PBHSOB ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Dear Old Boy
Rissik House Old Boy Duncan Stewart matriculated in 1989. He obtained a Diploma in Graphic Design from the Durban University of Technology and went on to complete the equivalent of a BA in Fine Art from the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence Italy. As a professional artist living in Gqeberha (P.E.), Duncan’s work and practice aims to bring an understanding of the unique creative potential we all have. “I am interested in how the connection between creativity, imagination and faith shapes our worldview and seeing this realised and released in others.”
The youngest of three Stewart brothers who attended Pretoria Boys High School, Duncan achieved half colours for water polo and an academic tie. He was also a school prefect and the deputy headboy of Rissik House. He had a stint in 2nds rugby at first centre until receiving a Menlo Park player and ball simultaneously, which resulted in an unfortunate concussion. The rest of the season was continued as captain of 3rds, with the present headmaster, Mr Hassenkamp, as his outside centre. “It was the most amazing season, we were brimming with over-confidence and I believe we won the Administrator’s Cup for our division that year. “
From Duncan’s perspective, something that sets Boy’s High apart was, and still is, the disciplined environment of respect and kindness. He maintains that discipline is a “super power against all the distractions and luke-warmness that beset contemporary society.” Discipline creates boundaries which are essential for anything meaningful to be achieved. “Discipline in general, self-discipline in particular, has been a great ally to me as an artist.”
Reminiscing on the teachers who inspired him, Duncan recalls, “Mrs Nel was our formidable Latin teacher in Form I and II. She had this uncanny ability of transforming our rowdy Latin class into something approaching a noble quest for hidden truths – a quest, mind you, fraught with consequences-horrificus should one fail to attend to one’s homework with the devotion of a Roman slave. But, inspire she did, and for me it was a love for language and the power of words.
Eddie Dorey was my Afrikaans teacher in Form V. A larger than life character yet a man who, despite his incredible physical strength accomplishment in karate and the like, had a heart of gold. Hidden from his watchful gaze behind some outstanding syllabus material – the Huisgenoot, I suspect my Afrikaans actually deteriorated in his class but it was worth it for amusing banter and commentary that cheered us up even on the most dismal of days – cadets.”
“I recall in one assembly the Boss, Malcolm Armstrong saying the goal of Boys High was to ensure that the boys who left the school after matriculating entered society as a credit to that society, as gentlemen who understand and appreciate the eternal values of honesty, hard work, and respect for all. The emphasis was always on a well rounded education: spirit, soul and body, not only academics or sport… and from reports I hear, Pretoria Boys High School is head and shoulders above most educational institutions in the accomplishment of that high goal. “
Duncan’s work can be viewed on his
website and various social media sites:
www.duncanstewart.co.za
www.instagram.com/duncanstewartfineart
www.facebook.com/DuncanStewartFineArt
ANNUAL OLD BOYS’ DINNER
Chilly air and the third wave did little to deter more than seventy Old Boys from their 102nd dinner. It was held one day after the school’s 120th birthday and just four hours before the curfew.
So, to speed things up a bit, the streak of Solomon House MCs was broken in favour of Mervin Moodley, a science teacher and housemaster of the ‘mighty (sic) Sunnyside House’. But this did not mean that the hapless School House boys escaped reminders of their misadventures. Mervin recalled a story about one of their ilk who asked who this ‘Memo’ was that did so well in a science test.
Mervin welcomed the Old Boys to the open bar, the regalia table, and the smokers to koppie. He introduced the main table and, in his physical absence, Nick Dreyer (the guest speaker and Class of ’96). I mention that year because it is the same as yours truly and because there was a strong presence of that generation proudly sporting their PBHS-branded Veldskoen. He then invited Rudi Janse van Vuuren to say grace.
Craig McBride made the toast to absent friends. As part of his toast, he applauded the rare and sincere brotherhood he experienced at Pretoria Boys High School. Nowhere else had he seen this and he urged Old Boys to appreciate it and to protect it.
Then Fortunato Mazzone made the toast to South Africa. Mervin introduced him as a chef and restauranteur – and a Sunnyside House Old Boy, a kindred spirit who sprinkled KMnO4 into the water fountains and planted NI3 to prank his teachers at school. Mervin helpfully explained, for the benefit of the boarders, that these compounds are called potassium permanganate and nitrogen triiodide – and elaborated further that the latter is also known as touch powder (for the benefit of the School House boys). He told a story about the day that Forti applied touch powder to Mr Digby’s shoes, which then dried and exploded and shrouded the poor man in a cloud of purple iodine vapour.
Mr Mazzone spoke about the extent of South African and Old Boy authority around the world. That twenty percent of the US economy is run by South Africans and Old Boys, with Old Boys like his friend, the authority on patent law, and himself, the authority on Italian cooking, leading the way. He spoke about the role our school has played in improving the world (albeit that they started out by blowing Digby’s boots off).
In his head prefect’s address, Kyle Marshall spoke about how the school’s history of valuing balance now catered for a wealth of cultural outlets while sport was off limits. Kyle’s intelligent and articulate speech bore testimony to the entertaining and scholarly tone of the well-balanced young men that the School produces.
Another such well-rounded man is Jason Webber, the old Boys Association Chairman. In fact, he won the Malcolm Armstrong Renaissance Man Award at school. The MC introduced him as ‘a gentle giant… the boy you want your daughter to bring home’. In his report, Jason thanked Geoff Meyer for convening the dinner and the many others before. He pointed out that next year Geoff would be attending his 40th consecutive dinner. He also thanked the Association secretary, Mrs Inge Paulsen-Liddle, for her administrative role in arranging the dinner and the school for allowing them to host the dinner there. While the challenging circumstances at last year’s dinner in November and this one had significantly reduced the numbers, it had not reduced the importance of the tradition or the magic of the dinners.
Jason reported that the combined reunions of the Class of ’60 and ’61 held in May had been so successful that the 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 year-on reunions are scheduled to do the same or over the same weekends to accommodate the 2020 casualties. The Association Board would also like to renew their focus on the Old Boys branches to better support those Old Boys not living in or around Pretoria. He also reported that nineteen new Honorary Life Memberships were made to administrative, teaching and support staff at the school to recognize their service in upholding the traditions and values of the school. The Association has committed to contributing R242,000 to the School for 2021 to support five boys at the school plus an additional sum to rejuvenate Hofmeyr Park based on the recommendations of a consultant. Additionally, the Pretorian Trust is preparing a new fundraising initiative with the ultimate goal being to support ten percent of our schoolboys. Finally, he reported on the two successful social inclusion talks and the nostalgic reminiscence podcasts in the offing.
Nick Dreyer from the class of ’96 was the guest speaker. True to the times, he needed to isolate and spoke virtually. Thanks to James Orr and the sound technician’s technical witchcraft, Nick was practically with us in the dining hall. He spoke about his company called Veldskoen and how he and two other Old Boys, Ross Zondagh and Nic Latouf, got together and each in their own different way contributed and – despite going up against severe international no-nonsense lawyers and businessmen – magically made things happen. He told many stories – one of which was about how his office moved to a box in the Newlands Cricket Ground because it was ironically cheaper than the office blocks in the Capetonian burbs. If all goes well, the South African Olympic team will soon march into the Tokyo Olympic Stadium adorned with his veldskoene!
In the Headmaster’s reply, Mr Hassenkamp spoke about the school today. He spoke about how the school was able to weather the various restrictions by being flexible with online learning and using our robust clubs and societies to keep boys busy in the absence of fully-fledged sport, and that the recent Inter-House plays were no less entertaining. He spoke about the School’s drive in connection with the Old Boys Association to promote the School and its boarding accommodation all over the Lowveld. Mr Hassenkamp reported on the results of a survey done by the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. The findings of that survey revealed that Pretoria Boys High School achieved one of the highest scores ever achieved. The conclusion of that survey was that if anyone were looking for a top boys’ school, Pretoria Boys High School would be it.
Lincoln Keeton, Class of ’96
Click here to listen to the dinner recordings >>
Photo credit: Ntokozo Dlamini Form IV
MY WATCH (IS A FAKE OMEGA)
My watch was bought on the Italian black market (said to be genuine black market goods) for the equivalent of three Rand. It has the Omega sign stuck on the dial with glue, and has an excellent paint job done on the face which states with pride “Omega Seamaster”.
It loses roughly ten minutes a day – it is going at its fastest – and every now and again it gains half an hour (over twenty four hours) If it stops it has to be beaten against a table leg to get it going again. If it still does not start one has to open it up and get it started with a pin. I hang it up on my wall and I can tell the time with it to the nearest hour.
P. A Savage Form IV E – The Pretorian 1971
IN MEMORIAM
DANIEL ERIC LOMBARD (2008)
Dan Lombard passed away on Saturday, June 12th, 2021, at the Hatfield Urology Hospital due to unforeseen complications in a kidney operation. He was born on February 15th, 1990, in the Southrand Hospital in Johannesburg. A son to Kat Lombard, his mother, and Jacques Lombard, his father.
More than a beloved part of the family, Dan was a mentor to some and a dear friend to many. He was a proud graduate of the Pretoria Boys High School in 2008, a year of great tribulation for himself as a young man. On the 13th of May 2008, an unfortunate accident during rugby practice left Dan a C4-C5 spinal injury patient. This ordeal, in all its difficulty, was a time in which the resilience of his spirit became most clear to the family and friends beside him.
Dan’s triumph was in his love of rugby, which lead him to pursue Sports Journalism for the Vodacom Blue Bulls. When Dan was not sun-bathing at Loftus Versfield, he was using his boisterous humor to cultivate relationships with people from all walks of life. His work with people, both in the sporting world and within the disabled community, guided his curious mind to ask questions regarding mental fortitude and achieving in adversity.
For this, it became most apparent to him to use his own personal experiences to help those around him. Tiger Stripes Revolution became a vehicle for such a mission, one he gave his focus and all his hope.
In life, Dan was a passionate humanitarian who thought there was always more to do. Dear Dan, we will miss you.
Gabriel Lombard & Reilly Lombard
GRAHAM DUNLOP RUSK (1955)
Graham was born in 1937 in Rustenburg and grew up on a citrus farm with 2 younger siblings. He started at Boys High in 1951 as a border in School House and matriculated in 1955. He went on to obtain a B.Sc. (Agric) from the University Of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, specializing in Horticulture. It was there that he filled out and developed into a tough competitor on the rugby field. His strength, particularly in line-outs and loose scrums, ensured that his team, often against the run of play, got more possession than their opponents. For this, he was a contender for a place in the then Natal Rugby Team – unfortunately, injury prevented that from happening.
After graduating in 1959 his first job was on a farm in the Johannesburg area doing pioneering work on new techniques for the mass production of mushrooms. In 1962 he married the love of his life, Denise Brink, a Girl’s High girl, who he met at university. They moved to Mataffin near Nelspruit where he took up a position in the citrus industry with H.L.Hall and Sons. One of his exciting tasks was to explore the effect of biological pest control on citrus trees, and if effective, introduce it in the orchards under his management.
After several years he moved to Tongaat on the North Coast to pioneer bulk vegetable production for a major sugar company who had spare ground not suitable for sugar production. Contact with old friends eventually led to a move to Pietermaritzburg where he first became involved in the timber industry. He remained there for the rest of his life, and is where he and Denise raised their lively, involved family, Duncan, Grant and Wendy.