Children inspire grandads’ long slog
Cyclists preparing to raise funds by riding from Limpopo to EL
ROSA-KAROO LOEWE
Dr Colin Lazarus knows every twist, hill and pothole of the 1,500km Grandad’s Army Heritage Ride route.
The 82-year-old paediatric surgeon has travelled it many times, with his wife Sheila, and recently, their grandchildren visiting from the US.
Together they traced the winding roads from Limpopo back down through the Free State, updating which detours were needed for this year’s major trek.
This is the gruelling, bleeding, life-changing escapade of nine cyclists who will be pedalling across the country next week to raise funds for the Eyabantwana Children’s Trust.
Lazarus and his team of mostly elderly “ballies” will covering more than 100km a day for 14 days from the Mapungubwe National Park — confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers where Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and SA meet — all the way home to East London.
They are raising funds for the NPO trust which is dedicated to supporting the department of paediatric surgery which spans Frere and Cecilia Makiwane hospitals.
Lazarus spent decades building up the paediatric surgical service there, training generations of specialists and helping to establish a department that today treats thousands of children each year.
His medical legacy is matched by his endurance on the road: nine Two Oceans Marathons, seven Comrades, more than 18 Cape Town Cycle Tours, and every fundraising Eyabantwana ride since the beginning. That includes six memorial rides from East London to Cape Town, and three heritage rides crossing the country north to south.
This will be his 10th long-distance ride for Eyabantwana. Alongside him will be a merry, caring band of fellow riders: Gerald Berlyn, 70, brother Peter John Berlyn, 73, Andrew Langtree, 65, Jimbo Armstrong, 71, William Hirst, 69, Mac Richardson, 56, Lazarus’s doctor son Jeremy Berlyn, 45, and Dr Zipho Mafika, 42.
Over the years, the trust has donated more than R4m in life-saving equipment and training, and purchased its largest item to date: a flexible gastroscope worth R830,000, already in use at Frere’s dedicated paediatric surgical theatre.
Earlier in 2025, the Grandads’ Army Memorial Ride raised R550,000 towards this purchase, and the upcoming Heritage Ride aims to close the gap by raising the outstanding amount.
For Lazarus, this is the next chapter in a long line of endurance journeys, another chance to turn kilometres into children’s care.
“I think if I trained more than my usual three or four times a week, I would probably get injured. It’s a matter of doing what I usually do, cycling through winter, which one is not always motivated to do,” he said.
“We all know that when we finish the ride we feel fitter than when we started.”
He said of the trust’s work: “It means a lot to me. I have been there working with colleagues since it started. And we started from small. It was not easy making the Grandads’ Army a reality. We were a small group first time, and to see what it is now is quite extraordinary. It’s been a progressive thing and a great privilege to be part of.”
Asked what he was looking forward to in the latest ride, he quipped: “Well, obviously, getting to the end! But I’m with a marvelous group of cyclists and we are doing something that we feel is extraordinary. The ride is also about the pleasure of companionship and friendship, which are the most important things.”
What will keep you motivated during the tougher sections of the journey?
During the ride, he said he would be obsessed with “not being the only person having to walk up a hill or get in a vehicle. We know we can get to the top of most of the hills, but does it really matter? To complete the journey, that’s the answer!”
He said he found comfort in the daily pre-ride gathering for a short prayer.
His favourite song or playlist for long rides was “whatever Gerald is playing that day”.
Berlyn is a fan of folk rockers Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and he loves the Stills song: Seen Enough.
Support the ride by donating to the Eyabantwana For the Children Trust, Nedbank account 1138181366. Back-a-ballie, every kilometre counts.
To help boost awareness for the Heritage Ride, the Eyabantwana Trust has arranged a limited number of free three-month subscriptions to the Daily Dispatch Online.
To sign up, email your full name, cellphone number and email address to subs@eyabantwana.co.za.
