WHEN THE Malaysian government decided to send a party of 50 businessmen and women on a goodwill tour from Cape to Cairo, step one was the landing of nine containers carrying 16 4x4 vehicles together with spares and supplies required for the journey.
The event was organised to promote peace, harmony and goodwill throughout the continent, with a request that costs be kept to a minimum as a goodwill gesture.
Freight Management (Malaysia) handled the initial arrangements for what was named the Silverstone 4X4 Transafrica Expedition, and then passed the matter over to Hellmann South Africa.
It fell to Trevor Masters in Hellmann's Cape Town office to arrange the move of the eight 12m containers, each holding two vehicles, and the 6m container with the spares and supplies, from the harbour to the company's warehouse, destuff all containers and keep them in the warehouse for a fortnight.
The vehicle spares were stored in a special cage, together with accessories such as foodstuff, mineral water and film equipment. Hellmann also transported the two film crews - one American the other Australian - to and from their hotel after their arrival.
A day after the arrival of the 50-strong business party, their leader, Cecil Wong, contacted Hellmann's Cape Town office to advise them that all the vehicles were overloaded and that they required assistance to send the excess foodstuff ahead to Harare. Masters arranged for collection on landing by Combine Cargo, Harare.
The tour went ahead without hitch, with 12 African countries visited. The party finally flew home from Cairo to Kuala Lumpur.
