The Cows
By Kerrin Bain
What do you get when you put together a farmer from Heidelberg , a Volvo-driving snob from Fourways and an Italian accountant from Bedfordview ? But wait there ’ s more … add another Italian , a madman who cycles in a dog suit for fun , an Ironman and 2 Grants ?
The answer is the start of one of the most amazing and unexpected journey that life can offer . Thankfully ( and forever grateful ) we managed to convince Karyn , Tanya , Marc , Stephen , Iris , Gords and Lynne to join our crazy adventure to ensure that at least someone had their hands on the wheel . What an amazing trip it has been so far and every picture of The Cows tells a different story , there are hundreds of life changing moments for those that are lucky enough to call themselves part of our herd and also for those that we meet along the way and help to a better place .
September 2008
It was 2008 and a couple months before the 947 Cycle Challenge , we needed to come up with something decent to raise money for CHOC ( Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa ). Grant and I had just lost our daughter , Jessica to Neuroblastoma on 27 February 2008 , she was 20 months at the time she passed away and she had spent a large portion of her short life in hospital undergoing chemotherapy as well as a stem cell transplant . She had amazed us with her strength and bravery and how the simple things were the only things that really mattered … being together , laughter and love . Such a simple formula to happiness ! CHOC had provided us with invaluable support and during the last few weeks of Jessica ’ s life we would have been lost without them .
Enter now the motley crew mentioned above , namely Grant , Cordi , Albie , Robby , Rich , Steven and Grant . These reluctant heroes took the reins and after an in-depth strategy session ( read ‘ lots of drinking ’), The Cows were born . You may ask why ‘ The Cows ’? That is a long story but the short version is that we were going to be called ‘ The Farmyard ’ with a pig , a cow , a goat , a chicken , a dog and a sheep . Luckily the forces of the universe were strong the day we walked into the Krugersdorp Fancy Dress shop and instead we walked out with 8 Cow suits .
6 Cow and Belle | October 2021