The Spirit

Boys Christmas Lunch (BCL) is a sacred weekend that happens once a year, where the best group of friends anyone can ask for, get together to eat ribs, give presents, have a couple of beveraginos, and break glass tables with their faces, all in the name of Christmas, friendship and brotherhood.

The History

In 2008, 6 best friends (Chris Schutte, Justin Gascoigne, Stuart Brand, Adrian Chapel, Cameron Bennie, and Tumi Direro) decided to have a Christmas lunch to celebrate the end of a long year.

It was decided that it would be a civilised event; as they were sick of every weekend just being a debaucherous write-off (cue the irony).

So, they set a table (with a tablecloth nogal), bought Christmas crackers, and braaied some ribs. Little did they know that they created a tradition that would continue to evolve and grow every year since.

The Purpose

Many people look at BCL as a big party (which it is) but that is not what it really is. As we grow older, it’s natural that we grow further apart. So the true purpose of BCL (other than irreversible liver damage) is to bring all the boys together for one weekend a year, where we can laugh, share stories, and be reminded why we were friends in the first place.

Over the last couple of years, as the group has grown, we have decided to use it as a platform for raising money for charity. Partly to give back, mostly to make ourselves feel better about going on a boys weekend away. To date we have raised nearly R100,000 for charities like Movember, SPCA and Steps Club Foot Care. Say what you will about BCL, but we are making a difference. 

For the newbies; this might just seem like a weekend of jolling but as you can see, it’s about a lot more than that. It’s a privilege to be involved and we hope you embrace the spirit (and spirits) as we do.