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Interview with Bobby Forssman – 1980
Bobby (Luke Alexander) first came to St David’s in grade 1 in 1969 following in his brother Mark’s footsteps
with Andrew arriving 3 years after Bobby. He remembers his father filming the event and that he, Bobby
who was used to running around barefoot and undisciplined, decided to have a wee in the middle of the
dirty, dusty playground on his first day.
Brother Anthony was headmaster of the high school and Mr Manolios of the junior school. Of the early days
he remembers Mrs Schaafsma who taught him in grade 1 and 2, she was a tyrant and all the boys were
terrified of her. If a boy wasn’t paying attention he had to sit under the piano in her classroom during the
lesson.
In the junior school, Bobby went on tour in standard 5 to Fort Mistake in Kwa-Zulu Natal with Mr Manolios
and Heather Joseph. Heather was a young, newly qualified teacher and all the boys were in love with her.
Heather used to apply a very bright lipstick, kiss all the boys leaving lipstick on their cheeks which they
treasured!
At the entrance to the school where the original gates now hang, an ice cream seller used to park his bike
and sell home-made ice lollies. The boys used to pinch the dry ice and then throw it into the fish pond
nearby. Bobby did this once and panicked when he thought he was going to kill the fish. He jumped in, in
full uniform and proceeded to throw out the ice.
Bobby enjoyed the sport the soccer, cricket, sack and potatoes races in the annual athletics. He also
participated in the horse riding which he didn’t really enjoy and they rode at stables in what is now
Pineslopes. School was generally fun although the boys were scared of the teachers as they were often up
to mischief when they had the opportunity. The boys would hang around the tuck shop and wait until break
was over hoping to get discounted or free food. On Champagnat day they would get donuts and a cool
drink.
Bobby and his family lived out at Kyalami at the Kyalami Ranch Hotel and many of the boys came to watch
the Formula 1 events from the hotel. It was a mission to get to school although there was a school bus,
sometimes his father would fetch them in his beach buggy and if they were staying late their mother would
also come to fetch them.
In the high school Bobby had teachers like Trudy Elliott who was the English teacher. They were supposed
to study the Great Gatsby and Hamlet for 3 years from grade 8 which Mrs Elliott didn’t agree with and
suggested that the boys produce a newspaper as an alternative. Bobby and some other boys started a
newsletter which came out once a month for 10 months. Bobby had to do a lot of typing without a computer
although there was at least a typex band in the typewriter.
Bobby had Mr Tony D’Almeida as his Biology teacher who was well built and used static exercise to train
which all the boys had to try out in class! The school had quite a few exchange students and Bobby had to
chaperone a chap from Brazil in standard 8 whose father was head of Castrol. Bobby was with him when
he met up with Reinhard Hartmann who asked “Hi my China, where are you from”, the reply “Not China,
Brazil” as the poor chap could hardly speak any English.
There was a Mr Valney who taught Geography who became quite friendly with some of the boys and
invited some of them to his flat in Illovo one evening. He believed in self hypnosis and demonstrated by
collapsing on the floor after he told the boys to instruct him to do something. The boys were rather taken
aback and tried a few things including sticking a large pin deeply into his arm and then telling him to wake
up. He came to with no memory of what had happened and no physical signs of any sort. The teachers on
the whole were pleasant and engaging.
Bobby enjoyed motor cross racing from standard 7 through to standard 9 with four other St David’s boys
and competed against other schools. Br Bernard attended one of the events and took some photos for the
school magazine. Unfortunately Br Timothy was not aware of the motor cross racing and wasn’t impressed
and basically banned them from participating anymore or said they must find another school. Bobby then
started playing rugby in standard 9, was captain third XV and was a member of the A water polo and B
swimming teams as a summer sport.
Bobby also enjoyed the debating and public speaking which was fairly low key and great fun.
Bobby did well academically and was usually in the top 5 or 10. He was elected a prefect and awarded an
honours blazer, academic tie and scrolls for merit and studies.
In their final year 6 of the boys decided to take a holiday. The Hartmann’s had a flat in Umhlanga and they
asked Bobby’s father if they could borrow one of the cars to go down. Initially the parents said no, but then
Bobby’s father relented and booked them into alternative accommodation and lent them a bus. With
hindsight it was crazy with unlicensed drivers driving all the way to the coast in a bus, but they survived.
After matriculating, Bobby was awarded a bursary by Eskom and studied engineering at Wits University
then UCT. He then went into the air force for two years completing his military service. Whilst in the air
force he met a chap who was into building development and decided to work for himself and started off in
the Cape in the commercial development of shops and warehouses. He would buy the land, design the
structure then rent it out and sell. He often works together with his older brother Mark who is in building and
construction. He was supposed to work for Eskom after his military training and had to reimburse them the
costs of his university education, fortunately they underestimated the costs and he managed to pay them
back.
Bobby has one son Jason who spent 1 year in grade 1 at St David’s before the family moved to Cape Town
and returned 5 years later. Greg Royce was then head of St Peter’s so he became a pupil there going on to
Hilton for high school. Bobby’s two daughters are at DSG in Grahamstown.
Bobby is still in touch with Mark Hindle through his wife Paula and with Reinhard Hartmann and Sven Arp.
He is a member of MOBs and was last at St David’s for the Nite Fever firework show.
JLE November 2013