FEEL GOOD: Durban surfer and protester makes peace with Metro cops
The Durban Metro Rescue and Search Unit were thanked for their courteous and professional conduct towards the surfers during their protests earlier in the year.
After the hectic surfers' protest, Beyrick De Vries (28) and fellow surfers surfer during lockdown level 5, he hosted an appreciation breakfast and surfing session for local Metro Search and Rescue officers to thank them for the work they've done, especially as COVID-19 continues to make its mark..
Darren Keri and Sky's Sky Tshabalala is described this act of kindness as a "kiss and make-up story", but for Beyrick this was simply an act of gratitude towards the professional manner in which the Durban Metro Search and Rescue Unit dealt with them regardless of their persistence to surf and protest earlier this year.
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Beyrick describes the process of how they were escorted by the Durban Metro Search and Rescue Unit and SAPS. He also shares how he wanted to give the officers a moment of relaxation and introduce them to the therapeutic effects of surfing with a lesson/session.
Take a listen to the full interview below:
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If you don't recall, it was in January when disgruntled surfers took to the beaches protesting in Durban against the beach ban or or the "sand rule" as surfers called , which was imposed by national government to curb Covid-19 infections.
The surfers gathered at the New Pier beach during the early morning hours to protest and raise awareness of how "poorly thought out" the ban was.
Here's a video of De Vries after the incident occurred:
Luckily, as he explains in the audio and the video, the surfers were not arrested but given an official warning by the cops before they peacefully left the scene.
Thanks to the monthly board meetings that De Vries hosts - sponsored by local coffee company Ella - they were able to give this one to the Durban Metro Search and Rescue Unit.
These monthly board meetings are mainly there to celebrate the great, underrated work by South Africans.
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Here's what happened when De Vries hosted the Durban Metro officers at their monthly board meeting:
De Vries added that it was an absolute pleasure to host the members and to give them a surfing lesson.
We just want to commend De Vries and the other surfers for the thoughtful, and kind, gesture. It's not every day that you see people acknowledge the great work our law officers do in South Africa.
This story is a great example of how sitting down and having a conversation can make all the difference.
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Main Image Courtesy: Supplied