The sad death of Nelson Mandela announced tonight evokes memories of the Rainbow Tour

The Rainbow Tour. ---memories of the False Bay tour to Glasgow in the spring of 1997

This was one of the first multi race Club rugby teams to tour out of South Africa at the end of the apartheid era and Anniesland Old and New in a small way helped the process which had started with the "Long Walk to Freedom"

The Tour was personally endorsed through Nelson Mandela's Office

The tour was organized by Louis du Waal who had played rugby in Glasgow for West as a student the venture was supported by East Dunbartonshire Council and sponsored by Scottish Provident and Scottish Highland Hotels
The False Bay team based at the Pond Hotel opposite Balgray played matches against Hillhead Jordanhill West of Scotland ,GHK and Glasgow Accies

Louis caught up with Hawks when he came to our match against Villager on a wet Western Cape night in 2003 and as part of this tour Hawks visited Robben Island

A few years later Marc David from False Bay played with Hawks

In a modest way Anniesland helped the long walk in a rugby context

This article was originally posted on 5-Dec-2013, 22:31 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 5-Dec-2013, 23:08.