The Pretorian64

AS IS CUSTOMARY, we reflect briefly on the matricresults of the class of 2000. There were 22 candidatesand four boys did two instruments. Of the 25 exami-

nations, 15 boys obtained distinctions, 4 obtained a B sym-bol, 5 obtained a C symbol and one boy obtained an Esymbol. Pierre Roussouw obtained two music distinctions(Piano HG and Double Bass MP), Givan Löts also obtainedtwo music distinctions (Guitar HG and Trumpet MP). Thefollowing boys obtained a distinction in music: Peter Ball(Clarinet HG), William Bishop (Trombone HG), WilkenCalitz (Violin HG), Darren Jocum (Trombone HG), Dono-van Loots (Piano HG), Clinton Madgewick (Guitar HG),Lebogang Malokane (Clarinet HG), Theuns Pienaar (ViolinHG), James Rushton (PianoHG), Roland Arnold (FluteMP), Lennox Batchelor(Tenor Saxophone MP).

Organisation & StaffThe Music Departmentstarted the centenary yearwith a new record numberof students largely due tothe intake of more than 70music students in FormOne. Some adjustments hadto be made to the organisa-tion of the subject followingthe introduction of the OBEstructures in the School.Music, with Visual Art,Drama and Dance now formfour strands under theumbrella of the OBE Learn-ing Area 02, Arts and Cul-ture. The long tradition ofteaching art and music atthe school has made theadjustment to OBE struc-tures and terminology fairlypainless. These two strandscontinue to be offered aschoice subjects much as before. An extra Arts and Cultureperiod, however, has been introduced to expose all boys informs I and II to a variety of artistic and cultural endeavour.To this end, Mr Chris Klopper has joined the Music Depart-ment and he focuses on the teaching of Arts and Culturealthough he also teaches piano and plays the organ in assem-bly.

Some of the part-time music staff have also changeddue to an exodus of musicians from Pretoria with the clo-sure of the State Theatre. The part-time teachers in 2001were: Mrs Lorette van Zyl (Horn, Viola, Piano and Accom-paniment), Mrs Lisa Klopper (Flute and Accompaniment),Mrs Gudrun Melck (Cello and String Quartets), MrsMarike Prins (Double Bass and Accompaniment), MrsHendy Krog (Violin and Accompaniment), Mrs Yvonne Jou-bert (Clarinet and Clarinet Quartet), Mr Berwin Roberts

(Trombone) and Mr Christiaan Pauw (Guitar). The full-time teachers were unchanged, Dr Niel van der Watt, MrsYvonne Reyburn, Ms Mathilda Hornsveld, Mr Abrie Jor-daan, Mr Hanzel von Brughan and Mr Chris Vernon. Mr Ver-non, however, is retiring at the end of the year afterteaching saxophone at the School since 1991, first in a part-time capacity and later as a full-time teacher. We would liketo take this opportunity to publicly thank him for the tenyears of service to the boys in the Music Department. Hehas built up a saxophone section that has helped to sustainthe Dixie Band, Wind Band and Big Band over the last tenyears. He has also instilled a love for the instrument and forjazz in the many boys that have passed through his hands.

We salute you, sir!

Musical Highlights: Centenary YearThe Centenary Celebra-tions started with release ofthe centenary CD recordingdone in August of 2000. Theinsert provides a perspec-tive on the recording:

Seen in context, thisrecording is a musical snap-shot: an aural picture ofwhat is happening in thePretoria Boys High SchoolMusic Department at theend of the first century ofthe School’s existence.

If you expect to hearperfect renditions, you willbe disappointed, becausethe intention of this record-ing is to show the extent ofthe music-making at theSchool and not only theexcellent performances.

The individual perform-ances are by the Form V’s of2000 most of whom have

recorded an extract from their Matric Music Programme.Some of these performances are exceptional, consideringthe relatively short period some of the students have spentstudying music. Musical talent is as varied as human natureitself and the performances will bear evidence of this fact.

It is of our group music-making that we are particularlyproud. In this respect Pretoia Boys High School is certainlyunique, since there are ten groups that perform regularly.For any school, a boy’s school at that, there is an amazingamount of music happening here. It is in the groups thatthe greatest challenge lies, because of the fact that musi-cians of mixed ability and playing standard are performingtogether ‘with patience and understanding, through honestand earnest labour …’

Very little would be achieved if it were not for the tire-less input of the individual music teachers. They are men-

The Music Department

Mus

ic

Jozua

Loots

This page is sponsored by the Basson Family

The Pretorian65

tioned by name elsewhere, but one must pay special tributeto the dedicated way in which they share their expertise,talents and time with the music students at the school.

So, sit back and listen to the whole recording at leastonce: it could prove an entirely informative – if not thor-oughly delightful – experience. This is MUSIC at PretoriaBoys High School.

The Cabaret Concert, appropriately named, ‘A HundredYears of Note’ was the first official music extravaganza.Anticipating a growing demand for tickets, the concert wasstaged on four consecutive nights in March. All the per-formance groups strutted their stuff while the audienceenjoyed an excellent three course dinner prepared by gour-met chef Mr Lotter, ably assisted by Mrs Jenny Forrest andher music-mothers. Sandile Mabaso’s performance of ‘NewYork, New York’, brought the house down.

The second big musical event was the annual schoolproduction. This year, in keeping with tradition, Gilbertand Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore was staged. Ms Mathilda

Hornsveld was the musical director and conductor of an all-boy orchestra playing the original Sullivan-score withaplomb (no mean feat for a schoolboy orchestra). Excellentindividual performances were given by Sandile Mabaso(Ralph), Dylan Martin (The Captain), David Smith (TheAdmiral) and Andrew Gould (Dick Deadeye).

The third musical highlight was the Four Schools Con-cert. The concert was an unprecedented success, and hailedby many as the best Four Schools Concert ever. Part of thesuccess of the three evenings was a shorter first half and thefavourable acoustic and logistic set up in the AberneathyHall. The complete programme is reproduced in the pagesthat follow.

Performing GroupsThe School Symphony Orchestra, consisting of roughly 50members, includes all the standard instruments of the sym-phony orchestra. Although there were more than twenty

strings, the balance remains somewhat problematic withtwelve brass and twelve woodwind players. Demand to bepart of the orchestra remains high, and as long as the strings– especially violins and cellos – keep rolling in, the Orches-tra will not only survive, but excel in the years to come.Apart from the performances at A Hundred Years of Noteand The Four Schools Concert, the Orchestra was invited togive three educational performances at the junior section ofSt Benedict’s School in Edenvale. Then there was the (bynow, standard) performance in the Pretoria Botanical Gar-dens on Sunday 29 July (shared with the Pipe Band andDixie Band) and the Lunch Hour Concert (also a tradition)in the Musaion at the University of Pretoria. Apart fromplaying an orchestral solo at the Four Schools Concert, theSchool Orchestra was (as always) also the back-bone of thecombined orchestra spending many rehearsals ensuring thesuccess of the concert. The Orchestra ended the year witha performance at this year’s valediction, providing music forthe academic procession and providing a musical item with

the playing of New York, New York. A word of thanks to thematrics in the Orchestra. We will miss your input andenthusiasm. They are Pieter Marias (violin), Johann Slab-bert (violin), Jerry Chen (viola), Wilhem Louw (cello),Stephen Pentz (clarinet), Mark Willoughby (clarinet),Steven Jonker (horn), Mark Riemer (trumpet) and WouterHanekom (trumpet).

The string quartet continued to be an active performinggroup. Apart from playing at School-related functions, theyperformed on three other occasions during the course of theyear. The first of these was none other than the inaugura-tion of the new Mayor of Tshwane. What a privilege to beasked to perform at such an auspicious occasion! Later inthe year the string quartet provided entre-music for theopening of the new WHPS Auditorium. The third perform-ance was at our own Mrs Wallace’s son’s wedding. Thestring quartet says goodbye to their viola player, Jerry Chen.His departure is a significant loss in view of the fact that

OrchestraSeated on Ground (L to R): E Wang, C Elsenbroek, C Castle, S Wallace, C Basson, L Gericke, M Kieswetter, C Haupt, G Davis.Front Row, Seated (L to R): P Marais, M Willoughby, J Chen, S Pentz, W Louw, Dr N van der Watt (Conductor), J Steyn (Leader), W Hanekom, S Jonker, M Riemer.Second Row (L to R): O Cyrolies, D Prozesky, M Setiloane, S Hussey, R Lilje, A Melck, A Yates, A Mennen, J van der Merwe, S Trinder, M Kourie, J Jacobs, D Tseng,

S Ferreira.Back Row (L to R): D Steyn, P Uys, J dos Santos, C Brown, T Mehl, S Ferreira, B Pitman, C Vorster, A Mowat, S Laenen, J Jocum, D Saxby.

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there is no immediate replacement , the prospective violaplayers still being too young and inexperienced to fill hisplace. Jerry has made an excel-lent contribution to the stringquartet over many years.Appropriately, he suggestedthat the end of year dinnershould take place in a Japan-ese restaurant and the Succidinner turned out to be a mostmemorable occasion!

The Clarinet Quartet wasa new addition to the musicdepartment. The new clarinetteacher, Ms Yvonne Joubert,was instrumental in gettingthis enthusiastic group off theground. Their first perform-ance was at the Form IV con-cert early in the year and theyfollowed this performancewith a television debut filmedat the State Theatre during acharity concert for the Foun-dation for Cerebral Palsy.Once their repertoire hadgrown to about 15 minutes,the Clarinet Quartet becamea useful entertainment group.In June they performed at areception of a Child AbuseConference held in Pretoria.Here again the performancewas immensely successful andwell appreciated. Towards theend of the year, the clarinetquartet had its first paid ‘gig’which was playing at the Laer-skool Anton van Wouw PrizeGiving (R50 per member wasnot a great start, but it was astart!) The Clarinet Quartetclosed their activities with aperformance in Ms Joubert’sgarden on Sunday1 December2001.

For the Dixie Band, 2001was especially memorable, themain feature being the week-long trip (in mid-term May) tothe Island of Reunion. Thisexperience will hopefully remain in their memories formany years to come. The trip came about as a result of a lan-guage exchange largely organised by Mr Hugh Miller, whothen made contact with the right musicians on Reunion andset things in motion. The trip that resulted after eighteenmonths of careful negotiation and planning was worth everyounce of effort. The Dixie Band performed at the HostSchool, during break and created quite a bit of consterna-tion when the students displayed reluctance to return toclass. The second performance was at the head office of

their education department, during their lunch hour – fos-tering good relations for an imminent return visit! Later on

the same day a formal concertwas given at the municipalconservatoire in the centre ofthe capital, St Dennis. Thefinal performance was given atan open-air restaurant metresaway from a coral lagoon andbeach. Needless to say, a greatevening of music, food andfun! The sight-seeing onReunion was superb, from thefamous ‘Cirques’, to the waterfalls and pools to a fascinatingtrip to the volcano. Combinethese with the other sightswhich boys are usually moreinterested in, and one com-pletes a recipe for maximumenjoyment.

The rest of the Dixie Bandyear included a variety of per-formances: Willow Haven, thePhobians Marathon (at 6:30am), Brescia House SchoolFête, a Business Breakfast atLaerskool Wierdapark (whichturned out to more than abreakfast!), S Benedict’s ChoirFestival, The Centenary OldBoys Dinner, a short tour toCasa Da Sol (Hazyview), Gar-den Concert at LaerskoolRivera, a Picnic Concert atWaterkloof Primary School, awedding at Diamond Hill andfinally, a performance of Leav-ing School Blues at the MatricFinal Assembly. There wereonly two matrics in this year’sBand but they made up forlack of numbers with personal-ity and musicality: Wikus vander Hoven (alto saxophone)and William Oldnall (tenorsaxophone). These legendshave made an invaluable con-tribution to the Dixie Bandand part of them will remain

here forever.

In ConclusionThe Music Department would like to thank Mrs Jenny For-rest who has been the Main-Music-Mother this year. With-out her quiet, industrious input, things would not have runas smoothly as they did. With this a warm word of thanks toeach and every music mother (and father) who baked,poured tea, moved tables, washed dishes or brought andfetched their sons. The Music Department cannot existwithout them!

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A HUNDRED YEARS OF NOTE

PIPE BAND:A selection of Scottish medleysWIND BAND:The Men From Harlech Traditional, arr. J ReaDown Town P Clark, arr. N v d WattSTRING QUARTETS:Junior: La Cucuracha Traditional, arr. D StoneSenior: Canon J Pachelbel, arr. D DorffBIG BAND:Lonesome Street S NesticoJamie S NesticoTequila C RioGLEEMEN:What Can I Do To Make You Love Me The Corrs,

arr. N v d WattDIXIE BAND:Basin Street Blues S Williams, arr. B HowardSwing Low Traditional, arr. J ReaTin Roof Blues L Rappolo, arr. B HowardMaple Leaf Rag S Joplin, arr. B HowardPiper’s Patrol Traditional, arr. R OwenTWO PIANO DUO (M Hornsveld & Y Reyburn):Jamaican Rumba A BenjaminValse Brilliante J CarmichaelCHOIR:Vela, Vela Traditional Zulu, arr. N v d WattThe Music’s Always With You J Rutter, arr. N v d WattRide The Chariot (Soloist: S Mabaso)

Negro Spiritual, arr. H SmithTry To Remember (Soloist: D Martin)

H Schmidt, arr. N v d wattEn Kelohenu Traditional Jewish, arr. N v d WattSingelele Koppies N v d WattEk Is Vandag So Vrolik H v Veen, arr. N v d WattORCHESTRA:Glasgow City Police PipersD Macleod, arr. N v d Watt

(Soloists: D Vosloo, M Bishop)Hungarian Dance No 5 J Brahms, arr. N v d WattHelena’s Theme K Debski, arr. N van der Watt

(Soloists: S Pentz & W v d Hoven)New York, New York J Kander, arr. N v d Watt

(Soloist: S Mabaso)Coronation March G Meyerbeer, arr. N v d Watt

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The Pretoria Boys High School Dixie Band will be the continu-

ity artists.

1 Affies Simfonie Orkes Dirigent – Naudé Burger

Uit Simfonie nr. 100: Minuet J Hayden, verw. N Burger

2 Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Koor

Dirigent – Hannelize du Plessis

Begeleier – Gisela Scriba

(Een of twee van die volgende)

Loof die Heer P van Zyl

Halleluja N van der Watt

Op die Krovlak P de Villiers

Retang Morena R Lang

Rock for Fun L Maierhofer

Tsela, Tsena Tradisioneel Sotho

3 Affies Sinfonietta Onder leiding van

Susan Bekker & Rina-Mari Roux

Uit Concerto in C: Allegro A Vivaldi

4 Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool Koor

Dirigent – Hannelize du Plessis

Begeleier – Gisela Scriba

(Een of twee van die volgende)

Kokomo The Beach Boys

Die Herders N van der Watt

Boesmangebede S Hendrikse

Lentekarnaval J Linkola

Emakhayeni Tradisioneel Sotho

5 Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool Blaasorkes

Dirigent – Naudé Burger

(Een van die volgende)

Jazz Ramble J Edmonds

Clarinets in the Night W Williams

6 Pretoria High School for Girls Choir

Conductor – Bea van der Sandt

Accompanist – Marli Roode

Psalm 100 R Clausen

Hanget Soi H Sarmanto

The Storm is Passing Over C Tindley, arr. B Baker

7 Pretoria High School for Girls Orchestra

Conductor – Emrie de Wit

Country Club S Joplin

8 Pretoria Boys High School Choir

Conductor – Liam Webster

Accompanist – Yvonne Reyburn

(Two of the following)

The Music’s Always There With You J Rutter,

arr. N van der Watt

Soloist – Sandile Mabaso

Impatience F Schubert, arr. G Haddock

Ride the Chariot Traditional, arr. W Smith

9 Pretoria Boys High School Symphony Orchestra

Conductor – Niel van der Watt

Hungarian Dance no. 5 J Brahms, arr. N van der Watt

Combined Programme

10 Coronation March G Meyerbeer

Orchestra

Arr. N van der Watt

11 Highland Cathedral Traditional Scottish Tune

Orchestra, Organ & Bagpipes

Arr. N van der Watt

12 Be Still and Know S Chapman

Choir & Orchestra

Arr. N van der Watt

13 Anvil Chorus G Verdi

Choir & Orchestra

Arr. N van der Watt

14 Ek Is Vandag So Vrolik H van Veen

Choir & Orchestra

Verw. N van der Watt

15 Jikel’ Emaweni Traditional isiXhosa Song

Soloist, Choir & Orchestra

Arr. N van der Watt

16 New York, New York J Kander

Choir & Orchestra

Arr. N van der Watt

Pipers:David Vosloo & Michael Bishop

Organ:Lance Kieswetter

Soloist:Sandile Mabaso

Conductors:Niel van der Watt,

Liam Webster & Hannelize du Plessis

The Four Schools Concert??

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FIELDS OF BOYS HIGH(Adapted by Paul Anthony from the song ‘Fields of Gold’ by StingPerformed on several occasions at the School.)

You’ll remember me, when the bugle blowsacross the fields of Boys HighYou can tell the sun in his jealous skythat we walked in fields of gold.

Hear the war cry sound, like the thunder soacross the fields of Boys HighGod be on our side, with us when we rideInto the fields of life.

Seems like yesterday when we first arrivedand walked the fields of Boys HighHow the years have flown, now our time is doneupon these fields of gold.

And these have been times that we laughedAnd these have been some that we criedWe’ll always sing our school songten, twenty, forty years on.

Many years have passed since those summer daysupon the fields of Boys HighSee the children run as the sun goes downupon the fields of red, white, greenupon the fields of gold.

And these have times that we laughedAnd these have been some that we criedAnd we’ll always sing our school songten, twenty, forty years on.

Dixie BandSeated on Ground:

A Mowat, R Mansell, P Cronje.

Front Row L-R: W van der Hoven,

Dr N van der Watt, W Oldnall.

Back Row L-R: O Cyrolies,J Jocum, D Prozesky,

S Laenen, A Yates, A Mennen.

Clarinet QuartetLeft to Right:

D Prozesky, A Ringelmann,

T Manicom, B Pitman.

Senior StringQuartet

Left to Right: J Steyn, S Hussey, J Chen,

W Louw.

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This page is sponsored by the U Mennen Family

The Pretorian69

OUR TOUR TO THE SMALL FRENCH ISLAND in theIndian Ocean was by far the highlight of the DixieBand’s year. When we arrived, almost swimming

through the incredibly humid air, we were all pleased andrelieved to meet our hosts, hostesses and their families. Bythe end of the visit we were all hugely impressed by theirhospitality and kindness. The Island consists of basically afew large mountains running down to the sea with thehighest point being about as high as the Drakensberg. Theview from one of the highest peaks was wonderful as wecould see the capital, St Denis nestled against the coast farbelow.

Their school system was quite a shock. There are some

things of which we were very envious: they do not have auniform or any rules concerning appearance at all andsmoking is permitted on the school grounds. There areothers, however, which we are fortunate not to have: thefact that they have classes on Saturdays makes school in ourcountry seem like heaven. Their school buildings are noth-ing like ours. They are all white, apartment-like buildingswith graffiti (mostly quite artistic) all over the walls. The‘kiss-kiss’ on either cheek by blonde strangers was quite anunexpected but very welcome surprise when we first visit-ed the school!

The language barrier was initially a bit of an obstaclebut we soon learnt to use it to our advantage, and variousAfrikaans phrases taught to the unsuspecting French girlsprovided us with a good deal of humour. But when they gotwise and asked Dr vd Watt the meanings of them we

thought we were doomed… but he played along well andmade them even more confused. We got quite a shockwhen we found out that one of the girl’s neighbours couldspeak Afrikaans fluently but fortunately no embarrassmentcame of it! The ‘bos’ hair of Albert Mennen, Andrew Yatesand Ollie Cyrolies became quite an attraction and we alltried as far as possible to follow their lead.

The different cost ranges found there baffled us all, asa can of Coke (a staple food source for many of us) cost 15francs (about R16) and a short trip around an aquarium 80francs! Luckily, our hostesses were very generous and paidfor most of our luxuries. The size of the island (roughly100km by 50km) took a lot of getting used to but it took

hours to travel short distances, as the number of cars wasastounding. The beaches were very beautiful and the waterwas crystal clear and very warm (even though it was win-ter). The scantily clad beauties found on the beach alsomade the experience much more enjoyable! We also hadmany memorable conversations in which Mr Miller, ourcompanion and translator, played a vital role contributinghugely to the fun of the trip.

Our day on the active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise,was perhaps the most breathtaking of all. The Martianlandscape and freezing temperatures added to the eerieatmosphere. The danger of falling into a chasm if you wan-dered off of the path also added to the excitement of theday! When the time came to go, we were all sad to be com-ing back home and our crying French hostesses made iteven more difficult to leave the wonderful Island.

Not until we were all safely back in South Africa did werealise how special our trip had been and we have countlessfond memories of Réunion and its people. We are eagerlyawaiting their visit in March 2002 and are determined togive them as wonderful a time as they gave us.

Daniel Prozesky (Member of Dixie Band)

The Dixie Band’s Tour To La Réunion

Niel v

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r Watt

This page is sponsored by Thermopower Furnaces

IN OUR CHOICE of this year’s musical production, weopted both to maintain and to break away from tradi-tion. Our HMS Pinafore was the school’s fourth staging

(others were in 1951, 1971 and 1982) of this old favourite,and the school’s thirty-second production of a Gilbert andSullivan operetta, since the first in 1938. Howev-er, our man-o’war belonged to the‘navee’ of the next queen,Elizabeth II, rather thanVictoria, which allowed us towear more comfortable cloth-ing on a more familiar-lookingquarter deck.

Work began during the lat-ter half of 2000 on designs forthe set and costumes which car-ried us through our five perform-ances. Mr van Wyk built the ship,which Mr Binsbergen painted andlaunched into his seascape, andwhich Mrs Matthews dressed withbright bunting, cheeky frocks andsmart uniforms.

The cast of soloists included some extraordinarily tal-ented singers who, with the chorus, were accompanied byan orchestra, comprising only pupils of our own music

department, conducted by Ms Hornsveld.Five full houses enjoyed our performances. They

warmed to a petite but worldly-wise Little Buttercup(Graeme Davis); they discovered romancewith a coquettish Josephine (Jay Hager-ty); they relished old (Martin Koolen)Cousin Hebe’s diction. Dick Deadeye(Andrew Gould) earned all the scornand derision which the characterdeserves, and all the lusty seamenenjoyed wooing the pompous (DavidSmith) Sir Joseph Porter’sentourage of sisters, cousins andaunts. Captain Corcoran (DylanMartin) and Ralph Rackstraw(Sandile Mabaso) might havebeen confused in infancy, buttheir singing was as distinctiveas it was excellent.

All who participated in the pro-duction will agree that their lives were enriched

by the experience.May the Gilbert and Sullivan tradition at Boys High

continue unabated.

David Smith

The Pretorian70

HMS Pinafore

THE CAST

The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B. David Smith(First Lord of the Admiralty)

Captain Corcoran Dylan Martin(Commanding H.M.S. Pinafore)

Ralph Rackstraw Sandile Mabaso(Able Seaman)

Dick Deadeye Andrew Gould(Able Seaman)

Bill Bobstay Daniel Prozesky(Boatswain’s Mate)

Bob Becket Daniel de Wet(Carpenter’s Mate)

Josephine Jay Hagerty(the Captain’s Daughter)

Hebe Martin Koolen(Sir Joseph’s First Cousin)

Mrs Cripps (Little Buttercup) Graeme Davis(A Portsmouth Bumboat Woman)

PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL presents

H.M.S. PINAFOREby

W.S. Gilbert & A Sullivan8-12 May 2001

Dra

ma

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SopranosKgosi ChoeneAndrew DonaldStephen FerreiraNicholas Joubert

Ruan KotzeJackson LanStephan le RouxGellie MendesFilipe Nepomuceno

Eugene PienaarKagiso RantloaneDirk Snoek-HenkemansJohannes WesselsChrisjan van den Berg

Tenors & BaritonesPeter-John BarclayGarren BisschoffMichael CurrinGeoffrey DeckerDawie de VilliersShaun EdgeDennis Farrell

Gueorgui GueorguievArryn HagermanCharles HigsonFriedl KreuserJozua LootsAlastair MehlThomas Mehl

Angus NixonKiernan O’FlahertyStefan PotgieterWillie RandallSteven RouxDavid SteynRoland Tainton

SupernumerariesJaco ConradieLuke GrantSean Jones

Kyle SchmulowRobin StevensWerner Strauss

Gavin van der MerweJames van SchoorClayton Wright

OrchestraViolin I Herman Steyn

David TsengSheldon TrinderChristian Elsenbroek

Violin II Ludwig GerickeSteven HusseyAlexander Melck

Viola Jerry ChenCello Christaan Basson

Steven WallaceDouble bass Oliver CyroliesFlute Moeng Setiloane

Mark Kourie

Clarinet Steven PentzBarry Pitman

Soprano Sax. Albert MennenBassoon Cameron BrownHorn Jason Jacobs

Simon FerreiraTrombone Stijn Laenen

Andrew MowatTrumpet Bradley Forrest

Pieter CronjePercussion Daniel Hurlin

Peet Uys

Top left: Daniel Prozesky(Bill Bobstay), AndrewGould (Dick Deadeye)and Daniel de Wet (BobBecket).Top centre: SandileMabaso as RalphRackshaw leading hisfellow sailors in song.Top right: Graeme Davis(Little Buttercup) andMartin Coolen (Hebe)play two of the ‘female’leads.Above left: Jay Hagertyas Josephine and DylanMartin as CaptainCorcoran.Above centre: Sandileswabbing the decks.Above: The cast in fullswing on the foredeck.

Steve

Cillie

rs

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Inter-House One Act Play Festival

THE INTER-HOUSE PLAY FESTIVAL was staged tomuch acclaim this year on 1, 2 and 3 March. Withvery little time to prepare, the directors and actors

put on fine performances and had much fun doing so.Sunnyside House took the honours with a hilarious pro-

duction ‘The 15 Minute Hamlet’ directed by AlastairMehl. Andrew Gould, in the title role, received the BestActor Award and Alastair Mehl the Best Director Award.

Extracts from ‘“Buckingham Palace”, District Six’ byRichard Rives, directed by Jaco van der Merwe and PhilipMalele of Abernethy House fully deserved second place fora delightful performance. Robin Stevens received the BestSupporting Actor award for his role as ‘Zoot’.

Placed third was Rissik House’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ byJohn Steinbeck, which was directed by Rian Britz. This sadplay was well received by the audience.

Liz Rogers and Colleen GoreThanks go to:Mrs Verna Brown, the adjudicatorMr P Franken for front of house and ticketsMr D Smuts and Mr P Binsbergen for programme coverand postersMiss G Wroth and team for make-upMr S Cilliers, Donovan Duddy and team for lightingMrs D Hickman for flowersMr C Fowler and Mr L Keeton for backstage controlMr A Wilkes for preparing the hallMrs M Hofmeyr and Mrs D Preiss for ticket salesMr S Cilliers for beautifying the programme and the cer-tificatesMrs J Jeffrey and team for the teasMr K Mansfield for advice on directingMrs Y Uys for typing the programmeSchool House for parkingMiss C Gore and Miss E Rogers for organising the festival

A word from the winners

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT, AS A DIRECTOR, one is blessedwith such a gifted and innovative group of people inthe field of drama. It is a credit to the calibre of boy

that is Sunnyside, and of course Boys High, that this smalland dedicated company could put in many hours of hardwork to attain the House Play Trophy. We had the mostfun in creating an extremely humorous and very wacky ver-sion of Shakespeare’s Hamlet which was equally loved bythe audience (they were rolling in the aisles and laughingtheir lungs out!). A big thank you to my cast and the back-stage headed by Peter Lamb, the hard work paid off.

Congratulations must go to Andrew Gould for receiv-ing the Best Actor Trophy, and with the Best DirectorTrophy, Sunnyside managed to receive three of the fourtrophies on offer, not least of all, that of first place in theFestival.

Alastair Mehl

Best Play: Sunnyside House’s

‘The 15 Minute Hamlet’

Best Director: Alastair Mehl

(Sunnyside House)

Best Actor: Andrew Gould as

‘Hamlet’

(Sunnyside House)

Best Supporting Actor: Robin Stevens as

‘Zoot September’.

(Abernethy House)

Best Actor in a Female Role: Alistair Muller as

‘Clare’

(School House)

PLAY RATINGS

1. Sunnyside House: ‘The 15 Minute Hamlet’

2. Abernethy House: ‘“Buckingham Palace”,

District Six’

3. Rissik House: ‘Of Mice and Men’

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Jason Mill of Armstrong House

Paul Motlhamme of Abernethy House

Tyson Jobson of School House

Alastair Mehl of Sunnyside House

Terrick Gowland of Solomon House

Pule Rammopo of Arcadia House

Clive Webster of Hofmeyr House

Gavin Jelley of Matheson House

AWARDS??

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Town House The Man in the Bowler Hat

by AA Milne

Directed by Dylan LotterCast

Frank De Graaf JohnNhlanhla Madalane Mary

Sean Edge Chief VillainNeil Lithgow Bad Man

Henry Langley HeroRobert Lilje Heroine

Michael Webb the Man in the Bowler Hat

??

Armstrong HouseInstruments of Darkness

byMargaret Wood

Directed by Daniel De WetProduced by Berki Uys

CastJason Mill Louise

Niel Burger CatherineJustin Minnie Magrette

Michael Grover StewardTshepo Mphela Porter

Berki Uys MessengerJill Ilunga Donald

David De Wet NeilExtras

Anton Knutse Little LouiseRobert Wright Witch 1

Wilhelm Dannheimer Witch 2Juan Gijzelaar Witch 3

R Kobus, F Bruni, J Hepburn, R Clarke,

J Peters, A Nepgen Servants

Backstage Clark Lin, Karabo Nokwane

??

Rissik HouseOf Mice and Men

byJohn Steinbeck

Directed by Rian BritzCast

Stavros Yiannakis GeorgeMatthew Smith Lennie

Dalmaine Blignaut CandyMatthew Adendroff Curley

Mbuso Ndlovu SlimLouis Steyl Carlson

Stephen Pentz Curley’s WifeZorba Candy’s Dog

Backstage Struan Campbell

Abernethy HouseExtracts from ‘Buckingham Palace’,

District Sixby

Richard RivesDirected by Jaco van der Merwe & Philip Malele

CastRobin Stevens Zoot September

Pj Barclay Pretty-Boy VermeulenPhilip Malele Richard Rives (Narrator)

Cornelius Smit Moena LelikPaul Motlhamme the Butterfly

Angus Nixon Moena MooiesKagiso Lehabe Mary

Gerrit Van Heerden Beach ConstableJaco Van Der Merwe Oubaas

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School HousePut Some Clothes On, Clare

byReggie Oliver

Directed by Timothy HartzenbergCast

Alistair Muller Clare, Wife of RupertMichael Herbstein Rupert, Politician

Tyson Jobson Arthur, ButlerDave Smith Lord Percy, Mayor

Simon Ferreira Miguel Cronen, ReporterSteven Roux Vincent, Son of Rupert and

ClareBackstage Brendon Olwage,

Johny Cason, Vusi Mlhluli,Neil Schutte

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Sunnyside HouseThe 15 Minute Hamlet

Adapted From William ShakespeareDirected by Alastair Mehl

CastAndrew Gould HamletDaniel Burke Claudius

Mark Van Jaarsveld GertrudeDaniel Prozesky Laertes

Jady Fourie PoloniusAlastair Mehl Horatio

Thomas Mehl OpheliaOtsile Mmekwa GravediggerArryn Hagerman Ghost

Garth Blunden BernardoJerry Chen As Himself

Warren Gregorowski,Craig Watkins, Tinu Thomas, Members of the Kyle Darren Hardy, David Fourie Gregorowski Court Actors

Backstage: Peter Lamb (In Charge), Dian Kemp, Tiro Matjiu, Martin Hsu, Aranen Arasen, Robert Fourie,

Andrew Gould

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Solomon House Life’s A Pitch

byPaul Slabolepsczy

Adapted by Lincoln KeetonDirected by Dustin Strydom

CastTerrick Gowland Richard Hopcroft

Gareth Elliffe Corky LabuschagneBackstage Werner Crouse,

Solomon House Form IVs

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Hofmeyr HouseGrease III

byDavid Beukes

Directed by Christopher Beukes & Gareth FarrProduced by Clive Webber

CastAdrian Shkaidy SkokjeAnlyn Seafield ‘Nova

Andre Dippenaar BensonClive Webber EustaceCraig Mulder IanCraig Mcnair Pauline

Hofmeyr Form Is Extras

Backstage Jonathan Hickman, Brendan Collins, Dirk Lustig

Matheson HouseGood Byeee

byRichard Curtis and Ben EltonDirected by Michael Bishop

CastGavin Jelley Captain Edmund Blackadder

Peet Uys Private S BaldrickWillem JanseVan Rensburg Lieutenant the Honourable

George Colthurst St BarleighMichael Bishop General Sir Anthony Cecil

Hogmony MelchettOckert Van Niekerk Captain Kevin Darling

Remi Rutkowski Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig

Backstage Marc Bruyere, Theo Matheou, Barry Harris

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Arcadia HouseCurl Up and Dye

bySusan Pam-Grant

Adapted by Donovan SloanDirected by Jack Kaufmann & Donovan Sloan

CastSean Stevenson Mrs Du Bois

Friedl Kreuser RolenePule Kotu-Rammopo Miriam

Lukas Peta Dr Patrick DlaminiDonovan Sloan Gavin

ChoirFront Row L–R : A Kekana, G van Heerden, A Mehl (Secretary), L Kieswetter, Mr L Webster (Choirmaster), S Mazibuko (Chairman), Mrs Y Reyburn (Pianist),

S Pentz, S Mabaso, G Gueorguiev, D de WetSecond Row L–R : G Davis, K Choene, G Palma, J Wang, J Lan, R Kotze, M Hesse, K Rantloane, D WilliamsThird Row L–R : S Wallace, L Mmola, C van den Berg, C Watkins, D Prozesky, S Hussey, D Smith, D Martin

Back Row L–R : J Jacobs, M-J Acres, R Lilje, C Vorster, R Tainton, O van Niekerk, L Qegu, D Snoeck-Henkemans

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Choir

IT IS WITH INTEREST that one casts one’s mind back toreflect upon how a group such as the Pretoria Boys HighChoir changes and advances. It is in the centenary year at

the school that our small dedicated group of singers has pro-gressed to a pinnacle as yet unreached.

We began 2001 with a workshop in the second weekendof the year where we worked hard to learn and master therepertoire that had been decided upon. It was here that wewelcomed the new Form I boys into the choir. Our first realperformance came later in the term when we performed atthe annual cabaret concert, this year dubbed ‘100 Years ofNote’ – a celebration of a century of Boys High music.

In the second term the choir was invited to perform at theAfrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Choir Festival, held at the CityHall, with numerous other school also in attendance. A fewweeks later we played host to a combined concert involvingourselves and Pretoria High School for Girls, a definite high-light for all participants. Our last performances of the termwere during Founders Weekend, where the choir sang at theThanksgiving Service and at Founder’s Day Assembly, accom-panied by the orchestra.

In the third term we held our own choir festival whichinvolved Affies and St Stithians, a great success for all

involved. Our final performance of the year was at ‘An dieMusik’, the annual Four Schools Concert, a fittingly tri-umphant culmination of a year of hard work for all membersof the choir.

It is with best wishes that the 2001 Matric members leavethe choir. Sandile Mabaso, undoubtedly, one of the most tal-ented singers to grace the school, departs to pursue a career inOpera. A thank you must go to Sipho Mazibuko, our boister-ous chariman, who led the unrestrained joviality, and to hiscommittee comprising of Stephen Pentz and Lance Kieswet-ter to whom much praise is due for the way in which the choirwas operated. Of course, it is to the choir boys themselves towhom great credit is due for their dedicated commitment.

Finally, a thank you to the parents, for their ceaseless sup-port, suggestions and frequent attendance; and to Dr Nielvan der Watt for his exceptional musical arrangements andvaluable advice. To Mrs Reyburn, our outstanding accompa-nist, whose care and compassion for the boys, and indeed herpiano playing, was exemplary. Finally to Mr Webster ourchoirmaster, to whom the choir’s success should be directlyattributed.

Alastair Mehl

Gumboot Dancers

THE YEAR KICKED OFF at the official opening of thecentenary celebrations, with the gumboot dancersperforming for President Mbeki. It was a tribute to

these young men who have worked extremely hard. Thebeginning of the year brought many new recruits from theForm I group, and their dedicationhas enhanced the atmosphere of thegumboot dancers. The group hasworked well together, as there hasbeen complete dedication from theForm V group due to the fact thatthese young men truly enjoy whatthey are doing.

The number gumboot dancersperformances increase every year asmore and more people experiencethe disciplined and unique routine.The boys have performed at nofewer than fifteen functions thisyear. The most enjoyable perform-ance took place at the Ceilidh, theScottish Pipe Band Gathering, where the drummers workedwith the gumboot dancers for many weeks to create a uniquemix of music and dance.

Ditiro Jele has led the group for the past three years, andhas been a member of the gumboot dancers since Pre-FormI. He received Full colours for his many years of service. Hisdedication and passion will be missed in the years to come.

The following members received half colours for theircontribution to gumboot dancing: Kabelo Rantho, GregTladi, Max Madalane, Lance Kieswetter, Sipho Mazibuko,

Tebatso Pitsi, Philip Malele and Rami Moatshe. Theseyoung men have been the driving force and their complete

dedication and commitment is greatly appreciated. RamiMoatshe will lead the gumboot dancers in 2002 and will takethem from strength to strength.

Being a member of the gumboot dancers entails per-formances on the weekends and in the evenings. The boys

have made sacrifices to participate in the many events asthey are involved in other areas of the school life.

Laura and I have had the great pleasure of being incharge of the Gumboot dancers for the past year and havethoroughly enjoyed being a part of this vibrant and uniquegroup.

We wish Mr Klopper and Mr Nkomo well next year asthey take on the challenge.

To the boys, spread the gift you have and keep dancing,from the ‘koppie’ to Soweto.

Colleen Gore & Laura McEvoy

Gumboot DancersFront Row L–R :R Moatshe, G Tladi, S Mazibuko, T Pitsi, D Jele, K M Rantho, L Kieswetter, P Malele, T GowlandSecond Row L–R :M Mphephu, L Mmola, K Rantloane, N hilubane,M Lekgoathi, K N Rantho,F Kiewiet, T Phahlane, M Mabagoane, M SerokaBack Row L–R :Mrs L McEvoy, A Setiloane,D Maphuta, T Mbonyana,V Mopelong, L Ngwenya,M Mosetle, K Bokaba, A Dau, S Nhlenghethwa,Ms C Gore

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Pipe Band

AS ONE LOOKS BACK IN HISTORY,one can find importantevents that have occurred in

the life of a country or a person, forexample, in 1971 the Apollo 14landed on the Moon; BarryRichards passed Don Bradman’srecord of 1448 runs; and at Preto-ria Boys High School we were cel-ebrating the 70th anniversary ofthe School and the founding of thePipe Band.

On the 16th of September1971 the Pipe Band paraded infront of the School for the firsttime. The Headmaster at thattime, the late Mr Desmond Aber-nethy, had visited Scotland and onhis return had made it known thathe would like a Pipe Band at theSchool.

It fell on the shoulders of MrPeter Digby to get the band upand running. Through his endeav-ours, enthusiasm and hard workthe Pipe Band flourished andbecame National champions onnumerous occasions. At the Annual Pipe Band Display andAward Ceremony our guest of honour was Mr Peter Digbyand in his address to the School he highlighted some of whatit took to get the band on its feet and some of the achieve-

ments whilst he was master-in-charge of the band.

The band has continued toflourish and remain a vital part ofthe fabric of our School. This yearthe band has been extremelybusy. We played at eight gather-ings during the course of the year.I suppose a highlight was theannual trip to the South CoastHighland Gathering held inAmanzimtoti. Unfortunately thisyear it rained on a few days butotherwise it was an enjoyable trip.Our attendance at the JeppeGathering had a dramatic start tothe day. We arrived early andbegan to tune up, only to findthat Dennis Farrell had left hispipes at the west Norfolk pine inPretoria. There were frantic callsto his parents to bring themthrough to the gathering wherethey eventually materialised.Needless to say there is a check-list that we run through before wedepart on any trip, boys included!

One of the major highlights of the year was the gatheringheld at the School in June. We had 16 bands who competedon the day; some 80 flea market stalls and the sky divers whodropped in at lunch time. The massed bands concluded the

Pipe Band Awards 2001Pipers Efficiency Trophy – David VoslooDrummers Efficiency Trophy – Matthew SeigelSA Scottish Skean Dhu – Thomas MehlWinterbottom Memorial Dirk – Dean McConnellPaula Whitehead Cup – Travis Manicom

Pipe Band Colours 2001Full Colours(New Award)D. VoslooM. BishopD. JeleM. SeigelR. Waterston

Half Colours (New Award)T. MehlD. McConnellS. Rosenstein

Half Colours (Re-award)C. DolleryD. FarrellT. Manicom

Pipe BandFront Row L–R: Mr A Hay (Piping Tutor), D Jele (Sgt Drummer), R Waterston (Sgt Drummer), C Dollery (Drum Major), D Vosloo (Pipe Major),

M Seigel (Drummer), M Bishop (Sgt Piper).Back Row L–R: T Manicom (Piper), S Edge (Drummer), S Rosenstein (Drummer), D Farrell (Piper), T Mehl (Piper), D McConnell (Drummer),

Mr A M O’Brien (Master-in-Charge).

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The Pretorian77

day playing in the golden light of sunset. The day was mostsuccessful in all respects and here I must thank the ParentsCommittee for all their hard work in this endeavour. Yourefforts are much appreciated.

At all the gatherings this year we have been placed sec-ond behind Benoni High School. However at the Champion-of-champions gathering held at De La Salle College we wereplaced first in the ensemble component of the competition.This showed that we have the ability to do well against ourmajor rivals. Unfortunately we were not able to capitalise onthis achievement.

A highlight during August was the band playing at theweekly flag raising ceremony on Church Square. It was anhonour to lead the Ceremonial Guard onto parade. Theyare used to marching at 120 beats per minute, howeverthey had to march to our more sedate and genteel tempo!

September was the busiest month for the band in therecent past. Every weekend the band had either a gathering ora performance. We played at the Spring Fair at Girls High –this for the first time in may years. On Saturday 15 Septem-ber the band held a Ceilidh to celebrate the 30th anniversaryof the band. Friends of the band and numerous Old Boys werepresent on the evening which was most successful andenjoyed by all. The final competition was the Royal Scottish

Gathering where we were placed second overall. I must record my thanks to the band members for their

hard work and commitment to the band over the course ofthe year. I trust that you have enjoyed the year and gainedsomething from playing in the band. At this time of the yearone also has to say farewell to the matrics of the band, here Imention David Vosloo (Pipe Major), Michael Bishop (SgtPiper), Ditiro Jele (Sgt Bass Drummer), Matthew Seigel(Leading Tenor Drummer), Caeran Dollery (Drum Major),Robert Waterston (Sgt Drummer) and Simon Rosenstein(Side drummer). I have valued your contribution to the bandover the years some for a longer or shorter period. I trust thatyou will continue to be involved in the Pipe Band fraternity –it would be sad to lose your talents.

My final thanks must go to my piping and drummingtutors, Alex Hay and Jeremy Coutts respectively. These mengive unstintingly of their time to nurture and tutor the band.Without their input the band would not be playing the qual-ity of music that they play. I am indeed most grateful for allyour endeavours with the band this year.

May our band continue to be a part of the musical andcultural life of this School in the years ahead.

Alan O’Brien

Left and above: Themassed bands play ‘TheFlower of Scotland’. BoysHigh’s Pipe Band isclosest to the camera inthe picture to the left.Top left: Mr Kirstenassisted by the organiser,Mr O’Brien awards theprizes at the end of theCentenary GatheringCentre left: Mr O’Brienaddresses the School onthe occasion of thecelebration of thethirtieth anniversary ofthe founding of the PipeBand.

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Aeronautical Society

Above: Members pose with a Hawker Sea Fury in a private collection at Lanseria. Above centre: Members waiting for their turn to fly at one of the two gliding afternoonshosted by the Magalies Gliding Club. Top far right: Douglas Bradley about to take off in a single seat Grob glider, having already soloed on his way to a glider pilot’s licence.Bottom right: Members watching the preparation of a variety of radio controlled aircraft. Centre right: An excursion to Execujet.

ANOTHER CROWDED YEAR is one way to describe what2001 was for the members of this very active socie-ty. In any week where excursions were not planned,

videos were shown, ranging from ‘Reach for the Sky’ to theF22 Raptor. We also held our annual ‘Aeroquiz’ competi-tion, largely organised this year by the committee. Thisyear’s top three finalists were Craig Watkins, Warren Stu-art and Robert Waterston.

Two excursions were undertaken early in the year. Thefirst was to Grand Central airport in Midrand where mem-bers had the opportunity to learn about the options inlearning to fly through a flying school. Groups then rotat-ed between the control tower and a briefing on typicaltraining aircraft in the fleet. Most of those present alsotook the option for going for a short introductory flightwith the instructors in Cessna four seat aircraft. The otherexcursion was to Lanseria where two facilities were visit-ed. The first was a private collection of exotic aircraft thatincluded a Harvard, Beech Staggerwing, Chipmunk, twoWacos and the newly imported Sea Fury fighter. After thatit was off to Execujet where a full tour of the hangars andmaintenance facilities was provided. The corporate jet air-craft never fail to impress, especially the plush interiors!In the second half of the year the Society visited the con-trol tower and air traffic control centre at JohannesburgInternational Airport. The calm professionalism contrast-ed strongly with the impression given by the film ‘PushingTin’! The final excursion for 2001 was to the technical areaof SAA at the same airport. For very different reasons thebig eye openers were the stripped-down state of a 747‘classic’ compared to the freshly installed state-of-the-art

seating in business class on a new 747 series 400. One of the committee members, Neville Jansen who is

an avid flyer of radio-controlled aircraft, arranged a visit toa local RC flying club and we were entertained by an after-noon of minature flight, including the said member flyinghis helicopter inverted just above the ground for extendedperiods of time!

We were fortunate to secure a number of very inter-esting guest speakers this year. Mike Blyth, an ex-parentand one of the most adventurous microlight pilots, inSouth Africa showed us slides of his flight from SouthAmerica through the USA and Canada, across the northAtlantic to Europe and down through Africa to Cape Town.Many of the scenes photographed from these frail craftwere nothing less than awe inspiring. Together with thestories behind the pictures, it made for an entertainingand educational evening. Later in the year, CommanderAndrew Auld DSC, a retired RN Fleet Air Arm Harrierpilot spoke of carrier operations particularly in the Falk-lands War where he was a squadron commanding officerand veteran of a number of missions. An impromptu sur-prise speaker at one of the regular Friday meetings wasPeter John Norden, a past member of the Society and now,as a newly commissioned SAAF Lieutenant with recentlyawarded wings, doing advanced training on Impalas atHoedspruit. The last meeting for the year was also by wayof guest speakers, this time two members of the Smirnoffaerobatic team, leader Denis Spence and wingman NeilTrollip. They provided some insights, by way of amusingrepartee, of how aerobatic sequences are planned andflown.

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Needless to say, the highlight of theyear for most members was the gliderflying. Thanks to the kindness of MrDick Bradley (who took time off fromorganising the World Championships)and the Magalies Gliding Club, we wereable to again offer this as an activity.This year we split it into a senior glidingafternoon, in the first quarter of the yearand a junior one in the last quarter. Hotsunny conditions, winch launches andthe chance for some members to also flyin powered gliders, characterised thefirst event. The second afternoon, inNovember had us facing dark skies andthe need for tug launches – not that any-one was complaining! Common to bothdays however was the magnificent sun-sets with those who had the last flightsperhaps being the luckiest.

The committee for this year consist-ed of R Caldeira (chairman), N Jansen, RBritz, B Harris, N Lithgow and S Edge.Sincere thanks go to those organizations,companies, parents and old boys whomade possible the excursions. They are:Alisdair Holmes (ATC), Ronnie Koolen(SAA), Dick Bradley (gliding club) andWarren Penney (FTC).

John Illsley

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Angling Club

Angling ClubSeated on Ground: M van den Berg, W Hill, M Harvey, A Erasmus, D Kruger, H Muller, K Pope, N Nortje

First Row L–R: T Wakefield, M Killick, M Drury, J Conway (Secretary), Mr A Junod, G McNair (Chairman), C McNair, D Pope, C ElsenbroekSecond Row L–R: J Evans, R Mansell, B Conway, K O’Flaherty, W Bam, M Mantwill, C de Villiers-Smith, B Pope, T Richardson

Third Row L–R: C-J Havemann, C Browne, I Grobbelaar, J Bernitz, S Potgieter, M Beetge, F Jooste, D Gurney, M SharpBack Row L–R: M Harmer, A Schiel, H von Maltitz

JUST LIKE TEACHING, the task of fishing is never done –far from it. The more you do the more you realise howmuch there is to be done … so much to learn and so lit-

tle time! It gives me great pleasure to think that, throughthe PBHS. Angling Club, young people are learning a sportor pastime which hopefully they will enjoy for the rest oftheir lives.

The year 2001 has been an active and a varied one forthe Angling Club. We have undertaken 16 freshwater fish-ing trips which have included fly-fishing, bass fishing, bait-fishing and ‘papgooing’ not to mention the two sea-fishingholidays to the Wild Coast during June and September.

The year began with a number of weekend visits toRenosterkop during the hot kurper-fishing season. Typical-ly we would camp under a clump of Peltophorums at thedam braving the swarms of mosquitoes at night while wespent the days cramped up in a small boat frying in the tor-turous midday sun. What fishermen do for pleasure!! Hav-ing made our ‘feeding spot’ we would anchor a shortdistance away and wait for the ‘blues’ to arrive. While fish-ing with a light rod for these fish, we would put out a carprod or two but by now we had learnt – stiff rod and thickline or they take you to the cleaners! By the end of the sea-son we had the technique down to a fine art, landingbetween us a record 27 carp up to 6 kg one week-end, hav-ing not landed a single one the season before!! We heardone of the people on the neighbouring boats two weekslater say to their friends that the dam water level haddropped a couple of feet the moment we lifted our keep

net out of the water!!Fly-fishing continued to be a major interest this year.

Four trips to Belfast produced some fine fishing, althoughLewis, our favourite dam, was drained this year to removeunwanted bass and carp as well as the over-abundant weed.The first-ever brown trout were landed this year as well asa few ‘goldens’. We visited East Griqualand again for theannual Kokstad Spring Festival, but unfortunately a hail-storm the week-end before discoloured the water whichmade for some hard fishing. The competition was a greatsuccess nevertheless and enough ‘stockies’ were caught tokeep the morale from waning.

In the July holidays a group of us visited Mnenu, theby now familiar haunt on the Wild Coast. The shad fishingwas patchy but produced the well known ‘shad fever’when we struck it on the right day. Grant McNair throughexperience has become the expert on when NOT to gofishing for shad! The lure fishing in the small estuary wassurprisingly good for this time of year and many specieswere caught including kingfish (allegedly 3 differentspecies), skipjack, barracuda, shad and river bream. Thefun spinning for these bream with light tackle near the topof the river was perfected by Tyron Wakefield and will longbe remembered by all of us, as will the tranquil sceneryand ‘Mama’s’ home-baked bread. It was with great sadnessthat we heard during our stay of Joel Matlala’s untimelypassing. Joel loved Mnenu, having accompanied us onthree previous trips.

September saw us back in this area a second time at

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Port St Johns where we fished the mouth of the Umz-imvubu River. On arrival we were greeted with water thecolour of chocolate and our hopes of catching fish evapo-rated instantly. We soon learnt though that this is to beexpected for most of the year and we caught fish neverthe-less. The first day we landed three fine grunter up to 10pounds! It seemed too good to be true but the elation wasshort lived and the rest of the week we struggled, althoughwe caught the odd one. The beauty of this majestic placewith its towering cliffs more than made up for the slowfishing. The return trip was also an eventful one. Some ofus stopped over in Kokstad for some trout fishing andfished one of the dams that had disappointed us only twoweeks earlier. The day was cold and wet and the morning’sfishing characteristically unspectacular. A late lunch andwarm up in the car saw the four of us discussing our woes,teeth chattering. With nothing to lose but our health, webraved the weather a second time and a welcome but unex-pected miracle took place. Suddenly the monsters forwhich this dam is so famous came alive and within an hourwe had landed 4 rainbows over 3 kilograms! Warwick Bamlanded a gigantic hen of 3.3 kg smashing the previousAngling Club record of 2.4 kg which had stood since 1997!Ironically the holder of this previous record, Greg Collins,

by now an old boy four years out of school was there to wit-ness the event. In spite of the wind, shouts of glee couldbe heard echoing over the water and this fish earned War-wick a prize sponsored by Solly’s Anglers Corner worthR1400!!

Closer to home, the Clewer Nature Reserve near Wit-bank continued to serve us well. Two bass fishing trips sawhundreds of bass caught and, although moderate in size,these fish provided great sport. There is no better place fora fisherman to learn the art of fishing a plastic worm.Flukes and spinnerbaits also took their fair share of fish.Our bass fishing excursion to Rust de Winter was a coupleof weeks too late to coincide with the annual spawn but afew good fish up to 2 kg were landed.

And now the end of the year is upon us once again andwith it comes the inevitable farewell to the matrics. It is asad occasion but we wish them well in their piscatorialendeavours. A special thank you must go to Grant McNair,the Chairman, and Jason Conway, the Secretary, for theirsignificant contributions. Both avid fishermen, they pre-ferred very different types of fishing and this created agood balance in the club this year. Tyron Wakefield takesover as Chairman and Brenton Conway as Secretary for2002 – congratulations to both of them.

Far left: Mark Drury with a largecarp caught on fly at Belfast.Left: Warwick Bam with a largespotted grunter at Port St Johns.Below far left: A massacre atRenosterkop. Maritz van denBerg, Cuan Odendaal, Wesley Hill,Wiaan Prinsloo and John Evansdid the deed.Below centre: Daniel Kruger andtwo Belfast trout.Below: More happy boys withdead fish. Ivan Grobbelaar andHayden von Maltitz.

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Bridge Club

THE YEAR 2001 has been a good year for the BridgeClub. Meetings were, as always, loud and some-times even chaotic – but always friendly.

We participated in the Inter-High on 14 September andshared first place with St Johns who entered the competi-tion for the first time this year. It was a very clear warningto us that we can no longer be complacent and our playerswill have to do some serious practicing next year in order toprevent a recurrence of this. Our thanks once again go toMrs Pieters and Mr Jackson of the S.A. Bridge Federationfor their very able organization of the Tournament.

In October we hosted a tournament at Boys High aspart of the Centenary celebrations. This proved to be

extremely successful and will, I hope, be the forerunner ofan annual tournament.

The School Championships were held in November andwere hotly contested this year, a mere one point separatingthe first three pairs. Arthur Darby and Michael Kneidel arethe new champions.

We say farewell to Jerry Chen, Robert Maydell and PeterLamb, stalwart members for the last five years. We shallmiss them and we wish them well in the future.

Helene Donaldson

This is what Somerset Maughan had to say about BRIDGE:Bridge is the most diverting and

intelligent card game that the wit ofman has so far devised. I would havechildren taught it as a matter ofcourse just as they are taught danc-ing. In the end it will be more usefulto them. For you cannot with seemli-ness continue to dance when you arepotbellied, nor for that matter canyou with satisfaction to yourself orpleasure to your partner continue toplay tennis or golf when you are wellpast middle age. But you can playBridge as long as you can sit up at atable, and tell one card from another.In fact when all else fails, sports, loveambition – Bridge remains a solaceand an entertainment.

Chess

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK, ‘How do you coach chess?’ This issometimes followed by witty suggestions of board-sprints, finger stretching exercises, digit-crunches

and the like. This is not nearly as irritating as the mis-guided perception that chess is a sport for sissies or thelazy. Thankfully, at Pretoria Boys, this misconception is

easy to dispel. Most years there is a prominent first or sec-ond team rugby forward in the first chess team to point to.Few are aware of the hours of dedication it takes to reachthe levels of performance required to compete at the levelof our better chess players. It is very rare that a player willbe able to reach the standard required to make the first

team unless he began to take chessseriously before getting to Boys High.Then he will have to play severalhours of chess per week, for severalyears, at a suitably high level, to com-pete. This is sometimes done on theInternet. Often, with modern com-puter programmes and books valuablelessons can be learned, but a face-to-face encounter is preferred. There isno substitute for an enthusiastic fam-ily member, though joining a club orplaying tournaments also helps. Manyof our First Team players have person-al coaches. I have no reservation insaying that our First Team playershave put in as much time and effort asany other First Team in the school.Thankfully, their efforts have not

‘A’ Chess TeamAbsent: Ian Corbett

Front Row L–R : André Cilliers,

Mr Hendrik Heyns,Wilhelm Louw,

Mr Michael Bräsler,Michael de GouveiaSecond Row L–R :

Dian Kemp, Sean Stevenson,

Sarel Esterhuizen, Arthur Darby,

Jos van BastenBack Row L–R :

Danie Louw, Wikus van der Hoven

Bridge ClubFront Row L–R:

M Setloane, P Lamb, J Chen (Chairman),

Mrs H Donaldson (TIC), R Maydell, L Dau,

A DarbyBack row L–R:

C Sternberg, T Naidoo, M Shibambo, W Maduma,

S Edge, R Kuhn, C Elsenbroek. Tre

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gone unrewarded. We remain undefeated by teams visitingfrom out of Pretoria or on trips away.

We entered three teams in the league this year. The Cand A teams had similarly excellent results, while the Bteam gained valuable experience. All of the teams that theB team played were Ateams, and some of themcontained Springboks, sotheir frequent defeatswere not unexpected but,they remained positiveand pulled off one victory.The A and C teams wereboth one hurdle short ofgoing all the way. In thecase of the C team, theysustained one loss in theleague. The A team wontheir league to go on tothe cross league play-off todecide the champions ofthe region. Having won itlast year we went in asfavourites. The matcheswere scheduled on the dayof our matric dance, anunfortunate coincidence.We managed to defeat Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in thesemi-final. Going into the final there was some debate asto what to do in the event of a tie. It was decided that thelast board would fall away and we’d decide the contest on9 boards. As fate would have it the match ended 5 all, with

us having won on board 10. Waterkloof walked away win-ners this year.

On the personal level there were many successes. Afew worth mentioning are reflected in the box.

I must extend my thanks to Graeme Morrison whocoached the first team,ably assisted by old boy,Hendrick Heyns. MrKeaton also assisted withthe B and C teams and MsWroth’s advice and assis-tance was invaluable.There were a number ofmoms and even a coupleof dads who helped out.One dad, Mr Kemp, wentas far as organising thatgrand master, Nigel Short,came out from Englandand interested boys hadthe opportunity of playinghim in a set of simultane-ous matches. Mr Shortalso addressed the schoolin assembly. So, my answerto the question posed atthe outset, ‘ How do you

coach chess?’ will have to be ‘ With a lot of help from myfriends.’

Michael Bräsler.Master-in-Charge

Awards

Form I champion: Jin ShinSchool Champion: Danie Louw

Danie Louw also went on to represent South Africa atnumber one in his age group in South America andtwice in Europe. For this and his other achievementsin chess, he was re-awarded honours.

Full Colour AwardsRe-awards: A Darby, W Louw, M de Gouveia, A CilliersNew award: I Corbett

Half Colour AwardsJ van Basten, S Stevenson, S Esterhuizen

Junior Inter-house Champions: SunnysideSenior Inter-house Champions: Abernethy

Climbing Club

The Climbing Club was onlyactive during the first term.We had a large group of enthu-

siastic boys who were keen to learn theart of climbing. We made use of theclimbing wall at the school and everyother week went out to ‘The Barn’which gave the boys variety andgreater challenges. We also said good-bye to one of the top climbing boys,Paul Bruyere, who left during the yearfor Canada. Thanks to the committeefor their enthusiasm during the year.

Sandy Black

Climbing ClubFront Row L–R: T Wakefield, C Mulder, Mrs Black,

J Chapman, J Winnan.Back Row L–R: M Sharp, M Grover, D Pope,

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Culture Club

ON THE CULTURAL FRONT we had a special year,because we celebrated the anniversary of thedeath of the most popular composer, Verdi, 100

years ago.On the 27th January we attended Verdi’s Requiem,

which was presented in the city hall of Johannesburg. MsHornsveldt was the choirmaster and it was a wonderful

evening. Ms Hornsveldt has really come to our rescue bymanaging to get affordable tickets for the boys. She pro-vided us with tickets more that once and we want to thankher for her efforts to help keeping the cultural life at outschool going. Once we even sat in the Mayor’s balcony!

We have been visiting smaller art galleries, which ismore affordable, and have been fortunate enough to seethe latest works by one of our previous masters Mr LeonMuller.

Joshua Bell, the famous violinist from the movie ‘TheRed Violin’, visited our country. We were really very fortu-nate to attend his performance in Johannesburg. We havenow become regulars at the Brooklyn Art Nouveau theatreagain, because the prices of the movie tickets are what weused to pay for the tickets to go to the other theatres.

This was the year of Tibetan Culture. We attended theTibetan Film festival. Mr Rob Rademeyer spoke abouttheir art and played some of their music for us. Afterwardswe went to The Centre, which was only established thisyear and Gen Kelsang Legden told us about their way oflife.

We explored the world of tea drinking with Mr Fowlerfor the last time. We hope that he will enjoy his stay in Eng-land. Twinings tea will just never be the same again.

Marianne Auret

Culture ClubSeated Row L–R : S Pentz(Chairman), Mrs M Auret

(MIC), R BritzStanding L–R :S Mabaso,C Muller, A Mehl, P Lamb.

Debating Society

We are delighted to announce the re-birth of debat-ing as a fully-fledged extra-mural at PBHS! Underthe enthusiastic and innovative leadership of

Miss Hendricks, assisted by Mrs Brauer, the debating soci-ety has achieved remarkable things in its first year of exis-tence. We have chosen to follow the parliamentary style ofdebating as opposed to the traditional SACEE style. Thisinvolves several interruptions from the opposition(referred to as points of information), which encouragelively and heated exchanges! This involved some adapta-tion and plenty of learning and to assist us in this wearranged a full day workshop led by the Wits Debating

Society and invited five schools to participate. All found itfun and informative. The Wits students were so enthusias-tic to see so much interest in debating in Pretoria that theyasked us to organise a Pretoria tournament with a view toselecting a side to go to the Gauteng championships.

The Pretoria tournament was hosted over two days atPBHS involving Pretoria High School for Girls, TechnicalHigh School and Sutherland High School. Two of our boyswere selected as part of the Pretoria team. Kyle Tee andPeter Bolink thoroughly enjoyed their tournament experi-ence and the exposure to the excellent standard of theJohannesburg league has inspired us to greater heights.

Peter Bolink was given an award as themost promising junior speaker for whichwe congratulate him especially seeingthat he is only in Form I.

Our hope in 2002 is to get many moreboys involved in this society, as we believeit is such an important life skill, as well asbeing fun. Debating develops one’s confi-dence, helps one to think on one’s feetand to argue intelligently. How aboutjoining us in 2002? Our thanks go to MrWebster and Mrs Stuart for their encour-agement and special thanks to Mrs Cÿrusfrom Pretoria High School for Girls whohelped to get us going.

Terry Brauer

Debating SocietyFront Row L–R: G

Noffke, K Tee, A Mehl, DStearn, C Strydom.Second Row L–R:

Mrs T Brauer, C J Barnard, U Jeenah, A

Horn, S Njozela, Ms T Hendricks.

Back Row L–R: MMervitz, P Bolink.

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Hiking Club

THIS HAS BEEN THE HIK-ING CLUB’S most activeyear yet. By the end of

the year, we will have done fivetrails all over South Africa. MrFord became the new Master-in-Charge at the end of last year asMr Canter was leaving. We havenow purchased two tents andtwo stoves to encourage novicehikers, without their ownequip-ment, to join us.

Our first hike, in December2000, with Mr Ford was a spec-tacular traverse of the Drakens-berg escarpment from OrganPipes Pass to Gray’s Pass andback. The planned length of thehike was seven days and 80km.The first two days had perfectweather, which gave a us won-derful views as we ascended tothe escarpment via the beauti-ful Organ Pipes Pass. Within 30minutes of being at the top, themist moved in and it startedraining. Due to this mist, navi-gation for the next two daysacross the escarpment wasrather difficult, but we managedto reach the top of Gray’s Passat the end of day four. The nextmorning dawned bright andclear and we were able to see allthe way to Mont-Aux-Sources.The views of all the various peaks of the escarpment walland the huge cliffs at Vulture’s Retreat were absolutelybreathtaking. As we descended Gray’s Pass, the mist movedin again and it rained for the rest of the day. We decided thatnight to finish the hike the next day due to bad weatherconditions. This meant joining a planned two-day routeinto one long 28 km day. Despite the miserable weather,everyone thoroughly enjoyed this hike especially the viewson day five.

Our next hike was another Drakensberg hike during thelong weekend after the April holidays. There was so muchinterest from the boys that we eventually had to split intotwo groups with nine hikers in each. Mr Canter assisted byaccompanying the first group us Tseketseke pass and downMlambonja Pass while Mr Ford and Mr Palmer accompaniedthe other group up Organ Pipes Pass and down Camel Pass.The weather for both four-day hikes was superb with clearblue skies everyday. Tseketseke Pass was very steep, but thesplendid views from the top were worth the climb.

In the July holidays, we travelled all the way to Knysnato do the well-known Outeniqua Trail. The hike was sevendays and 108km long. The trail lived up to its reputationwith wonderful hiking through indigenous forests and greatmountain scenery. The trip was also very eventful with

Travis’ paranoia (‘Guys, I’m sure I just saw a leopard!’) andthe Kombi’s exhaust falling off on the way back. Alex andTravis also did quite a bit of running to get our hiking polesback from another group who had taken them. At the endof the hike everybody agreed with Mr Ford when he said itwas one of the best hikes he had ever done, blisters and all!

Our relaxing hike at the end of the year was at theMadikela Game Farm. We spent four days swimming, play-ing table tennis, pool and darts, watching TV and doing theoccasional game walk. It was great fun and we decided tomake it a tradition to have a relaxing hike at Madikela everyyear.

Our last hike for the year will also be in the Drakensberg.A seven day circular hike between Giant’s Castle and Inja-suti This hike will include a three day traverse across theescarpment and promises to be one of our most spectacularhikes yet.

I would like to thank Mr Ford for giving up lots of hisholiday time and making all these hikes very enjoyable forus. Thanks must also go to the rest of the committee, AlexRingelmann and Matthew Smith, for all the work they didorganising these hikes.

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Photographic Society

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE and challengewhich has resulted in the photographic societystarting off on a low key. The year started under

the watchful eye of Mr Steve Cilliers, who as you know, leftthe school to pursue his other love – publishing. I inherit-ed the society with five members of which only two werereally active. This is something which I hope to change.

The main function of the society is to take photographsof all the major calendar events. This year, for the first timeever, we have a wide range of photos of all the sports. Con-sidering how well this was done, I would like to thankArthur Hall and Jozua Loots for all the time they havespent in the sun, running up and down sports fields,behind the watchful eye of a zoom lens to get ‘just theright’ shot with the ‘best composition and exposure’. I cantruly say that without the enthusiasm and dedication ofthese two members, the photographic society would nothave survived the year.

They also did Boys High proud when they participatedin the Fuji Film National Schools Photographic Competi-tion of 2001. Jozua Loots earned himself a third place (outof 600 entries) in the individual image competition with aprint entitled ‘Jellybean Beetle’. He won a PSSA silvermedal for winning the section. Both Jozua and Arthurreceived Honourable Mentions for other prints entered.One of these (entered by Arthur Hall) was Quinton Marais’run out of a KES cricketer during our centenary Day &Night cricket match.

The dark room also had its share of attention this year.An old boy, Dr Robert J Dowdeswell and the CSIR (thanksto a parent, Prof Blum) donated colour enlargers and otherphotographic equipment. This was certainly a huge help inextending our dark room and will definitely be of great usein the future of our society.

Talitha Segaar

Jozua

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Jozua

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Science Club

ISTILL REMEMBER THE DAY that I decided I was going tomake fireworks for the first time. It was the end of myForm I year and I heard in assembly that the Science Club

members had to bring stuff for the making of fireworks. So offI went to the teacher in charge of the club and enquired as towhether or not I could join. She told me there was one condi-tion – ‘You may make fireworks … only if you join the club andI want to see your face here next year!’ As I had little else todo, I had nothing to lose. Now four years down the line, Iended up being the Science Club Chairman for 2001.

This year has been somewhat chaotic. With the help ofMrs McEvoy, my deputy and the committee, who were bothsupportive and committed, we managed to pull off quite aproductive if short year.

Through the course of this year we organised a successfulegg-dropping competition; we made volcanoes, we mixedneon dyes, we painted shirts (what a mess!), we made liquidfire, we experimented with dry ice, we had a bridge building

competition, we built electronic gadgets and we did manyother exciting experiments. I can honestly say the highlight ofthis year was making esters – the guys were meant to makethe aromas of cherry, rum, banana and so on, but instead mostof them managed to come with the stench of stink bugs! Wealso visited an ice-cream factory where many of us learnt muchabout ice-cream production. I truly believe that this year wasmore an experimental year, unlike previously organised years,which made Science much more exciting!

Altogether I think we had a smashing year. Thanks to MrsMcEvoy, Alastair Mehl, the committee members and MrBräsler (for popping in every now and then) and all the boysin the Science Club who assisted in making this a great year.I hope we can end off 2001 with a bang at our fireworksevening and I wish the best of luck to next year’s ScienceClub.

Jady Fourie

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Students’ Christian Association

THERE WAS SEEN SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH in the SCAthis year. The SCA Den has contributed greatlyto the creation of lasting friendships during this

year. It has become a place of fellowship, laughter, coffee,a healthy exchange of views – in actual fact, the Den hasbecome the SCA’s home at Boys High.

If you need a friend, the SCA is the place to be.Through the love of Christ we learn to give, to forgiveand accept one another. Our dream is to be a Societywhich caters for all those who long to get to know Godbetter and who desire to extend the love of God to oth-ers.

Boys grew in their love for Christ and as we are look-ing back at the end of the year, we have so much to begrateful for. The Den has been resounding with song andworship. We have had teachers to share with us stories

about their own walk with God. It is so refreshing to hearhow God also works in the lives of others.

Boys High didn’t reach out to other schools, as wereally felt the need to consolidate and grow and preparefor next year’s outreaches. We have had the privilige tosee the SCA grow in quantity and quality. We can onlypray that what has happened in our lives this year, willbear much fruit in the future.

A great many thanks to the SCA committee who car-ried the SCA this year. We are grateful to every boy whomade an impact on someone’s life.

May the love of Christ be our sole motivation in thefuture.

André Steyn Master-in Charge

Science ClubSeated L–R : Peter Lamb, Mrs L McEvoy, Jady Fourie (Chairman)

Standing L–R : Kagiso Lehabe, Alastair Mehl, Sean Stevenson

Students’ Christian AssociationFront Row L–R : A Cilliers, M Willoughby, Mr A Steyn (MIC), L Strümpher, R Waterston

Back Row L–R : H Steyn, D Steyn, M Combrinck, A Albers, D Smith, L Ruch,B Wanjelani, S Rushton

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Wildlife Society

WE HAVE ONCE AGAIN had a verysuccessful year. Being the cen-tenary year of the school we

found it difficult to find a weekendwhere we could go on a long trip, but wehad many shorter excursions in order toaccommodate all our members. Thisseems to very popular as well.

We had our regular visit to TswaingCrater, where old boy Dereck Milburn isbusy with a very big project. We alsowent to the Transvaal Museum andAquarium at the Zoo for our usual‘behind the scenes’ visits. We want tothank out guide Kobus at the Zoo whohas been taking us on these tours for thepast seven years. Each time we visit itjust seems to get better.

We still have our ties with the Hon-orary Game Rangers. Three of our mem-bers are still being trained by them.They are Dereck Milburn, Arthur Halland Michael Beetge. They were fortu-nate enough to visit the Kruger National Park just after thefire to assist in the work done there by the Rangers.

Our most prominent guest speaker was definitely DrMartin Hill, who not only addressed the society, but all theForm III and Form IV Biology students. His topic was mak-

ing use of Biological control of invader plants instead ofusing pesticides. We hope to make use of their advice andhelp to control the invader plants on our school campus.

Marianne Auret

Wildlife SocietyCommitteeFront Row (L–R):D Milburn, S Pentz, Mrs M Auret (MIC), R Britz, P LambSecond Row (L–R):V Nguregusha, A Hall, M BeetgeBack Row (L–R):J Loots, W DieperingTre

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