A Conversation about the making of RMB’s – A Story of Courage – Rowing Documentary

CN&CO Talks is a conversational platform where we chat to interesting and inspirational people. Allowing them to share their story, lessons, insights and experiences with a broader audience. It’s a platform to promote collaboration and conversations, in an effort to make the world better through allowing people to learn from others.

The concept expands off the Company We Keep series on our blog. 

The Company We Keep is a column on the CN&CO blog that profiles some of the most interesting people in our networks. Here we share the details of the lives of people we know, showcasing the extraordinary diversity of our society and proving that people truly are at the heart of everything we do.

In this conversation we chatted to Greg Fell and Blake Dyason to gain some insight into the making of the documentary.

The doccie features rowers and coaches sharing their sporting experiences and triumphs of courage over adversity.

CN&CO is proud to partner with RMB on several PR and comms projects, including the PR for the RMB National Rowing Squad, which the bank sponsors along with other rowing initiatives in the country. We played a small role – at our first Confab – in bringing RMB and the sport of rowing together when then head of RMB Marketing Carolynne Waterhouse met Paolo Cavalieri – to form a mutually beneficial and lasting partnership.

“There’s something special about South Africa,” says head coach Roger Barrow in the opening sequence of the film. “Being successful when you have all odds against you means that much more.”

Watch the documentary here.

Here are a few of our favourite quotes from the documentary.

“Rowing gets kids off the street and puts them in boats. It’s hard and tough and it hurts. But it starts with grooming one kid at a time, and making them better. The younger generation is the future. It will change the country.” –development rowing coach Lebo Mashego

“One person cannot make the boat go fast – it’s about having the whole team driving in one direction.” – Lawrence Brittain, Olympic medallist

“It’s about coming back the next day training harder, fighting – putting yourself out there when you’re in a vulnerable state and still coming out to be the best you can be.” – Kirsten Macdonald (McCann), 2017 world champion

“Courage is not letting anything limit you. It means rising above all the time.” – Thabelo Masutha, world juniors bronze medallist, 2017