NUWE ROLSTOEL VIR CARLO | George Municipality
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Manna vir vandag, en wiele...
Party dae koop die dag se opbrengs skaars meer as ‘n brood vir Carlo Zietsman (42) van Rosedale en sy gesin van vyf. Ander dae kan ‘n man darem ‘n lekker sakkie kosgoed by Shoprite gaan koop voor jy bus vat huis toe. En dan op ‘n dag smaak dit die Here glimlag ekstra breed vir jou en gebeur ‘n onverwagse groot ding.
Die serebraalverlamde Carlo is ‘n bekende gesig voor PNA in Yorkstraat waar hy al van die draai van die eeu af in sy rolstoel sit en bydraes ontvang van goedgesinde verbygangers. Toe die QuadPara-vereniging van SA (QASA) se leefstyltydskrif, Rolling Inspiration, vroeër vanjaar vir GO GEORGE nader vir inligting en hulp met ‘n voorbladfoto vir die uitgawe waarin hulle oor die busdiens se toeganklikheid vir gestremdes skryf, is Carlo se naam dadelik genoem. Hy is ‘n gereelde busgebruiker en aangesien almal presies weet waar om hom bedags te kry, was hy ‘n goeie keuse as fotomodel.
Die man was baie verras, maar gewillig, en is saam busdepot toe met ‘n splinternuwe GO GEORGE-hempie aan die lyf. Die fotosessie met die professionele fotograaf het goed afgeloop en almal het uitgesien daarna om te sien hoe die model en GO GEORGE se unieke minibus op die voorblad gaan pryk. Wat niemand verwag het nie, is ‘n e-pos van Ari Seirlis, uitvoerende hoof van QASA, om te sê hulle wil graag vir Carlo ‘n nuwe rolstoel skenk.
“Toe ons die foto’s van Carlo in sy rolstoel sien, het ons dadelik besef die stoel moet vervang word en het ons onsself daartoe verbind om dit vir hom te doen,” sê Seirlis. “Om vas te stel wat sy spesifieke behoeftes is, het ons die QASA-rolstoelaansoekvorm na ‘n fasiliteerder in George gestuur wat dit by en namens Carlo voltooi het om die korrekte tipe rolstoel te bepaal. Carlo se nommerpas stoel is toe ‘n paar weke gelede van Kaapstad af in George afgelewer.”
Louis Fourie, eienaar van PNA, sê hy het die winkel in 2005 gekoop en Carlo saam met die winkel geërf. “Dit het nog nooit by my opgekom om te sê hy mag nie voor my besigheid sit nie; om die waarheid te sê, mense kom in en doen navraag oor sy welstand as hy nie daar is nie.” Op die dag wat die stoel dus by Carlo se “besigheidsadres” afgelewer is, was Fourie ongelukkig uitstedig, maar die winkelassistente was net so opgewonde soos Carlo om die groot karton te help oopmaak.
“Ek was so dankbaar,” sê Carlo. Hy praat altyd sag, maar glimlag breed. “My stoel was só op en ek het juis gedink ek sal by die hospitaal moet gaan hoor wanneer ek ‘n nuwe een kan kry. En toe kry ek nou dié smart wiele! Hy is so lekker klein en kan enige plek inry of opgevou en ingelaai word. My klong Realto wat my smiddae na skool hier kom haal, sê ook die stoel stoot so maklik.”
Carlo kom oorspronklik van Greyton, maar woon al ongeveer 16 jaar in George waar hy ook tydens ‘n sendingprojek sy vrou Felencia ontmoet het. Hulle het vier kinders en dit gaan noustrop, want Felencia is ook medies ongeskik vir werk. “Maar dis nou my plek en my mense dié. Almal ken my en is goed vir my. Ek kom parkeer hier in die oggend met niks; vanaand kan ek wel ietsie huis toe vat. Ek kan nie genoeg dankie sê nie.”
Carlo Zietsman van Rosedale is die baie dankbare en trotse eienaar van ‘n splinternuwe rolstoel wat die QuadPara-vereniging van SA vir hom geskenk het. Hier hou hy trots die Rolling Inspiration-tydskrif vas waar hy saam met die GO GEORGE-minibus op die voorblad pronk. Janine Abrahams, kassiere by PNA in Yorkstraat, het gehelp om sy nuwe rolstoel uit te pak toe dit ‘n paar weke gelede daar afgelewer is en sê die winkel se personeel was net so opgewonde soos Carlo self.
Manna for today, and wheels...
Some days the day’s proceeds scarcely buy a bread for Carlo Zietsman (42) of Rosedale and his family of five. On other days, he can buy a nice bag of foodstuff at Shoprite before taking the bus home. And then, one day, it seems as if the Lord is smiling extra broadly upon you and an unexpected, huge thing happens.
The cerebral-paralysed Carlo is a well-known face in front of PNA in York Street where he’s been sitting in his wheelchair since the turn of the century, receiving contributions from passers-by. When Rolling Inspiration, the lifestyle magazine of the QuadPara Association of SA (QASA), approached GO GEORGE earlier this year for information and help with a cover picture for the edition in which they would report about GO GEORGE’s accessibility for disabled people, Carlo’s name immediately came up. He is a regular bus passenger and as everybody knows where to get hold of him, he was asked to be the model.
Quite surprised but willing, Carlo went along to the bus depot, all dressed up in a new GO GEORGE t-shirt. All went well with a professional photographer behind the camera and everybody looked forward to seeing how the model and GO GEORGE’s unique minibus would adorn the magazine cover. What nobody had been expecting, was an email from Ari Seirlis, CEO of QASA, to say that they would like to give Carlo a new wheelchair.
“When QASA saw some photographs of him in his wheelchair, we could see immediately that his wheelchair needed to be replaced and so we made this commitment to him,” says Seirlis. “To determine his specific needs, the QASA wheelchair application form was sent to a facilitator in George to complete on his behalf so we could identify the correct seating. Carlo’s ideal wheelchair was then delivered to George from Cape Town a few weeks ago.”
Louis Fourie, owner of PNA, says he bought the shop in 2005, and got Carlo included in the deal. “It has never crossed my mind to ask him to leave; as a matter of fact, when he is not here, people come in to enquire about his whereabouts and well-being.” On the day that the wheelchair was delivered to Carlo’s “business address”, Fourie was out of town, but the shop assistants were as excited as Carlo to help open the huge box.
“I was so grateful,” says Carlo. He is a soft-spoken man, but smiles broadly. “My wheelchair was so worn out that I thought to go to the hospital to enquire about getting a new one. And then I got these smart wheels! It is so compact and can get in anywhere, and folds up quite small so that it can easily be loaded into a car. My laaitie Realto who fetches me here in the afternoon after school, also says it is so light to the touch.”
Carlo originally hails from Greyton, but has been living in George for the past 16 years, where he also met his wife Felencia while both working on a missions project. They have four children and are hard pressed, since Felencia is medically unfit to work as well. “But this is my place and my people now. Everybody knows me and is good to me. I park here in the morning, having nothing; but tonight I can take home a little something. I can never thank everybody enough.”