Gareth's Autobiography
I was born in Port Shepstone on the South Coast of KZN and completed schooling at Port Shepstone High School and moved up to Pietermaritzburg to study accounting.
In my last two years of University I stooged at Hilton College and began my first travelling expeditions into Africa with the then expedition club master - Brent Dodd.
I fell in love with Zimbabwe and Zambia and couldn't wait to head up further North. The African bug bit big time and the continent will never cease to fascinate me.
After University I opted for the First World and moved to London to get involved in high finance, where I worked at The Royal Bank of Scotland. The corporate office environment did not resonate with me so I travelled to the USA and joined many youngsters for an exciting few years on the Megayachts of the world.
Working on the decks I visited, St Tropez, Monaco, Greece, Italy, Corsica and Sardinia. Seeing this utter extravagance and opulence, I felt a need to return to Africa to experience the "real" world again.
While competing in the Berlin Marathon in Germany my challenge was decided: How better to see the African continent than on a bicycle over 12 500 km from Cairo to Cape Town, raising funds for a project that implements tools, infrastructure and education to rid our continent of poverty.
I teamed up with 7 friends and embarked on a journey that would change my outlook on what is important in life. Africans have the right idea; happiness, a strong family unit and sense of community.
Over 7 months we cycled through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa to eventually arrive in Cape Town; changed people with many new friends and unforgettable experiences. Cape Town has now become home.
We raised US$210 000 for an organisation called Millennium Promise, who are working toward the end of poverty in our time. Their work is amazing and the best way to find out what they do is to visit their website www.millenniumpromise.org
Armed with my unusual background and experiences, I am ideally equipped for my latest challenge: The Bar One Manhunt. It is a reality TV show on SABC3 where 14 contestants compete head to head for R1 million in prizes and the coveted title of the Bar One Man.
The challenges to date have been an obstacle course which saw contestants suffering from 3rd degree rope burns, a 25 hour challenge where we had to complete a course by running, quad biking, rafting and mountain biking.
We then left to climb the summit of Kilimanjaro - that in itself was an absolutely humbling experience. The last two weeks have seen us skydiving, 4x4ing and white water rafting in Victoria Falls.
After the show the next challenge on my list is the Cadiz Freedom swim from Robben Island to the mainland, a journey of 7.5km in 11 degree water (Celsius, not Fahrenheit). My training laps are accumulating swiftly.
The reason for swim collect books for an organisation called Equal Education, who provide libraries to public schools that don't have any. I was shocked when I discovered how many of today's youth do not have the luxury of a library, so I decided to get involved and do something about it.
I will be collecting 1000 books for every kilometre swum on the day and this will supply libraries for around 2000 South African youngsters.
My motivation for what I do is a quote from Desmond Tutu: "Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."
All I can do is my little bit and hopefully it will be a step toward overwhelming the world.
My future projects include:
- Swimming the English Channel
- Climbing Mount Everest
- Travelling to the North and South poles
- Travelling the Nile & Zambezi Rivers
You can email me at garethbrauteseth@gmail.com or visit my website www.garethbrauteseth.co.za
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