Posted: 24 November 2007
Mark Keohane Compliments SACS
This article was originally published on page 18 of
Cape Argus on November 06, 2007
SMy son Oliver is seven years old and attends SACS. Monday
morning was no ordinary one. His tie had to be just right.
So too the rest of his school gear because Percy Montgomery,
Springbok World Cup winner and a SACS old boy, was to
visit the school.
When I got home Oliver was at karate, but on the table
was a picture he had drawn of Percy, himself and the World
Cup. There was also a note telling me about the experience
and that all the boys had got to touch the World Cup!
Later that evening he enthusiastically went through everything
again. He even informed me that after Monty's eight-month
stint in France he would be returning to play for Western
Province.
He told me every one of his observations about Monty and
then the most significant line of his speech. Or at least
I assumed that because he did confess to only remembering
this one: "Percy said nothing comes easily in life
and we have to work very hard for everything we want to
achieve".
Then he told me about the feeling of touching the World
Cup - the very same World Cup, he said, the Springboks
had won in France.
"It is real gold," he said. "Because we
are the champions."
Oliver idolises Percy Montgomery and among his many ambitions
is to become a goalkicker. In the last two months he has
perfected the Montgomery "hands in prayer and two
step" kicking style, if not the accuracy of Monty.
Why am I telling you this? Because Oliver is one of millions
of young boys whose idea of what a Springbok rugby player
represents must be protected and cannot be tarnished by
an administration seemingly out of touch with just what
the World Cup victory meant to South Africans.
The boys at SACS junior know more about Monty than they
do about any administrator who has ever served or been
a disservice to the game. And that's the way it should
stay.
In a time when television commercials urge kids to get
outside, away from PlayStation, television and computer
games, nothing can make a young boy's mind and legs race
for the freedom of the outdoors quite like the feeling
that he too can be a champion of the world.
This past week the game's administration has again stolen
valuable column inches when that precious space should
have been dedicated to the joy young South African boys
(and girls) are feeling, the patriotism that seems as
real as touching the World Cup and the sense that anything
is possible.
Last night my boy toasted Percy Montgomery for winning
the World Cup at dinner and I am sure there are many parents
out there who can tell a similar story.
I tell this story because he is seven years old and his
generation represents the future of the Springboks. The
loyalty to the Springboks is there from the next generation,
but it is there because of what Springbok players and
coaches achieved in France.
And that is what the game's administration in their pursuit
for misplaced power just won't acknowledge.
Last week this administration held a two-day seminar
to plot the next 10 years of rugby in South Africa. Had
they been at SACS on Monday, by way of just one example,
they'd have seen the power and healthy state of Springbok
rugby.
And he wasn't wearing a suit, talking about process,
protocol, power or a 10-year plan.
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Posted: 24 November 2007
A Vet's Life
by Brendon Brady
So you've always fancied the idea of being a vet. You
love animals. You've read the James Herriot books until
it feels like you actually grew up in the Yorkshire Dales.
You can't tear yourself away from Animal Planet, except
to feed your iguanas. You like the medical field, but
prefer the idea of being a vet as you don't really like
people that much. You don’t fancy the idea of sitting
in an office cubicle pushing papers around and beating
numbers into submission all day long. (For me, it was
a decision taken so long ago now that I can’t even
remember what first inspired me!) Whatever your reason,
you're considering Veterinary Science as a career option.
Here's a bit of info on the matter, from the horse's
mouth so to speak. I'm in my final year of my Bachelor
of Veterinary Science (BVSc) at the University of Pretoria
at the moment, and barring any major disasters I'll be
returning to Cape Town and ministering to the animal population
at large by the end of this year. Thank goodness, because
6 years is an awfully long time to be a broke student!
May I start off by including some hard, but important,
truths. There are much easier, quicker and more glamourous
ways to make money. This job will see you get covered
in animal bodily fluids of every description on a fairly
regular basis. (Pig and goat are pretty tenacious smells
that can linger for days despite your best efforts...)
The hours are long and demanding, particularly while studying
(you can forget much of that exhuberant care-free student
social life). The career inevitable involves significant
amounts of dealing both with animals in pain and suffering,
and with their concerned or even bereaved owners. All
animals have owners and after all, they are the ones who
will be paying you. It's vital that you are prepared to
deal with them and all their emotions and idiosyncrasies!
Brendon Brady
But, despite all of that it's not all bad news! The BVSc
degree (and the Veterinary Nursing diploma, also offered
at UP) is a magnificent golden key that opens the doors
of a multitude of careers to you, from clinical work in
companion animals (pets and horses) and production animals
(pigs, cows, goats, sheep, chickens etc), State Vet work
(the management of Controlled Diseases, import and export
of animals, rural agricultural development) to research
and work in the veterinary and para-veterinary industries
(pharmaceuticals, foods, pet products - the list is very
long). Above all, it can be an enormously fulfilling and
rewarding profession. You should never get bored by it,
and throughout your career there will always be more things
for you to learn and to keep you on your toes.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to enter the Veterinary
field, consider your decision very carefully. As with
any career choice, it's a serious decision to be made.
You'll be investing a lot of time, sweat, tears and money.
Currently, the Vet Nursing Diploma is 2 years and the
Veterinary Science degree is comprised of 3 years BSc
and then 4 years BVSc (all at UP). Both qualifications
are widely recognized internationally, including the UK,
Australia and New Zealand. As the name implies, the BVSc
course is heavily science-based and a solid grounding
in mathematics and science/biology is a prerequisite.
The early years of the course slowly build up your basic
knowledge of general science and the veterinary field,
before you progress to the theoretical and practical aspects
of first Pathology, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Parasites,
Microbiology and then the nutrition, health and surgical/medical
management of the specific species in the later years.
The course is rounded off with a superb hands-on clinical
year, spent mostly in the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic
Hospital. Here you work punishing hours, but you get the
chance to hone your practical skills and substantiate
your theory in order to become a competent graduate (this
year is widely praised for its excellence by overseas
Faculties and visiting foreign students are common). It’s
indescribably fulfilling to finally put all the years
of sitting behind a desk into actual practice. The first
time you send a cured patient home will certainly be a
cherished memory.
If you’re looking for more information on the career,
then a good place to start is probably the University
of Pretoria’s Academic Administration on 012 420
4111 or the faculty page on the UP website, www.up.ac.za.
Read up about it as much as you can there and elsewhere,
but more importantly, experience it for yourself. Spend
some time with your local vet, or at one of the Animal
Welfare organizations. Get your hands dirty, get involved,
dispel any romantic misconceptions and find out what it’s
really all about. And if you’ve decided this is the
life for you, then good luck and get ready to pack you
bags for Pretoria!
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Posted: 24 November 2007
Michael Creech ('65) Writes from the USA
Thank you for asking me to write a few lines about my
family and I. The years have certainly flown by since
I left SACS in 1962 and moved to Stellenbosch where I
attended Paul Roos Gymnasium where I leaned amongst other
things to speak Afrikaans quite well! After spending one
year at Stellenbosch University I switched to the Cape
Town Technical College where I studied for an Engineering
Dilploma in Electronics. This took 4 years with 6 months
being spent in the field and 6 months on academics. I
worked mainly for Standard Telephones and cables in Boksburg
on telephone cable systems.
From 1972 – 1987 worked at the University of Cape
Town in various capacities. First I was working for the
audio visual department. And then in the then Teaching
Methods Unit. I then transferred to the Chemistry Department
and had the privelege of working for the late Professor
David Thornton. It was at this time that I worked and
obtained a BSc Ifrom UNISA in Computer Science and Physics
In 1987 I left UCT and took up a position at Boston University
where I currently hold a position in the Chemistry department
here.
On a more personal note Carol (nee Promnitz ) and I
have been married since 1975. She came from East London
and is of German settler descent. Carol did her BA in
History and Geography from Rhodes as well as the UED.
She taught at Queenstown Girls High , at Victory Park
High and and St Georges Preparitory school in Port Elizabeth
after which she left for Cape Town and taught at Rustenburg
Girls High.She then did her Higher Diploma in librarianship
at UCT and worked at the Cape Education Department Library
until we started a family. For cricket buffs Carol’s
late father Henry Promnitz represented South Africa on
the springbok cricket team that played England in 1927-
1928. He was known as the mystery bowler. In that disguise
the direction in which the ball spun. He took 5 for 58
in the first test.
We have 4 children three sons and a daughter. Our eldest
son Tim and his wife live in Quincy and we are expecting
our first grandchild in february. Tim is an accountant
and Aleta works in the Harvard business school as a recruiter.
Tim is an accountant working in property management and
is a graduate from the business school at Boston University.
Our second son Andrew first studied and worked as an
auto-mechanic but had to give this up three years ago
because of a medical problem caused repetitive use of
his right arm. He now works for our chiropractor. Our
daughter Janet also graduated from Boston University in
early childhood development and now is in here final year
in a masters program at Worcester state college in speech
and language pathology. This is an hours drive to the
west of us. She eventually hopes to work with young children.
Our youngest son Jonathan graduated from LeTourneau
University with a BSc in aeronautical science and he wants
to fly. This university is situated in Texas on the eastern
side near Loisiana. He is presently working as a flight
instructor as he gets his hours up.
In July we travelled to Longview once more for his wedding
to Sarah Ricks. They met at this university and Sarah
is a history teacher at a local school and also does a
fair amount of coaching softball.
When we first moved to America we lived in Newton which
is part of greater Boston. After three years we moved
to Arlington which is due north of the city and about
10 miles from it. Our house is situated on the Lexington
town line which is well known for its role in the Revolutionary
war of 1775.
It is along this road Massachusetts ave (unpaved then)
that Paul Revere rode his horse to warn the local Minutemen
(the colonial soldiers that had to be ready at a ‘minutes
notice’) along the way from Boston to Concord (two
towns west of Lexington) and that include the villiage
of Menotomy which took place between the redcoats and
the local minutemen.
The Jasson Russell house where this battle took place
is located ½ a mile from our house. It is well
preserved museum but one can still see the bullet holes
in the walls.
Each year the town of Lexington has re-enactment of
this battle on their villiage green, It takes place on
Patriots day in April and and the oppossing Minutemen
and Redcoats gather at the dawn’s early light in
the usually brisk spring air to do battle. Muskets are
fired and ring out during this mock battle.
It is with nostalgia now that I look back on my time
at SACS. Last year while staying with friends in Rondebosch
Carol and I walked through the grounds and I was able
to show her the boarding house where I attended class
in Std 5 when SJ Hunter was still principal. It was great
seeing the rugfby fields. I do still have wonderful memories
of Mr Heanor who taught me me English in Stsd 6 and 7
before leaving for Tasmania. And you John with your history
lessons on the boer war. (those British were everywhere!)
Thank you for the warm memories and for the way you always
added dignity to our activities.
With Best wishes,
Michael Creech (michaelecreech@gmail.com)
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Posted: 24 November 2007
Then, Now and the Five R's - Prize Giving Address 3
October 2006
by David Aschman - Professor of Physics, University
of Cape Town
David Aschman ('65) and classmate Simon Perkin
SACS men, manne, amadoda! I address you directly, for
my message is primarily to you, but I hope your wise teachers
and parents here tonight will be interested too.
So, boys and girls... but there are no girls, of course,
since SACS is a boys' school, and perhaps we should ask
why that is. We can strive to be a great school for boys,
but should we not try to be a great school for all?
In October 1983 I stood right here and spoke at prize
giving. My daughter, Gray, was a baby, 3 weeks old, and
was carried by the boys as my wife, Lynne, handed out
the prizes. No-one remembers what I said. No-one remembers
prizegiving speeches. I don't remember what I said, but
I think I asked: "Are we a great school"? Lynne
recalls some members of the governing body looking tense.
I don't remember any of the many speeches I heard at
school, but I do remember one occasion. There was a rumbling
in the ceiling above - there were presumably workmen in
the roof - as some guy on stage was going on about honour
and duty to school, country and to God - he turned his
eyes upwards at this point. There was a splintering crack
as a foot, a leg and then the lower half of a workman
crashed through the ceiling! Some cursing, and the body
of the workman withdrew into the gaping hole to howls
of laughter from us boys. We don't remember what was said,
but we remember the occasion. So if I can raise some questions
here tonight, that is enough.
We must always question, always let in the sunlight,
so I ask: "Are we a great school?" Are we a
great school? The oldest, certainly. Are we a great country?
In some sense the newest country. You, and I, nearly two
generations apart, are both privileged by history.
In 1965 I sat where you are and listened - again, I have
no idea what the guy up on stage said - speeches at prize-giving
are just a formality, a necessary prelude to the main
business of the evening, which is the recognition of individual
academic and sporting excellence. These are human qualities
most easily measured, but there are other qualities, which
often become apparent only long after we have left school.
In the sixties - they say if you can remember the sixties
you were not really there - we emerged from the repressive
fifties; bound by race, class and colonialism to experience
a birth of ideas, freedom of expression and behaviour,
freedom from the bonds of convention; new music, new thoughts,
new awareness of the the body - in short "sex, drugs
and rock 'n roll". Drugs, mild then, just dagga,
would prove to be a cul-de-sac. They provided no path
to creativity, insight, wisdom or happiness.
At SACS in 1965 we (I was in the same matric year as
your teachers Simon Perkin and Geoff Olivier) were fortunate
to have had some splendid teachers: men such as Doug Brown,
John Ince and others who were people of energy, aesthestic
sense and forthright honesty. We had been given a good
start to life, and we knew it. Despite the self-doubt
of adolescence, we were confident we could make our way
in the world. And we did.. now we are doctors, researchers,
lawyers, businessmen, art historians, architects, accountants,
scientists, engineers.... Thank you to SACS for giving
us this start....in a sick South Africa.
The purity of ideals became polluted in the seventies.
Then came the greed of the eighties, the age of the "yuppie".
At the end of that decade came the collapse of communism.
Do you remember that? Capitalism is a system where man
exploits man. Under communism, of course, it is the other
way around. Communism collapsed under the stress of competing
in the arms race, while TV inspired greed for Western
consumer goods, imported inflation into their rigid economic
system in which individual merit and hard work were not
rewarded: "we pretend to work and they pretend to
pay us".
In the nineties our baby boom generation came into full
power. With the increase in productivity due to the PC
and the internet based knowledge/information revolution,
the investment of the boomers' retirement funds, and globalisation,
the world entered a decade of prosperity.
At the end of the 80's South Africa was in deep trouble:
apartheid was an evil shambles, the economy faltering,
the security forces and ANC's Umkhonto locked in deadly
embrace - a stalemate. White South Africa was forced to
negotiate. So, just as many of you were born, the nation
was given the gift of a rebirth. But at what cost in brave
lives, misery, suffering, waste of human potential and
loss of individual liberty by detention without trial.
Let us pause to remember those who gave so much that we
might all be free.
Then came the miracle of 1994. The election in which all
could vote, Mandela as president, and the beginnings of
reconcilation. It would take hard work to achieve "a
better life for all". What exciting years! So full
of promise. Now looms the spectre of non-delivery, and
the country, in frustration, turning, in 2009, to a populist.
The salvation of this country lies in the building of
social capital, and preventing social exclusion. In the
short term, we must provide jobs, housing, health and
social security. In the longer term, we must provide education.
This brings us to now. Let us, you the privileged generation,
born on the cusp of history, look forward: there are three
possible scenarios.
1: It comes right, magically. We don't have to do anything.
The black politicians are in charge, and we, the affluent
(old and new) stay behind our walls, watch our Kreepy-Krawleys
clean our swimming pools, and phone our stockbrokers.
The rich get richer, and the poor stay poor.
2: It goes wrong. We are racked by poverty, AIDS, crime,
unemployment, poor schooling and hopelessness. Black domination
replaces white. There is loss of skills due to young people
emmigrating. The poor stay poor, and the rich leave.
3: We all pitch in, and help to build this nation. You
work hard. You get a good world-class education here.
You go abroad, so you can fully grow and develop - you
are a citizen of the world. You are able to judge this
country from without. You return and work hard. You educate
your children, and, by giving, help educate those of others.
And you engage with matters of the day! If things are
not to your liking, don't sulk, don't grumble. Argue,
debate! Protest at mistakes! Speak out! March! And remember:
as long as they, the poor, don't eat, you, the privileged,
will not sleep well.
Which scenario will turn out to be the myth, and which
the reality? I do not know. It is in your, our, hands.
What can school teach us? The 3 r's (small letter r's)
i.e. the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic?
Yes, but it must do more. It must give us the time and
space to become fully human.
Rabbi Hillel, a famous sage, was once asked to recite
the essence of God’s laws while standing on one leg
- they wanted a really brief summary! He said: "Do
not do unto others as you would not have them do unto
you. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn."
Basically that is it! It simple: treat others with with
respect. So here is my summary of what school should do.
It should instill the 5 R's - capital letters. R stands
for respect. We know the word respect: it comes from the
Latin: re- meaning back, and specere - to look. To look
back at something with a sense of awe and admiration.
It is the same word root as in our motto "Spectamur
agendo" - Let us be judged (looked at) by our deeds.
Respect is the quality demanded in street slang: "Don't
diss me" means don't disrespect me, show me some
respect.
These are the 5 R's.
1 Respect for your (our) environment. It is a common
good. It belongs to all of us, but any one of us can wreck
it. The tragedy of the commons refers to the effect of
people not respecting a common good, but, because it is
there for everyone, some one decides to abuse it before
others can abuse it. Soon, it is gone for all. So pick
up your trash, preserve the wilderness, plan urban growth,
consume less material and less fuel (spurn your enormous
SUV vehicles you SACS ums, for do you really need them
to negotiate the treacherous conditions in the Cavendish
shopping mall parking lots?).
2 Respect for all people. ALL people. You may dislike
some people, you may hate some, you may fight some - but
they are people. If you are religous, remember they are
God's people. If you a secular humanist, remember that
they are people like you. You must respect them. Never
degrade them. Genocide, torture, deprivation and humiliation
of people are all bad, because they degrade other people,
and in so doing they degrade you.
People are different. Value this diversity. We are not
machines, not clones. We are humans. 99.99 percent of
our DNA is the same. The physical laws of the universe
(quantum mechanics?) allow for free will, and individual
action. Our individuality is our gift. That is why our
political, legal and constitutional system is based on
individual rights. We have the right to be treated the
same (we are all equal before the law), but also we have
the right to be different. We have freedom of conscience,
religion, and association. Of course with these rights
goes responsibility - the responsibility to uphold the
rights of others.
But why do we treat each other so badly? Why is there
such rudeness, drunkenness, swearing, fighting, reckless
driving; petty theft, lying, corruption, robbery, rape,
murder? Why do we almost expect such behaviour from each
other? Why do we put up with it? Why do we remain mostly
silent? Where did we lose our way?
3 Respect for your community, and that of others. Community
provides a sense of belonging and worth. You know your
community. You are, like it or not, one of them. Some
in your community will be fine and admirable, some greedy,
some lazy, some dishonest. Most will be ordinary. They
are like you. They are a group, and we feel comfortable
within a group. But never let group rights trample on
individual rights. Never say because I am a SACS man I
can punch or kick or swear at someone from another school
or group.
But are we, in the magnificent diversity of our nation,
truly tolerant of other communities? Or do we feel, openly
or secretly, that "we" are better than "them"?
Our school is a community. Tonight we celebarate and
reward the best. But there are others, whose qualities
are yet to show, who will not receive prizes tonight.
They are no less admirable. My friend received no prizes
at school. But in sub A (grade 1) we all got prizes. Mine
was for "general knowledge." My friend received
a prize for "gentlemanliness" (note the quaint
1950's reverence for class). They got that right. He is
today a finer human being than I am.
4 Respect for your parents. They brought you into this
world, they gave you your greatest gift - the gift of
life. They gave you your DNA and your initial culture
and values. Treasure them.
5 Respect for yourself. Perhaps this is the most important.
You, and I, are imperfect beings, but we can change ourselves.
Self-esteem and a sense of self-worth are keys to happiness.
Everyone, in his or her own way, is special. Find that
way, first in others, and then in yourself. When you can
say to yourself: "I am trying to do better to others,
and to myself. I am a better person than I was",
then you will develop self-respect. Then you will insist
on treating yourself well, and you will insist on your
treating others likewise. And if they respect themselves,
they will respect you. This is the key to Rabbi Hillel's
distillation of the laws for a just, well-functioning
society.
At school, do we instill these five respects? Are we
too competitive, too driven by pride in the group? Do
we demand conformity? Do we suppress the diversity of
individuals? Do we silence the heretic, do we devalue
the maverick? Does our adherence to "tradition",
and "values" prevent full development of the
individual? We must raise these questions.
As I look out from here, seeing all your faces, I ask
you to think about what the school has given you - and
is still giving. I must tell you that you are privileged
to be in a fine school, in a fine country.
Just as in 1965 we looked out at this new era about to
begin, and felt that shiver of excited anticipation, so
too do we now, in 2006, with our new born democracy maturing
into adolescence, look forward to a time of huge possibilities,
but also the certainty that the road ahead will not be
easy.
We can ask ourselves: Are we great? A great school, in
a great country?
- I think my answer is: No, not yet. - But we shall be.
David Aschman
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Posted: 24 November 2007
Junior School Headmaster's Report
by Stuart Anderson
Stuart Anderson
Our 178th year of existence will go down in the school
records as one of the most spirited ones. If ever the
four major components of the school (Staff, Parents, Old
Boys and Boys) pulled together with some extra “gees”,
it was in 2007!
The staff play, “The Spirit of SACS”, epitomized
the true commitment and mass participation of teachers
and secretaries towards the school. The hilarious production
involving every single employee turned out to be staff
development at its very best. What a cast of talented
people! My gratitude to the staff for giving their most
amusing best in a difficult year for education throughout
the country. It proved once again that we have a dedicated
staff of professionals loyal to SACS. The 2007 staff,
with an average of 40, has an excellent blend of youthful
energy and wise experience – with no signs of a mid-life
crisis!
Finding male teachers in Primary school education is
becoming a serious concern. We believe that they play
a vital part as role models in a boys only environment
and it is very worrying to know that too many men have
left SACS since 1996. 1 has retired, 1 took the severance
package, 2 to teach at High Schools, 4 to Private Schools,
7 have gone Overseas and 9 have joined the Corporate world.
The current male staff of 15 is an exception when considering
the staff establishments in Cape Town’s primary schools
where male numbers vary from 0 to an average of about
4 men on the staff.
Academically we remain very strong, striving at all times
for the highest standards. When it comes to Maths and
English, I like to compare our standards to a prestigious
girls school in our neighbourhood. Each year we get vital
feedback on Grade 3 and Grade 6 departmental assessments.
I am always so impressed by the excellent results and
the close correlation between the two schools. This is
the evidence which shows that boys are able to work just
as hard as girls!
Talking of academics, let’s talk about music, because
it plays a vital role in the cognitive development of
the boys. Music is not only fun and enjoyable, it undoubtedly
stimulates the cells of both hemispheres of our brains!
Congratulations to the super teams of choirs, bands and
individuals for performing superbly at concerts and competitions
this year. I think immediately of our band at the Sans
Souci facets festival and the stunning singing of our
choirs in our very own schools choir festival in the Hofmeyr
hall. The boys remain our top ambassadors and public relation
officers for the school!
Our very wide extra-mural programme which offers 17 different
activities remains a vital part of the curriculum in which
boys can develop their self esteem and develop their identities.
Mr John Ince can vouch for so many old boys who were not
too academic at school, but who still succeeded in life
owing to a SACS all round education which vigorously encourages
both team work and individual excellence. Springbok icon,
Percy Montgomery is living proof of this. Whilst at the
junior School, he was always such a humble, but committed
SACS boy who always put his school first. He remains the
same today! We firmly believe that Percy was able to slot
over those incredible pressurized world cup winning kicks
simply because he had developed a strong self-belief whilst
at SACS. Well done Percy!
We have again had a very spirited sports year and my
congratulations go to the coaches for their extra hours
whether it be on the astro, admiring the mountain view
whilst umpiring, avoiding Egyptian geese at the pools,
enduring the deafening whistles of waterpolo referees,
or running with the boys through 20 cms of mud and slush
during one of CT’s most severe winters! The boys
gave it their best shot! _whether it was for an A team
or an E team! In this regard, congratulations to the unbeaten
Under 12C Rugby team for winning the coveted Peter Berry
trophy for the most successful team of the year.
Old Boys can read about all these sporting successes
the magazine, but special mention should be made of some
of the highlights. In no particular order, here with my
selection of the Big Five: 1. SACS wins the pentagular
inter-schools gala for the 8th consecutive year. 2. The
massive inter-schools mini Rugby festivals (involving
some 150 SACS 7 and 8 year olds!) hosted by us and organized
by our Foundation Phase teachers. 3. The SACS water polo
national festival involving 17 schools. 4. The two fine
U11A and U13A Cricket victories over our Eastern Cape
rivals, Grey junior School, and, 5. The growth of Hockey
to 17 league teams, the most out of all the schools in
Cape Town.
Our focus this year was, “We’ve Got the Spirit
in 2007!” Congratulations to all - We achieved precisely
that!
Stuart Anderson
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Posted: 24 November 2007
High School Prize Giving - Sports Report
by Deputy Head Boy Keegan Clay
Good evening Mr Ball, Dr Wood, Mrs Wood, honoured guests,
staff, parents and you, my fellow SACS men.
This year has seen SACS sport climb to new heights –
achieving victories we once thought were unachievable
(like our 1st fifteens’ desecration of Paul Roos
Gymnasium; but I’ll get to that a little later).
This last sporting season bore witness to the grit and
determination of the SACS character as a whole –
the men of SACS stood out amongst their rivals, outclassing
them in sportsmanship, uniformity and spirit. It is no
exaggeration to say that this has been one of the greatest
all round sporting years SACS has ever had.
SACS cricket has experienced overwhelming success. Our
1st eleven annihilated all competition – fighting
their way to an unprecedented 94% winning rate. This year
– WE were the best of the best. Carson Lederle powered
through his season with authority, finishing 4th on the
National Bowling Rankings and Colin Sher attained a no1
on the National Fielders Ranking. The U14A’s have
also shone, emerging from the end of their season with
their unbeaten record intact.
Excellence was shown by our basketball players this past
season – our U14A’s, u16A’s and 1st team
produced a 90% win rate. Nani Matthews showed great character
in captaining his team to victory after victory after
victory.
Our swimming this year seemed to improve in leaps and
bounds with talents like Sebastiaan Rosseau, Alex Dovale
and Digby Webb.
Sebastiaan lead the way with a memorable victory at the
SA Senior National Swimming Champs 200m Butterfly event.
He eventually achieved a position in the SA National Men’s
Swimming team. This is an incredible honour, worthy of
a SACS man.
Athletics got off to a fantastic start this year at the
Paarl Boys Athletics Meeting in February. We achieved
four 3rd places, four 2nd places and two 1st places. However,
the Paarl Athletics was far more than these results indicate.
450 SACS men attended – proudly swelling the fame
of this school. Those of you that were there will agree
that SACS WAS that tournament. The very essence of SACS
pride and spirit was echoed in the cheering voices of
our men that night – especially when Brendan and
Leroy clocked our opposition on the track!
Over the past few years, SACS has built a reputation
as one of the strongest waterpolo schools in the country
– and this year was no exception. Although our men
didn’t do as well as they expected at the King Edwards
College and SACS tournaments, they still maintain their
standing as the top Waterpolo team in the Western Cape
and indeed the entire country. Our waterpolo men won most
of their league games and our 1st team once again claimed
the prestigious Mazinter Cup for the 3rd consecutive year.
This year, SACS has emerged as one of the top Rowing
schools in the country. Our oarsmen kick-started their
season when the 1st eight attained a Bronze in the Port
Alfred 6.2km Boat Race – this is the best result
SACS has ever achieved in this particular regatta. Our
men further proved their worth when they were invited
to the exclusive River Vaal Regatta where they were placed
third once again. We cleaned up at all our local regattas,
leaving Bishops and Rondebosch quite literally in our
wake! This winning attitude carried forward at the annual
Selbourne Sprint Regatta – when our 1st eight once
again dominated in the face of elite competition. They
not only won the sprint race but also set a new record
on that course. However, Vincent De Mynk and his oarsmen
did not stop there; they ended their season by claiming
18 medals at the SA National Championships, finishing
7th out of 42 schools.
Our Hockey this year has seen a definitive improvement
since last season. Our men proved themselves by defeating
a seemingly unbeatable Rondebosch team – this shocked
many of the rugby jocks and most of us were forced to
swallow our crude hockey comments. Well done boys;)
Cross – country boomed this year, becoming SACS’
most popular sport. Exceptional results have been achieved
thanks to superb leadership by Carson Lederle and amazing
endurance by Brendon Lombard – its no wonder cross
– country was awarded so many ‘SPUR team of
the weeks’.
Sailing produced two amazing talents in Matthew Whitehead
and Matthew Shaw who, along with their fathers (both SACS
old boys) won the Cape Point Challenge and All Africa
Games event respectively.
The final sport that I wish to focus on is rugby. In
my preparations for this speech, I decided to leave SACS
rugby for last, as it is the sport closest to my heart
and I want what I say about our rugby to COME from my
heart.
I personally have had to miss virtually my entire season,
due to various injuries. Nevertheless, I had plenty of
opportunities to witness many of the SACS men in action.
Men like Zack Beukman, Dugald Robertson, Adam Norman
and Dean Holland or as we like to call him “the DH”
– the DEVASTATING HANDOFF. These men have become
heroes within the four walls of this Hall and beyond –
“spreading the name and swelling the fame” as
they propelled our 1st Fifteen to an awesome 60% win rate.
This is a massive achievement seeing as we play in a particularly
tough league.
The Sacs 1st Fifteen seemed to defy all odds when they
took down Paul Roos Gymnasium and DREW to mighty Bishops.
Our men ploughed through traditional rivals Rondebosch
and Wynberg, battering each both times they met.
We ended our season destroying Wynberg on our own grounds,
repaying our loses from last year – the message was
simple: “SACS is here to win”.
SACS men jumped in to the rugby spirit this here…there
has been an explosion amongst the U19 section which fielded
8teams!
Never forget, it is you who have achieved this excellence.
It’s not exclusively the first teams and the top
athletes who make the name of this school great. But rather
your combined participation, which uplifts our name.
Therefore, in conclusion – I who have been too injured
to fully participate this year want to thank you, the
SACS men…
Thank you for every tackle, every try, every goal, every
save.
Thank you for every wicket, every run, every stroke,
every metre, every second and every moment.
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Posted: 24 November 2007
Spectemur Agendo Award 2007
Citation by Matt Guiney (Deputy Headmaster)
Mr Sean Day, it is with great pride that your alma mater,
the South African College School, honours you tonight
with the Spectemur Agendo Award for your contribution
to business, especially the international maritime industry,
and for your support of many charitable and educational
projects.
Born in Knysna, you arrived at Dryfe House as a boarder
in grade 2. You moved through J.E de Villiers House, Michaelis
House and then on to Rosedale where you lived a full life,
taking part in rugby, swimming and debating. You achieved
a 1st Class matric in 1966 having been a school prefect,
head of Rosedale, and the recipient of the Best Speaker’s
Cup in the debating society.
It was at Rosedale that your interest in, and love for,
the sea grew. Here, as a young man, you avidly followed
the Shipping News in the Cape Times and would make every
effort at weekends to visit these ships in the docks.
By the time you matriculated, you knew the names of most
of the world’s international trading companies and
their ships that sailed the oceans.
You proceeded to UCT where you qualified with a B.Bus.Sc.
degree, and during your time there, you were a participant
in the first Cape Town to Rio Yacht Race in 1970. Because
of your academic success and special personal qualities
you were awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. After your two
year Law Degree at Oxford you joined the legendary Scottish
trading house Jardine Matheson, spending two years as
commercial manager of the ship-owning group, the Indo
China Steam Navigation Company. After a short time in
Canada with the shipping group FEDNAV you married Ginny
and moved to America. Here, under your leadership, the
Navios Shipping Company became a world leader in the emerging
freight business. In 1999 you were appointed Chairman
of Teekay Shipping Corporation and the international private
equity investment company, the Compass Group.
You are Chairman of four international companies where
your knowledge and expertise has been sought. In 2005
you were awarded the prestigious Connecticut Maritime
Association’s Commodore Award in the United States,
for your contribution to international shipping and the
growth of the international maritime industry.
It is, however, not only in the world of business that
you have made a difference. Your qualities of character,
integrity, dedication and support for many social, charitable
and educational projects have seen you influence the lives
of many of the less privileged. Your belief that a good
education is of prime importance for achieving in life,
has resulted in your support for the ‘Prep for Prep’
and ‘Reach’ educational projects in America.
Here underprivileged children, especially the gifted,
are uplifted and given the opportunity to succeed, firstly
at school, then at university and thereafter in the workplace.
In South Africa you established FOSAS (Friends of South
African Schools) to assist talented youngsters attend
top schools in the Western and Eastern Cape. You have
not forgotten your alma mater and have helped benefit
the Academic Support programme at the Junior School, especially
in the tuition of English and Mathematics. With declining
government funding for top schools your strong support
for SACS and the Old Boys’ Union, has been a special
goal of yours, assisting your old school not only to expand,
attract good teachers and offer scholarships, but remain
a leading educational institution for all in South Africa.
Sean Day, you are an outstanding philanthropic businessman.
Your financial acumen and influence in these circles,
through organizations such as the Young President’s
Organization, has seen you positively influence the lives
of many young people. Your alma mater is proud to honour
you for what you have achieved and continue to achieve
in life.
The South African College Schools bestows upon you the
“Spectemur Agendo” award-“Let us be judged
by our deeds.”
Sean Day ('66)
Spectemur Agendo Award 2007
Acceptance Speech by Sean Day
Good evening!
I am deeply honoured to be recognized with this award
by my old school.
It is over 50 years since I arrived at SACS on the steam
train from Knysna. I was 7 years old and I was the youngest
boarder in Dryfe House, the old hostel above the Gardens
in Cape Town. And to this day, I remember vividly an incident
on my first weekend there. I was miserable. I was sitting
on my bed in my dormitory when in walked a man with a
great big smile and an infectious laugh, whom I had not
seen previously. He could see that I was homesick and
lonely, and he immediately came over and cheerfully put
his arm around my shoulders. He befriended me and talked
to me, and cheered me up immeasurably.
That man has remained a great friend and mentor to me
ever since, and he is here tonight – John Ince. John
– your enthusiasm, your optimism and your respect
for all has always been an inspiration to me, and I thank
you for that.
Many others have also given me a hand up at critical
moments in my career. I was privileged to have a wonderful
tutor during my years at Oxford. And he said something
to me as I was preparing to leave Oxford that has stuck
with me ever since. At our final dinner together, he looked
me in the eye and he said “Sean – I have no
doubt that you are going to do well.” And then he
shook his head slowly and said “But I am not so sure
that you are going to do good!”
Those words have haunted me, and have inspired me to
try to look for ways to make the world a better place
and to help those who come behind me. And so I want to
say a few words tonight about doing good, in addition
to doing well.
I have lived most of my adult life in the United States
and I have been fortunate to have been associated through
my wife and my four daughters with some of the world’s
great schools and universities there. And what I have
learned is that the best institutions thrive because their
graduates, their old boys and old girls, continue to support
these institutions for the rest of their lives. Those
who benefit from the riches of those schools become committed
to giving a hand up to those who follow them. I believe
that this virtuous circle of great schools producing leaders
who use their talents and success to help those that follow
them, is at the core of the success of the best schools
and universities. As somebody once said, we all need to
“learn, earn and return”.
This evening’s event is prize-giving. But what most
of you probably don’t realize yet, is that each one
of you has already won first prize. Each of you is one
of the privileged few in the world who are getting a world
class education with all of the extraordinary enrichment
that a SACS education provides. I know that because I
have been very lucky in my life and my career, but my
greatest good fortune of all was getting a SACS education.
You are heading out into a very exciting world. My businesses
are global and I can tell you that what is happening in
the world today is truly extraordinary. You should look
beyond the gloomy headlines that one reads in the newspapers.
The truth is that we live in the most prosperous time
in history and the opportunities for all of you are exciting
and limitless. The world economy is currently experiencing
a level of growth unsurpassed in human history. But you
will also confront a world still beset with great challenges
and problems, and many others who are not so fortunate,
starting right here in South Africa. Far too many young
South Africans are not getting the education and the skills
that they need to compete in this 21st century boom. The
need for schools like SACS to continue to prosper has
never been greater. It is crucial to the future of this
country. And so I challenge each of you to look at your
country and at the world, and think about how you might
make it better, and I would like to suggest that you can
start right here with SACS. Your life-long commitment
to SACS can help to ensure that many generations more
will follow you in getting an excellent education which
is so critical to reducing the skills shortage in this
country.
Our school motto demands action, and not just lip service.
Spectemur Agendo – let us be judged by our actions.
Caring is good, but action is better. It is better that
people say of you “Well done” rather than just
“Well said”. Go out and make this a better world!
In closing, I would also like to mention some other SACS
Old Boys who are making a difference. Over the past 10
years since I started our fund to support children at
South African schools, Ian Glenday and Steven and Andrew
Wayland have been great contributors and collaborators.
Trevor Norwitz is another SACS Old Boy living in New York
who has been unstinting in his support of SACS, UCT and
Ikamva Labantu. I have also had the privilege of working
with Brian Ingpen for a number of years – Brian started
the Maritime Studies department at Simon’s Town High
School which does wonderful work in preparing lesser privileged
children for a career in the maritime industry. I tip
my hat to all of these fellow Old Boys for their willingness
to offer their talents and time to give a hand up to those
that follow them.
Thank you.
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Posted: 31 October 2007
Prize Giving Speech - October 2007 by Ken Ball
Ken Ball and His Wife Bev
Good evening Mr Chairman; our special guests; Dr and
Mrs Woods; Mr Sean Day, Mr Brent Walsh – chairman
of the SACS OBU; Mr John Ince – executive director
the OBU; members of the SGB; Committee members of the
OBU; Mr Stuart Anderson, Headmaster of SACS Junior and
Mrs Anderson; other special guests; parents; members of
staff and, most importantly SACS men.
In a few moments, our Headboy, Michael Newdigate and Deputy
head boy, Keagan Clay, will deliver their reports, highlighting
academic, cultural, sporting and other achievements. Before
they take to the stage, however, I wish to make special
mention of the matric results of 2006, which were, once
again, quite outstanding: The 122 candidates all passed,
119 of them with matric endorsement, 102 with aggregates
higher than 60% and 33 with A-aggregates. Vinesh Rajpaul
was placed 2nd in the Western Cape and 3rd in South Africa,
earning himself an all-expenses paid scholarship from
President Mbeki for the next 4 years of his tertiary studies!
This news provided immediate impetus to the academic year
and, whilst we extended our congratulations to the class
of 2006, we need to make special mention of our staff
– a highly-committed, exceptionally experienced and
highly qualified group of professional people – educationalists
out of the top-drawer, who deserve special praise –
I congratulate them one-and-all! (and ask you to join
me in doing so!)
At this stage, I would like to welcome the outgoing Deputy
Headboy, Keagan Clay, to the stage to give his sports
report. He will be followed by Headboy, Michael Newdigate,
who will tell us about the academic and cultural achievements
of 2007.
DEPUTY HEAD BOY’S REPORT
HEAD BOY’S REPORT
HEADMASTER’S REPORT (Continued)
Thank you to these fine young SACS men – they have
led the prefects and school with distinction, pride, enthusiasm
and loyalty. The achievements they have reported on, in
fact, bare a strong correlation between their leadership
and the excellence displayed on all fronts. I also wish
to congratulate the other prefects on the role they played
in leading the school this year, as well as the entire
matric class – they have been a spirited group who
have got themselves heavily-involved – we wish them
much success in their final exams, and will say more about
them at tomorrow’s Valedictory Ceremony.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you have gleaned from the reports
of our Headboy and his Deputy, that SACS men have enjoyed
successes on a broad front – it is obvious that we
are living up to our mission of providing an excellent
all-round education for our young men. Visitors from abroad
would say it is a world-class education. We unashamedly
strive for excellence in a balanced set of activities,
but we are not so naïve as to believe that we have
a 100% “buy-in” from all, or a 100% success-rate.
But, the fact remains that we are succeeding in our mission.
Now, this does not just “happen” – there
are many reasons for the positive state-of-affairs, but
one of the biggest is, undoubtedly, the staff at SACS.
Grounds staff, cleaning staff, administrative staff all
play a key role, and I thank and congratulate them. However,
I wish to focus on the teaching staff – a group of
people who belong to a disgracefully-remunerated profession;
a group of people who see colleagues exciting the profession
in droves; a group of people who belong to a profession,
which is battling valiantly to retain dignity and gain
(and preserve) some form of esteem and recognition for
what they do, from the public-at-large.
During the public servants strike, earlier this year,
80% of the SACS staff were on duty at all times –
there was no derailment of your sons’ education,
whatsoever, not a single day’s teaching was lost
and it has not been necessary to implement the “Recovery
Plans” that the Education Department, in its normal
haphazard and unprepared and “panicked” state,
attempted to place into action, as a remedial plan.
At more than 90% of public schools in South Africa, teaching
days were lost. Again, I say that this did not occur at
SACS – something that I am not so sure all the parents
and the boys, in particular, truly appreciate. I am therefore
addressing parents and encouraging you to appreciate the
role that teachers play in your sons’ lives at SACS,
we are not perfect, but we are professional, highly committed
and do our best! Always give positive support to these
ladies and gentleman, as they commit themselves to providing
only the very best education for your sons.
I am pleased to say that at SACS our Academic staff continues
to meet the challenges, which face us on an ever-increasing
scale. We continue to adjust, successfully, to changing
curriculum and assessment methods, without compromising
our standards and quality of teaching. The G.E.T and F.E.T
bands have been negotiated seamlessly.
I also encourage the SACS men to realize that your success
will depend on how consistently and diligently you work
right from the beginning of each year, and that each preceding
year lays the foundation for the next academic year. I
need to inform you that, already, universities are setting
their own entrance exams – hence SACS must ensure
that our boys cope with these exams, that THAT is why
our expectations, academically, are so high.
At the end of the day, parents, boys and staff must be
reminded that successes could not be achieved without
the contribution of each and every member of the team
– we need alignment of vision and purpose from all
role players. The famous American basketball-player, Magic
Johnson, put it thus:
“Everybody on a championship team doesn’t get
publicity, but everyone can say he’s a champion”.
Therefore, let ALL of us work towards being members of
that championship team, that is SACS!
Thank You!
K R BALL
HEADMASTER
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Posted: 31 October 2007
Prize Giving - Cutural & Academic Report
by Head Boy - Mike Newdigate
Tonight, Ishall deliver the academic and cultural report
– giving credit to the fine academics, the intelligentsia
of SACS, and then of course to the artists, the musicians,
the actors, the poets – those creative people who
give our school its soul. Whereas keagan has spoken about
the uh, the jocks.
As long as the tradition of Prize Giving has been in
place, so has the academic and cultural report. However,
a tradition that has tagged along with this report is
its sleep inducing influence on the audience.
It is, as though, in the balance of this evening –
the report should serve as a ‘power-nap’ before
proceeding on to the awards. Whether or not I maintain
this fine tradition tonight will be for you to decide.
Academic life is, of course, the central part of our
school and we were fortunate to have a high standard set
for us by our previous matrics at the end of last year:
100% pass rate, 33 A-aggregates, with Vinesh Rajpaul being
placed 2nd in the province, 3rd in the country, nationally
coming first in Latin, biology, maths, admaths, slipping
to second in English. it seems that every year, we see
at least one super star like vinesh; you will remember
from the previous year, an academic like simon scott –
getting 106% in matric, 18th in the province. And now
the pressure of attaining these results is on us, the
matrics; of getting over 100% in the final exams –
we look to the our very own academic jocks we look to
rayhaan khatieb, chris loetscher, tim egan, abdul oldey.
So through this pressure from the previous year, the
school rose to the challenge, and in late March –
the academic scholarships were awarded. The World War
II scholarships go to the top student in each grade: In
Grade 9, Fergus Wegener; in Grade 10, Darren Brookbanks;
in Grade 11, Matthew Davey; and in Grade 12, Rayhaan Khatieb.
The Victoria Scholarships, as you will see on your right,
went to Christopher Loetscher and Matthew Davey –
this being based on the internal scholarship exams, written
earlier this year. The World War I Scholarship –
Junior Section - also based on internal examination, went
to Jerrard D’alton in first place.
The Grade 8s have proved to be academically strong, making
the transition from junior school to high school with
little difficulty - the top achievers in the midyear exams
being Christopher Sharwood in third place, Daniel Goldstone
in second and Anant Dole in first place, averaging 90%.
Mr. Ludwig was the master-in-charge of SACS involvement
in the annual JSE/Liberty Life Investment Challenge –
in which students play the stock markets, and try to maximize
their given money. SACS, with a team made up of Frederico
Lorenzi, Akshay Samjee and Chris Bobbert managed to ACHIEVE
1st place in the month of June.
In the World Knowledge Olympiad, we had 41 SACS men representing
their school – Within the Western Cape we had Larry
Stent taking 3rd place, Scott Elkin in Second, and James
Stent, a SACS Matric, in first place.
With regards to us matrics, a target has been set for
us by our headmaster, and that is to achieve over 50 A
– aggregates in our grade in our final examinations.
I have spoken to most of our grade’s top ten, and
it does seem as though this year, we will have a high
number of matrics with an aggregate of over 100%.
We, the matrics, met with our parents in this hall at
the beginning of the year – where Justin Groeneweld,
a Prefect of 2006, gave us his understanding of the way
to approach Matric and the final exams. He spoke about
participation in your final year; he spoke about leading
a balanced life at school – but of course with an
academic focus – and I think whether or not we fully
heeded his advice at that time, we did have a fantastic
year: on the sports field as Keagan has/will tell you,
and in terms of all-round involvement in our school –
to me, it seems as though we have lived a full SACS life
in 2007.
When one speaks of culture at SACs, one speaks of our
music department, cabarets, productions, other societies
within sacs, perhaps even SACS traditions – Commemoration
day, the matric dance – that form our own SACS culture
on campus. we can speak of these traditions with pride
this year.
Our jazz band and madrigal ensemble were shipped off
to represent us in the Grahamstown Arts Festival, where
they competed against rival schools in their respective
competitions.
We enjoyed customary music fixtures throughout the year;
the marching band’s role in the uct rag procession;
our choirs and jazz band singing and playing at the waterfront
amphitheatre; the jazz in the gardens earlier this year;
the recent sacs spring celebration concert; even the marching
bands involvement in our commemoration day.
We are often given a taste of our jazz band’s repertoire
in our friday assemblies, often before they head off to
play in a competition over the weekend – and i think
there’s a wonderful feeling of constancy when the
band plays on our friday mornings… amid our sometimes
stressful lives, we are asked for 5 minutes just to sit
back and enjoy a piece of music played by our very own.
and we have mr walton, his music staff, and stefan maharage
– head of the music society - TO thank for not only
our five minute morning retreats, but also the co-ordination
of music at sacs as it continues to strengthen, continues
to be a credit to sacs, and continues to jazz-up our daily
routines.
This year’s musical, sweeny todd, produced by mr
schoeman, mr walton and ms blythe – was regarded
as a great achievement by its audiences. a technically
difficult production to execute, the cast lead by Johnathon
Duguid, Chad Groenmeyer, Ian Mc Nair, Matthew Rightford
and Michael Campbell succeeded in reaching those notes,
reaching their audiences, and pulling off a complicated
production with class.
THE WALTER SWANSON BUSARY COMPETITION FOR MUSIC WAS ADJUDICATED
BY ALAN STEPHENSON THIS YEAR – THE WINNER BEING MATTHEW
RIGHTFORD, ON SAXOPHONE AND VOICE.
THE ANNUAL CHRISTOPHER BROWN CONCERT ALWAYS SEEMS TO
BRING OUT THE TRUE MUSCIAL TALENT THERE IS AT SACS –
LUSANDA ZIBAYA, WHO WE HEARD SING IN THIS HALL A FEW WEEKS
AGO, WON THE VOCAL COMPETITION AND DANIEL GAD WAS THE
WINNER OF THE INSTRUMENTAL SECTION FOR HIS DEXTERITY ON
THE PIANO.
THE ANNUAL HOUSEPLAYS WERE WON BY BAXTER HOUSE WITH MICHAEL
NEWDIGATE as best actor, proving that bribery is alive
and well. Grant macalgan of baxter won the parachute debate
this year with his impersonation of jan hendrik hofmeyer.
THE AFRIKAANS AND ENGLISH BEST SPEAKER’S competition
took place at the close of last term, jason wicht winning
in the junior section of the afrikaans best speaker’s
and dAAniel cloete in the senior section. in The english
best speaker’s competition, sibusisu mbonambi won
the junior section, and michael newdigate the senior section,
again that bottle of whiskey to the judges doing the job.
So from my side, congratulations to all of those who
have been involved in and supporters of, the OCCAsIONS
that make up a RICH culture at SACS. Congratulations to
the scholarship winners of 2007 and best of luck to our
matrics as we approach our final exams with total confidence.
Thank you
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Posted: 31 October 2007
Valedictory Speech by Head Boy - Mike Newdigate
Good morning Mr Ball, staff, parents, and SACS men.
Once a year, someone stands where I’m standing now
and says goodbye to the SACS family on behalf of the matrics.
of COURSE, we know little of what lies ahead, we see the
example of other sacs old boys, and hope that we can,
in some way, measure up to them. but the path ahead is,
by its very nature, one that we have not travelled before.
What we do know – and what we feel with confidence
– is that this school has provided us with a solid
groundwork. More, that SACS takes boys and develops them,
develops us into young men, ready. and this perhaps is
the strength of our school – that by the collective
effort of our staff and our friends, we are helped to
reach our full potential. you can be certain that the
talents within you will be nurtured and built upon.
On a personal note, I know I was not SACS’s best
grade 8, nor sacs’s best grade 9 for that matter.
Indeed myself, a portly pubescent, would meet up regularly
with the headmaster; discuss my outlook on life; engage
in the usual light chatter about the attraction of other
schools in the greater Cape Town area, and perhaps my
interest in them. But, there were teachers at SACS who
did not give up on me, and for that – Ithank them.
One can’t generalise about the influence of all
SACS staff on all sacs men. each one of us has been influenced
by certain staff members in particular ways. But there
is one man that, this YEAR has had a tremendous influence
on the school as a whole, and on me in particular.
Each weekday morning, keagan and i would meet our headmaster
in his office at twenty to eight.
We would discuss details of the day ahead and matters
of concern. but throughout, we had the absolute certainty
that we had his total confidence, his total support. he
gave us the self-belief to achieve whatever we have managed
to achieve this year.
I’m told that there was a previous legendary headmaster
of sacs – before our time – who had the nickname,
the boss. it is perhaps no coincidence that this nickname
has now attached itself to our present headmaster, mr.
ken ball. to us, he is the boss – (no question).
Mr ball, thank you.
What remains for me, is to give thanks: to our outstanding
and dedicated staff who have taught and guided us. To
our parents, who supported us. and to our fellow sacs
men. those, who in the years to follow will also stand
in this hall and say thank you and goodbye.
I need to say some personal thank yous; to the two deputy
headmasters: mr guiney and mr jones. Mr guiney for your
solid support of the whole matric body this year. mr jones
for your insights and for your inspiration, mr simon perkin,
for your management of the prefects. we have learnt valuable
lessons from you: LESSONS THAT we are fortunate to have
learnt at this early stage in our lives.
Then to my fellow prefects, my source of strength this
year. i couldn’t have asked for a more committed
group. stu, keags, zacky, spens, holly, timbo, ashman,
jakey, chrissyboy, rodz, baas, rob, rossy, and pav. you
have been the deserving leaders of this school –
i thank you for your friendship and for your loyalty.
And to all my fellow matrics who have helped to make
2007 a great year. its not often a year which is so filled
with individual talent can gel together and produce constant
excellence, as a group.
To the incoming prefects, we have spoken at length about
the demands with which a successful year will come. the
job is difficult, you will be tested greatly, but you
will grow from it and treasure both the good and the bad
times – as both will have shaped you.
The lifestyle is challenging but what i do KNOW, is that
the prefects will need your full support, as you have
given us. i know too, that the outgoing prefects have
had a brilliant year, but i truly want the new prefects
to be better than us, to outdo us – because i believe
in the progression of this school, and i have a deep faith
in its new leaders.
My matrics. i know that it would be clichéd to
say that this year has gone so fast. but i know that we
will all still hold the memories it has given us –
memories of our group of friends, our prego roll wednesdays,
the miracle that is icebites.
These memories, these good times – we will hold
them very close to our hearts. the unity of our grade
has been unbreakable this year and we have achieved much.
and i sincerely believe in each one of you, i believe
your abilities are extraordinary, and will take you far.
I know you shall not forget a place that has for years,
completed you. a place you can always call home. and so
maybe the soul of our grade is born not from skill or
talent among us, but built from love.
SACS, you have carried me, believed in me and made me
who i am today.
Thank you.
Valedictory
The 2007 matric gift to sacs is something that we feel
is rather special. dylan lewis, the world famous sculptor
and sacs old boy of 1982, has been commissioned to design
and create a work of art of his choice for this school.
This will be presented to the school upon completion
in the new year. for this i’d like to thank the matrics,
mr olivier – for this arrangement, and of COURSE
mr lewis. thank you.
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Posted: 1 September 2007
Old Boy Rugby Stars in the Media
Percival Montgomery ('93) has been mentioned in
the media recently. Below are some links to the articles
online:
Another SACS Old Boy, Isma-eel Dollie ('02) has
also been featured in an article online recently:
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Posted: 1 September 2007
SACS High Music Tour to Grahamstown – July 2007
By John Walton
At the end of the second term the high school music department
embarked on a tour to Grahamstown participating in the
annual Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival. SACS
was the only school (one of six) to perform in uniform
and the chaps played magnificently and really looked unbelievably
smart. Standard Band (the sponsors) were in attendance
at our performance and I’m sure noted that we hold
our traditions dear i.e. – no sloppiness! Three staff:
Antoinette Blyth, Alistair McDonald and John Walton, plus
Old Boy Alexei du Bois accompanied the 29 chaps that included
both our Jazz Band and Madrigal Ensemble who performed
as individual groups and then combined to sing some Manhattan
Transfer numbers. The cherry on top was that four of our
chaps (out of about 350 who attended the course) were
chosen for the National Schools Band that comprises 18
members. The lads are Blake Hellaby (Piano), Joe “Mackie”
MacMillan (Trombone), Stefan Maharage (Trumpet) and James
“Dynamite” McClure who was chosen to play lead
trumpet for the band – i.e. the best in S.A.!!! Old
Boy (’06) Sisonke Xonti was chosen to play in the
National Youth Jazz Band. All in all a remarkable achievement
by our lads and I know that many of them had their musical
epiphany during the festival. They were mentored by some
of the greatest musicians in the world and I know that
this experience will contribute to the further building
up of our already strong music tradition.
Specific Music Dates:
- Wed 12 Sept – Christopher Brown Concert at 19.30
in the Hofmeyr Hall. Awesome talent on show!!!
- Sun 16 Sept – Jazz In The Gardens at 16.00 in
the Memorial Quad (Bring a blanket and picnic). This
will be a humdinger featuring all ensembles (Vocal and
instrumental) plus a guest appearance by the Junior
School Jazz Band
- Wed 31 October – Grade 8 – 10 Music Concert
at 19.00 in the Junior School Auditorium. This is a
concert organized and run by our Grade 11’s and
showcases the wonderful young talent we have.
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Posted: 01 August 2007
Music News from the USA
NEWS ABOUT ERIK BEHR (1996) – becoming Principle
Oboe at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in the U.S.A.
(This news article appeared on www.rpo.org/s_3/s_31/p_580/Erik_Behr
)
Erik Behr was appointed acting principal oboe as of May
1, 2007, and on September 1, 2007, he formally will assume
the principal oboe position. Prior to joining the RPO,
he was principal oboe of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston
Ballet. Mr. Behr performed as a guest principal with the
Atlanta Symphony, as a guest with the Seattle Symphony
and since 2004 as substitute oboe and English horn with
the Houston Symphony. He also performed at the Spoleto
Festival, with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia,
as principal oboe with the Haddonfield (NJ) Symphony,
with the New York Opera Festival, at the Casals Festival
and with the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra under
Kurt Masur.
In addition, Mr. Behr was the solo English horn in the
recording of Honegger’s Concerto da Camera with the
RTV Slovenia Orchestra, performed as solo oboe in Mozart’s
Sinfonia Concertante on tour with the Irish National Youth
Orchestra, and as a member of the World Wind Quintet performing
at the Edinburgh International Festival, Kilkenny Festival
and Maribor Festival.
A native of Cape Town, South Africa, he began his oboe
studies at the age of 13 and at 18 came to this country
for his undergraduate college education, having gotten
a taste of the U.S. as a 16-year-old participant in oboe
master classes by John Mack in Carmel, California. Mr.
Behr received his bachelor’s degree at Arizona State
University in 2001, his master’s from Temple University
in 2003 and currently is a doctoral candidate at Rice
University. His principal teachers have been Robert Atherholt,
Richard Woodhams and Marin Schuring.
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Posted: 16 July 2007
Pedalling Our Way to Housing a Nation
Cape Town adventurer to cycle non-stop for 57,5hrs
to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity.
Starting in the early hours of Friday 27 July, long before
most are even awake, Ray D. Chaplin will start his weekend
of pedalling in an attempt to raise sufficient funds to
build houses through the housing organisation Habitat
for Humanity.
“With a house costing R57,500, I am setting out
to pedal an hour for every R1000 required. In fact, the
target is R172,000… enough to build three houses”
he says.
Everyone is invited to come down to the Technogym Wellness
Centre to cycle with and help make a difference in the
lives of others. By making a small donation of just R50
donors will also be entered into an exciting virtual cycling
competition where they will cycle against others in the
same category, which include Men & Ladies [with various
age groups], Corporate, Media, Pro, Schools.
Each participant in the cycle race will be given a set
amount of time to cycle and the goal is to cover as much
distance as possible in that time period, as some great
prizes have been made available by generous sponsors.
Prizes include eyewear, footwear, bags & packs, cycling
apparel, outdoor adventure gear, gym memberships, bicycle
services and more.
Having towed a shack for the Two Oceans Half Marathon
earlier this year and recently over 2400km from Cape Town
to Johannesburg, Ray is no stranger to long hours of physical
endurance and mental stamina.
“One goes through many difficult patches during
the set time period, but knowing that you are making a
positive and tangible difference in the lives of others
helps get through it” says the 26-year old.
He continues “In a country where millions live in
informal settlements and sub-standard housing, we need
to work together and help make a difference. Innovative
fund-raisers like the cyclethon are great ways to have
fun while involving the donors.
Event details are:
Start: 5:15am, Friday 27 July
Finish: 2:45pm, Sunday 29 July
Prize-giving: 3:00pm, Sunday 29 July
Venue: Technogym Wellness Centre, CycleLab, Fourways,
Gauteng
Editors note:
The cyclethon acts as the final preparation before Ray
sets off on a journey of over 4600km around South Africa
by bicycle… pulling a shack behind him. His target
there is to raise over R1-million for Habitat for Humanity
during the three months on the road.
Contact information:
3Poles
Ray D. Chaplin
Tel: 072-637-2866
E-mail: ray@3poles.co.za
Web: www.3poles.co.za
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Posted: 01 July 2007
A Capitalist Cut of the Finest Cloth
From Business
Day - published on page 11, In Edition 13/06/07 (click
here to download the article in PDF format).
John Tudor, Rhodes scholar and Oxford and Harvard
graduate, spent almost a year sewing up the sale of retailer
Edcon for Bain Capital, writes Michael Bleby.
EDCON now has foreign owners. The retail chain that listed
on the JSE in 1946 suspended its shares last month ahead
of a delisting as a result of its purchase by Bain Capital.
The R25bn deal was the second-largest foreign purchase
of a South African company and the largest foreign private
equity acquisition yet.
The person behind the Edgars Consolidated buyout, however,
was not foreign. Cape Town-born and bred John Tudor led
the Bain team that researched the purchase and presented
it to the Boston-based firm’s board of MDs.
“I started working on the deal during the course
of 2006, mid-year,” he says. “We signed the
deal at the start of February. Once a deal is signed,
there’s a lot more work to close. When you sign you
agree to buy it for a certain amount, but once that’s
done, you need to finalise your financing, go through
the necessary regulatory review process and the shareholders’
vote.”
John Tudor ('87)
Given that Tudor has only worked in private equity since
2000, it seems like a short period to rise to a position
where you direct a deal of that size. The graduate of
Newlands’ Sacs school and UCT says that is not the
case. Like him, many people in private equity have previous
experience. And anyway, financial services is known for
thrusting responsibility upon people early, he says.
Tudor initially had no such ambitions. With graduation
in business science at UCT on the horizon in 1991, he
had his sights set on becoming a chartered accountant.
“It was a pretty standard trajectory into business
in SA,” he says.
Winning a Rhodes scholarship, however, sent him to Oxford,
where he studied a second bachelor’s degree, in politics,
philosophy and economics. Tudor then joined the London
office of Monitor Group, a strategy consultancy with offices
all over the world. With them he would end up back in
SA, he figured. It was not to be.
Tudor ended up studying again, this time at Harvard Business
School, where he spent two years doing an MBA. The lure
of university life remained strong and he spent another
year as a research assistant for Michael Porter, a Harvard-based
academic whose texts on competition and strategy are read
widely.
As Tudor prepared to return to consulting, a friend working
at Bain suggested he try private equity. He did, and stayed.
He is now one of a few principals at the firm with $40bn
under management. He reveals his adopted culture when
he describes the role of a principal as the “quarterback”
on any deal.
“A principal is the point person on making sure
business diligence is completed, making sure financing
is arranged, and making sure the transaction structure
is set up appropriately. As principal you’re the
manager of the team that takes the potential investment
to the rest of the firm for final evaluation.”
In the Edcon case, Tudor oversaw the team they set up
in Johannesburg to scrutinise and prepare for the transaction.
He himself did not stay, but flew in from Boston “six
or seven” times.
The wave of transactions that has thrust private equity
into the spotlight, garnering both excitement and hostility,
is a new phenomenon for the industry. This is certainly
the case in SA, where last year alone, the value of funds
under management jumped by almost a third to R56,2bn,
according to Southern African Venture Capital and Private
Equity Association (Savca) figures.
The success of the Edcon deal was followed soon after
by the failure of an attempted private buyout of supermarket
chain Shoprite and this has sparked a wave of anger and
accusations of greed towards those pushing the attempt.
In Australia, a buyout bid of airline Qantas, widely scolded
for being underpriced, failed, last month claiming the
scalp of the chairwoman.
It is new for the private equity industry to be so exposed
to the court of public opinion, Tudor says. While it has
been around for decades, recent years have seen more scrutiny
than ever before.
“What’s driven that is a fairly rapid increase
in private equity funds. People are able to put a lot
of money to work. They can buy bigger companies”.
As a result, even those outside the financial services
industry have become aware of it. “People have become
familiar with it because companies are being bought that
they know about.”
Tudor disagrees with a suggestion that the rising tide
of the past few years has lifted all stock markets and
boosted the number of bloated companies that are ripe
for taking private and making lean. Different ownership
suits different companies, he says.
“Not all the time is public ownership the best answer.
It’s not that there’s one form that’s better
than the other, it’s really that there’s a balance.
And right now, the capital markets are trying to find
what that balance is.”
He also plays a very straight bat when asked why private
equity deals fail.
“A private equity transaction is a very complex
transaction. Whether you’re buying from a private
owner, or buying from a public market. It’s kind
of like any other big transaction. You think of everything
that can go wrong when you buy a house. You hope the house
hasn’t had a flood or been struck by lightning. You
also hope the seller hasn’t looked at their house
in the light of day and seen the pretty flowers and changed
their mind. Every one of those elements could happen in
a private equity transaction. People have opinions and
those may change during a sale process”.
Whatever its failings, the wave of private equity investment
seems set to continue for the time being. There is increasing
foreign investment, too. A quarter of the private equity
funds raised last year came from overseas, up from 21%
in 2005, and last year’s figure excludes the Edcon
sale.
Tudor won’t give away any idea of what he’s
now working on — “most of the deals we work
on are public companies, so confidentiality is very important”
— but if work doesn’t bring him back this way
any time soon, it is likely to bring others.
“When we found the Edcon transaction, we were very
excited. It was a great investment. As our transaction
was closing, there’s been a lot of foreign interest
expressed in SA,” he says.
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Posted: 19 June 2007
SACS’s own adventurer takes on TheLifeCycle
SACS's own up & coming adventurer, Ray D. Chaplin
('98), left home on Friday 4 May with the goal of cycling
to Pretoria to promote non-motorised and environmentally
sustainable transportation via the bicycle.
Ray's transport for TheLifeCycle
Towing a small trailer behind his bicycle, TheLifeCycle
took Ray along the scenic Route 62 until Port Elizabeth,
and then head up the escarpment to Bloemfontein, before
heading across to Johannesburg and Pretoria... covering
more than 2400km over a period of 41 days, with a total
of four rest days in that. After a first day of 105km,
distances covered thereafter ranged from 30km to 95km
per day, including some rather long and steep passes.
He had this to say: "While the going was tough,
especially with the additional weight of up to 50kg in
the trailer, knowing that my journey was making a difference
and inspiring others was a great boost to help get over
the passes and cover the great distances. In Barrydale,
a group of teenagers came out on their bikes to cycle
the last 5km and welcome me into town. After five hours
of climbing the Op de Tradouw pass, it gave me such energy
we even raced each other into town."
The trip, in conjunction with the Bicycling Empowerment
Network, the Department of Transport and the South African
National Roads Agency, allowed Ray to interact first-hand
with communities along his route and assist in setting
up sustainable employment opportunities along his way.
A little support from the sposors
Ray was caught between Jeffreys Bay and Port Elizabeth
when the big chill moved through, blowing him off the
road and forcing him to seek refuge in his tent alongside
the N2 for 18 hours. From there Ray was heading for the
snowy passes, so getting clothes dry and himself was a
priority.
The climb up the escarpment took its toll, with major
climbs day after day... getting colder and colder as he
climbed. One night, unable to find a suitable place to
pitch his tent, Ray even climbed over a farm fence and
camped in a meadow amongst some cows, and a whole lot
of ice and snow. However, waking to find ice inside his
tent in Ventersburg was undoubtedly the coldest morning
of the trip.
While Ray could not reach his ultimate goal of Union
Buildings in Pretoria due to the ongoing strikes, the
destination was changed to the Voortrekker Monument which
he thought was a worthy and symbolic stand-in.
Rest stop on day 9
Now resting at Hartebeespoort Dam, Ray will be working
in Johannesburg in the coming weeks and delivering presentations
to schools and businesses on his epic adventure. There
will also be a public presentation on Tuesday 19 June
at the CAPESTORM store in Bryanston.
For more information on TheLifeCycle or presentation
dates, please visit www.thelifecycle.co.za
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Posted: 04 June 2007
Headmaster's Report - May 2007
By Ken Ball
I am happy to inform SACS Old Boys that the School has
had a very positive start to the year and the 1st five
months have yielded a great deal of positivity.
High School Headmaster Ken Ball with wife, Bev
Academics
The 2006 Matric results were outstanding and can be
summarised as follows:
Number of Candidates: 122
Number passes: 122 (100%)
Number of Endorsements (University Acceptance) 119 (98%)
Number of A-Aggregates (80% and above) 34
Number of Merit passes (60-79% Aggregate) 66
Number of Subject Distinctions 154
Vinesh Rajpaul was 2nd in the Western Cape, 3rd in South
Africa and the 1st time a SACS man has achieved this honour
in “Democratic Times”, as it were. He was 1st
in Additional Maths, 1st in Latin and Biology, joint 1st
in Maths and joint 2nd in English.
Ziyaad Jakoet and James Kramer were joint 2nd in Accounting,
whilst 16 lads achieved 4 or more subject distinctions.
The best results came from:
Vinesh Rajpaul - 8A’s
Daniel Schwartzkopff - 7A’s
Brian Willis - 6A’s, 1B
Thabit Nacerodien - 5A’s, 2B’s
Justin Groenewald - 6A’s
Cultural
The Music Department, as always, is a great advert for
SACS and the JAZZ Band has performed with great distinction
at the V & A Waterfront, the OBU Centennial Cocktail,
and at “JAZZ in the Garden”. The Choirs and
Madrigal Ensemble have also proved their worth on the
same occasions.
The Drama Production, “Sweeney Todd” ran for
3 nights to packed audiences and the feedback has been,
again, very positive – John Ince, Doug Brown and
Brent Walsh have all noted that the complexity of the
music and vocal requirements, was outstandingly –
handled by the SACs men – great tributes!
Sport
Peter Kirsten reports that the 1st term has produced some
of the best results in many a year – the 1st Cricket
Team won 16 consecutive matches (beating Rondebosch and
Bishops), the 1st Rowing 8 won the Selborne Sprint for
the 1st time in our history and the oarsmen brought back
18 medals from the SA Championships. The U14A, U16A and
1st Waterpolo teams all played in the finals of the Mazinter
Cup (SACS was the only school to be represented in the
finals of all 3 age groups), the 1st Team winning the
Mazinter Cup (named after SACS’ Rodney Mazinter)
for the 3rd consecutive year, by disposing of Rondebosch.
The Winter Season is in “early” days but the
1st Rugby and Hockey teams both beat Rondebosch two weeks
ago and the following individuals have gained National
recognition this year, thus far.
- Andrew Gillard won the SA U14 Squash Title and will
represent SA in Malaysia next month.
- Anant Dole, who is U14 and in Grade 8, won the SA
U16 Chess Championships and will represent SA U16 in
Singapore in August.
- Sebastian Rousseau won the Men’s 200m Butterfly
at the SA National Senior Swimming Championships in
Durban.
- Matthew Whitehead (Grade 8) and his father, Colin
(SACS Old Boy) filled 2nd position in the SA Hobie 16
National Championships in Durban and both have been
selected to represent SA at the World Championships
in Fiji in October.
So, SACS Old Boys can rest assured that their alma mater
is “alive and flourishing” – Spectemur
Agendo!
(Due to a technical problem, this report was excluded
from the May 2007 Newsletter. We apologise for the inconvenience.)
back to top
Posted: 31 May 2007
Birth of a Legend
By Chris Waldburger
Percival Colin Montgomery is on the cusp of becoming
more than a great Springbok rugby player, but rather a
South African legend.
If all goes to plan this year, Percy could end his Springbok
career as statistically the greatest South African rugby
player, if not sportsman, of all time.
And Saturday may just be the first step towards ending
his career in iconic style.
He is already the highest points-scorer of Springbok
history, sitting at 654 points, a full 342 points ahead
of Naas Botha.
He has won two Tri-Nations with the Springboks in 1998
and 2004, the only Bok to have been there twice, and he
was also the fullback during the world-record 17 unbeaten
Tests from 1997 to 1998.
He has also won a Currie Cup-winners medal three times,
with Western Province in 1997, 2000 and 2001.
What's left for the celebrated fullback?
Percival Montgomery preparing for the Tri-Nations
final against the Bulls
He is nine caps short of Joost van der Westhuizen's record
89 caps, and only two trophies elude him, namely the Super
rugby title, and the big one, the Rugby World Cup.
Saturday may just see the completion of goal one, if
Monty's Sharks sides can hold out the Bulls.
The Springboks are set to play seven Tests ahead of the
World Cup, and if they go to the Final that will be another
seven Tests. Monty will need to play in 10 of these 14
to hold the record.
And with his superlative Super 14 form which has left
any supporters of upstart-Francois Steyn speechless, one
wouldn't bet against Jake White banking on the sturdy
goalkicker and defender as his starting number fifteen
throughout the year.
Only having to rest a game or injury will bar him from
becoming South Africa's most experienced international
player.
But Monty has not always had things his way.
At one stage he was so unpopular with South African crowds
that he would be mercilessly booed by home crowds at Loftus
Versfeld in Pretoria.
He was heavily maligned as part of the Cape cabal so
dominant during Nick Mallett's era, and he quickly fell
out of favour at the end of Harry Viljoen's reign.
After the dust had settled on that stormy era in Springbok
history, new coach Jake White brought the player back
from Newport, Wales to be his starting fullback, and,
with his one-step kicking action generally demonstrative
of a sharper, and harder style of play, Montgomery has
become the most reliable fullback in world rugby.
And now Saturday is poised to be the beginning of a year
of destiny for the Springbok dynamo.
Simon Perkin the South African College School (SACS)
rugby master, who, along with legendary Springbok fullback
HO de Villiers oversaw the boy genius's rugby tuition,
remembers watching the maestro play for the first time
at the primary school of SACS.
Monty was a boarder at the historic Cape Town school,
which is nestled under the imposing Devil's Peak.
"It was obvious even then that this was a real talent.
"I had been teaching at Rondebosch Boys' High,"
Perkin continued," when I moved to SACS and became
Monty's coach when he was under 16. I then coached him
for four years.
"HO de Villiers used to help me with the backs,
and him and Percy became real kindred spirits. If there
is such a thing as a sixth sense, then HO and Percy could
communicate in that sixth sense.
"HO is not the type of guy who will say of a young
player, 'This guy's got it,' but with Percy he was quite
categorical.
"Percy just had amazing flair and sense of space.
He was superb on the counter-attack, which is probably
something he has lost a bit with a decline in pace.
"But he still throws those long passes which were
his trademark as a schoolboy.
"Percy played two years of Craven Week for Western
Province, captaining them the second year. In both those
years he played South African schools.
"He also played provincial waterpolo, and would
have made South African schools had it not been for a
rugby tour we had gone on.
"He has always kept in touch with SACS. He has never
let his successes go to his head, and he has always retained
his old mates.
"He has always just been Monty.
"And seeing him as a father, it is clear that he
has grown up to be a fine human being."
Perkin also reflected that Montgomery had been by no
means an academic, that his favourite subject had been
first break, and his next favourite second break.
He also remembered that out of all the schoolboy rugby
players he had come across, none of them had worked as
hard at his rugby as Percy.
Percy, along with André Joubert and HO de Villiers,
forms part of a triumvirate of legendary Bok fullbacks.
Perhaps the fact that Percy was mentored by the great
HO attributes to some of his success.
HO doesn't see it that way.
"I wouldn't say I was influential upon him. I taught
him a little bit of what I had learnt, and I also learnt
a great deal from him.
"The guy had a lot of talent, and a lot of natural
ability. He was also incredibly quick, and I always thought
he would have had as distinctive a career if he had played
wing.
"He has been a great Springbok and it will be a
sad day when he retires.
"When I first met him, I told him that I don't profess
to know it all, but what we would do is mix some of my
ideas with some of his, and he was always very keen to
listen, and very dedicated. Rugby was his obsession and
that, I guess, is what's required in the professional
age."
Perkin noted that one of the chief qualities of Montgomery
has been the fact that he seems to play each game as if
it were his last.
This year promises to be the year Monty does pull on
that green and gold for the last time, and this weekend,
when he runs out a Shark in the bid for that first taste
of Super rugby glory, Percy will know that he is walking
with Springbok giants.
And no matter what the year holds, we all realise that
we have witnessed the career of a player who has enthused
those who watched him with blinding natural talent at
first, and then finally with a mature blossoming of grit
and the guts to overcome obstacles in the unending bid
for Springbok, and for rugby, greatness.
back to top
Posted: 31 May 2007
SACS OBU 175 Appeal
By Chairman of the OBU 175 Appeal Campaign Committee
Steve McKenzie (’89)
Onward and upward we go. A big thank you to those who
have contacted us, and made contributions. Our total is
creeping up slowly and currently sits at R2 525 862.62
(pledged and received). To make participation easy,
we have set up a debit order facility (see attached for
a debit order form) and can also accept credit card contributions.
If large numbers of Old Boys make modest monthly contributions,
it really will make a huge difference. The London chapter
of the SACS Old Boys will be hosting a cocktail evening
on Tuesday 10 July (see separate report) where we hope
to get some good support from our ‘pound-earning-brethren.’ I
appeal to those of you willing and able to help to please
make contact with us. Realistically we can only touch
a finite number of individuals and really do rely on proactive
behaviour on your part.
As previously mentioned, schools such as SACS receive
very limited funds from the Department of Education and
hence rely on school fees and Old Boys contributions.
Under the leadership of Mr Ken Ball and Mr Stuart Anderson,
both schools continue to excel and in order to ensure
they prosper, they need our help. The main aims of the
campaign are to;
1. Attract and retain quality staff
2. Invest in projects of a capital nature (facilities)
3. Offer scholarships for boys of talent (academic, sporting,
cultural, etc) and excellence as well as assisting boys
of excellence from disadvantaged backgrounds
To this end we need to ensure that the contributions
continue to roll in. I appeal to all of you to consider
what SACS has given you and then look at what you can
give back. If you are able to help us in any way (both
financially and or with your time), please be proactive
and get in touch with us through the Old Boys office.
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Posted: 31 May 2007
The Child is father of the Man
By Doug Brown
When, for the May issue of the newsletter last year,
I chose this title for my book-appeal, it was with the
thought in mind that school influences contribute towards
the sort of people we turn out to be. My choice of career,
for instance, and the attention I gave to the marking
of written compositions as an English teacher, stemmed
directly from the encouraging remarks I received for one
essay from a young teacher in my Std VIII year. I still
have it. And so, I conjecture, could seeds of aspiration
be sown in the minds of many a SACS pupil down the years
were he to come across in the school library, the collected
works of SACS Old Boys who once trod exactly the path
that he is treading. This is the thought that lies behind
my appeal to Old Boys who know of SACS Old Boys that have
published works of fiction, or non fiction covering any
branch of the arts, or of science or technology, biography
or auto-biography – to let me know of this so that
I can follow them up, and try to procure a copy for the
school library (We already have 57 such copies). They
will be displayed in a special glass-fronted book case,
to inform boys and teachers alike of this rich variety
of authors with a SACS background. Such a collection will,
I believe, be an inspiration to many a budding author.
We are looking for a suitable display cabinet.
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Posted: 31 May 2007
Memories of SACS
By Stanley Moss
Before I lose my marbles, I thought I would record my
early memories of SACS in the hope that some of my ex-classmates
could add some anecdotes!
My father was away for a while during World War II, as
a Bren Gun instructor at Roberts Heights, which became
Voortrekkerhoogte. I was uncontrollable at home, so I
was duly enrolled as a boarder at SACS Junior in Wandel
Street, Gardens, in January, l944, at the age of 9. I
was a boarder until the end of l946, but remained at SACS
until the end of l952, as a Day Scholar, when our family
moved to P.E. The following boys were boarders with me:
Martin ABRO, "Ted" Henry Edward A'Becket ROWAN,
Davis BUIRSKIE, Michael BRAUDE, Lionel BLUMENTHAL, Andrew
DEMAS, Jean-Pierre ENSLIN, Cyril FISHER, Ernest FINBERG,
Kenny FINBERG, Tony FEINTUCH, Gert GUTTMANN, John INCE,
Charlie JOSMAN, Chtistopher JACKSON, Francis JURGENS,
Manny KATZEFF, Peter HODSON-MOSS, Basil MYERS, Johnny
MYERS, Brian MacNALLY, Stanley MILLER, Roy MEINTJIES,
Colin MERRY, Robin MERRY, Peter NEUKIRSCHER, Kenny PENKIN,
Brian (Kitty) KRAMER, Desmond KRAMER, Louis RAFF, Michael
PORTER, Peter REES, Benny RABINOWITZ, Jack RABINOWITZ,
Trevor ROBINSON, Albie SACHS, Johnny SACHS, Roger STEVENS,
Michael STEVENS, Barry SLOGROVE, Raymond SIVE, Natie SHIFFMAN,
Owen TUDOR, Morrie VELK, Michael VASS, Arthur VASS, Peter
van DIGGELEN, Brian van HOLDT, Rob-Roy van HOLDT, Mark
WINDISH, WOODERSON, Harry WIGGETT, Natie WOPNICK, A. WALKER,
ZINMANN.
Would anybody like to add to this list? We were spread
into 3 areas around the school. At first the small boys
were placed in a large dormitory at the school. We were
then moved to Mentone House in Hatfield Street and then
on to the ex-Army Barracks next to the Mount Nelson Hotel,
Dryfe House. Our Housemaster was Nobby Knowles, while
the Housekeeper was Mrs MacNally - both were very strict,
quite understandable, having had their hands full with
a crowd of naughty little boys! Mr. van Holdt was our
Junior School Principal, and he and his wife, who was
very kind to us, lived at the school. They had 3 children,
Brian, my classmate, then Rob-Roy and Heather, who went
to St. Cyprian's.
Our teacher in Std. 2 was Sylvia Pope-Hennessy, who left
after the 3rd term to get married. In Std. 3 we had Mr
Marsh, in Std. 4 we had Mrs Smit, in Std. 5 we had Nobby
Knowles and for one term we had as Mrs. Kewer, who taught
us the poem, "The Fighting Temeraire". In Std.
6 we had Mr van Zyl for Afrikaans, Mr Westall for English
and Mr Striever for Art.
Gym was taught by Mr Ruger and later Mr Morrison. Woodwork,
and Rugby Coaching were handled by Mr Weidemann. Our pocket-money
was 6d. per week and we would immediately head for Kappy's
shop on the corner of Wandel and Hatfield Streets. In
l944 Mr Kaplan, owner of the shop, received the tragic
news that his son had died in a Japanese concentration
camp, after having been taken prisoner in Burma. He was
a really wonderful old man and looked after the boarders
for so many years.
Every Saturday afternoon all the boarders were marched
up the slopes of Table Mountain to spend an afternoon
playing in the forest. Our favourite game was "Lost
Commanders, which was taken from the wartime comic, "SPITFIRE".
The leader of the game was Kenny Finberg! We had lots
of fun but were very mischievous and cuts were a regular
occurrence!
I am still in regular contact with the Rev Harry Wiggett,
who was my best friend, and who attended Hebrew lessons
with me at Mr Kuperman, until his mother received the
account and wanted to know what was going on! As my friend
he had not wanted to be left out!
During the war, the South African Defence Force commandeered
our playground, called the Paddock, and built approximately
twenty bungalows for the use of the military. When the
war ended and the Army families moved out, they did not
immediately demolish the bungalows, so a number of boarders,
including the Principal's son, Brian van Holdt, decided
to speed things up by collecting buckets of rocks and
smashing all the windows - we made a very good job of
it! No doubt we were all reported, as the following morning,
all boarders involved were told to queue up at the Principal's
office. We were all given six of the best and gated for
the weekend. \
On another occasion, in l945, we were all starving from
having been subjected to wartime rations, and decided
to go on a bread binge in the dining-room. We demanded
more bread and just kept on eating until all stocks ran
out in the kitchen , regardless of how bloated we were!
I could give you more stories, but this is probably long
enough! Hope you enjoyed all of this! With kindest regards
to you and and all at the School.
Stanley Moss
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Posted: 31 May 2007
Emergency Numbers
By Mark Chambers (’85) and Russell Edwards (’85)
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers
stored in it's memory but nobody, other than ourselves,
knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family
or friends. If we were to be involved in an accident or
were taken ill, the people attending us would have our
mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there
are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact
person in case of an emergency? Hence this "ICE"
(In Case of Emergency) Campaign.
The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly.
It is a method of contact during emergency situations.
As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population,
all you need to do is store the number of a contact person
or persons who should be contacted during emergency under
the name "ICE" (In Case Of Emergency).
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that
when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always
mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which
number to call. He therefore thought that it would be
a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name
for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency
Service personnel and hospital staff would be able to
quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the
number you have stored as "ICE".
Please forward this. It won't take too many "forwards"
before everybody will know about it. It really could save
your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. For more
than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3etc.
A great idea that will make a difference! Let's spread
the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile
phones TODAY!
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Posted: 17 April 2007
Two Oceans Half Marathon… with a shack. I made
it!!!
By Ray D. Chaplin
Whether it was cross-country, athletics or hockey training,
running was always something I tried to avoid at school.
So you can just imagine my reaction when my media people
suggested that I run the Two Oceans Half Marathon…
with a shack.
With delays in getting the relevant permission to pull
a shack from Cape Town to Pretoria in our X-SA project
which is aid of Habitat for Humanity, I finally agreed
to give it a go. But I promised nothing, because my training
was designed for slow and steady endurance like pulling
a 4x4 tyre 50km a day… not a quick three hour sprint
around a short course. Besides, I’d never built a
shack on wheels before…
Ray with the shack, close to the start of the marathon,
before sunrise
The pressure mounted quickly as race organisers flooded
the media with releases and they all wanted to see the
shack which was still only a rough sketch. Then after
the first dilemma of the shack being ripped apart due
to strong winds in the first press photo shoot, we had
serious problems!
We made a whole load of modifications and the shack was
strengthened, but I didn’t have much confidence in
the flimsy fibreglass structure which barely survived
the car ride to the start line in the early hours on race
day… after all, I hadn’t even had time to run
around the block with it since it’d been finished.
The gun went off and the runners were got underway…
slowly, very slowly. Not being known for my patience,
I tried pushing through to get going [and warm] but was
quickly hauled back by race officials because I had to
remain at the back with the shack. But I couldn’t
stick at 5km/h – I wouldn’t make the cutoff
at that pace! No ways was I going to be told to pack it
in just 3km from the finish because I had been too slow!
I made it off the Main Road with my legs feeling a little
funny, purely because they just aren’t used to running,
but otherwise feeling fine. But oops – downhill!
How would the shack handle downhill, with speed bumps?
Just fine actually, although I ended up having to pull
it right for the rest of the race because I buckled one
of the axles outside Wynberg Girls.
The support from the crowds was amazing along the way,
and I had an amazing time until Constantia Village shopping
centre was passed. Unfortunately it was time for Southern
Cross Drive! Another big concern here was that I had a
radio station calling in for an interview during the race
– so I needed to sound as though I was at least managing
the race.
But time seemed to be on my side by the time I got to
the top of Southern Cross, and the legs were feeling surprisingly
well. Clearly those long sessions up and down Table Mountain
were paying off.
Still looking strong later in the race, after the
sun had risen
But then it happened – a sharp pain in the groin.
Reduced to a pained walk and time now ticking by quickly,
a plan had to be made. But I couldn’t bail. There
was no ways I was going to live that one down. After all,
I was the one who suggested I walk to Pretoria pulling
a shack large enough to live in. What would they say if
I couldn’t even finished 21km?
And this is where the mental training and the ability
to put pain out of ones mind comes into play. With time
running out, a quick calculation was made of how “near”
the finish was and the “huge” amount of time
I had to get there. With my GPS on my arm keeping track
of pace, I just had to keep above the required speed and
go for it. The physio can deal with the groin and any
damage I may do! After all it’s mind over matter
– if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
Kirstenbosch Gardens flew past, and my only wish of the
day was that the brass band could have continued to the
finish with me. But the numbers on the markers were dropping
quickly now, and seeing Marcello da Silva cheering us
all on was just another kick to keep going and push on.
Turning onto Rhodes Drive was a great moment, knowing
that both the finish and the physio were not far away.
Past more DJ’s and bands and cheerleaders, I swept
down onto the UCT rugby fields to find two sharp turns
– a little difficult with a shack which has a mind
of its own. And what would happen along the bumpy grass?
Speed… that’s what! My legs [and mind] pushed
to finish strong and I made it across the finish line
with the clock rapidly approaching the three hour cutoff.
But I made it, and that’s all that mattered…
I had gone out there and done it.
Crowded running field
So what is next? Well, my brother [Ian Chaplin, class
of ‘93] and I have already chatted about the London
marathon with the shack… as well as the Sydney and
New York marathons.
But right now I’m preparing for a 2100km cycling
trip from Cape Town to Pretoria, along Route 62 via Port
Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom. It is partly
a scouting mission for the X-SA Shack Pull, as well as
a promotion of NMT [non-motorised transportation] with
the Bicycling Empowerment Network.
We’ll be promoting the greener alternative and healthier
lifestyle associated with cycling, and will be inviting
[read: challenging] the local mayors along the way to
cycle to work with myself and Andrew Wheeldon [MD of BEN]
in an effort to help speed up NMT initiatives in the regions.
Through BEN, we will be distributing bikes to previously
disadvantaged communities along the route, as well as
laying foundations for bicycle development centres where
locals will be empowered to setup their own cycling-related
business.
Except for the few days when Andrew joins me for the
inner city activities, I’ll be travelling completely
alone… just me, my bike and my trailer. Oh, and a
3G internet connection… so you’ll definitely
be hearing from me along the way.
For further information, please visit:
Editors note:
3Poles… is a Cape Town-based adventure and community
outreach company aimed at making a difference in the lives
of South Africans by undertaking local and international
expeditions to help raise awareness and funds in support
of best practice organisations, while empowering people
with the knowledge that they can achieve anything they
dream of and put their minds to.
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Posted: 26 March 2007
Ray Chaplin (’98) to Run Two Oceans Half Marathon
- with a Shack
Capetonian Ray Chaplin will be running the Old Mutual
Two Oceans half marathon on Easter Saturday 7 April to
raise much-needed funds for the event’s official
charity, Habitat for Humanity South Africa.
Ray Chaplin ('98)
Chaplin will be dragging a makeshift shack around with
him to raise awareness and funds for Habitat for Humanity
South Africa. Chaplin feels that this is his way of contributing
towards increasing awareness and raising additional funds
for Habitat for Humanity South Africa. “It’s
definitely won’t be an easy accomplishment for me
but that’s part of the deal. It’s a challenge
and it certainly attracts attention, which helps the charity
in terms of overall awareness.”
Chaplin is the founder of 3Poles, a Cape Town-based adventure
and community outreach company aimed at making a difference
in the lives of South Africans by undertaking local and
international expeditions to help raise awareness and
funds in support of best practice organisations, while
empowering people with the knowledge that they can achieve.
According to Chaplin, he chooses events that will create
the maximum amount of media coverage as possible, by being
relevant and newsworthy. “This helps the sponsors,
who receive exposure, as well as the communities and organisations
that benefit through our fundraising activities.
Ray during one of his training sessions
“Habitat for Humanity South Africa is the official
charity for the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and another
event we are involved with – the X-SA Shack Pull.
It made sense for me to enter the half marathon as well
to help Habitat raise much needed funds,” said Chaplin.
Chaplin will start the race towards the back and make
his way through the 10 000 plus participants, dragging
his bright yellow shack. Chaplin says it is extremely
tough to run 21 km with this shack and to navigate it
through all the other runners.
Habitat for Humanity South Africa is a non-profit Christian
organisation that works in partnership with communities
to help families living in poverty housing to build and
own simple, decent and affordable houses. Since 1996,
the organisation has built close to 1 800 houses in the
Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal. Eastern Cape and Gauteng/North
West provinces, providing shelter for 8 000 people across
the country and bringing together people across racial,
economic, cultural and social boundaries.
Those wishing to contribute towards Habitat’s cause
can visit their website at www.habitat.org.za.
Ray with training buddy 'Tony'
You can find out more about Ray's past and future adventures
on his site www.3poles.co.za.
Ray aims to reach the North and South Pole, as well as
summit Mt Everest in order to raise awareness about housing
in the country.
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