In response to the call for South African communities to donate “67 minutes’ of their time to a charitable gesture, technical supplier to the Live Event industry, Gearhouse South Africa took action in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
In Johannesburg, Gearhouse’ Training Manager, Garth Green, approached a “Crime Prevention Group’ operating out of Jeppe Police Station with a membership of around 60 young people, to attend an Educational Day at Gearhouse Johannesburg branch. Three students from Athlone Boys High School also attended.
The lighting warehouse at the Gearhouse Head Office in Bezuidenhout Valley was transformed into a small exhibition site with Lighting, Sound, Audio-Visual, Rigging, Structures and Power equipment being presented.
Gearhouse Academy students, who are three-quarters of the way through a 10 month Technical Production Services course at Gearhouse, became lecturers for a day – demonstrating to the attendees how the equipment is set-up and operated. The event also formed part of the overall student assessment for the year.
Proceedings started off with a short presentation given by Garth Green on the layout of the stage, the role and positioning of the respective equipment elements and how every element is connected up. The group was divided up into task teams of five attendees and each allocated to a different section. There were morning and afternoon sessions so that everyone had the opportunity for a hand-on experience learning how to work with cameras and microphones, operating motors and operating a lighting desk before rotating to experience a different discipline.
In Cape Town, the Gearhouse Academy students got involved in setting up sponsored technical equipment for the handover of a brand new hostel for the Thembalethu School for the disabled.
SABC Touching Lives, together with Hillsong Africa Foundation and the Department of Correctional Services held a special hand-over ceremony on Nelson Mandela’s Birthday – the 18th of July. Jeffrey Twala from SABC approached Gearhouse to donate technical equipment which included a Stage, Lighting and Audio equipment and a LED Screen, which they did.
The school was originally established in 1974 by a small group of concerned local women. In 1983, Thembalethu was registered as a special school by what was then known as the Department of Education and Training. The school caters for pre-primary to senior primary and is open to disabled children with Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Bifida and other congenital deformities.
The children attending the school face many challenges while travelling to school hence the need for an on-site residence. The Hillsong Africa Foundation partnered with SABC Touching Lives to make R6m available towards the construction of the hostel.
Dignitaries and performers shared the stage in celebration of this heartwarming day on which the learners from Thembalethu officially moved into their residence.
“It was both heart rending and an overwhelming experience for the Gearhouse students and staff alike”, said Lisa Smit who conducts the Gearhouse Training Programme in Cape Town, “We were thrilled to be a part of making this an especially memorable day for these children.’
