September 29, 2005
By Sipho Maduna
YOU may have thought it was snowing, but it was just the feathers flying at a pillow fight on the Library Lawn at Wits University on Wednesday, 28 September.
The Students' Representative Council (SRC) hosted the pillow fight, which drew an enthusiastic crowd of 539 students, all armed with their pillows.
Let the battle begin. Students at Wits University hold their annual pillow fight
Exactly a year ago the university failed in its attempt to break the world record for the most warriors in a mass pillow fight.
Despite a countdown before the bashing began, some participants were already chasing each other. Then all feathers broke loose when the pillow fight started in earnest.
"It is exciting, fun and stress relieving," said Elizabeth Tsime, a BA student reading psychology and sociology.
Warren Goldstuck, SRC member and the fight's organiser, said this year it was all about fun. "This year we are not officially going for the record."
The world's largest pillow fight was in Leuven, in Belgium, at which 4 000 participants entered the fray.
Rock band Epicure kept the participants' spirits up through the fight, which was watched by an enthusiastic audience.
Fight marshals, whose duties were to ensure that people came with pillows, were volunteers from City Year.
City Year was a non-profit organisation established by the Presidency to promote youth service in the country, said James Donald, the team leader.
He said it came to recruit students to do community service and accredited training in development practice through the university for a year.
The organisation works with young people in Regions 8 and 10, and Donald said that 200 people had to be recruited next year.
Dial-A-Bed also helped - for the second year - with arrangements.
Last year there were 806 pillow fighters, and Goldstuck said this year's fight was not marketed as well last year's was.
"Last year we had a lot of posters and we used word of mouth," he explained. "Next year we are planning to go big - like using the stadium."
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