Written by: Sophia Roman
Article source: JOY! Magazine

Lavender Hill is a gang-ridden Cape Flats Suburb. It was considered a dumping ground for coloured people who were removed from areas under the Group Areas Act of 1950. It is the area in the Cape Flats which is reported to be the most dangerous, and even locals fear to walk in its streets. Drugs and gangsterism are the order of the day. The highest teenage pregnancies in recent years have all been reported from this area. Countless homes have no fathers who are present. Positive role models are a scarcity.

Brian and Carol Felix making a difference

Brian Felix’s testimony
This is the climate and area that Brian Felix grew up in. Since a very young age, he decided to be different and to live with purpose, making his life count. He became a follower of Christ in his early teens. It was not easy, as peer pressure was mounting all the time, contesting for him to compromise and be like everyone else. Fighting against the odds was a daily battle. He had to keep focussed.

Lavender Hill is a gang-ridden suburb. Positive role models are a scarcity.

Creating a new pathway
Brian says, “I found a way out from drugs and gangsterism, which was the increasing order of the day.” In the heart of this climate the pull was strong, but his love for sports was greater. In a time where there were no visible role models, he decided to make a difference. He always dreamed of becoming a professional golfer and developed a passion for the game. He would spend hours practicing. With no equipment to play, he played with an acorn (or “katokie” as it is known in the Cape Flats) and created a golf club with wire and a set of pliers.

Brian Felix 

A change agent
Brian grew up to become an exceptional golfer. In 2015 he qualified for the World Amateur Golfers Championship in Turkey. He represented South Africa and won 4th place. He came back home with a dream to assist young people from Lavender Hill – to train them to love and play the game. This would keep them from the streets and help them with leadership skills. Brian put a plan together to achieve this dream. This is how the Hillwood Golf Academy was established. Today he has a team of young golfers who train at Royal Cape Golf Club. The young golfers’ lives are changing, just by getting away from their environment for a short while each week. During the COVID pandemic the course was closed and there were no golf games to keep the youngsters busy. Instead, Brian and his team from Hillwood Golf Academy went into Lavender Hill and provided food parcels to the families in order to create opportunities for relationship building.

What is in your hand?
What is in your hand? “A man’s gift will make room for him” – Proverbs 18:16. Yes, your gift will make room for you. In these difficult times, the Hillwood founders decided to use their gifts and talents to invest in the lives of the less privileged, the next generation. This kind of act is therapeutic for mental health issues, giving from a difficult place. Sharing with others in tough and uncertain times. Sharing from oneself even when it is difficult. Right now there are 40 young people in training, both boys and girls at Hillwood. Who knows that this investment into the lives of those less privileged will end up being – the next golf champion?

What gift, experience, or talents can you share with the next generation in order to grow strong and responsible leaders?

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Date published: 22/07/2021
Feature image: Youth from Lavender Hill in Training
Sophia Roman is a pioneer, visionary and life transformation coach. Sophia and her husband Theo pastor the West Reach AOG Church in Mitchells Plain.

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