Such was the level of empathy and love for an individual by family, friends and associates in Fisherhaven, near Hermanus, recently that they were prepared to walk a kilometre blindfolded to his new house, an exercise not without its challenges, mishaps and hilarities.
Scooter fanatic Chris Venter fell ill during a 32 000 km scooter expedition across Africa to Ireland, which resulted in complete blindness. However, an eternal optimist like his very good friend and fellow adventurer and explorer Riaan Manser, he has not allowed such crippling challenges to fell him.
He simply tackled a new adventure, #BuildingBlind, along with his good friend, constructing a new house in Fisherhaven.
So, on the day of the unveiling of the house on 21 April, blindfolded sponsors, friends and associates, with the media in tow, walked about a kilometre to the new house. It was difficult for them, they struggled to keep direction and every now and then almost strolled into the gutters!
The exercise, instigated by Manser, was intended to enable participants to experience what it is like to be blind. Venter, his wife Tamlyn, their son Tate and guide dog Sam welcomed all to their house.
Tamlyn described the friendship and partnership between her husband and Manser saying: “The unique thing about Chris and Riaan is that they are not only dreamers, but also dream catchers. It is easy for all of us to day dream, but it takes a particular type of courage, focus, will and determination to catch that dream and turn it into reality.”
Manser praised his friend and partner for making a dream started three years ago a reality. “Amazing things happened because people had collaborated,” he said. “I remember the first phone calls, the meeting with Chris – we never argue (laugh) – and learnt that the biggest lesson in life is that one can get things done when one just knows one needs to follow through on it. What was also amazing is the things Chris found that sighted people can’t. It was blood, sweat and tears, and sometimes what motivated me is the thought of so many people contributing so much without wanting something in return.”
According to Venter the project wasn’t all plain sailing. “I regularly thought, ‘what the hell have you done? Are you crazy?’ But we managed to pull it off and I respect all who contributed to this project. They will continue to be an essential part of my life.”
One of the enduring lessons he learnt from this project is that one is stronger than one thinks. “I love to quote Bob Marley: ‘You only know how strong you are when being strong is your only choice . . .’ ”. #Building Blind is a project in collaboration with The Manser Group, through which Venter constructed his new house despite being totally blind. The house was built with a limited budget, a foreman (Manser) with no construction experience and a boss without sight, inducing many to wonder what could go wrong. Follow this heart-warming adventure on #BuildingBlind.
