TRACTOR Awareness Rally Concludes in Bredasdorp, Leaving a Legacy of Care and Connection

Karen Scheepers
Sep 18
4 min read

A Journey that Touched Every Town Along the Way

On Friday, 12 September 2025, the NWU TRACTOR Awareness Rally (Together Rallying Across Communities To Overcome Remembrance-loss) completed its 1,900km journey from Potchefstroom to Bredasdorp. What began as an idea to raise awareness about dementia and Alzheimer’s grew into a moving caravan of hope, empathy, and shared purpose. Along the way, communities opened their doors and hearts, welcoming the rally with stories, support, and solidarity.

The rally’s final day was marked by gratitude. Yesterday in Robertson, participants were inspired by the spirit of generosity, thanks to the support of Sanne-Marie van den Berg and Route 62 Mall. Today, as the tractor rolled into Bredasdorp, the campaign closed not with an ending, but with the promise of ongoing impact and continued storytelling.

🌱 From Potchefstroom to Bredasdorp: A Route of Remembrance

The rally spanned two provinces and touched countless lives across towns such as Kimberley, Hopetown, Britstown, Carnarvon, Williston, Calvinia, Clanwilliam, Citrusdal, Tulbagh, Robertson, and finally Bredasdorp. At each stop, the tractor was more than a machine—it was a moving symbol of resilience and remembrance.

Every kilometre carried the weight of families’ stories and the determination of caregivers. Communities were reminded that dementia and Alzheimer’s are not solitary struggles but shared realities that demand awareness, empathy, and support.

❤️ Community Engagement in Action

One of the strongest hallmarks of the rally was its deep community engagement. At every town, the programme included:

Talks by healthcare professionals and caregivers providing knowledge and guidance.
Storytelling sessions and support groups where families could share lived experiences.
Student volunteers contributing through service-learning projects and outreach.
Researchers documenting and studying the rally’s social impact.
Partnerships with local schools, businesses, and volunteers ensuring sustainability.

These activities reinforced the campaign’s mission of reducing stigma, supporting caregivers, and fostering empathy. Each hug shared, each story told, and each moment of listening became part of a collective memory that transcended statistics and medical facts.

🎨 The Symbolism of the Tractor

The tractor itself became a cultural and emotional centrepiece. Decorated by local artists, it carried not only colour and creativity but also symbolic meaning, slow, steady, and resilient, just like the caregivers it represented.

Miniature tractors were distributed as tokens of remembrance, tangible reminders for families and communities that they are not alone in their journeys. The tractor’s symbolic role underscored the power of simple imagery to communicate profound truths about patience, persistence, and memory.

📲 Amplifying Voices Through Media and Partnerships

The TRACTOR Awareness Rally embraced digital tools to extend its reach far beyond the towns on its route. Daily updates, photographs, and videos captured the energy of the journey. These were shared widely across social media using the hashtag #TRACTORforMemory, creating a digital community of followers united by empathy and care.

The YouTube playlist continues to host stories and reflections from the road, offering a lasting archive of the journey’s impact. Supporters can revisit each day’s milestones here: TRACTOR Rally Videos.

Funding and sponsorships from local businesses, organisations, and individual volunteers also played a crucial role. Their “in kind” contributions, from safety support to vouchers, reflected a shared understanding that awareness campaigns succeed when whole communities take ownership.

📊 Research, Education, and Social Responsibility

The campaign was more than a public awareness event, it was also a learning platform. Coordinated by NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, the rally merged academic research with real-world engagement.

Researchers documented the experiences of families and caregivers, adding to the body of knowledge on dementia care in South Africa. Students gained practical service-learning experience, deepening their understanding of social responsibility. This integration of research, education, and action demonstrated NWU’s commitment to academic impact that extends beyond the university into society.

🌟 More Than Awareness: A Lasting Movement

As the rally concluded in Bredasdorp, project initiator Esmé Marks reflected on the meaning of the journey. While the tractor reached its final destination, the campaign’s mission does not stop here. More stories will continue to be shared, more awareness will be raised, and more families will be connected through the networks forged during this journey.

The campaign objectives, reducing stigma, supporting caregivers, fostering empathy through storytelling, and collaborating nationally and internationally, remain ongoing goals. The rally was a spark, and the flame it lit now belongs to all the communities it touched.

🚜 A Legacy of Love and Dignity

From Potchefstroom to Bredasdorp, the TRACTOR Awareness Rally created a chain of connections across South Africa. It carried with it the voices of caregivers, the laughter of students, the knowledge of researchers, and the open hearts of communities.

Every kilometre travelled was a reminder that even when memories fade, love endures. The legacy of this journey is not measured in distance but in the dignity restored, the empathy fostered, and the hope carried forward.

As the tractor comes to rest in Bredasdorp, its engine may fall silent, but its message will continue to echo: together, we can remember, support, and care. 💜