BRANCH EVENTS
Pretoria High School Old Boys Dinner – Cape Town 2023 by Matthew Currie
The 2023 edition of the Cape Town Old Boys Dinner was held on 2 August 2023 – Hosted at the Newlands Cricket Stadium. With the spectacular backdrop of both the cricket ground and the mountain – we knew we were set for an evening to remember.
The turnout was phenomenal and one of the best we have ever had. It was unfortunate that one or two Old Boys had to pull out for various reasons otherwise we may have topped the 150 pax mark. There was one group that once again outshone the rest with a staggering 17 attendees – the 1994 matriculants. The group of Old Boys present covered various Classes from 1958 all the way to 2022, spanning over 64 years. It is only at an event like this where one can be so heart warmed to watch the large variety of ages mingle and connect due to a common and special background that they share.
It was a huge honour to have Mr Paul Sommerville address us. The majority of the Old Boys would have been taught or coached by him – and if not, they certainly knew of his immense contribution to the school. We were given the opportunity to hear how the school had served Mr Sommerville (and vice-versa) and how it had impacted his life for over 40 years. One can only imagine how he had us in hysterics for parts of his address and at the same time touched the heart of many during his reminiscing stories. On behalf of all the Old Boys residing in Cape Town, we would like to say an immense Thank You to Mr Paul Sommerville for accepting our invitation as Guest Speaker as well as for honouring us with his time.
We were also lucky enough to have our invite accepted by Mr John Illsley. Mr Illsley will be finishing up at Pretoria Boys High School at the end of this year after over 35 years. He has also served as Second Master for multiple years now as well as stand-in Headmaster during the Headmaster changeovers. We thank Mr Illsley for his warm address as well as all his service towards our beloved school. We look forward to having him at more dinners in the future as he and his wife will be moving to the Western Cape.
The Headmaster, Mr Greg Hassenkamp, addressed the Old Boys with interesting updates of where the school and education sector currently stand in South Africa. We were incredibly proud of the steps that the school continues to take as a leader in the South African education sector. The Old Boys in Cape Town were impressed with how the school continues to strive towards being self-sufficient and self-sustainable in terms of solar, generation and water projects. I believe these projects, as well as the sincere fund-raising to continuously fund those less fortunate to attend the school we were fortunate enough to attend, is something that many of us will be excited to get behind.
Lastly, we would like to thank everyone who assisted with donations and gifts for the evening, the caterers and venue organisers as well as Dave Gleeson for the wonderful and entertaining MC duties. This dinner would not be possible without those sticking up their hand. Lastly, we would like to thank Sally de Beer from the Old Boys Association for all the hard work in collecting payments and consolidating the lists.
It was truly a night to remember and we hope next year we can pull in a couple more and make it another Dinner to remember.
Until Next Year – Matthew Currie (2010, Solomon House)
Mr Paul Sommerville addressing the Cape Town Old Boys
Some of the Old Boys enjoying the ever-popular Cape Town Dinner
Johannesburg Old Boys Event 2023
The last Branch Visit of 2023 will be the Johannesburg Get-Together which is being organised by Old Boy Bruce van Wyk (1998, Solomon House) as follows:
Date: Thursday, 02 November 2023
Time: 18:00 for 18:30
Venue: Johannesburg Country Club, Woodmead
Dress: Jacket and Old Boys Tie
Bruce is making the final arrangements and tickets will go on sale shortly via AlumNet.
All Johannesburg and Pretoria Old Boys are to kindly SAVE THE DATE as the Headmaster, Mr Greg Hassenkamp, and a representative of the Board of Directors of the Old Boys’ Association will be in attendance to network and give you updates on the School on the Hill! We will also invite Second Master Mr John Illsley to attend to round off his final year at Pretoria Boys High School.
REUNION NEWS
We have hosted three reunions at Pretoria Boys High School since the last newsletter, the Class of 2013’s 10 Year On Reunion, the Class of 1973’s 50 Year On Reunion and the Class of 1993’s 30 Year On Reunion.
We will post their write-ups on their experiences during their reunions as we receive them.
Hereunder is the feedback from Greg Fisher, Head Prefect 1993, from the 30 Year-On Reunion:
Late last year the PBHS class of 1993 learned that the weekend of 8 and 9 September 2023 had been earmarked for our 30-year reunion. With that, various WhatsApp groups formed, emails and texts flew back and forth, and there was much anticipation and friendly banter as we contemplated seeing one another again and spending time together at the School on the Hill. Old Boys from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA planned trips back to South Africa to be at the reunion, and they were joined by others who came in from all over South Africa to reconnect with old friends. Many of the Old Boys got together for a round of golf and padel at Irene Country Club on the Thursday preceding the reunion, while the Rissik House Old Boys went away for a few nights at a game lodge north of Pretoria to kick off their reunion.
On Friday, September 8th just under fifty Old Boys from the Class of 1993 gathered on the Solomon House lawn. Even though some of us were still feeling the after-effects of the pre-reunion activities, we were all excited to see one another, thrilled to be back on the school grounds, and overwhelmed by the warm and polite welcome we received from every boy who passed by. Mr Hassenkamp greeted us, and proceeded to provide us with a very reassuring and enlightening update on the school and then led us on a wonderful walk through the school grounds. Given that Mr Hassenkamp was in matric when we were in Form 2, it was weird for us to now see him in this role of massive responsibility. But I think we were all thrilled to experience his passion and energy as he chatted with us and filled us in on his exciting vision for the school. Following an exploration of the school grounds and a walk through the school museum, we made our way to the much-upgraded school hall for Friday Assembly where we were joined by Mr Bill Schoder and Mr Tony Wilkes. Toni Monni did the Bible reading and I shared some thoughts with the boys and staff about the advantages they have and should leverage as a result of growing up in South Africa, attending Boys High, and through the connections they have with one another. Following a full day at the school, we descended on the Old Boys Club for a braai and some beers, which ended with us watching the opening game of the Rugby World Cup as France defeated the All Blacks, which silenced David Neumann who had flown out from New Zealand to be at the reunion. At that same time, a group of about ten Class of 1993 Old Boys living in the UK got together for a slap-up dinner at a fancy restaurant in London, all organized by Stephen Temple.
On Saturday, September 9th a surprisingly large contingent of Old Boys met up for an early morning run (or walk) through the streets of Waterkloof, followed by a long, leisurely breakfast. Then later that morning a smaller group met up at Wolwespruit Bike Park for a mountain bike ride which unfortunately ended a little prematurely with a broken collarbone. Those of us still standing then met up for a formal dinner at the school dining hall on Saturday evening. We were joined by Mr Schroder, Mr Hassenkamp, Mr John Ilsley, Jason Weber, and a few other masters including Mr Paul Anthony, Mr Werner Obermeyer, and Mr Paul Ewart-Phipps. Jason Storm Green was entertaining and efficient as Master of Ceremonies, while Andre Swart said Grace, gave a vote of thanks and made a meaningful fundraising plea for donations for the new rugby changeroom to be named after Ross Buckley, one of our classmates who has passed away. Chris Woodrow, Werner Ackerman, and Mark Tanton provided stirring and meaningful toasts to the country, absent friends, and the masters respectfully. I got to toast the school and Mr Hassenkamp responded with another outstanding speech reflecting on the opportunities and challenges for Boys High now and in the future. We ended the dinner singing a spirited version of 40 Years On. A great time was had by all; we left energized, feeling reconnected with one another and with the School, and looking forward to our 40-year reunion.
None of this would have happened without the efforts of Sally de Beer who put everything in place. We are extremely grateful for all that she did. We are grateful to the headmaster for hosting us and to Mr Schroder for making an effort to join us. Thank you!
Written by Greg Fisher
The Class of 1993, several travelling from abroad, held a memorable 30 Year On Reunion
The Old Boys of the Class of 2013 who attended assembly prior to their reunion dinner
The Class of 1973, picture here with Mr Hassenkamp, at their 50 Year On reunion
The last reunion of the year is the 40 Year-On taking place on Friday and Saturday, 27 and 28 October 2023. If you have not as yet been contacted by the convenor, Dave Gleeson, please email info@pbhsob.com and we will provide you with the details and the link to purchase tickets.
Don’t miss out on your 40 Year-On, Class of 1983!
PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL’S NEWS
Pretoria Boys High School is going solar!
During July 2023, PBHS announced that they had partnered with Sun Exchange – a global crowd-sale platform that helps schools and other organisations in South Africa switch to solar power – to install a 198kW solar system, to be integrated into the school’s existing generator.
The entire PBHS community was invited to support the initiative by purchasing solar cells at just R67.00 per cell. For each solar cell bought, the purchaser was also to be gifted one free solar cell to be automatically allocated to a local solar project in need of reliable energy. Both the school and the Old Boys’ Association marketed the initiative via various platforms.
On 2 September 2023 we were thrilled to announce that the Pretoria Boys High School’s solar project had been fully funded thanks to an Old Boy (who prefers to remain anonymous) who purchased 98% of the solar cells available in the project.
The school and the Old Boys’ Association thank him and all the other Old Boys from the bottom of our hearts.
Said Headmaster Greg Hassenkamp: “We’re thrilled that an esteemed alumnus and crypto enthusiast has joined our sustainable journey. Clean energy will benefit our entire campus including our classrooms, laboratories and special venues”.
Now we can give an update and advise that the solar project is almost fully operational. Three of the four identified roofs have been fitted with the Bill Schroder Centre panels being 70% complete. The remainder of the panels will be fitted by the end of the current holiday break. Connections will be complete by the end of October and testing will then commence. By the end of November it is anticipated that the system will be fully operational.
Read more about the anonymous PBHS Old Boys Donation by using the following link: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-08-30-ex-pupil-uses-crypto-and-solar-energy-to-propel-pretoria-boys-high-into-the-future/ (Article: Daily Maverick, journalist – Neesa Moodley, photo – Flickr / Sergio Singh).
OLD BOYS’ ACTIVITIES
Old Boy Bradley Kretzmann competes in Ironman 70.3 World Championship
Congratulations to PBHS Old Boy Bradley Kretzmann (Class of 1993, Rissik House) who recently completed the Ironman 70.3 World Championship (1,9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run) in Lahti, Finland.
Bradley was astonished that the PBHS Old Boys Association had heard of his remarkable achievement and told us the following: “I managed to qualify at the beginning of 2020 with the race due to be held in New Zealand. Corona had other plans and the event was postponed to 2021 in Utah in the US. Travel restrictions were still in place so I wasn’t able to race there either, but Ironman allowed me to defer until this year in Finland”.
Well done Bradley for not only qualifying in 2020 but also for your tenacity and perseverance in being able to participate and complete the World Ironman three years later. A true Boys High old boy!
Bradley Kretzmann (1993, Rissik House)
Bradley’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship medal
Old Boy from the Class of 1944 visits School
On Thursday, 14 September 2023 a very special guest visited Pretoria Boys High School – Mr Dieter von Staden, the oldest Old Boy of whom we are aware.
Mr Von Staden enjoyed a cup of tea and a walk through the museum with Headmaster Mr Greg Hassenkamp, Second Master Mr John Illsley and other staff members. Matriculating in 1944, he is 97 years old and fondly shares memories of teachers, Harry ‘Chisel’ Bennet, ‘Stokkies’ Joubert and ‘Snake’ Hofmeyr.
Under Headmaster ‘Baldy’ Matheson, he recalled the war years at the school, where every morning an assembly was called to share the news of who had died on the front the previous day.
He was a senior lecturer at Tuks, specialising in horticulture, and then pioneering several courses on landscape architecture. He is responsible for introducing the kiwi-fruit to South Africa.
He currently lives in Faerie Glen with his wife of 95. We are expecting both of them to attend a Friday assembly in the fourth term.
Mr Von Staden with Headmaster Mr Greg Hassenkamp
Mr Von Staden with Second Master Mr John Illsley
IN MEMORIAM
Charles Kimberlan Brain (Class of 1947)
Several Old Boys sent us an article published in the Palaeontological Society of Southern Africa (PSAA) on the 9th of June 2023, written by Bruce Rubidge in which the passing of PBHS Old Boy Charles “Bob” Brain was announced.
According to the article, Mr Brain (Class of 1947), described as a Southern African palaeontology great, passed away peacefully at his home in Irene on 6 June 2023.
The PSAA has graciously given us permission to share the link to their article in tribute to our Old Boy and it’s an extremely interesting read. RIP Mr Brain.
https://www.palaeosa.org/palblog/charles-k-bob-brain (Credit article and photos PSAA)
IN PRETORIA? VISIT THE OLD BOYS’ CLUB IN LYNNWOOD
Please remember to send us news about Old Boys and their activities / achievement – info@pbhsob.com