Wednesday, September 18, 2002 :

Balla group brave three mountains for Child Aid

Saturday, Sept. 7, was a very special day for a group of people who made their own bit of history by being the first expedition to climb Mweelrea, Croagh Patrick and Nephin in less than twelve hours. But their greater success lay in the funds they raised for Child Aid.

From the first mention of this, the first Child Aid Challenge in the Balla Notes, the project took on a life of its own and turned into an outstanding success, attracting fourteen men and women willing to pit themselves against the mountains to support this worthy charity. To date, those taking part have gathered in excess of £5,000 in sponsorship for the street and slum kids of Nairobi.

We expected reasonable weather in early September, but boy, were we disappointed! The conditions on top of Mweelrea were truly appalling, and only for the preparatory work carried out earlier, the climb would have been abandoned at the first hurdle. Instead, we had to push on faster than planned and actually made up time that stood to us later.

Things were a lot better on the Reek and we headed for Nephin feeling optimistic that the worst was over. Again we were wrong. Approaching Nephin, a steady climb over bog on its lower slopes rapidly turned into a war of attrition as we climbed its northern shoulder, lashed by rain, surrounded by clouds and pummelled by winds similar to those on Mweelrea. But everyone stuck to the task and eventually we reached the summit. Indeed, this was the ‘summit’ of our whole day, as our mission from here was all down hill. First, there was the mandatory photo-shoot, as the joy of success swept away the misery of the final climb, then down to the bus, a quick change into dry, warm clothes and back to the Wishing Well, Ballyvary, for soup and sandwiches generously provided by Ann and Johnnie Connor.

Later, each participant was presented with a certificate to mark the occasion, more photos taken, then a few hours was spent reminiscing on a very noteworthy achievement by all concerned.

First people to deserve thanks are those who provided the all-important sponsorship for the charity. Next, a very special thanks to Ann and Johnnie Connor for all their support, also to Seamus O’Brien who sponsored our transport for the day and to Michael Ruane who did a great job of driving, contributing hugely to the success of the day. Thanks also to Westaro Hosing who supplied the bibs used on the climbs - they were essential in the cloudy conditions. Finally, special thanks to all the others who supported us in any way.

Those who took part were Tom Carolan, Darren Lavelle, Sheila O’Brien, Barry Basquill, Barry Freeman, Vincent Kenny, Colin Dempsey, Ann O’Brien, Sinead Armstrong, Jimmy Brennan, Gerry O’Neill and Vincent Freney.

Child Aid’s main income is derived from sponsored climbs of Kilimanjaro and anyone who would like to give it a go should contact John O’Leary at (021) 4222985. The main point of the visit to Africa is to get to know and spread the word about the situation in the slums and on the streets of the major cities in that continent, and by doing so, to help change it for the better. So if you feel up to a life-challenging challenge, do call the above number. Do it now.