When Sherri Page and her husband Patrick made the decision to leave South Africa four years ago, she knew exactly where their landing spot in the United States was going to be: Richmond Hill. “We never considered anywhere else in the United States,” Page said. “My brother David (Pegler) was stationed in the Army at Fort Stewart and we had visited him once or twice for two weeks at a time. “He decided to stay here and was hoping we could get into the United States,” Page said. “We liked the area and the schools were really good which was a major factor. “One of our children (two) is autistic and he is thriving…the school system has been really good for him. We came directly here…we never considered going anywhere else.” It helped, too, that the Pages had a beneficiary in place to help them make their relocation go smoothly and give Sherri a place to open up the now-thriving Richmond Hill Gymnastics Academy. It was Father Dwayne Varas and the parishioners of St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church on Hwy 144 who rolled out the welcome mat for the newcomers. Page, who said she has been involved in gymnastics since the age of six and operated three gymnastics clubs in the greater Durban area, was offered the use of the parish hall by Varas and she was off and running. The academy is open to girls ages two through high school. Varas was not only being altruist in helping a newcomer but he also saw this as an opportunity for the church to get further involved in the community. “Back in…
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