The South African Branch of the Town Supporters Club has donated £250 to the campaign raising funds for a statue of Blues legend Kevin Beattie.
"We are delighted to make our contribution in honour of Kevin Beattie, a truly great Town player,” treasurer Richard Dancer said.
"Some of us were fortunate to have seen him play in the 70s and will forever remember his exceptional talent and his contribution to the great squad of that time.
"Even though we are 6000 miles away, our passion for the club is as great as any supporters anywhere.
"And it is testament to the club’s enviable history and tradition that we honour one of our greatest players. We in South Africa are privileged to be part of that.”
Richard says the branch got up and running in 1996: "It started about 20 years ago when two Town fans stumbled across each other in a pub in Cape Town.
"From that moment on the group grew, mostly in Johannesburg, and brought together some expats, but mostly South Africans who have had a close connection with Ipswich.
"The nearly 20 members are now spread all over the country, but we still chat about the fortunes of ITFC and when a match is televised, some of us assemble - with shirts and scarves - to cheer our team on.
"Not many matches outside of the Premier League are broadcast here, but thanks to our lifelines of TWTD, BBC Radio Suffolk, Brenner Woolley and latterly iFollow, we keep abreast of the team - suffering the lows and celebrating the highs along with all other supporters worldwide.”
Led by the EADT and Ipswich Star in conjunction with BBC Radio Suffolk and TWTD, The Beat Goes On was launched on December 18th last year on what would have been Beattie’s 65th birthday.
The aim was to £110,000, with more than £75,000 now pledged in cash, while MC Contracts and Ridgeons are donating the plinth in kind. The target is now only £5,000 away.
The next fundraising event is a Proper Golf Day featuring Town legends at Hintlesham Hall on Friday 13th September with tickets available from the Greshams Ipswich website.
You can make a donation online via the Go Fund Me page or send a cheque made payable to ‘The Beat Goes On’ to Kevin Beattie Statue Appeal, EADT, Portman House, 120 Princes Street, Ipswich, IP1 1RS.
There are also collection buckets at reception at the EADT’s offices and at BBC Radio Suffolk.
You can find The Beat Goes On campaign website here.