SELECTED ARTICLES
THE PHOBIAN – AUG 2008
Letter: Roger Herbert – A Tribute
Roger Herbert passed on, on Friday evening 1 August 2008, a day before his 67th birthday. Roger never missed an Old Boys Dinner. And what would have annoyed him most was that he missed the Old Boys Dinner in Bloemfontein that Friday.
Roger was a magnificent person. He was always quiet, polite and unassuming. His intent was never to be a burden to anyone. He gave generously of his time, expecting nothing in return. He enjoyed a selfless and meaningful life. He was an absolute gentleman who never spoke ill of anyone. He was humble, un-materialistic and deeply religious. He epitomized all that Boys High boys should strive to be.
He served the school and the Old Boys Association with dedication and unquestionable loyalty for more than thirty years. Such was his bias and passion for Boys High that I can well imagine him being received at the gates of heaven on Friday night by a choir of angels singing ‘All we see is red and green’, “‘Tis here we learn to live”, and ‘Bread of Heaven’. And I can imagine them concluding their concert for Roger with the boisterous singing of ‘Forty Years On’.
Roger, the Old Boys will miss you and remember you with much fondness.
Our sincerest condolences go out to all Roger’s friends and family whom we know he loved dearly.
The Old Boys.
Chris Lee
RISSIK – 1982
THE PHOBIAN – AUG 2008
A Classic Clash – PBHS versus Affies 2008
None of the coaches and rugby fund is interviewed by the Pretoria News predicted a Boys High win. Affies were the favorites. And when we saw them running onto the field, it was evident why. Man for man they were much bigger.
The only apparent advantage Boys High had was the support. The cheerleaders had new cheer-leading ties made to go with their kilts and bashers. And they even had a whiteboard on which to write instructions for the boys to read, anticipating that the din would drown out their instructions. And then there was Daniel Lombard whose name resounded many times. Daniel is a Boys High boy who had broken his neck a few weeks before at a rugby practice. But he was determined to recover sufficiently to be at the match. I suppose this truly epitomized the Boys High spirit: when tragedy strikes, the Boys High Family sticks together. He appeared calm and dignified as his dad wheeled him through the guard of honour made by some of the boys holding up a twenty-metre Boys High flag just before the 1st team game.
PBHS versus Affies, 2008 from the Boys High stand. But it was apparent early in the game that either team could win. Boys High seemed psyched up and energetic while Affies seemed to lack confidence. As the game progressed through the early stages Affies got more nervous and made some unforced errors. They also seemed to antagonize referee who checked them carefully. But the Candy Stripes alleviated some of the pressure they had over Affies when our usually-reliable kicker missed about 18 points worth of kicks. Still, before we knew it, we were ahead 15 – 5. Hard-earned points, those three tries.
After half-time, the Affies boys seemed more relaxed and determined, realizing that they could lose this game. But things would not quite work out for them. Our kicker had found his kicking boots in the dressing room and scored six more points to take us to our final score of 21.
The spectators could not contain themselves. For the last twenty minutes there was hardly a boy on the stand. They were all next to the field, ready to storm their heroes when the moment arrived.
The Affies team now seemed desperate, and they played like desperate men. They ended up scoring two more tries while Candy Stripes and spectators were counting their chickens – though their kicker also seemed to give in to the pressure. In the last five minutes, when a converted try would have given Affies an upsetting win, there was much anxiety. The Candy Stripes and their supporters were now counting the minutes.
When the final whistle blew, everyone knew that for the first time in twenty- nine years we had beaten Affies on their home ground.
Nothing can take this win away from the team of 2008. The record will show: 2008 PBHS won 21 – 15. But it will not reflect the spirit and passion that overwhelmed Affies.
Niel van der Watt