room.
And so, if ever you think that you are the Unknown Citizen, if ever
you think that what you do is not important, does not matter, is
not noticed … know this. All of you, you are celebrated; you are
remembered … You are known …
Thank you to all our friends, our partners and our Stakeholders
for your dedication and commitment in making these awards a
success. Please join me in enjoying the company and friendship
of all who have gathered here this evening and celebrate our
journey moving forward.
Thank you and God Bless
The Buskaid Academy of String Teaching and Performance is housed in its own purpose-built Music School
in Diepkloof, Soweto. There are currently 115 local children attending the Buskaid Music School, where they
receive tuition of the highest calibre in violin, viola, cello, double bass, aural, theory and keyboard skills.
Buskaid operates a very successful teacher-training programme, and the majority of its highly skilled and
qualified teachers are drawn from its senior membership. The Buskaid Ensemble has toured extensively
abroad and has gained an international reputation for high standards of musicianship and performance. It was
identified as one of the world’s top ten inspirational orchestras by the UK’s Gramophone Magazine, following
its highly acclaimed debut at the BBC Promenade Concerts in 2007. The Buskaid Trust would like to express
its great debt of gratitude for the gene ????????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%????????????????????????????)?????????????????91Q???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????M????)Q??????????????????????????????????@??