PBHS Old Boys Association - ePhobian

Pretoria Dinner, 5 June 2010

The Directors of the Old Boys Association invite you to attend The 91st Annual Dinner: Pretoria. RSVP: Booking form: 2010 Annual Dinner.

Black-crowned Tchagra at PBHS (Historically)

A few kind people have checked PBHS’s bird book at my request in order to see whether or not the Black-crowned Tchagra is listed (it isn’t, which I suspected might be the case). In 1956, I was birding, armed with binoculars, at the front of the school in the shrubbery leading down (at the time, anyway – don’t know how things look now) to the swimming pool, when a lone Black-crowned Tchagra that was foraging on the ground in the undergrowth came into view. In those days, I wasn’t interested in school work. Only in matters ornithological. Nevertheless, I wasn’t bunking class. This was either at break or after school. The species was also heard at the time, calling from somewhere around the koppie. The occurrence of the Black-crowned Tchagra at PBHS was partly responsible for the comment “Recorded from suburban areas” on p. 41 of the following (now ancient) publication: Markus, M.B. 1964. An annotated list of the birds of Pretoria city. South African Avifauna Series of the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, No. 18.

From Professor Miles Markus, medsynth@telkomsa.net.

Eddie Dorey and Werner Obermeyer take to the skies

I was recently sent a fascinating set of photographs with a note attached. It is good to see that Mr Dorey and Mr Obermeyer are doing something useful post their retirement. It follows unedited:


Herewith some photos I took out of the open cockpit of the Harvard banked at 90 degrees when I circled the school! Eddie and I must surely qualify to be two of the only retired staff members to circle the school in a 1941 Harvard! We received special clearance from the control tower at Zwartkops Airforce Base to circle at a low altitude. Captain Leo Tebone asked me if I was fit enough to do a full aerobatic workout past Silverlakes. Without hesitation I said yes! We did two full loops in a figure eight with two barrel rolls at the top 3,5 gs at the bottom of the loop!

I had my hands and feet on the controls, so I must qualify as the oldest PBHS retired stunt flier!

Keep well
From fighter pilot
Werner Obermeyer (Obies).

Old boy Update: John Hollely, Matric 1959

After matriculating I spent 4 years at UCT (B.Sc). I worked at AECI in Strand for a year (1964), followed by 9 months in the SAAF. That was followed by A 6-month stint in Sasolburg at Fisons Fertilizers preceded my 15 years in the computer industry, starting at IBM in downtown Johannesburg in 1966, moving to Singer Business Machines in Braamfontein (JHB) in 1973, then working for ICL in London and the USA from 1976 to 1981.

My two daughters started school in England, continuing in New Jersey and Texas in the USA. Returning to SA I started a 15 year career with Impala Platinum, then a subsidiary of Gencor, based in Johannesburg, followed by 8 years with the mining division of Iscor, which later became Kumba Resources. All but 9 months of these 8 years with Iscor/Kumba was spent in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where I was involved in establishing and finally managing a subsidiary of the company.

On retirement in 2005, my wife and I returned to SA, finally settling in Plettenberg Bay in July 2008. I married Margie (nee Bromfield) in 1969 and we have two daughters, Sarah (born in 1971) and Karen (born in 1972). Sarah is married and has two sons, Matthew (born in 2001) and Travis (born in 2005) – we are fortunate to have our children and grand-children all living in Port Elizabeth, only three hours drive from Plettenberg Bay. My interests include music, wildlife (particularly birding), and golf – although my handicap is currently in double figures, I did have some golfing highlights during and soon after my time at PBHS, including representing SA Universities in 1960 and 1961, and playing for Northern Transvaal in the 1965, 1966 and 1967 Interprovincial competition.

Regards,
John.

Old Boy's Golf Day – 4 June 2010

The annual Old Boy's Golf Day will be held on 4 June 2010 at Wingate Country Club, the dinner is on 5 June. For more information please download the booking form here.

Obituary: Myra Moore (nee Brooks)

4 November 1933 – 14 January 2010
The Association has been notified of the passing of Myra Moore (nee Brooks), the only daughter of Bill and Frances Brooks.

Myra grew up in Solomon House during her father’s tenure. Later she became a teacher at Girls' High and she married Michael Moore while he was a teacher at PBHS. Michael later left teaching and entered the ministry, becoming a moderator of the Presbyterian Church.

Myra suffered from Parkinson's disease and had discomfort in her latter years, but despite this she was always inquisitive about happenings at the school, and particularly at Solomon House.

Information supplied by Mike Smuts, Matric 1952.

Obituary: Neil van Coller (PBHS Business Manager)

3 December 1960 – 2 February 2010
Neil joined the staff of this school in 2008. When the school decided to restructure some of the management roles, particularly those relating to finance, grounds and buildings, the position of business manager was formulated. What became readily apparent in the months after Neil arrived at Boys High, was that he wrote or perhaps rewrote his own job description. I don’t mean formally, in terms of a contract, but rather in the manner in which he did the job. In short, he broadened it way beyond that which could reasonably be expected of someone in that role. There cannot be too many instances in the history of this institution, where someone who worked for such a short period came to win respect so quickly and in so many quarters. Since they received the sad news, many staff, be they teachers, admin staff or grounds staff have come to me to say how much he had done for them. As the business manager, nobody would have taken it amiss if he had operated purely from his office and had limited his work to manager of how the Rands and cents were spent.

The responsibilities and pressures associated with running the financial side of a 50 million Rand operation are considerable. Neil took this in his stride, coordinating the interrelated activities of our finance staff, governors, parents association, teachers and bush school in terms of budgets, salaries, contracts and registration. He helped to facilitate new projects and maintenance relating to grounds and buildings, often micro-managing projects that required urgent attention. Apart from this, he took over responsibility for security, and was even the liaison person for the World Cup insofar as it impacted on this school. It was for all these reasons, that when we held a short assembly to honour his memory on the morning after his death, I said to the boys that whether they knew it or not, Neil had played a part in their lives as pupils here, by doing much to ensure the smooth running of key aspects of PBHS.

Much of Neil’s devotion to the school, stemmed from his devotion to his two sons, both pupils here: David in matric last year and James currently in Form 4. The pride he took in their role in the school became inseparable from the pride he took in himself being on the staff. It was to be seen in his support of school functions and sports fixtures, but extended to simple things like attending Friday assemblies.

While it is easy for us as a school to speak in terms of the void that Neil’s passing will leave here at Boys High, we must not forget that he was also a father, husband and son. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Carla, his sons David and James and his brother Norman.

Thank you for sharing Neil with us and be assured that many of the qualities that make your loss so acute are the same ones that make his passing so keenly felt by those of Pretoria Boys High.

An edited version of the eulogy delivered at the funeral on behalf of PBHS by John Illsley. Photo: Neil van Coller at Mr Schroder's 65^th birthday party.

Kilimanjaro – September 2010

Old Boy, Robin Mountain, is putting together a Kilimanjaro Trek, Fly-in Luxury Tented Serengeti Safari & a Zanzibar holiday in September this year. They are trying to get as many old boys on board as possible. For more information email Robin or download the itinerary here.

Obituary: Robert (Bobby) Edwin Fendick, Matric 1968

31 May 1951 – 19 January 2010
The Association has been notified of the passing of Bobby Fendick, Matric 1968. Bobby was in Arcadia and in addition to being a school prefect was an officer in the Cadets. He finished at PBHS with a distinction in mathematics and went on to become an Actuary. He died after battling cancer.

Information supplied by Keith Gibbs.

Should anyone have any further information please contact the Editor.

School’s Business Manager passes away

Mr Neil van Coller, appointed as the Business Manager for PBHS in late 2007, died of a heart attack on Tuesday 2 February. In his short time at the school he had already made a significant impact on the management of a number of facets of the school.

Neil was also a parent at the school with his son David having matriculated in 2009 and James currently in Form IV. Our condolences to his wife Carla, the two boys and the Van Coller family.

The funeral will take place in the Abernethy Hall of PBHS at 3.00 p.m. on Saturday 6th February.

A Silk Old Boy’s Tie

About a year ago I got an email from a London old boy. Nicholas (Hill) explained that he was not a small fellow and that his old boy’s tie, worn every Friday, drew some inappropriate attention. It has to be said that while fashions have moved on the cut of the old boy’s tie is somewhat out of date.

He jumped into action and within weeks had managed to get a sample of a new silk tie out to South Africa for approval. The Association agreed and soon took delivery of the very first batch of old boy’s ties made of silk.

Thanks go to Nicholas for doing all the work and ensuring that we can continue wearing our ties with pride, particularly in parts of the world wear ties are still in fashion. So – for the first time ever you can order a silk tie. Please email us for more information.

Photo: Trevor Krige and Nicholas Hill, both Rissik 1981 in Cardiff for the Australia Wales match.

Mark Gleeson to Speak at the Pretoria Dinner

"Mark Gleeson is a living legend of African football" and happens to be an Old Boy from the class of 1981. With all that surrounds the 2010 World Cup, what a perfect moment to invite one of the best journalists on the subject and have him propose the Toast to the School. For a little more about Mark see this Mail & Guardian profile.

Reunion Notice: 91st Annual Dinner - Pretoria

The Directors of the Old Boys Association invite you to attend The 91st Annual Dinner: Pretoria

Date: 5 June 2010
Venue: Centralised Dining Room
Dress: Black Tie or Lounge Suit
Cost: R250
RSVP: Please download the booking form: 2010 Annual Dinner.

Letter: Farewell Mr Schroder

Dear Sir

At the end of this term Pretoria Boys High School will say farewell to its Headmaster of twenty years, Mr Bill Schroder.

Being a third generation Old Boy, I take pride in keeping up with the School's development and have observed Mr Schroder’s progress with immense pride and admiration. While all the headmasters before have had their own challenges, I believe that Mr Schroder’s tenure was the most challenging given the history of our country. Not only did he successfully guide the School into the new South Africa, he did so while still maintaining both the School’s traditions and academic standards.

Bill Schroder has introduced new traditions that have both supported and strengthened the old ones. One in particular is Last Post. It’s one of those traditions that makes one swell with pride to be an Old Boy. In this modern age of arrogance and anger it is awesome to watch four water polo matches halt in a sudden deathly silence to observe the salute. With their hands over their hearts, and the distinct, ‘Boys High’ at the end, is an incredible sight to witness. And then everything resumes as if it were a natural part of school life! The few times I have observed this ritual I have purposefully observed the boys trying to catch out at least one individual not participating. My surprise!

Then there is always the Old Boy’s debate as to whether Mr Antony Reeler will be able to fill Mr Schroder’s shoes. I think each and every one of Mr Schroder's predecessors has been faced by this daunting task and each and every one has succeeded in their own right, adding more to the School’s rich culture. I trust Mr Reeler understands the enormity of his appointment just as Bill Schroder did twenty years ago.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank Mr Schroder for his tireless efforts over the last twenty years. Even in the official diary and as far as the UK he is known as The Boss. This epithet was originally reserved for Mr Desmond Abernethy, and to have this honour bestowed on one is a huge honour and one of which Mr Schroder has proved himself worthy.

Go well Sir and enjoy your retirement. You deserve it.

From Gary Paul, Matric 1973.

Small world – isn’t it?

An extract from a letter sent by Nicholas Hill: ‘Finally let me tell you an amazing story. My 5 year old daughter has just started swimming lessons, and they use the pool at the Royal Grammar School in High Wycome (a town near where we live in Oxfordshire). Last weekend I was waiting to pick her up afterwards, and was looking at the noticeboard in the Sports Area, and saw a picture of a touring party who went to South Africa last year, sitting on the front steps of the main PBHS school building I could even pick out Mr Wilkes's, and Mr Penzhorn's windows. It is a one small world isn't it!’

From Nicholas Hill, Matric 1981.

Directors' Photograph 2009

Back L to R: Rupert Hector, James Lourens (Vice-Chairman), Geoff Meyer, Mike Carnie, Lincoln Keeton (Secretary), and Savaal Singh.
Front L to R: Trebot Barry, Eugene Ashton (Chairmain), Bill Schroder, Pierre Beguin.
Absent: Ken Schmulow, Matthew Blackmore, Graeme Hearn, Thomas Rundle and Carl Pistorius.

Photo taken by Henry Brink, Matric 1975.