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Interview with Gabriel Simaan 1986 (Standard 6)

  • ZA ZAR STDS 202000777
  • Item
  • 2013

Interview with Gabriel Simaan – 1986 (Std 6)
Gaby began his school career at Boskop Primary and came to St David’s in standard 2. His first
teacher was Mrs Hurley. He enjoyed his time at St David’s and has very happy memories of his
time there and friends he made. It was a close family orientated type of school. You were made
to feel you were someone at St David’s and were made to feel part of the school.
Gaby enjoyed the sport and participated in soccer, cricket, tennis, cross country, athletics,
swimming and was in A team rugby in the high school. He was also involved in public speaking
and debating and in the inter-house plays in standard 6. Being a small school everyone got the
opportunity to try everything. The mix was also good with both rich and poor parents sending
their sons there. There was also a lot of involvement with MOBS and the sons of MOBS, an
important status.
One person he will never forget is Willy Castle who made him absolutely love sport.
Willy ran soccer clinics which he enjoyed even though all the boys were so scared of him.
By the time Gaby attended the school there were no longer any brothers teaching. Sadly, as the
school was going through a bad patch with several changes of headmaster, Gaby’s parents
decided to move him to St Stithians for a better infrastructure and academic tuition. Gaby
battled with the change and rebelled which affected both his sport and school work. He didn’t
have a good relationship with most of his teachers. There were 5 or 6 other boys from St
David’s at St Stithians at the time. Gaby only managed to get into the B team rugby and didn’t
participate in many of the things he had done at St David’s. The competition was tough and only
the best were accepted both for sport and public speaking and debating. He always regretted
leaving St David’s and his grandfather, Nassey showed his disappointment with Gaby’s parents
decision by no longer supporting him at any rugby matches. Gaby recalled a match between the
two schools where his father turned up wearing his St David’s honours blazer. St David’s won
the match as a former St David’s boy playing for St Stithians missed a kick by miles. Gaby’s
father ran onto the field and hugged him!
After matriculating, Gaby went to Wits University to study for a BComm and then started off in
the pharmaceutical industry and is now managing director of Trinity Pharmaceuticals. Gaby’s
father is a pharmacist.
Gaby still has close ties with the school and his son is enrolled to start in Gr00 in 2016.
JLE June 2013

Egenrieder, Julie

Interview with Gabriel Simaan 1997

  • ZA ZAR STDS 202000778
  • Item
  • 2013

Interview with Gabriel Simaan – 1967
Gabriel began his career at St David’s in grade 1, 1956 as a day boy becoming a boarder in

  1. He remembers crying all day and his teacher, Mrs Brick sat him next to Derek
    Schoombie. Gabriel was the first of Nassey Simaan’s sons at the school. He also recalled
    his brother Antoinne killing all the fish in the fish pond. Gabriel took a bus to Corlet Drive
    then walked to school most days and with his brothers delivered milk on the way.
    All the boys were scared of Mrs Kenesovitch. Br Andrew was in charge of sport. When in
    boarding school the boys could work out when Br Andrew was in his room and on one
    accession George Da Matto, David Palmer and Geoff Price went off for a smoke on the
    lower field. Br Andrew got wind of this, put on his habit and went out with his torch and
    caught them. The matric boys sat at the head table in the dining room and Br Andrew walked
    up and down using a chain to hit boys if they misbehaved. Gabriel put books in his pants
    when he was sent to Br Anthony for caning. Other Brothers were Br Vincent and Br Bosco
    (Mario).
    Gabriel enjoyed the sports days and athletics events were very special. Gabriel didn’t play
    soccer but went instead into the U12 rugby team at the age of eleven. The boys were only
    allowed to play rugby once they reached high school. He didn’t play cricket but played tennis
    and participated in athletics. Gabriel was a good rugby player in the high school with Nassey
    being the rugby coach. Gabriel was captain of the U13A but was eventually dropped as
    captain because he was too naughty. His team U13, U14 and U15 won almost all their
    games.
    Although Gabriel loved athletics he always had to compete with Terence Lavery who held
    the world record for U17 sprint. In high school, Lavery had to drop out of rugby and
    concentrate on running and as a consequence their rugby team was no longer so strong and
    began to lose games. The Marist weekend in Cape Town was a phenomenal experience.
    The boys planted the new cricket fields, knocking on doors in the area for donations and
    were very successful. In standard 9 they were sometimes allowed out of school in the
    evenings. One of the boys, George Da Matta’s father owned a fish and chip shop, and he
    lent the boys his truck to transport the grass which they collected from nearby Gabriel’s
    home in Buccleuch and planted up the rugby and cricket fields. Br Anthony was not aware of
    the boys trips to the fish and chip shop in Melville.
    Gabriel made some good friends which included Jo Stravino, Anthony Reswick, Peter De
    Kock, Kevin Hussey, Johnny Williamson and Johnny Miranda.
    Gabriel was appointed prefect in his matric year, was awarded his honours blazer, scrolls for
    merit and rugby and was also captain of the army rugby side, Roodepoort. He was selected
    for the Transvaaal U20 rugby team but injured his hand and stopped playing although his
    father, Nassey maintained it was because he discovered women! Nassey was always
    disappointed that Gabriel didn’t become a provincial Transvaal rugby player.
    On leaving St David’s, Gabriel went into the army followed by 5 years studying pharmacy at
    the Johannesburg Technical College. He then opened his own pharmacy and
    pharmaceutical companies together with his brother Andrew and currently owns Eurolab. He
    was awarded the Healthcare IMS award in 1996.
    Eurolab opened 18 months ago and is currently the second biggest supplier of generic
    oncology drugs only marketing drugs which have been approved by the US Federal Drug
    Agency and the MCC in Europe.
    Gabriel supports a settlement nearby his game lodge establishing a community centre, a
    store to sell goods.
    JLE July 2013

Egenrieder, Julie