For the first time after 30 years, cast members and the film crew of the ground-breaking 80s South African documentary The Volunteers reunited recently.
For the first time after 30 years, cast members and the film crew of the ground-breaking 80s South African documentary The Volunteers reunited recently.
The documentary – long before the first Survivor-type reality show was conceived of – was an experiment that placed 13 English-speaking volunteers in isolation for six months in the veld. The idea was to discover whether urbanised 20th century people could last six months among the elements as their forefathers, the 1820 British Settlers, had.
The documentary was filmed in the Bushman's River valley near Salem in 1983 and broadcast on SABC in 1984. The organiser of the reunion and a volunteer Penny Elliot said The Volunteers was very popular.
Elliot, who was 23 at the time of its making, said, "This was shown in the US on the Discovery Channel in 1987 and then about 12 times again after that."
Elliot said the documentary was the first SABC production to be sold to the US. She said when The Volunteers was being filmed, it created a media frenzy because it was the first production of its kind back then.
She believes that ideas for reality television shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race were born out of The Volunteers.
The experiment was the brainchild of the late SABC television producer Tommy McClelland.
McClelland also contributed extensively to the content of SABC nature programme 50/50 before passing away two years ago.
Sadly only four of the 13 cast members made it to the reunion. They kick-started the reunion weekend with a river cruise and braai on the Kowie River.
This was followed by a visit to where it all happened in the Bushman's River valley on Saturday morning.
Elliot said, "It was very emotional, you know, to go back to where it all happened and I really felt nostalgic."
The two-day affair concluded with a dinner at the Graham Hotel in Grahamstown on Saturday night.
The 13 volunteers comprised two groups: a family of five and eight people who weren't related to each other.
They were Dermot Gordon Graham (43), a science teacher from Cape Town; his pharmacist wife Genie (38) and their three daughters Allanah (13), Helen (11) and Kirsty (10).
Also there were Mike Rossiter (26), a fifth-year architecture student from Wits; Elliot (23), a credit controller from Grahamstown; Toni Spiller (23), an art teacher from Durban; James Burton (22), an art teacher from Cape Town; Kim Gigstead (30) a US citizen and political speech writer for a US senator; Teresa Mead (23), a primary school teacher from Zimbabwe; Isa Weirsbye (22), a scuba diving instructor and Ashley Francis (30), a physical education teacher from Grahamstown.
Spiller, Francis, Elliot and Burton attended the reunion. The family were unable to attend and some of the other former volunteers are currently living overseas.
