Old Greys’ Union Newsletter No. 54 –July 2013 Private Bag X0002 Greenacres 6057 PE College Drive Mill Park Port Elizabeth Tel: 041 392 7625 Fax: 086 660 5920 ogu@greyhighschool From our Office The Annual General Meeting of the Old Greys’ Union was held at the Club in July. Bryan Knox was reelected President of the Union and Dave Hurr continues as his Vice President. The Committee remains unchanged, which is a sign of continued confidence in their good work. Bryan thanked the Committee and all those present for having the interest of the Union at heart. The Union has made excellent progress over the last six years. The office on the Grey Campus is fully operational and its existence has brought Old Greys worldwide considerably closer to their alma mater. Membership of the Union is something we continually promote and we have achieved some success in having an ever increasing number of Old Greys join the ranks. This year 330 Old Greys joined the Union but on the other hand some 380 have failed to renew their membership which is rather sad. That said, we believe that we do have some innovative ideas in mind which will provide Union members with meaningful advantages and it will be worth your while to become a member of the Union. The bottom line is that the stronger the Union, the stronger the Grey Schools. The link between Old Greys and the Grey Schools must be a strong one. Parents at Grey High fund a R30 million budget of which overnment provides only R120.000. The old days of simply phoning the Education Dept. to repair a broken window pane are long gone. If there was ever a time that the traditional schools needed the support of their Alumni, it is now. The formation of a Grey Foundation will be of major benefit to the schools. The private schools have had similar institutions in place for years and these schools have thrived. We will be going the same route with our own Foundation being fully operational by 2015. That year marks our 100th Anniversary on the present campus in Mill Park. Union Membership- Debit Order proposal In an effort to increase our membership and to promote a more effective collection system, we have engaged the services of Wendy Beaufort and Sue Hobson to canvas support from old boys and to consider paying their subscription through a bank debit order. The two ladies in question have been most successful in marketing the sale of plaques at the new Aquatic Centre and are known to many of you. Both have strong family ties with the Grey and Collegiate schools. We have agreed that a once off commission payment will be paid to the ladies dependent upon their success rate. Please support Wendy and Sue in their efforts ,as the greater their success, the easier our task becomes in accounting for the collection of subscriptions. We have found that many old boys overlook the payment of their fees. We do follow up with additional reminders and phone calls and on speaking to old boys we have seldom been rebuffed. Would it not be easier to simply allow a debit order to be taken off your account in January of each year and to cut out the sweat and effort? Old Greys in the News Vyv Deacon (’62) has been elected as the District Governor of Rotary’s District 9350 which covers a vast area including Namibia, Northern Cape and Western Cape. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch and is married to Pat. He recently retired from the Western Cape Education Dept. Besides his full involvement in Rotary, he enjoys tennis. Congratulations to David Fanning (’63) who has received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences at the 34th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards. David is the Executive Producer of the multiple award-winning series “Frontline” that over several decades has engaged television audiences on many critical issues of our time. David recently attended his 50th Reunion and was blessed to be able to visit his aging mother who continues to enjoy remarkably good health. Old Grey’s Reunion 2014 The dates for next year’s Reunion have been finalized and the Week takes place from Wednesday 21 May to Saturday 24 May 2014. The event continues to get bigger and better every year and we are sure that we will again seat in excess of 500 old boys at the Annual Dinner. It has been suggested that in addition to the normal 18 holes of social golf that we organize on the Thursday morning of every year, we should hold a full and competitive Golf Day on the Tuesday. The proceeds will be designated for a good cause. With an auction of memorabilia and the sale of advertising on the course, we could raise a considerable sum. During the 2013 Reunion a large number of our younger Old Greys gathered at the Old Grey Club on the Saturday evening. By all accounts, it was a resounding success. We would like to formalize this event as our official “Reunion After-Party” and to really round off the week on a high note! Many old boys are already planning for the 2014 event and Peter Ford (1964), in Port Alfred, will definitely be returning for his 50th Reunion. He is so keen to attend, that his cruise on the Queen Elizabeth which departs from Southampton for Sweden and Norway during Reunion will only be joined by his wife and himself in Rotterdam. That is what we call loyalty! News from Abroad We continue to hear from many old boys living abroad and we delight in their news and successes. Brad Seaman (1990) lives in Auckland. He recently brought a young rugby team from the East Club side which he coaches. The boys were in the age group of 11-13 years and were accompanied by a large group of parents. They had a royal time in Port Elizabeth playing a number of games in the City and also visited The Addo Elephant Park. The Kiwi side had a stiff game against Grey Junior U13A and despite the loss thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the school where they were entertained. The group thereafter then continued, ending their tour in Cape Town. Wayne Jepson (’84)who looks after our Old Greys in the United States and Canada reports that he has 157 Old boys on his data base. He is currently uploading the database into “constant contact”, a newsletter platform which will be easy to manage and to distribute among old boys. Our youngest member in this regard could well be Alex Jackson (’11) who phoned us from Houston in Texas asking to be put in touch with local Old Greys. Alex spent four years at Grey and after matriculating returned with his brother to Houston. Wilfred Bloom (’63) is in Scottsdale, Arizona, and made contact with Monty Ware following the 50th Reunion of that class this year. He was disappointed in not being able to attend Reunion but has every intention of being present in May 2018. Wilfred qualified as a pharmacist and emigrated in 1987 after having had a pharmacy in the Gardens, Cape Town for many years. He is particularly thankful to Colin Hilder and Wally Townsend who managed to source a 50th Anniversary hockey shirt for him. Scott Clephane (’93) is in Dubai and has his own branding and communication company. He has been there for 10 years and regularly meets up with Craig Maskell (‘93) and Gunther Plate (’93), Kevin Stapp (’92), after having been in London for a number of years is now living in the Bay area of San Francisco. He is the Senior Director of Organizational Development for a major cosmetics company. Duncan Goldsmith (’77), who looks after our interests in Melbourne, Australia is looking forward to his 40th Reunion in 2017. He adds that his family in Singapore is about to turn him into a grandfather and we congratulate him in anticipation. Jimmy Zondagh (’77) recently visited Bangkok and met up with Rory Stewart (’81) who has settled in Thailand. Rory was Jimmy’s one time “Newpot” in the Grey Hostel. Iain Fyffe (‘96) who lives in Singapore paid a visit to his old school and was accompanied by his fiancée Nina Lai. News of our local Old Greys Mark Handley (’89) is Head of Sales for Volkswagen in Sandton. He wrote to former staff member Ed Lunnon following Ed’s article which we published in our last issue. He said he had much to be thankful for and remembered Ed particularly well for his contribution to his career. Gavin Macaulay (‘83) is Managing Director of Union Source in Johannesburg. His son Wesley is completing matric at Grey and Gavin is looking forward to being present to join his son at the Father and Son Lunch which follows Valedictory on 18 October. The regular Parent/ Teacher evenings attract many parents and there is the odd exception of having an older parent present. Ken Collier (’71) has a second set of twins, aged 15 years, at Grey and cheerfully acknowledges his senior status. Ronnie van den Berg (’60) has returned from a fascinating trip to the Far East which also included time spent in China and Russia. His trip on a bullet train out of Shanghai which reached a speed of 431km per hour was an experience in itself! He attended the World Sevens Rugby Tournament in Moscow and made friends with many of those from Fiji. Cameron Booth (’09) has qualified himself as a Commercial Pilot and does a regular run from Grahamstown to Umtata for his employer who is involved in the super-market trade. Philip Loock (’70) in Namibia made contact with us. He is a game breeder and was enquiring if pillars are still available on the perimeter. That project was closed three years ago and we have directed him to perhaps buying a plaque at the Aquatic Centre instead! Charlie Robinson (’57) farms outside Bloemfontein and was among many old boys present at the Grey College game. That school has an excellent entertainment area for old boys and other enthusiasts and overlooks their main rugby field. Needless to say, it was packed ahead of the game with many old boys from both schools enjoying good fellowship and camaraderie Grey welcomed Simon Sonderup (2000) to the Staff at the beginning of the new term. He teaches History and we are sure that he will make a significant contribution to his old school. Congratulations to Derryk Jordan who has been appointed Vice Principal of Collegiate effective from the final term of 2013. He is going where no man has gone before! Derryk is a former Head Boy of Dale College and has played a pivotal role in Grey affairs. He is a qualified attorney but decided to follow hispassion as a teacher. He has headed Pastoral Care at Grey and is the U16A rugby coach. He will be sorelymissed but his appointment is richly deserved. This will not be the last we hear from Derryk. He is destined for bigger things but in the interim he will no longer be checking the length of a Grey boy’s hair! Our National Hockey Players We are thankful to Kevin Chree (’90) who has supplied us with a listing of Old Greys who have played the game at National level and represented South Africa. These include David and Lindsay Reid-Ross, Russell and Wayne Fensham, Craig Timothy, Wayne Graham, Clyde Abrahamson, Chris Hibbert, Paul Blake, Ian Symons, Adam Wilson and Peter Bailey. Kevin is the most capped player with 188 caps. Thanks Kevin- this is all good news for our records. He adds that at the Beijing Olympics, there were four Old Greys in the South African Team Grey Men of the Week This weekly award is made at the school assembly and is an eagerly awaited announcement. The awards cover a wide spectrum of interests and are not necessarily limited to the student body. The latest awards were: · Cody Van Wyk, selected for the SA schools Hockey U18B team. · Ross Anderson, Dylan Langeveld and Laython Coombs- SA School Hockey U16A team. · Jarryd Barnard, Mvume Mdidimba, Tiago Vital, Joshua Benjamin and Andre Visser, chosen for the National Youth Orchestra. · Lloyd Brown has been selected for SA School’s Cricket. The team will be undertaking a tour to India. News from the Old Grey Club Congratulations to Gary Sim (’82) on once again being selected as Club Chairman. Other Union representatives include Dave Hurr (’84) and Ian Pringle (’67). The Club treasurer is Craig Seaman (‘83) and the various sporting codes are represented by Deon Gerber (’78) (cricket) Hockey (Michelle Matthews), Football (Darryn Korkie), Rugby (Mike Howe), Squash (Mike Burmeister) and Theo Castelein who is our lessee. Vaughan Robertson (’83) was made Honorary Member of the Old Grey Club following his 30 years of dedicated service to the cricket section of which he was chairman for a number of years. Vaughan has been instrumental in securing sponsorship for this code and has been very much to the fore in promoting the game at Old Grey. Congratulations Vaughan! The new squash complex is virtually complete and hosted a major inter-provincial squash tournament recently. Mike Burmeister, Chairman, has reported that the facilities received rave reports and could possibly be rated the third best in RSA after those at Western Province Cricket Club and Parktown Old Boys Club. Gary reported that ever increasing operational costs were having an adverse effect on the Club. Membership levels and the payment of fees were under pressure and a more equitable fee structure is being planned for 2014 in order to put the Club on a sounder footing. Who remembers “Peanuts” who used to sell peanuts from a hessian bag slung over his shoulder at all major sporting fixtures more than 40 years ago? “Peanuts” Pillay has been tracked down by a group of ageing sporting enthusiasts to an old age home in Malabar where he recently celebrated his 80th birthday. He was a regular at Old Grey where for 5 cents one could buy a bag of unshelled peanuts. How times have changed! The Old Greys Cricket section is holding its Annual Golf Day at Humewood on Sunday 6 October. The competition is a Four Ball Alliance with two scores to count on all holes. There are some good prizes on offer and it promises to be a great day of golf. Please support a good cause and contact Deon “Nuts” Gerber on deon.gerber@otis to book your four ball. The field can only accommodate 24 four balls so do not delay. The Grey Derby in Bloemfontein Our opposition, Grey College, dominated our annual fixture. They won the Hockey 1-0 and our First XV was beaten 50-21. The result pales when considering that star EP Grey 8th Man, Martin Groenewald, broke his leg in two places in a most unfortunate accident. The clips of the incident went viral on YouTube and have been viewed no less than 600,000 times! Our results were disappointing but our U14A rugby side suffered a bitter defeat losing 24-17 after having led 17-3 at one stage. The U14B side registered a good 10-8 victory and this division bodes well for the future. In addition 11 players who have represented the First XV this year will be returning in 2014 and the prospects look very bright. The days of train travel are but a memory which is a great pity. No longer do we have the sportsmen on one train followed by another with the parents and supporters. Spoornet no longer have the capacity to organize special trains in addition to the main line service. There is actually no rolling stock. A fleet of passenger buses departed from Wares Road for a very comfortable journey on the Friday and returned overnight on the Saturday. Parents and others traveled by road and local B&B establishments did a roaring trade in Bloemfontein. At the after match function Rector Neil Crawford stated that if “You want to be the best you have to play the best” and we accordingly look forward to our meeting in 2014! Grey Rugby Captains We are proud that Grey has produced three Eastern Province Rugby Captains this year. The Craven Week team was led by CJ Velleman and the U18 Academy team by Johann Van Niekerk. The Grant Khomo (U16) side was captained by Michael de Marco. Well done! The Grey Aquatic Centre- We are nearly there! Our new Aquatic Centre was officially opened in December and it is a marvelous acquisition. It conforms to International Standards and will certainly take our already high standard of water polo to even greater heights. The cost of the centre was funded by a very substantial donation from Powerade, from funds of both schools and by the sale of advertising space and name plaques. The latter proved to be very popular and our Grey parents, Wendy Beaufort and Sue Hobson, assumed responsibility for the sales of these plaques. Old Greys and friends of the schools responded very positively to the appeal and we are grateful for their contribution. To date an amount of R4, 681,189 has been accounted for which is a short-fall on the project of only R27,206. We are sure that there are Old boys out there who would still like to see their name displayed on a plaque at the grandstand overlooking the pool? This appeal is not only being made to those who have played water polo or swum seriously for Grey. The offer is open to all. Your Scribe is aware of at least four former boarding house lads, typical farm boys, who could never do anything more than a slow dog paddle whose names are now proudly displayed! The shortfall represents only an additional sale of 14 plaques. I am sure we can do it and go over the top. Thank you for your anticipated support. Please contact Wendy or Sue at [email protected] and you will receive all the necessary detail on your purchase. Deaths Harry Davies - Former member of the Grey Staff. Our sympathies are extended to the family of Harry Davies on his sad passing at the age of 86 years. He was a member of Staff for more than 20 years in the period 1962 to 1984. That he was remembered by so many was evident from the large number of notices that appeared on our Facebook page..Harry was a stickler for discipline and, if the hairline was exceeded, he was the first to draw your attention to it! He was a rugby coach of note but will be best remembered for his self-defence classes. It was said that, on arriving at Grey, he walked into his first class - which happened to be a rather rowdy Std VI class. He said nothing but gave his desk a karate chop - and the wood split. Not a word was then heard from the class. He had arrived! “Sand Shark”, as he became known, had a long loping stride, wore a brown tweed jacket and neatly pressed grey flannels and always had a ready smile. In later years, many who were taught by him would enjoy his company at the Old Grey Club and reminisce about earlier times. Forthcoming Events The following events will all be attended by the Rector, Neil Crawford, Headmaster of Grey Junior, Lindsay Pearson, Old Grey President, Bryan Knox and Ian Pringle of the Old Greys’ Union. 11 September- Old Greys Dinner in Johannesburg. The venue is Old Ed’s in Houghton and the cost is R200 per head. 26 September- Old Greys in Cape Town- A fundraiser at Groot Constantia with Bob Skinstad, Andrew Paterson and our two youngest Springboks in Siya Kolisi and JJ Engelbrecht. Come along and enjoy good food, camaraderie, take a raffle and support an auction for a good cause. This cost is R200 per head. 10 October- Old Greys social gathering at the Knysna Yacht Club. All old boys and wives in the Garden Route are most welcome. There will be a cash bar and some good snacks to tempt you! 18 October- Valedictory Day followed by the Father& Son Lunch at the Old Grey Club.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 12:07:32 +0000
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