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1 4 Colour Brochure 40 pages
St David's Marist Inanda
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2017 Tridents France Water Polo Tour
1 4 Colour Brochure 40 pages
St David's Marist Inanda
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Black & white photo
St David's Marist Inanda
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Black & white photo
St David's Marist Inanda
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Colour photo
St David's Marist Inanda
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Colour photo
St David's Marist Inanda
2019 St David's Marist Inanda. Farewell to Staff
A6 colour booklet
St David's Marist Inanda
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Colour photo
St David's Marist Inanda
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Colour photo
St David's Marist Inanda
2020 Rugby Tour - Keeping the Ball in Play
“Keeping the Ball in Play”
Nassey and Agnes Simaan were the parents of Gabriel Simaan who matriculated from St Davids in 1968. They were deeply committed to their school, their legacy spans generations and remain quite literally, rooted in rugby.
While Nassey coached rugby, Agnes laid the grass on all of the rugby fields and cricket oval. She is remembered by the boys as driving the little blue tractor at all hours of the day preparing the turf. She secretly buried medals and statues blessed by Brother Anthony under the grass on all of the fields to ensure that the boys were blessed and protected. They regarded her as a second mother, seeking out her advise and common sense and she was always up for a chat with a cup of tea.
One of Nassey’s greatest accomplishments was his role as the Marist Inanda’s first team rugby coach. During his 3 year reign, the school enjoyed their greatest success with records that still prevail today. His players from this era recall how there were no superstars in their team: They were a small bunch of very average rugby players and Nassey focused on the weakest and smallest players in the group. It was through the self confidence and motivation that he instilled in them, together with his immense knowledge, strategy and love for the game, that they were able to achieve what they did. Not only did Nassey’s loud voice instruct and encourage the boys in the matches as he marched up and down the touchline, but his athletic abilities were legendary. Apparently more than once, Nassey’s wing would get the ball with a gap in the defence. Nassey would be in line with the wing. With a cigarette in his mouth, Nassey would take off at the same time that the wing broke, and sprint down the touch line screaming instructions. By the time the wing made it to the try line, Nassey was already there waiting for him.
When one of Nasseys most successful St Davids teams had their 40 year school reunion, they invited him as their guest of honour as a mark of respect. They all describe Nassey as a passionate man who had a vision and skill set far beyond his years in rugby. He instilled in them not only a love for the game but a love and brotherhood for their team mates and school. Les Khourie – his lock reflects on how much Nassey was loved. Khourie believes he shaped and moulded him into the man he is today. The first fifteen from 1972 remains the best team St Davids ever had.
Nassey’s rugby talents and passion for the game were passed onto his son Gabe, who matriculated in 1968. Nassey would speak with immense pride of Gabe’s rugby achievements. His favourite recollection was about Gabe kicking a penalty over from the halfway line, in the torrential rain and howling Cape wind, to beat Marist Brothers Rondebosch by 1 point. Gabe’s son, Gaby jnr who was at St Davids until high school is as
passionate about his rugby and was a first league and Lions panel referee. He now coaches the U9’s at pirates.
Matthew Cooper, currently in Grade 11 at St Davids; great grandson to Nassey and grandson to Gabe, shares his love and passion for the game. His great grandfather would have been incredibly proud of his selection into the u16 Grant Khomo Lions side last year. He wears the St Davids jersey with much pride and a deep sense of honor. He hopes to emulate Nasseys speed and innate understanding of the majestic game of rugby.
Egenrieder, Julie
2020 St David's Marist Inanda Rugby Tour to France and Spain
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
Digital photo in black and white
Egenrieder, Julie
2021 Wellness at St David's. Faith, culture and life in harmony
A5 Brochure
St David's Marist Inanda
2025 - A St David's Journey. "Building on the Rocks"
A5 Booklet
St David's Marist Inanda
70th Anniversary dinner - main speaker Simi Tshabalala
1
Speech at the 70th Anniversary Gala Dinner, St David’s Marist Inanda
Sim Tshabalala
No product of the Marist Brothers could fail to be beleaguered by tremendous feelings
of humility, privilege and gratification at a function such as tonight’s; humility for being in
the presence of luminaries of Catholic and Marist education as well as immensely
successful products of St David’s; privilege and gratification at the knowledge that one
is counted as a friend of St David’s.
I was lucky to have had parents who had the means to be able to send me to Marist
Observatory in 1978. I was fortunate to be nurtured by the Marist Brothers in joint
venture with the Holy Family sisters, the Ursuline sisters and the laity in an environment
of love, fairness, equality and care.
I have always been struck by the intensity of the Marist faith. The sheer power of this
faith reminds me of some famous lines of the great Catholic poet Gerard Manley
Hopkins. He wrote, ‘The World is charged with the grandeur of God, It will flame out, like
shining from shook foil.’ The Marist brothers in joint venture with the Holy Family sisters,
the Ursuline sisters and laity who taught me at Sacred Heart College did indeed seem lit
up from the inside by their faith; charged full of imagination, hope and energy. They
shone with an unshakable determination to side with the underdog in pursuit of equality
and fairness
I always felt at home at Sacred Heart. Though I was a little boy from Soweto, I always
remember how special I was made to feel. And there I was given gifts beyond price: an
excellent, fully rounded education and the skills and values I draw on every day as a
professional and as a citizen of South Africa.
My mentors from this community included Brother Mc Cartin. Memories of him talking to
me in the quad at Obs after school are indelible. I remember distinctly stories of his life
in Ireland, his journey to South Africa and his Marist work. Because of listening to him, I
even considered becoming a brother! How lovely that would have been instead of being
a member of one of the ten most hated professions: banking. I remember fondly Brother
Paul as he would walk to his room with his dog Susie, stop, and chat about this and
that. I remember well brother Raymond with his strong Irish accent. He was our under
13 rugby coach, and that was the only year my cohort beat Inanda during the ordinary
season – although, of course, we drew with them during the Inter Marist rugby
tournament which was held at St Josephs Rondebosch in our matric year. That draw
was sweet and it is unforgettable. I am on dangerous ground here, but I attribute our
string of losses to Inanda from under 13 to our final year entirely to the fact that we
became co-ed in 1980 whereas the Inanda leadership had the good sense to remain a
Single sex school, one of whose benefits was the preservation of a strong rugby
tradition. Neil Mc Gurk is unforgettable. I learned a huge amount from him: commitment
to community combined with a deep desire to transform it; the love of philosophy; and
an abiding adoration of St Thomas Aquinas’ work and natural law.
2
It seems to me that nothing has changed since I devoured Brother Mc Cartin's immortal
words, grappled with Brother Neil's incredibly complex ideas and got routinely trounced
by Walter Cronje's men. I have a tremendous love for the Marist tradition, and a
permanent admiration for St David’s.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I was asked to speak tonight on the topic: ‘Confortare esto
vir’ – ‘Take courage and be a man,’ I was immediately filled with trepidation. Was this
some kind of coded message about a resurgence of the global financial crisis? Were
the Marist Brothers trying to tell me something?
But once I had calmed down, I remembered that this isn’t actually a financial forecast.
As you know, it’s really the inspiring motto of this great school, founded seventy years
ago as an act of bravery and optimism in defiance of the surrounding horrors of the
Second World War.
The motto comes, in fact, from the First Book of Kings, Chapter 2. They are King
David’s dying words of advice to his son, Solomon, who was to become the wisest and
best of the biblical kings of Israel. David said, ‘Take courage and be a man. Observe
what the Lord your God requires. Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees.... Do
this so that you may prosper in all you do.’
What I find most interesting about this text is that it says that courageous, wise and
good people have to be observant and obedient. In a foreshadowing of the Marian
tradition of striving always to be consciously present in the world and to heed the call of
duty, these verses call upon us to look carefully around us; to work out what is required
of us by our religion and our values; and to take steps to fulfil those requirements.
What do we find when we look about us in South Africa? I think we find many good
things - including a democracy that has just reaffirmed both its vibrancy and its stability;
an economy that is clearly on its way to recovery; and this attractive and excellent
school. There’s much to be proud of, and certainly no need for gloom.
But we also observe a great deal of poverty and that we are the world’s most unequal
country.
65% of the population live on less the R550 a month – less than a monthly satellite TV
subscription. 12% of South Africans are desperately poor, struggling somehow to
survive on R150 a month – less than the cost of a very modest lunch for two in Sandton.
In other words, those of us who are lucky enough to be celebrating this anniversary
here tonight live on a small island of prosperity in a sea of poverty.
South Africa is so unequal because we have one of the world’s highest unemployment
rates. The unemployment rate for black South Africans under 30 is over 50%. Twothirds
of 15-to-30 year olds who want work have never been able to find a job. The
3
reason why these millions of young people can’t find work - or create it for themselves -
is simple. They have been failed by our education system.
Admittedly, there are some bright spots in the education landscape, and last year’s
matric results may signal some improvement - but the overall picture remains extremely
bleak. Two facts I find particularly telling are that the average Grade 3 literacy teacher
can barely pass a Grade 6 test, and that the average South African maths teacher –
teacher, not student – scores 39% on a test of the material they are supposed to be
teaching. If the teacher can’t properly understand the work, how on earth are the pupils
supposed to learn?
Our educational deficiencies look even worse in the light of global standards. This year
the Global Competitiveness Report found that our inadequately educated workforce was
the second biggest constraint to doing business in South Africa. (Our inefficient
bureaucracy was first – and much of that inefficiency is also explained by poor
education.) South Africa ranks among the bottom 10% of countries on the quality of our
education system. We do far worse than many much poorer African countries, including
Mali, Tanzania and even Cote D’Ivoire, which is just emerging from a decade of civil
war.
The abject failure of most of the education system is not merely tragic and wasteful– it’s
also very dangerous. This is because unemployment and inequality fuel crime and
instability, and create an enthusiastic audience for destructive populist politicians.
Our motto tells us that good and wise men observe, and then obey.
I believe that this means that we are called upon by our faith and by our ethics to take
active steps to improve South Africa’s education system. But what steps? I submit that
the answers have been given to us – very appropriately – by two great Catholic
educationalists: St Marcellin Champagnat and Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman.
St Marcellin founded the Marist Brothers nearly two hundred years ago in order to bring
education and religious enlightenment to poor children in remote rural areas of France,
and to ensure that they were taught with humility, modesty, simplicity and love. With the
passing of time, Marist Inanda now finds itself in what is probably the most affluent part
of South Africa’s little island of prosperity. The school therefore attracts most of its
pupils from prosperous and sophisticated families. Through no fault of your own, St
David’s is significantly less diverse in terms of both race and income than it could be.
I know that you are very aware of the tension this creates: How best can St David’s
reconcile its present affluence with the Marist mission to the poor? More generally, how
4
can those of us perched on the little island of prosperity respond with honour and
courage to the sea of poverty and inequality around us?
It is entirely right that St David’s should continue to stretch itself to reach and serve
disadvantaged pupils and badly trained teachers. I know that the boys at St David’s do
a lot of outreach work. I can only say to them, ‘Thank you – and do more!’ And, of
course, one of the main purposes of tonight’s event is to raise funds for the Marcellin
Champagnat Campaign to establish an endowment that will provide pupil bursaries and
the teacher learnerships here at St David’s. Again, I can only say, ‘Thank you – and be
even more generous!’
I hope you won’t mind if I make a banker’s suggestion? From my perspective, St
David’s Marist Inanda looks like a particularly successful ‘business unit.’ If we were
looking for resources to, say, expand our branch network into new territories, we would
have a debate about transferring some of the profits from the successful units to fund
the expansion as this would be in the interests of the entire enterprise. This would not
be an easy or a comfortable conversation. It would be necessary to avoid unfairness,
and to think carefully about how much money and other resources could be transferred
without damaging the profitability and sustainability of the successful business units. I
believe that St David’s is called upon by its Marist values to keep on having this
uncomfortable conversation. Please ask yourselves very regularly whether St David’s
can do more to cross-subsidise other Marist and Catholic education.
Cardinal Newman was a leading figure in the campaign to achieve social and political
equality for Catholics in Britain and Ireland in the 19th century. A former Anglican, he
was the prime mover behind the establishment of the Catholic University of Ireland,
which was to become the University College, Dublin, today, Ireland’s premier university. He
argued that one of the most important tasks for Catholics was to create centres of
unabashed educational excellence. At the time, almost all Catholics were very poor.
But, Newman argued, this did not mean that the community should focus exclusively on
immediate poverty relief and basic education. Instead, it should also aim to create
centres of unashamed educational excellence, which could produce a new Catholic elite
to lead the community and to influence society in general.
Newman was very interesting on what this new elite should be taught. He argued that a
significant proportion of their education should be in the liberal arts and humanities. His
view was that - even more than their specific professional training - leaders need the
ability to think critically and clearly and to argue logically and persuasively. This has
certainly been my experience, and I entirely agree with Newman that one of the
characteristics of an elite school like St David’s should be a concentration on literature,
history and debating – especially since the South African university system encourages
most students to specialise in professional subjects from their first day at university.
5
I would urge you, therefore, to follow the Blessed Cardinal Newman as well as St
Marcellin. As you stretch out to do more for the disadvantaged, do not lose focus on
your core mission of empowering every St David’s boy to develop all his talents, to
achieve all-round excellence, and to grow into men who are both wise and good. Also –
and this is very important too – I hope that the school continues to ensure that every
boy enjoys himself and is happy here.
On second thoughts, perhaps the boys shouldn’t enjoy their time here too much.... I’m
thinking here of one famous Marist Old Boy – he knows who he is – he is the
personification of the Marist way and the quintessence of the St David’s motto, he is a
carrier of this institution’s values and beliefs and he has motivated and inspired
thousands of boys in his long history with the school. He loved the school so much that
he found it necessary to do matric twice, and then to stay here for another 40 years. He
has given his name to a bursary which “is awarded to a boy who shows sporting
promise and who will be able to maintain the required academic standard.” He is loved
and revered and is prototypical of what St David’s boys ought to be, what they can be,
what they will be.
Finally – and I know Willy Castle will agree with me about this - I’d like to say
something about the merits of St David’s as a boys-only school. Certainly, there are
dangers to be avoided in a boys’ school and such dangers are avoided in co- ed
schools such as my alma mater, Sacred Heart College. These dangers include the risk
of becoming obsessed with sporting success to the exclusion of other achievements, or
of creating a culture which regards women as ‘a different species.’ But I know that St
David’s avoids these risks, thanks to its emphasis on all-round achievement and to its
thoroughly Catholic insistence on treating everyone with dignity and respect.
South Africa desperately needs more courageous and responsible men. At present,
only 36% of children are being raised in a home with a father. Far too much of our social
and political life is shaped by immature and irresponsible boy-men, whose paths to
fame, wealth and power are littered with broken promises, risky personal behaviour and
thoughtless or even cruel treatment of the poor, the weak, children and the elderly. St
David’s is performing an extremely valuable social service by fostering a brave, wise
and responsible masculinity that defies these trends and shows what being a man –
esto vir - truly means.
Long may you continue to do so!
Tshabalala, Simi
70th Anniversary Gala Dinner Speech by Sim Tshabalala
Speech at the 70th Anniversary Gala Dinner, St David’s Marist Inanda
Sim Tshabalala
No product of the Marist Brothers could fail to be beleaguered by tremendous feelings of humility, privilege and gratification at a function such as tonight’s; humility for being in the presence of luminaries of Catholic and Marist education as well as immensely successful products of St David’s; privilege and gratification at the knowledge that one is counted as a friend of St David’s.
I was lucky to have had parents who had the means to be able to send me to Marist Observatory in 1978. I was fortunate to be nurtured by the Marist Brothers in joint venture with the Holy Family sisters, the Ursuline sisters and the laity in an environment of love, fairness, equality and care.
I have always been struck by the intensity of the Marist faith. The sheer power of this faith reminds me of some famous lines of the great Catholic poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. He wrote, ‘The World is charged with the grandeur of God, It will flame out, like shining from shook foil.’ The Marist brothers in joint venture with the Holy Family sisters, the Ursuline sisters and laity who taught me at Sacred Heart College did indeed seem lit up from the inside by their faith; charged full of imagination, hope and energy. They shone with an unshakable determination to side with the underdog in pursuit of equality and fairness
I always felt at home at Sacred Heart. Though I was a little boy from Soweto, I always remember how special I was made to feel. And there I was given gifts beyond price: an excellent, fully rounded education and the skills and values I draw on every day as a professional and as a citizen of South Africa.
My mentors from this community included Brother Mc Cartin. Memories of him talking to me in the quad at Obs after school are indelible. I remember distinctly stories of his life in Ireland, his journey to South Africa and his Marist work. Because of listening to him, I even considered becoming a brother! How lovely that would have been instead of being a member of one of the ten most hated professions: banking. I remember fondly Brother Paul as he would walk to his room with his dog Susie, stop, and chat about this and that. I remember well brother Raymond with his strong Irish accent. He was our under 13 rugby coach, and that was the only year my cohort beat Inanda during the ordinary season – although, of course, we drew with them during the Inter Marist rugby tournament which was held at St Josephs Rondebosch in our matric year. That draw was sweet and it is unforgettable. I am on dangerous ground here, but I attribute our string of losses to Inanda from under 13 to our final year entirely to the fact that we became co-ed in 1980 whereas the Inanda leadership had the good sense to remain a Single sex school, one of whose benefits was the preservation of a strong rugby tradition. Neil Mc Gurk is unforgettable. I learned a huge amount from him: commitment to community combined with a deep desire to transform it; the love of philosophy; and an abiding adoration of St Thomas Aquinas’ work and natural law.
It seems to me that nothing has changed since I devoured Brother Mc Cartin's immortal words, grappled with Brother Neil's incredibly complex ideas and got routinely trounced by Walter Cronje's men. I have a tremendous love for the Marist tradition, and a permanent admiration for St David’s.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I was asked to speak tonight on the topic: ‘Confortare esto vir’ – ‘Take courage and be a man,’ I was immediately filled with trepidation. Was this some kind of coded message about a resurgence of the global financial crisis? Were the Marist Brothers trying to tell me something?
But once I had calmed down, I remembered that this isn’t actually a financial forecast. As you know, it’s really the inspiring motto of this great school, founded seventy years ago as an act of bravery and optimism in defiance of the surrounding horrors of the Second World War.
The motto comes, in fact, from the First Book of Kings, Chapter 2. They are King David’s dying words of advice to his son, Solomon, who was to become the wisest and best of the biblical kings of Israel. David said, ‘Take courage and be a man. Observe what the Lord your God requires. Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees.... Do this so that you may prosper in all you do.’
What I find most interesting about this text is that it says that courageous, wise and good people have to be observant and obedient. In a foreshadowing of the Marian tradition of striving always to be consciously present in the world and to heed the call of duty, these verses call upon us to look carefully around us; to work out what is required of us by our religion and our values; and to take steps to fulfil those requirements.
What do we find when we look about us in South Africa? I think we find many good things - including a democracy that has just reaffirmed both its vibrancy and its stability; an economy that is clearly on its way to recovery; and this attractive and excellent school. There’s much to be proud of, and certainly no need for gloom.
But we also observe a great deal of poverty and that we are the world’s most unequal country.
65% of the population live on less the R550 a month – less than a monthly satellite TV subscription. 12% of South Africans are desperately poor, struggling somehow to survive on R150 a month – less than the cost of a very modest lunch for two in Sandton. In other words, those of us who are lucky enough to be celebrating this anniversary here tonight live on a small island of prosperity in a sea of poverty.
South Africa is so unequal because we have one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. The unemployment rate for black South Africans under 30 is over 50%. Two-thirds of 15-to-30 year olds who want work have never been able to find a job. The reason why these millions of young people can’t find work - or create it for themselves - is simple. They have been failed by our education system.
Admittedly, there are some bright spots in the education landscape, and last year’s matric results may signal some improvement - but the overall picture remains extremely bleak. Two facts I find particularly telling are that the average Grade 3 literacy teacher can barely pass a Grade 6 test, and that the average South African maths teacher – teacher, not student – scores 39% on a test of the material they are supposed to be teaching. If the teacher can’t properly understand the work, how on earth are the pupils supposed to learn?
Our educational deficiencies look even worse in the light of global standards. This year the Global Competitiveness Report found that our inadequately educated workforce was the second biggest constraint to doing business in South Africa. (Our inefficient bureaucracy was first – and much of that inefficiency is also explained by poor education.) South Africa ranks among the bottom 10% of countries on the quality of our education system. We do far worse than many much poorer African countries, including Mali, Tanzania and even Cote D’Ivoire, which is just emerging from a decade of civil war.
The abject failure of most of the education system is not merely tragic and wasteful– it’s also very dangerous. This is because unemployment and inequality fuel crime and instability, and create an enthusiastic audience for destructive populist politicians.
Our motto tells us that good and wise men observe, and then obey.
I believe that this means that we are called upon by our faith and by our ethics to take active steps to improve South Africa’s education system. But what steps? I submit that the answers have been given to us – very appropriately – by two great Catholic educationalists: St Marcellin Champagnat and Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman.
St Marcellin founded the Marist Brothers nearly two hundred years ago in order to bring education and religious enlightenment to poor children in remote rural areas of France, and to ensure that they were taught with humility, modesty, simplicity and love. With the passing of time, Marist Inanda now finds itself in what is probably the most affluent part of South Africa’s little island of prosperity. The school therefore attracts most of its pupils from prosperous and sophisticated families. Through no fault of your own, St David’s is significantly less diverse in terms of both race and income than it could be.
I know that you are very aware of the tension this creates: How best can St David’s reconcile its present affluence with the Marist mission to the poor? More generally, how can those of us perched on the little island of prosperity respond with honour and courage to the sea of poverty and inequality around us?
It is entirely right that St David’s should continue to stretch itself to reach and serve disadvantaged pupils and badly trained teachers. I know that the boys at St David’s do a lot of outreach work. I can only say to them, ‘Thank you – and do more!’ And, of course, one of the main purposes of tonight’s event is to raise funds for the Marcellin Champagnat Campaign to establish an endowment that will provide pupil bursaries and the teacher learnerships here at St David’s. Again, I can only say, ‘Thank you – and be even more generous!’
I hope you won’t mind if I make a banker’s suggestion? From my perspective, St David’s Marist Inanda looks like a particularly successful ‘business unit.’ If we were looking for resources to, say, expand our branch network into new territories, we would have a debate about transferring some of the profits from the successful units to fund the expansion as this would be in the interests of the entire enterprise. This would not be an easy or a comfortable conversation. It would be necessary to avoid unfairness, and to think carefully about how much money and other resources could be transferred without damaging the profitability and sustainability of the successful business units. I believe that St David’s is called upon by its Marist values to keep on having this uncomfortable conversation. Please ask yourselves very regularly whether St David’s can do more to cross-subsidise other Marist and Catholic education.
Cardinal Newman was a leading figure in the campaign to achieve social and political equality for Catholics in Britain and Ireland in the 19th century. A former Anglican, he was the prime mover behind the establishment of the Catholic University of Ireland, which was to become the University College, Dublin, today, Ireland’s premier university. He argued that one of the most important tasks for Catholics was to create centres of unabashed educational excellence. At the time, almost all Catholics were very poor. But, Newman argued, this did not mean that the community should focus exclusively on immediate poverty relief and basic education. Instead, it should also aim to create centres of unashamed educational excellence, which could produce a new Catholic elite to lead the community and to influence society in general.
Newman was very interesting on what this new elite should be taught. He argued that a significant proportion of their education should be in the liberal arts and humanities. His view was that - even more than their specific professional training - leaders need the ability to think critically and clearly and to argue logically and persuasively. This has certainly been my experience, and I entirely agree with Newman that one of the characteristics of an elite school like St David’s should be a concentration on literature, history and debating – especially since the South African university system encourages most students to specialise in professional subjects from their first day at university.
I would urge you, therefore, to follow the Blessed Cardinal Newman as well as St Marcellin. As you stretch out to do more for the disadvantaged, do not lose focus on your core mission of empowering every St David’s boy to develop all his talents, to achieve all-round excellence, and to grow into men who are both wise and good. Also – and this is very important too – I hope that the school continues to ensure that every boy enjoys himself and is happy here.
On second thoughts, perhaps the boys shouldn’t enjoy their time here too much.... I’m thinking here of one famous Marist Old Boy – he knows who he is – he is the personification of the Marist way and the quintessence of the St David’s motto, he is a carrier of this institution’s values and beliefs and he has motivated and inspired thousands of boys in his long history with the school. He loved the school so much that he found it necessary to do matric twice, and then to stay here for another 40 years. He has given his name to a bursary which “is awarded to a boy who shows sporting promise and who will be able to maintain the required academic standard.” He is loved and revered and is prototypical of what St David’s boys ought to be, what they can be, what they will be.
Finally – and I know Willy Castle will agree with me about this - I’d like to say something about the merits of St David’s as a boys-only school. Certainly, there are dangers to be avoided in a boys’ school and such dangers are avoided in co- ed schools such as my alma mater, Sacred Heart College. These dangers include the risk of becoming obsessed with sporting success to the exclusion of other achievements, or of creating a culture which regards women as ‘a different species.’ But I know that St David’s avoids these risks, thanks to its emphasis on all-round achievement and to its thoroughly Catholic insistence on treating everyone with dignity and respect.
South Africa desperately needs more courageous and responsible men. At present, only 36% of children are being raised in a home with a father. Far too much of our social and political life is shaped by immature and irresponsible boy-men, whose paths to fame, wealth and power are littered with broken promises, risky personal behaviour and thoughtless or even cruel treatment of the poor, the weak, children and the elderly. St David’s is performing an extremely valuable social service by fostering a brave, wise and responsible masculinity that defies these trends and shows what being a man – esto vir¬ - truly means.
Long may you continue to do so!
St David's Marist Inanda
75th Anniversary Jubilee Bracelet
Photo at beginning of this entry
St David's Marist Inanda
75th Jubilee Bracelet - insert card
Content within this entry
St David's Marist Inanda
A Trip Down Memory Lane - 2020 Rugby Tour
A trip down memory Lane by: Gus Garcia – Old Boys St David’s
It is 2020 and I’m feeling totally nostalgic to reflect back on my years at St David’s, which ended 31 years ago, but whose memories remain as vivid as though they were only yesterday. Perhaps this is because my son Kiko is in his Matric year and I have been fortunate enough to relive a second school experience through his journey at St David’s. I have been frequently struck by the similarities of the school, then and now, in terms of the fundamental ethos and values, which have not deviated nor been altered in any way. St Davids has steadfastly refused to change its core character in a fast changing environment and results orientated world. The School has suffered and faced many challenges over the years, only to re-emerge stronger, brighter and wiser for having withstood these headwinds.The Marist Brothers ethos of family, community, simplicity, humility and reflection through prayer and mass, are ubiquitous in all aspects of school life. Whilst these values are not always apparent in ones early years, these essential truths reveal themselves as one progresses in age and consciousness. How amazing was it to discover that my son was being taught by 4 teachers who taught me. How satisfying to watch the accepting demeanour of our boys, truly representing our cosmopolitan nation, roaming the school and the playground.Walking the corridors after so many years brought in a rush of memories both good and bad. The laughs, the tears and the shared hopes and fears of my fellow brothers. Some have passed on, others are in far away lands and yet others remain close at hand, but all are remembered and loved. St Davids was never considered a top sporting school and yet every age group punched well above their weight in all categories. In fact being the perennial underdog resulted in a tighter knit group and forged friendships and brotherhoods for life. Representing the St David’s first team for rugby was a cherished moment for me and one I could share joyfully with my son when he was asked to join the touring team in 2020. It has been 18 years of wonder and joy watching you develop into a wonderful young man. I am excited for Kiko and his band of brothers who will embark on a fantastic adventure, irrespective of whether they win, lose or draw, so long as they cherish the endeavour and the journey and most importantly take courage to be men of virtue and value.
Egenrieder, Julie
A3 programme in black and white, 4 pages
St David's Marist Inanda
1 p
A5 programme 4 pages
St David's Marist Inanda
A collection of A4 pages relating to the Board and Governing Body. Donated by Kevin Brewer
St David's Marist College
Brother Anthony Docherty (1928 - 2010)
Biographical details of Brother Anthony and Memories of Old Boys
St David's Marist Inanda
Brother Anthony Remembered by St David's Old Boys
It was with great sadness that I received the news of Brother Anthony’s passing. Please convey my condolences
to the Marist Brothers’ community.
He was a wonderful headmaster who inspired great effort on the part of his students and he was central to the formation of the SDMOBA in 1964.
Clearly too, he was a very compassionate man and his work at Kuruman will, I believe, see him richly rewarded in Heaven.
God bless him and may his soul rest in peace while his memory lives on with those of us privileged to have been taught by him.
Yours sincerely,
Douglas Wickins
What sad news.
I've just seen your email and immediately guessed from the subject line that the news about 'Ornge' would not be good. As you say, he was a remarkable man, a superb headmaster and a wonderful human being. St David's owes him so much.
My memories of him are vivid between 1958, when I arrived at 'Inanda' as we knew it in those days, and 1962 when I matricu-lated. The name 'Ornge' is self-explanatory if one ever heard him say orange and, though probably not quite as well known, his invitations to all the parents to stay on for a 'bry flies' after Sports Day was almost his trademark too!
Orge will be greatly missed by those who were privileged to know him and especially those of us who were taught by him. If anyone made it easy to convert Fahrenheit into Centigrade (or Celsius as it is known now), he did! A wonderful man.
Please add my name to any book of condolences that you may set up.
Brian Austin '62.
Found on: http://www.ibo.org/ibworld/documents/nov03.pdf
The students established practices
that have remained the same
for subsequent trips throughout the
past decade. We are guided by
Brother Anthony, a Scottish Marist
brother who has lived in the
Kalahari desert with the local population
for over 20 years. Anthony
was headmaster of St David’s
Inanda, one of the most prestigious
schools in Johannesberg, South
Africa. He is now 76 and serves as
a presence, a symbol that someone
cares for these people whose towns
are still not marked on most maps of
South Africa.
Best Regards
Antonio Senatore
I left St Davids in 1955 and I am trying to think back all those years about Brother Anthony.
There are many things that I don’t remember too much anymore, but it sad to loose him.
We cannot be at the funeral, but will say prayers at home here in New Zealand.
Kind regards,
Derek and Gail Stansfield
New Zealand
I am sorry to hear about this. A lot of my success is a result of the disciple he instilled in me. Please send my regards to Brother Aidan …
John Ryan Old boy 1957 1963
I was at St Davids in 1971-1973 along with my 2 brothers as we lived in RSA while my Dad was assigned to Jburg with an Ameri-can Corporation.
I am now a Catholic priest serving in Afghanistan with US and NATO forces. I will be sure to remember Br Anthony at the All Souls Mass that I will be celebrating within a few hours.
It was Br Anthony who met with my parents in Oct 1971 when we began our odyssey of life in a foreign country. His manner did a lot to console my Mother who was up to that time, very concerned about our education in what was a unique environ-ment for us.
Br Anthony, along with the Marist order will remain in my prayers.
Fr. Steven Brosk
LC, Chaplain, USAF
Had heard ...that Bro Anthony was not at all well so his passing away does not come as a surprise but is nevertheless a sad event. I have very fond recollections of the man -- his humour; his patience when unmercifully teased about his accent by some of the boys; his sense of fairness. He taught us much; much more than the three R's !
Regards
Max Leipold
Matric 1959
My thoughts and prayers with all involved at St Davids - Br. Anthony was a legend. On a light note I was disciplined by him when only in Std 4 for a schoolboy prank - cost me 3 of the best!!
Sincerely
Mike Peel (Nelspruit)
I was saddened to hear of the death of Br Anthony Docherty. Both my brother Michael and I studied at St David's during his time there. We respected him greatly, as did our parents. One of the fondest memories that I have is of Br Anthony appearing at prize giving with bright red hair! - It seems that Br Bosco (afterwards Br Mario) convinced Br Anthony that his gray (almost white) hair could do with a bit of brightening-up. Br Bosco prepared a potion of red hair dye. There was no problem with the idea of a red hair dye. - It seems that Br Anthony's hair was originally ginger, before it turned gray.
The problem was with the shade of red. - Bright, fire-engine red!!! Obviously a source of great amusement for all the school boys. It took many months for his hair to return to its natural colour. Rest in peace Br Anthony.
Larry Griffiths
(pupil at St David's Marist Inanda 1964-1972)
St David's Marist Inanda
Brother Osmond Obituary 1871 - 1953
Copy of an A4 page
St David's Marist Inanda
Brother Pius cuts his Diamond Jubilee Cake at the Beano 1955
Part of St David's Photograph Collection
1 A4 black and white photo
Marist Inanda
Champagnat Hall Promotion Party
3 colour photos
St David's Marist College
College House presents "Us and Them" by Gareth Brinkman and Matthew Alves
A5 programme 5 pages
St David's Marist Inanda
College Prize Giving - Address by Willy Castle
9 A4 pages
St David's Marist Inanda
Confortare Esto Vir - in School Newsletter
1 pdf document which appeared in a school newsletter 2015
St David's College Inanda
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's College, Inanda
Draft constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's College, Inanda. This draft was never accepted.
Advisory Council of St David's college
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's College, Inanda. Annexure C
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's College, Inanda approved by the Provincial Council. Draft.Unsigned
Board of Governors of St David's College, Inanda
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
Board paper and Draft Constitution of the Board of Governors
Board of Governors of St David's College, Inanda
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
Draft of the Constitution of the Board of Governors with comments
Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
19 pages of the Final Draft of the Constitution
Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
Constitution of the Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
Constitution of the Board of Governors
Board of Governors of St David's Marist College, Inanda
Constitution of the Marist old Boys Association. Annexure D
Undated draft of the Constitution of the St David's Marist Old Boys Association
St David's Marist Old Boys Association
Details of the old boys constitution compiled by the St David's Marist Old Boys' Association. (MOBS)
St David's Marist Old Boys Association
Conversations with Brother Andrew "Drac"
5 A4 pages of emails
St David's Marist Inanda
1 presscutting black and white
St David's College Inanda
6 A1 Architectural Drawings relating to the Champagnat Hall
St David's Marist College
9 Architectural Plans for the Electrical Installation in the Hall and Auditorium and plan for workshop
St David's Marist College
Eulogy for Nassey Simaan 1922 - 2013?
As the oldest in my generation of cousins, my Judu would insist that I say a speech at
important family functions. If I did not meet my Judu’s high standards of public speaking, he
would not say a word to me. If I spoke well, he would walk up to me, give me a kiss on my
cheek and whisper in my ear, “you talk just like your Judu”. So Juds, here it goes. Once
again I will try talk just like you.
Good afternoon Reverend Fathers, and all of Nassey’s Humrees and Darlings.
My name is Gaby Simaan, Jnr, a grandson of an icon and legend of the South Africa
Lebanese community.
Nassey Simaan - The head of the Simaan family, husband to Agnes. Father and father in
law to Gabe and Jane, Antoine and Kathy, the late Linda Rose, Andy and Shirley, Marie Lou
and Saki. The grandfather of Gaby, Jeanine, Karen, Deirdre, Warren, Sean, Samantha,
Gareth, Candyce, Jason and Luke. The great grandfather of Nicholas, Gabriella, Cristina,
Connor, Mathew, Taylor, Daniel, Jessica, Meagan, Troy, Joshua and Jonathan. Sister to
Louise. Nephew to Aunty Isabel. Friend and mentor of hundreds . On behalf of Nassey’s
children – I have been honoured with the task to pay tribute to the great life of Nassey
Simaan and the impact that he has left behind.
Born on the 5th April 1922, in Bethal, Nassey was the oldest child of Gibran and Rosy
Simaan. Nassey grew up in Bethal, where his father owned the local Cafe. At the age of 16,
his father, who he always spoke so highly of, passed away. Nassey was sent to boarding
school in Uitenhage. That is when our family’s tradition with Marist Brothers schools began
and Nassey learnt to speak English. When he matriculated in 1939 he had been awarded his
school honours blazer, after receiving colours in athletics, rugby and for being a prefect. He
was also awarded the title of Victor Ludorum due to his athletic achievements. He
represented EP schools in athletics and rugby.
It was Nassey’s dream to go to university to study law. Unfortunately with his father’s
passing, the family was struggling financially and he needed to start working in order to
support his mother, sisters Dorothy and Louise, and his brother Ramsey. This was
something I only learnt this week from aunty Louise. With all the stories my grandfather told
us, not once did he mention, how he had to give up going to university for his family.
With the war breaking, Nassey joined the army and was deployed to Europe and Northern
Africa as a wireless operator. He took advantage of being sent to all the different countries
by visiting as many churches and religious sites as he could.
The first time my Gran met Judu was when she was working in the OK Bazaars as a cashier.
They were introduced by Judu's best friend at the time - Freddy Michael. Freddy was
actually going out with my Gran at the time and subsequently got engaged to Gran. Nassey
felt that he was far more deserving of this young Lebanese gem. He suddenly developed a
passion for shopping at OK. It was not long till my Gran gave into his relentless charm and
called off her engagement. As only Nassey could get right, he convinced Fred that it was
the right thing and God’s will. The 2 remained close friends. My grandparents were married
for 64 years!
My grandfather followed a career as a travelling salesman. He was known in the motor spare
industry as “King of the road” With a charm second to none; he had friends and contacts in
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every town you can think of. The family originally lived in Mayfair and later moved to
Buccleuch, where my grandparents stayed for 35 years. My grandfather struggled
financially. Things were tough for the family. When they saw a strange car coming down the
long drive way, it was more than likely the sherriff. The sons would grab the family’s
precious belongings and run to hide them by the river so the sheriff could not reposess them.
Judo told us how, my dad would hide in the bushes and shoot the sherriff’s car with his pellet
gun to deter him from coming back. Sometimes there was no money for bus fare for the
children to get back from school. The boys would have to walk home - All the way from
Inanda to Buccleuch. Despite all these hardships, my grandfather made sure that money
was found for his children to receive a top class education at a catholic school. He kept his
family together, entrenching the highest morals and values in his children. The reason why
the Simaan family is so close and strong today is all because of our leader – My Judu.
One of Nassey’s greatest accomplishments was his role as the Marist Inanda’s first team
rugby coach. During his 3 year reign, the school enjoyed their greatest success with records
that still stand today. His players from this era all say how there were no superstars in their
team. They were a small bunch of very average rugby players. Nassey focused on the
weakest, smallest and scaredest players in the team. It was through the self confidence and
motivation that my grandfather instilled in them, together with his immense knowledge,
strategy and love for the game, that they were able to achieve what they did. Not only did
Nassey’s loud voice assist the boys in the matches as he marched up and down the
touchline, but his athletic abilities too. Apparently more than once, Nassey’s wing would get
the ball with a gap in the defence. Nassey would be in line with the wing. With a cigarette in
his mouth, Nassey would take off at the same time the wing broke, and sprint down the
touch line screaming instructions. By the time the wing made it to the try line, Nassey was
already there waiting for him. Last year, my grandfather’s most successful team had their 40
year school reunion. They invited him as their guest of honour. Nassey’s rugby talents and
passion for the game was passed onto my dad Gabe. Judo spoke with such pride of my
dad’s rugby achievements. His favourite story was about my dad kicking a penalty over from
the halfway line, into the torrential rain and howling Cape wind, to beat Marist Brothers
Rondebosch by 1 point. He loved telling me that my father would have been a Springbok, if
he did not discover women and put them before the game.
Nassey was a founding member of The Sandton Bird Club. He organised many trips away
for the club. The members have many fond memories of these well organised trips. Besides
the Birds, Nassey‘s entertainment was the main attraction of the trips. If he did not have
everyone listening to his stories and jokes, he would be singing for them in Arabic or
Afrikaans. Last year they celebrated their 25th anniversary. Nassey was invited as an
honouree member. Although he had not been active in club for some time, he insisted on
saying a speech and entertained his old and new members late into the evening.
We all know how religious my grandfather was. He was a true warrior and defender of our
catholic faith, the Maronite Church, the priests, and Our Lady. His love and commitment to
Holy Mary is unmeasurable. His knowledge of our faith and the bible was immense. It ever
we had a question about the bible; Judu would be the first and only person we needed to
ask. Once I even heard a priest ask Judu for clarification on a verse in the bible. Nassey was
on the original Maronite parish council that advocated for this church to be built. Despite the
criticism they endured, they stuck to their dream and after much perseverance, the
commission to build this church was granted. For many years after this church opened, Judu
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occupied this exact space on this alter. While Father Mardi was giving his sermon, Nassey
would walk around the perimeter of the church to make sure everything was in order. At the
same time he would be counting the number of people so that he could monitor that the
church’s attendance numbers were growing. It stressed him out and he would call for an
urgent meeting with the priests if he picked up a negative trend in the numbers. When it was
time in the service for the announcements, there would be a sudden change in the mood of
the congregation as Nassey Simaan made his way onto the altar. Everyone sat up and the
silence grew even greater. You never knew what to expect, except that there would be no
mincing of words. Judu felt nothing to tell the people to stop being stingy and instead of
wasting their money at the casino to rather donate it to St Charbel’s Helping Hand. Judu
would often take the opportunity of this time on the alter to talk about how great our lady is
and share stories of miracles she performed in Lourdes, Fatima and the best village in
Lebanon, where his father was born – Maghdouche. Nassey was the greatest ambassador
of Our Lady. He had no mercy on anyone you dared to mention a negative word about her.
He would say : “how can you really love Jesus if you are not prepared to honour and praise
the person our Lord loved and was so close to when on earth – his holy mother?” The best
way that we can honour Nassey today is by glorifying Our Lady!
Judu tried to go to church every day. Even when on holiday in Mauritius, Marie Lou, Saki
and my Gran would travel an hour to get to the closest catholic church. They would sit
through the French service cramped in the small church, suffering with the December heat.
Nassey’s first words when he got back into the car.”What a lovely sermon!” Sakie would
pack up laughing, my Gran would look down and gently shake her head and Marie Lou
would explode “How can you say that! Since when did you learn to speak French?” Every
day at 3 pm, something on Judu would start ringing. It was his alarm to remind him to say his
Novena. Nassey was an apostle of the Divine Mercy. He is responsible for it being practiced
by so many in this parish and the Rivonia Catholic church. I could talk for hours on what
Nassey has done for our church and our Lady. Apparently there will be an article in the next
Arch Diocese newspaper, honouring Nassey and his role in the church. This article was
written and planned before his passing. It’s such a pity that he will not get to read how he
has been honoured and thanked by our Church, but I am sure he has now been thanked
directly by God, Jesus and Our Lady.
Judu was so proud off all his children’s success. He visited my dad and Andy’s offices daily.
He would make his way round the office, greeting and kissing all the ladies hello. It was not
enough to simply say hello. He had to ask them how their family’s were and then had tell
them a story, which typically was about Lebanon or the best travel agent in the country –
Marie Lou, the best importer of motor spares - Antoine or his grandchildren . Once Andy
called all his staff in due to his companies escalating phone bill. They were all warned with
their jobs to stop making so many personal calls which was costing company thousands.
When the bill was even higher the next month, Andy dug deeper to find the guilty person.
The culprit – Nassey... Calls to Lebanon!
Judo drove my poor uncle Antoine mad with his shopping list every time Antoine was going
to Europe or China for business. Eventually Antoine needed to book an extra day on every
trip to try and find Judu’s rare model trains or catholic books that were not available in SA.
With the amazing son that Antoine is, no matter how busy he was, he always did his best to
come home with what my Judo had asked for. If Judo heard someone could not find
something in the shops, he was quick to offer Antoine’s services – don’t worry, my son
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Antoine will get it for you overseas. Marie Lou being the youngest was always her father’s
baby. They had an extraordinary bond. Judo would often say to Mars, God has taken my
beautiful daughter Linda away from me, but has blessed me by giving me you. Mars, you
proved just how true these words are with all that you did for Judo when he got sick.
Judu loved visiting his family in Lebanon. After his first trip, he returned with the title deeds of
the properties his father owned in Lebanon. We thought that the land had been lost and
taken over in the war. You can imagine the excitement of my family’s re found wealth in our
homeland.
After his second trip, Judu returned with more documents. This time it was transfer papers.
My Judu had given all the land away to his cousins in Lebanon. He felt they needed it more
than we did. When Andy took his family to Lebanon a few years ago, his cousins took Andy
to see the properties. They felt so guilty they even offered to give some of it back. Such was
the massive charitable heart of Nassey Simaan.
On one of Nassey’s visits to Andy’s office, he asked Andy’s secretary where Andy was. She
explained to Judu that Andy was in the boardroom, trying to close a deal with the executives
of a leading financial institution and under no circumstances could be disturbed. Judu
ignored the instruction and walked into the Boardroom unannounced. He was wearing his
shorts, long socks and sandals. In his hand was a tray of Koeksisters. Hello everyone he
shouted. Shut up! I am his father. I am selling koeksisters for St Charbel’s helping hand.
Only 50c. Where’s your money? Is that all you have! My son said you are rich. Thank you
my Humree. Bless you. By bye dad! And out he walked with money for St Charbel.
On the 25th Aug 1985, my grandparent’s lives were shattered with the sudden death of their
daughter Linda Rose. After 28 years, Judu still mourned for her bitterly. And like my Gran,
never even got close to healing this wound and loss in their lives. When Judu was diagnosed
with Alzheimer a year ago, the only consolation I could find in this dreadful disease and turn
of events was that possibly this painful memory and loss could be wiped from Judu’s
memory. It never happened. At least now Judu is with aunty Linda. Not only is he with her in
heaven, but the urn with Linda’s ashes, has been placed next to Judu, in his coffin.
The last year has been very tough on my family. Watching a loved one getting so frail is
devastating. On behalf of my gran and family, thank you to all the people who were so kind
to him during this time. A very special thank you to Marie Lou, Sakie and my mom Jane.
They sacrificed so much of their time to help Judu in every way possible. Jane was Judu’s
nurse during the day while granny was at work. Her patience and kindness is remarkable
and a true reflection of her love for Nassey. Sakie, the family is totally in awe with what you
have done. You have been a pillar for Mars and granny. You could not do enough for Judu.
Whether it was taking him to the doctor, dressing him, or getting out of bed to go to Judu’s’
house when he could not turn on the TV, you did it with a smile and with such kindness.
When Judu was still well, Marie Lou and granny would prowl the shops in Sandton City
every Saturday afternoon. Sakie was left to watch sport with Judu. Although they were very
close, Judu and Sakie did not see eye to eye on which team to support. Judu was a die hard
lions and Man united supporter. Sakie – Sharks and Liverpool. When the Sharks were
playing the Lions, the common result was the Sharks would win. As soon as the Sharks
started leading, Judu would turn off the TV. Despite Sakie’s pleas, Judu refused to turn it
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back on saying it was rubbish. Sakie then got his revenge with the soccer, as soon as
Liverpool went a goal down against Man U Sakie turned the TV off.
Judu, I can just imagine the chaos in heaven since you left us. You,walking around with
aunty Linda, greeting all your old friends and family. Hello my Humree! Come give me a kiss.
How’s mommy and daddy? Bless you darling, bless you..... Who was that Linda? We all
must expect our prayers to take a little longer to be answered as Jesus and Mary’s time has
been consumed by Judo in the last few days. Telling them all his stories, singing for them
and getting the answers and clarification to the questions he had planned for them.
Judu we are going to miss you so much! The Simaans are so grateful for the family that you
have created. The Lebanese community is so grateful for their legend, and I am sure God,
Jesus and Our Lady are so grateful for what you have done for our faith. We love you Juds.
Watch over us always.
Egenrieder, Julie
Farewell to Rick Wilson 1996 - 2013 by Willy Castle
Interview with Rick Wilson – 2013– Farewell speech by Willy Castle
Mr Rick Wilson a summary of 18 years.
I am one of those(probably unusual) people whose favourite part of any function is the speeches.
Normal conversation ceases, times becomes momentarily suspended and people are joined together
to listen, laugh, cry and share in a personal story.
I have 3 goals for this speech
1 Not to cry
2 Make Mr Wilson cry
3 Make sure all of you know how important Mr Rick Wilson’s contribution of 18 years at St David’s
Marist Preparatory School has been.
How do you condense 18 years not easily so sit back and relax because it is going to take a while.
Mr Warwick BruceWilson was born in Zimbabwe......Married to Gerry and has two grown up sons,
Bruce and Andrew. We all know that Mr Wilson is a lover of dogs and now has two dogs, he loves
the Kruger Park and we have some great days in the park together, a brilliant golfer and now a keen
mountain bike fanatic. Oh yes and Pizza and chilli are Mr Wilson’s favourite food, just ask Col Chetio
at Blue Bird shopping centre.
Good evening to all you special guests who have gathered here to celebrate the life of a man who
has had a remarkable influence on all, our lives not to mention 18 years as headmaster of this
wonderful preparatory school which would equate to teaching approximately 1500 new pupils
entering St David’s.
To try and find out what Mr Wilson headmaster does all day we hired the heavies from Gr0 and
asked them what Mr Wilson does all day and here are some of the answers...
“He works on his computer all day and drinks tea”
“He’s ticking work”
“He watches the children on camera”
“He does gymnastics in his office”
Just before leaving my house this evening I phoned Linda who unfortunately cannot be here as she
is in America and said to her “Lin did you ever think in your wildest dreams that I’d be standing
before hundreds of people making a speech” and I could hear a giggle and she said “Wily you don’t
appear in my wildest dreams”
It was on a chilly day in August 1995 when we were busy with our annual inter-house cross country
on the College rugby fields when Mr Edey came down the dreaded First rugby team stairs with a
gentleman in tow wearing a green jacket. We all thought he was going to introduce us to the recent
winner of the Masters in Augusta but no such luck, we were introduced to Mr Rick Wilson our new
headmaster.
My first memory of Rick was on the side of the football flled in East London when he was teaching
and coaching St Stithian’s . Little did he know that he would still go on football tour to East London
for another 21 years and fall among thieves on and off the train. Mr Sinclair or Captain Morgan as he
was known on these trips will remember them as the highlight of the year. What happens on tour
stays on tour.
It is not widely known that on Saturdays Mr Wilson wears red underpants not in case he has a bad
golf game but o support his favourite football team which at the moment the name escapes me. Rick
also, unbeknown to most people won the “Cow and Gate Beautiful Baby Competition”, when he was
months old. I leave it to your imagination whether he looked like the cow or the gate! By the way it
was the girls’ category!
In no time at all we were as staff introduced to SWOT analysis, new strategies and the effective use
of technology in education. During this time we embraced technology, our teaching methods
changed and we came to understand that schools don’t in fact exist for the sake of teaching, but for
the sake of learning.
During this time Rick guided us through this most exciting phase of growth and development. Rick
has assembled a great team of professionals and sees hi srole as one of servant leadership where we
are rigorous, but not ruthless.
Rick’s own claim to technological fame is winning the staff technology award for shredding his tie in
the shredding machine while Mrs Donaldson and Mrs Mackenzie were overcome with emotion.
We all know how important assemblies are to Rick and how without fail, a dog comes into the story
– which reminds me of a story....
One evening after Mass a priest was just about to leave the church, noticed a man with a dog. He
went up to the man and asked him “What are you doing here with a dog?” The man replied “The
dog has come to pray”. “Dogs don’t pray” said the priest. “This one does” said Rick. “I don’t believe
you” said the priest, “It’s absolutely true” said Rick. “OK” said the priest, “Then show me what the
dog can do”. “OK” said Rick and the dog got into the pew, knelt down, took a Missal from under his
collar and started praying. The priest shocked listened for a full 15 minutes, speechless and so
impressed with the dog and the quality of the prayer. When he regained composure the priest said
to Rick “I have never seen anything like it; do you think your dog would consider joining the
seminary?” Rick, throwing his hands up in disgust said “You talk to him, he wants to be a doctor”.
We all know Mr Wilson is a prankster of some note – always interfering in equipment and switching
off sound systems and hiding diaries, keys and anything just to stir with someone.
He has however been caught out himself. A few weeks after Rick and Gerry had moved onto the
school property, Linda and I were walking past Rick’s driveway next to the back of the Music room.
They had just come back to the house because they had left something behind and needed to get it.
Their car was parked outside the gate with the keys in the ignition – what an opportunity! I climbed
into the car and drove it around the front of the now Music room. We waited until Rick came out of
the house and then it started: “Gerry the car is gone! I told you we are now living in Gauteng!! Beep,
beep, beep!” Rick ran up to the gate to speak to the guard to see if he had seen his car drive out. The
guard looked at Rick as if he were on drugs. By this time we could not be quiet and Rick heard us
laughing and discovered his car parked own by the tennis courts.
On another occasion Rick had just lit his Weber braai and put the meat on when I happened to pass
the gate. I saw that it was unattended and nipped in and wheeled his braai out to the road and
waited for him to go crazy when he came out to turn the meat.
When my Combi was stolen during Mass at Rosebank one Sunday, I walked back from church
straight to Rick’s house and said to him “Okay where’s my Combi?” I am still looking for it.
Gerry you took the pranks in your stride and also gave us Rick whenever we needed him at school
functions. We thank you for giving up your family time and sharing the many school occasions with
Rick and supporting all the different activities including feeding the geese, ducks and birds. We
would like you to accept this small token of appreciation from all of us.
We would also like to thank Rick’s school wife , tea girl, file finder, and someone who helped us on
many occasions into getting off campus when we needed to get him away. Mrs Coleen Donaldson,
please come and receive a gift on behalf of Rick and all of us. Good luck, for I believe the headmaster
for next year is quite a difficult pain in the neck!
We all know Rick enjoys a good party, loves his music and is very knowledgeable about different
genre of music. After one of our pub crawls through the property (we used to start at the pavilion
and then go to Mac’s flat, then Fr Brewer’s and a few other houses), on returning home after a pizza
fight at my house, Rick slipped and fell in his house. Gerry called me and off we went to Sandton
Clinic for Rick to have 38 stitches in his head. The next morning when Rick went into a Grade 5 class
one of the boys said “Good morning Sir, you look like a baseball”.
Rick is well known for his assemblies, Grade 7 luncheon speeches are legendary and each year the
boys look forward to him including all of them in his story.
Mr Wilson has given unselfishly of his time to support the boys and parents in all the activities in
which they participate, namely academics, cultural and sporting. Your presence has really been
appreciated by all of us.
On behalf of the pupils, parents and staff, we would like to thank you for your commitment and
dedication to St David’s Marist Inanda.
We all say thank you and wish you a fantastic retirement until you get bored and start the next stage
of your life. Our prayers go with you and Gerry. We are really going to miss you. Thank you.
Please will you all stand and join me in a toast to Rick and Gerry.
Willy Castle 2013
Egenrieder, Julie
Gavin Jansen - email sent by James Harrewyn on the occasion of Gavin's funeral
1 A4 email printout
St David's College Inanda
Gordon Tonetti - entries in school yearbooks 1975 - 1987
Gordon Tonetti - 1986 - Entries in Yearbooks
1975 Sons of St David’s Old Boys – photo p.74
1976 First Communion Group - photo p.87
Sons of St David’s Old Boys – photo p.88
Grade 2H – photo p.95
1977 Sons of St David’s old Boys – photo p.82
1978 Sons of St David’s Old Boys – photo p.85
Standard 2A Class – photo p.89
1979 Sons of St David’s Old Boys – photo p.70
Standard 3W Class – photo p.75
1980 Sons of St David’s Old Boys – photo p.68
Standard 4M Class – photo p.72
Cross Country Senior Team p.94
Rugby – mention – Lock p.99
U/11 Boys playing as the U/13B Rugby team – photo p.100
1981 Standard 5F Class – photo p.80
Cross Country Senior Team p.108
U/12A Rugby team – photo p.113
1982 Standard 6A Class – photo p.27
Athletics team – photo p.49
1983 Standard 7A Class – photo p.22
U14 age group scroll p.34
Athletics team – photo p.34
U/14A Rugby team – photo p.52
B Swimming team – photo p.58
1984 Standard 8 Class – photo p.23
Athletics team – photo p.33
Inter-school meeting U15 age group scroll p.33
U15A Rugby team – photo p.49
B Swimming team – photo p.57
1985 Athletics scroll p.15
Standard 9 Class – photo p.20
New Records – Open Road Race p.33
Age group scroll – Open p.33
Athletics Team – photo p.33
2nd Rugby Team – photo p.44
B Swimming team – photo p.54
1986 Confirmation – photo p.12
Matric – photo p.18
Athletics Team – photo p.41
1st Rugby Team – photo p.41
B Swimming Team - photo p.61
1987 Matric – passed without university exemption with a distinction
In Physical Science p.12
St David's Marist Inanda
Honneur aux Dignes. Roedean School (S.A.) 1903 - 1978 by Joan Raikes
A4 hard copy book
Raikes, Joan