About us

On the 09th April 2019, two days after their wedding, Theo and Colleen will embark on an epic journey to raise money for Meals on Wheels, travelling 6752 kilometres from Cape Town around the perimeter of South Africa on bicycles. They will travel unsupported, carrying all their equipment, clothing & food with them.

 

Theo says, “If each of us makes a conscious decision each day to help another human being, we can make this country a better place. When we realize the potential of a good deed and see how it can change another person’s life for the better, this becomes an inspiration to help others daily.”

 

As a child, Theo dreamed of being a soldier. A childhood accident led to a diagnosis of epilepsy and a recommendation that Theo be placed in a “Special Needs” school. Theo says, “People hang a tag around your neck, put you in a box where they think you belong and treat you accordingly. From a young age, I felt that I needed to prove that I was normal – something which grew to become an obsession with me. Failure was (and is still not) an option for me.”

 

Theo’s dream of becoming a soldier were almost crushed when he was declared Medically Unfit for National Service. His father, however, managed to pull some strings and he was conscripted into National Service and requested immediately that he start training to become a Special Forces Operator. He excelled in training and was one of only 8 candidates short-listed for final selection into the Special Forces Unit. Theo’s father, however, intervened again when Theo’s brother, who was in the Military Academy, was killed in a car accident and Theo was sent into an Administrative Position.

 

He left the Army in 1994, angry and bitterly disappointed.

 

He applied for a position in a well-known clothing store and become one of their youngest Store Managers. He married, had a daughter and it felt, for a time at least, that his life was “on track”. The discovery of his wife’s infidelity two short years down the line left him feeling betrayed, disappointed and that, once again, he had failed.

 

He and his wife divorced and he took a new position in a much larger retail business and realised quickly that he was being manipulated by the Store Manager, who was seeking a promotion. Theo started stealing equipment, creating stock-losses and thus a situation which made it appear that the Manager was not in control of the shop. The Manager was removed from his position and Theo was promoted.

 

However, in Theo’s words, “You can never create order out of chaos.” Theo had been “giving” the stolen equipment to the owner of another business and had been receiving nice “bonus” payments - a practice which, now he was the Manager, could not continue. He was threatened with exposure and, wanting to protect everything he had worked so hard for, he set up a meeting with the business owner and killed him.

 

“The next day, I handed myself over to the Police. A life of lies & deceit makes you tired and I felt tired to death. Yet, for the first time in many years, I also felt relieved. For so long I had lived a lie, tried to get to the top, no matter how I got there.”

 

On the 18th of February 2003, Theo was sentenced to life in prison.

 

“Life in prison is no fairy tale. But, in the first month of being in prison, I met a Malawian prisoner named Israel.” Israel was released within a year as the case against him was withdrawn but he impacted Theo’s life in a profound way. “He taught me about love, mercy and forgiveness and today I am convinced that Israel was truly an angel sent by God.”

 

“I chose by the grace of God to change my life of self-centeredness to one of a giving nature. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of those who have been affected by crime. It became my dream to do this and to give back to the community and to those who had been affected by crime. I started studying and in 2009 received my BA degree in Counselling.”

 

“There are two kinds of people in prison. One will go out and further their life of crime. The other really wants to learn from the bad choices they have made. They have had bad experiences but want to go out in society and really make a difference.”

 

“On 8th January 2018, after 20 years in prison, I was released. My clean record and the various projects I had been running were deciding factors in my application.”

 

Theo is a devout Christian and shortly after his release, he met Colleen in Church. Colleen, a survivor of domestic abuse, revealed to Theo that her dream was to travel from town to town, helping people in need. “We realized that we both had a similar dream and started planning this trip together. We have decided to take 4 months of our time to talk to people as we go, sharing our story of hope.”

 

“We hope that people will open their hearts and help us be successful in our fundraising. Please be on the look out for us in your town and follow our Social media feeds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit our webpage. We would also be delighted to talk on radio, on TV, in schools, Churches or Community Halls.”

LOVE IN ACTION
“GOING THE EXTRA MILE

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