Jonathan Carden (USA)
Jonathan never met Hendri, was only inspired by reading an article about him! He wrote this on Facebook
I set out sometimes, all alone, i arrive at a river Hendri might have laughed at, i put my gear on, climb into my kayak and drift out. i head upstream, and paddle some times for four to five hours. alone with nothing but the river, the wild forest at both sides.. i don’t know why, but i truly carry Hendri with me every time. i think about him and all he did in his life. I paddle on and think about ” the best day ever” , words that he inspired so many with. and me, a nobody wannabe paddler who never met him, yet somehow fell under his influence after reading a tiny 10 page story on him a few years ago, he left us shortly after this.. and i found myself hitting the river just to pay some kind of respects…. and finding myself along the way. I don’t who really reads this, if Hendri’s family or friends ever give this page a glance.. all I know is I love the man that Hendri was… still is to me. I found true happiness on the waters, on the different rivers that my side of the world has to offer. i found freedom, peace of mind that i have never known before. and I truly believe i owe this all to Hendri Coetzee. for whatever it’s worth, I wanted to take the time to share this. i just want somebody to know that somebody out there still believes… and still says to himself, sometimes to friends around… today was the best day ever……