A swarm of bees, stretch marks and anxieties about possible “peeping Toms” were some of the trepidations faced by a group of spirited Cove Rock “calendar girls” who whipped off their kit in aid of cancer.
The women, who all live in the upmarket seaside estate, dubbed themselves the Cove Rock Icons for Cansa, and will donate all proceeds from their calendar sale to the Cancer Association of South Africa’s (Cansa) East London office – but first they need a sponsor to help pay to print it.
They were prompted to pose for the saucy calendar in honour of their friend and family member, cancer survivor Mandy du Plessis, who died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage earlier this year.
“She was a massive loss to this community and, before she died, she and I had the idea to do a calendar like this,” said cardiac nurse Deborah Stanford who, together with fellow resident Gai Clarke took the photographs.
Stanford, whose “naughty bits” are concealed with a strategically placed watering can, said 11 of the women who agreed to disrobe, had been directly affected by cancer.
“Some have lost husbands and mothers and one of the calendar girls is battling cancer herself.”
The uproarious photo sessions, which took place in various Cove Rock gardens over a period of six months and which included women aged between 34 and 78, were “a laugh a minute” said Stanford.
“At first there was just a handful of us, but then when other women saw the photos were not tacky, they also agreed to take part.”
The models protected their modesty with an eclectic range of props, including guitars, champagne, strawberries, knitting, hats and flowers.
Cove Rock resident Lorinda Young, who said she “jumped at the chance” to be included in the calendar, had a photoshoot that was even more nerve-wracking than her fellow models when a nosy swarm of bees put a spanner in the works.
“We were taking pictures on the beekeeper’s balcony when the bees started swarming and I said ‘they are after our honey’ and forgot I was naked and who knows what the beekeeper saw!”
Retired secretary Val du Plessis, who, at 78 was the most senior model of the pack, said she laughed her head off during the photo sessions.
“We were all squealing, especially when we realised we were not as covered as we should be.”
Stanford said the men of Cove Rock were now considering posing for their own charity calendar. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Taking it all off for cancer
The women, who all live in the upmarket seaside estate, dubbed themselves the Cove Rock Icons for Cansa, and will donate all proceeds from their calendar sale to the Cancer Association of South Africa’s (Cansa) East London office – but first they need a sponsor to help pay to print it.
They were prompted to pose for the saucy calendar in honour of their friend and family member, cancer survivor Mandy du Plessis, who died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage earlier this year.
“She was a massive loss to this community and, before she died, she and I had the idea to do a calendar like this,” said cardiac nurse Deborah Stanford who, together with fellow resident Gai Clarke took the photographs.
Stanford, whose “naughty bits” are concealed with a strategically placed watering can, said 11 of the women who agreed to disrobe, had been directly affected by cancer.
“Some have lost husbands and mothers and one of the calendar girls is battling cancer herself.”
The uproarious photo sessions, which took place in various Cove Rock gardens over a period of six months and which included women aged between 34 and 78, were “a laugh a minute” said Stanford.
“At first there was just a handful of us, but then when other women saw the photos were not tacky, they also agreed to take part.”
The models protected their modesty with an eclectic range of props, including guitars, champagne, strawberries, knitting, hats and flowers.
Cove Rock resident Lorinda Young, who said she “jumped at the chance” to be included in the calendar, had a photoshoot that was even more nerve-wracking than her fellow models when a nosy swarm of bees put a spanner in the works.
“We were taking pictures on the beekeeper’s balcony when the bees started swarming and I said ‘they are after our honey’ and forgot I was naked and who knows what the beekeeper saw!”
Retired secretary Val du Plessis, who, at 78 was the most senior model of the pack, said she laughed her head off during the photo sessions.
“We were all squealing, especially when we realised we were not as covered as we should be.”
Stanford said the men of Cove Rock were now considering posing for their own charity calendar. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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