Saf saves intrepid adventurers a gruelling flight home

TWO INTREPID adventurers who flew all the way from Suffolk, England to South Africa to raise funds for Breadline Africa, a charity supporting several projects in the Western Cape, will return home in the comfort of a passenger aircraft, thanks to Safmarine.
The company, on hearing of the charity work undertaken by Tony Smyth and John Lusher, agreed to ship their 600kg aircraft back to England in a container.
We are deeply grateful to Safmarine for its help. We will be waiting for the aircraft at Tilbury docks and are pleased to know that the container will be used for some charitable purpose back in South Africa, says Tony.
He and John had intended flying the Europa two-seater back to England, but after some nerve-racking experiences in Yemen decided it might be unwise.
They first approached South African Airways for assistance to transport their aircraft to England but received no response from the carrier.
The men spent more than three years building their 80 horsepower, 130km/h aircraft in Tony's garden shed before setting off on a 7600 km aerial adventure that was to take them over Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe before landing in South Africa 15 days later. They had covered 7600 km and spent 68 hours in the cramped confines of the tiny aircraft.
Tony and John are involved with Catholic Welfare Development and the church led them to Breadline Africa, a funding organisation whose projects include the future of the San Bushmen and mine clearing in Angola.
Through their fund-raising endeavours the two, who spent three months travelling from Cairo to the Cape in 1974, raised about R30 000 to buy and equip a ship's container for a primary health care clinic in the poor township of Guguletu near Cape Town.
By Ray Smuts