Dear Freedom Climbers,

Our friend, Noel Hanna, was part of our family for a good 4 years between 2014 and 2018 - and he gave selflessly. Death often causes us to reflect on the departing's legacy. Even with his accomplished resume in mountaineering, he looked at our objectives as an opportunity, and legitimised our efforts as recreational mountaineers while figuring out how we can get through funding hurdles that African women in sport often face.

Through Noel, we also benefited from the wisdom of his wife Lynne, who would often join our meetings, proof our proposals and offered advise where we could improve. We were blessed with a great team in them as they always looked for solutions together. And the pair of them were such gift givers too - socks, little teddy bears for luck - your impact in South Africa was immeasurable. I personally have so many anecdotes to share because I experienced him as a doer. 

This life is so fragile, and we never expected Noel to leave us so soon. On this note we wish to share our warm thoughts and prayers with Lynne, Noel's friends and family and wish him a safe passage while he sleeps. 

With all our love,
Katlego