In the Ferrans’ home in St Francis ‘Bay they have a bar called the Hat and Hound. A tradition since day one has been that if you sit inside the bar you have to wear a hat. That led to a collection of over 300 hats from around the world. They also had a golden retriever called Oscar who is the hound behind the name. In December 1999 the family and friends played golf in Hankey and as a prize an ornament in the bar was given to the winner and so the Hat & Hound Classic was born.
John Ferrans decided to link a charity to the day and through the years, children from the local township school and the SPCA benefitted from this golf day.
John Ferrans had a liver transplant and a goal to represent his country at the World Transplant Games (WTG). He became a member of the SA Transplant Sports Association (SATSA) and qualified in 2008 at the National Transplant Games to be part of the South African Team to the WTG in Australia in 2009. Unfortunately John passed away in March 2009 just before the WTG.
The family decided to name SATSA the beneficiary of the Hat & Hound Classic from 2009 onwards. Through the years since then, R104 000 was raised. The 2015 Classic on 29th December at St. Francis Bay Golf Club, saw 82 enthusiastic players participating and R41,500 was collected for the Eastern Cape Transplant Sports Association (ECTSA) – an affiliate of SATSA. Moneys raised are used to support transplanted athletes, especially from the Eastern Cape area to live out John’s dream to participate in the WTG.
Ferrans family with donation cheque
Mackenzie, Cameron, Ashleigh, James Willie Uys (ECTSA), Fiona and Shannon Harper
Richard Hawken was the individual winner on the day with 42 points, and his four-ball team was also the Alliance winners on the day
The ECTSA thanks the Ferrans family for their continued support and passion towards organ transplantation and transplant sports.
Hat & Hound trophy winner Richard Hawken with James, Cameron, Ashleigh and Fiona
Article and photos submitted by Heilie Uys – St Francis Bay Golf Club
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