Headmaster's Newsletter - 11 June 2012

options, losing touch with team mates, trying to do much on their own and being devoid ofideas to out manoeuvre opponents who refused to be physically intimidated, was reminiscentof other miserable occasions.”Every Saturday great roars go up from the stands as yet another player drives straight into hisopponent. There is no attempt to beat the defender with a change of pace, a side step or by goingoutside him. This is like WWF – the bigger the hit, the greater the acclaim. Mr Sam Gunn, thehugely respected and long serving Headmaster of Selborne, commented:“Well, Paul, perhaps we need to change the scoring in rugby. Forget about well workedback line moves and quick hands to the wing and start awarding points to the huge hits thatare put in.”I am pleased to report that our 1 st XV has produced some well worked tries in the recent wins againstQueen’s (31-18) and Selborne (16-8).ReunionOn another positive note we had a wonderful derby weekend with Queen’s College. This coincidedwith possibly the biggest reunion group ever assembled at College with significant numbers comingfrom the 1972, 1987 and 1988 leaving groups. The weekend also marked the inaugural SAC/DSGMusic Festival and an extraordinary dance production based on the life of Helen Martins and the OwlHouse in Nieu Bethesda. The weather played its part and all in all, it was a terrific weekend. Ourboys are committed and busy. One example is of a first team hockey player who marched in theParade, went out to play 1 st XI Hockey against Queen’s and then an hour and a half later was dancinghis heart out on the Rhodes University stage.It really was a weekend that celebrated everything that was good about our school, and the Old Boys,many of whom had journeyed thousands of kilometres to be with their year groups, appeared to havehad a really good time. Many of them were moved by the occasion. The Reunion Dinner was heldin the Centenary Hall and there were more than 250 people present. The Master of Ceremonies wasSteve Cook, Head Boy in 1982, and the speaker on behalf of College was Myles Ruck (1972),current Chairman of the Finance Committee on the Council. Both made poignant and at timesextremely funny speeches. I have often said that this school is not here to reflect the values ofsociety; this school is here to stand for values that are unchanging and timeless. I quote the lastparagraph of Steve Cook’s welcoming speech:“As of old St Andrew calls us to serve for the greater good. That is where our motto is mostvalued as we face adversity on whatever field we find ourselves: Nec Aspera Terrent!This school continues to be relevant as it espouses an ideal in a world that has lost its abilityto believe. I would ask that we remind ourselves that this is what makes our school soimportant to us. It was this community that we were apprenticed to, and on these groundswhere we were initiated into manhood. This was the central chapel of our lives and it liveson as we too will pass.”Here we standAmidst the leaves and dust of passing yearsAs fathers and fathers’ fathers have stoodWitness to our changing selvesWe anticipate what shall beReminisce on what wasAnd hope to witness life once againAt the rebirth of a next generationWho may stand firm.Nec Aspera Terrent.Headmaster: Paul Edey BA HDE (WITS) Hons (SA) FDE (RAU) PMD (GIBS)Somerset Street • PO Box 182 • Grahamstown • 6140 • South Africa • Tel: +27 (0)46 603 2300 • Fax: +27 (0)46 603 2381 •www.sacschool.comMembership includes: ISASA SAHISA AHISA HMC ICP