Village Life
Fun and Fund-raising in Ozanköy
with a wheelbarrow
By Chris Elliott……
It seems I was blessed to be given a second opportunity to relax and enjoy life with others when I went into the village of Ozanköy last Saturday to witness and write about the 2015 World Barrow Rally Championships.
First port of call was to drive down a narrow lane and pull into a car park next to Zehra’s Garden which is a Cafe bar and restaurant in the old bakery. When I walked into the gardens I found many enthusiastic participants and their supporters fussing around seven exotically decorated barrows being marshalled with a very firm hand by David Miller the organiser of this event.
Soon the teams were instructed that this was a timed race and it was not necessary to pass other teams barrows and above all else safety was the order of the day. The teams were also advised that they would incur penalties or challenges along the way and could be punished by having additional bricks placed in their barrows. Many spectators along the route were being recruited to police the activities of the teams and squirt them with water guns for any infringements of the rules or just because they felt like it.
Soon the first team were away followed by others at one minute intervals and the spectators followed them across the field or in their cars and finding my car I followed them with Seda Avcan from Tulips who was there on behalf of the charity. After a short drive we arrived at the Tropicana Restaurant where the teams were gathering around the swimming pool and having a welcome drink under the hot sun and being squirted with water as well.
Off they went again one by one as the teams headed to the next stop at The Carob Village Cafe and Bar in the centre of Ozanköy where David was recording the times and also imposing fines on any team member who did not hold their drink in their left hand.
With hooters honking, the barrows were lined up in the street to be sent on the long way round trip to The Corner House Restaurant and Bar where the spectators were gathering to welcome them with more cheers and squirts of water. With the fiery water beginning to take effect and more fines imposed for not using the left hand and bricks being placed in the barrows all team members were instructed to leave their barrows and go off to Linda and AJ’s Rose Garden Restaurant for another alcoholic drink and be back in the time allowed.
More cheers and squirts of water as the teams returned and then they were off again to the Happy Garden Restaurant where challenges and donations were made for people to walk on hands or being doused in cold water to roars of approval from all of the spectators there.
Here we go again up through the village to arrive at the Grafton Bar to assemble on the roof in the hot sun where there were more challenges and people being squirted by a hose pipe to thunderous applause and squeals of delight.
It was the last leg of this great barrow rally in Ozanköy as the teams pushed their barrows off again to gather for the last round up at the Carob Bar but sadly I had to go elsewhere and I gather from Seda Avcan that a donation of 2.000TL was received by Help Those with Cancer Association Tulips at the end of the event.
On behalf of everybody involved we would like to give a big thank you to all of the participants, their supporters and spectators and those that made donations and gave their time and also to David Miller for organising this wonderful event.
