GUEST SPEAKER Thecamera panned over team photographs, trophies and sporting action shots whilst serene, yet powerful music mingled with excited cheers from crowds. Short clips of sporting celebrities,from Adam Bacher to Hansie Cronje, bestowed lavish praise and admiration on a person who had not yet been named. "He was an inspiration for other people to better themselves". "His attitude to life was exemplary". "He was filled with a fire and a passion about life". "He had a great imagination and was always willing to try new things". The commendations from well-known figures emphasized the possibilities and seeming lack ofweaknesses in a man destined for sporting greatness before he was aged 19 he had already played at the home ofcricket. Lord's in England,for Transvaal's provincial side,broken Graeme Pollock's long-standing Nuffield record, played SA Schools Cricket for 3 years, played SA Schools Soccer, been asked to sign as a professional player for soccer club Cosmos and been selected as a finalist in the Craven Week rugby trials. This was a man who knew no boundaries, or so it seemed. Thus began an address filled with bitter irony, genuine humour, solemn advice and startling inspiration. Before the silent audience sat a man paralysed from the shoulders down, visually far from what anyone had envisioned after watching the video, but from the inception ofhis speech, he left no one in any doubt that he was the man that those in the video were praising. Despite the stereotypical look ofhelplessness in his wheelchair,Mr Victor Yermeulen offered an opening that was far from the dreary and grave rendition that the audience was expecting. Instead, in a surprisingly invigorating and energetic voice, he said,"You can believe everything that everyone in the video said except Hansie." After the ensuing laughter Imagination is having a vision. had subsided, he continued by asking the audience if they had seen the painting of a cricketer in the video. He then informed everyone that he had painted the picture with his mouth after he had been paralysed, and followed by saying,"You think that's good? You should see me on the piano - then you'll know why they call me clever dick." This well and truly set the tone for the rest of the speech, was filled with humour that coerced laughter out of what should've been a sombre audience, whilst still inspiring the people with a tale ofemotion and hope that surely moved everyone present. "Imagination is having a vision. It is about seeing something that is not visible to the eye. In life, hard work is important. Loyal, hard-working people enjoy a perpetual harvest. Love and friendship are of the utmost significance, and we must work together to win together, for we can only win together ifwe work together,as groups,a school, as a country,and even just as individuals." These were points that Mr Yermeulen continually stressed throughout his address. He continued by saying that everyone needs a support system to motivate and encourage him or her. For him, this support system was his family. He, with his family, had had a dream that he would one day play cricket for Transvaal,and perhaps even South Africa. However,this dream turned into a nightmare, as the day he was selected to play for Transvaal, his father was shot and killed -
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