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EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE
No mountain high enough for best pals ZELDRÉ SWANEPOEL
G
ROWING up they had to overcome the proverbial mountain of poverty and not having many opportunities as youngsters living in Schauderville.
But more than thirty years later childhood friends Gladwyn Jackson and Tyrone Baatjies conquered Mount Kilimanjaro together in 2011. After summiting the highest point in Africa, the two friends, who are avid hikers, wanted to take on another challenge - and next on their list was Mount Everest in the Himalayas - the highest mountain on planet Earth. Gladwyn and Tyrone will be undertaking this adventure in March this year. “We both grew up in large families and our parents were factory workers, so they could only supply us with the essentials,” said Gladwyn. “I really wanted to do judo, and I needed a judo suit, but my parents couldn’t buy it for me, so I had to practise Judo in a t-shirt and shorts.” He said that he would eventually get his t-shirts torn which would lead to getting a scolding from his parents. Tyrone also had a struggle when, as a teenager, he started working out. “At one stage my mom said I should stop going to gym because with all my muscles expanding she had to keep buying me new clothes, and couldn’t afford to!” he chuckled. “So I started running instead.”
The two friends said they were the oldest of the group that climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and they felt proud of their accomplishment. “We were looking at all the young people who were doing the climb with us, youths
from other parts of the world, and we were wondering, ‘Where are the young people of our own community, and why are they not doing such things?’” said Tyrone. So with the next challenge they want to inspire the youth in especially disadvantaged areas to not be afraid to do something extraordinary. “We want young people to look at what we have done and know that it is
within their reach,” said Gladwyn. “Don’t be stuck thinking that sitting on street corners, using drugs and gangsterism is the answer. Think out of the box and realize adventures like these are not just for a certain type of people. Elevate your thinking.”
Best friends Tyrone Baatjies and Gladwyn Jackson are going to take on Mount Everest in March. They conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in 2011. PHOTO: ZELDRÉ SWANEPOEL