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Interview with Mark Reeves 1983

Interview with Mark Reeves 1983

  • ZA ZAR STDS 202000841
  • Item
  • 2016

Interview with Mark Reeves – 1983
Mark began his school career at St David’s in 1973, starting in standard 1, after moving from
Sandown Primary which was located where Sandton City now stands. At the age of 5, he
remembers being the swimming team mascot for College house at the inter-house gala,
dressed as a sword bearing sheik. The aftercare is now situated where this swimming pool once
was located.
He has fond memories of Miss Joseph, Miss Jamieson (Ansell), Mrs Anderson, Mrs Scaafsma
and Mrs Napier, all of whom taught him in junior school. Mrs Kempster was headmistress and
had a crooked index finger, causing confusion as to who she was actually pointing at, while you
were being scolded.
The brothers were still very active in teaching and coaching sport at this time. Mark remembers
being taught at some stage of his senior years by Brother’s Timothy, Bernard, Richard,
Christopher and Anthony. Senior school was where you gained your foundation and became
part of the Marist family.
Memorable advice came from Br Anthony when he said “Do not feel guilty for your privileged
lives, because if it wasn’t for compassionate and generous privileged people the poor would
have nothing”.
Strong teachers like Brother Anthony, Mr Collier, Mr Boswell, Mrs Elliot and Mr McFadden,
made a huge impact on those senior school years. Mark remembers Mr Collier, a remarkable
teacher and coach, who was very religious and well respected by all the boys, especially for his
caring attitude to all. He took them on retreat to Kuruman where Br Anthony and Br Christopher
hosted the boys during school holidays.
During the last two years of Mark’s schooling career at St David’s he had 3 Headmasters, Mr
Murphy, Br Anthony and Mr Frielick. Mr Murphy was a tower of a man and his wrestling career
was the best kept secret amongst the boys. Mark recalls lifting Mr Murphy above his head at
rugby trials in standard 9 and was rewarded with a place in the 1st rugby team for his effort. Tim
Marnewick was chairman of the school board of governors and a strong supporter of the Marist
community.
Classmates who he remembers well are Peter Wharton-Hood, an intellectual genius, who often
assisted the teachers after proving them wrong and who also was a talented sportsman.
Duncan Senior, who mirrored these attributes. Andrew Forsmann, a great all rounder, and the
long line of Forsmann’s who attended St David’s and who owned Kyalami Ranch, a memorable
recreational facility for them all.
He remembers Karl Ortel, who during his matric year at St. David’s fought 20 fights in 21 days
to win the Golden Gloves World Boxing Tournament. Corado Annicello who achieved Springbok
colours in judo. Kamsisi Nyirenda, the Malawian ambassador’s son, who in the black & white
class photo, due to his dark complexion, blended into the background with only his white teeth,
the white of his eye’s and collar visible. Solly Maponya,who had a BMW in standard 6 and who
was a great driver, especially to parties. Other good friends who are now very successful
businessmen include Sven Retzlaff and Roy Perlman, property developers, Mark Atier a cellular
industry entrepreneur, Mark Rosewitz a top legal adviser and Jason Askew, who has become a
famous Anglo-Boer war artist. “There are so many success stories of individual classmates from
his year and he is very proud to have been associated with them all”..
Mark was honoured to have been elected as head prefect in 1983. He was captain of the school
swimming and water polo teams, and was captain of College House. He was awarded colours
for rugby, swimming and water polo, and received a merit scroll for leadership. He played 1st
team rugby and was a member of the athletics team, for field events, but banned from hurdles
for breaking multiple crossbars! He also received an academic scroll and a distinction for History
in matric
After leaving St David’s Mark studied a BA in Education and together with his brother, Alan, also
head prefect of St. David’s in 1977, started a well known photographic business. They have had
the good fortune of working together for over 33 years and are now involved in multiple building
hardware and paint retail outlets.
Mark served St. David’s on the board of governors, was chairman of the development
committee and an active member of the PTA. He still serves as a member of the old boys
committee. Mark is married to Carol-Anne and has a son Stephen and daughter Kirsty.
JLE May 2016

Egenrieder, Julie

Interview with Peter Wharton-Hood 1983

  • ZA ZAR STDS 202000882
  • Item
  • 2014

Peter Wharton-Hood – 1983
In 1977 Peter came from Clifton Preparatory, Durban to St David’s into standard 4 as Peter’s father had
been transferred by Liberty Life to Johannesburg. Peter would never forget his first day being interviewed
by George Manolios and his impression of the school was of a pristine, big and beautiful place.
His first teachers included Mrs Kenesovitch; Heather Joseph who all the boys were in love with and of
course Willy Castle. Peter did well academically winning many subject prizes in the prep.
Other pupils he was friendly with at the time were Andrew Forsmann; Mark Forsmann; Mark Attieh; Garth
Ritchie; Duncan Senior and teachers in the high school were Mr Walsh who taught Maths; Tom
MacFadden a brilliant History teacher, there were 12 in his class and 10 got A’s in matric; Mr P Colia –
Maths; Mr Boswell – Afrikaans; Gavin Neft the Afrikaans teacher who had a great swing when hitting the
boys and Sven Retslaf.
Brother Anthony was around for a while in 1982 and Br Timothy (Tin Man) was headmaster until 1981.The
changes in the leadership of the school from 1982 with first Mr Murphy, then Mr Freilick as headmaster
created chaos in the school with Peter’s class became fragmented being in the epicentre.
The sport was brilliant and Peter was fortunate to play in the Transvaal schools cricket side and was
captain of the 1st XI in 1983. Peter also played 1st team rugby in 1982 and 1983 and was a member of the
Debating team in 1983, led by Mrs Trudie Elliot. Peter also went with a group of boys to assist at the
squatter camp in Slough, Kuruman which was run by Br Anthony.
Peter recalls many memorable school tours, among them the junior school cricket tour to the Eastern Cape
and the rugby tour to St Charles, Durban. He was a member of the provincial cricket team in the prep,
played in the Coca Cola week and Beckwith week with the U15’s but missed Nuffield.
Peter was awarded colours for cricket and rugby and received 6 A’s with distinction in matric. He was also
elected deputy head boy. Peter believes that he owes a huge debt to St David’s and couldn’t have had a
better start in life, it’s what shaped him as a person giving him a balanced , religious upbringing with a
strong academic base accompanied by the discipline to play sport as well. The school was ideally suited
to Peter and the times that the country was going through. Peter feels strongly that he was blessed to have
had the chance to attend such a school. St David’s also enabled him to discern the right choice of career
having undergone an aptitude test in standard 9, he was initially thinking of becoming a doctor or an
actuary but the test came out strongly in favour of accountancy.
It was a tough school to grow up in and getting caned was part of the deal. Some of the boys used to put
notches in their ties every time they were caned, a bit of a status symbol. There were many funny moments
but Peter won’t mention them in order to protect the guilty parties!
Peter believes that he was assisted through scholarships in some shape or form whilst he was at St David’s
and feels he repaid his debt by lecturing at Wits on a part-time basis from 1989 until 1999 and is currently a
trustee on the Chartered Accountants’ Eden Trust.
After matriculating, Peter went to Wits University to write a BComm then Hons, followed by a CTA and CA
(SA). He completed his articles with Price Waterhouse then, in 1987 he went to Harvard as part of the
advanced management programme. He then became the Edcon group financial executor and in 1997
moved on to Standard Bank as financial director of the Standard Corporate and Merchant Banking division
of Standard Bank and ended up as the group deputy chief executive and chief operating officer of the
Standard Bank Group and a member of the board of directors of Liberty Life and the Standard Bank Group.
In 2013 he was appointed chief executive of Deutsche Bank SA.
Peter was involved with corporate outreach activities through Standard Bank which was the biggest single
contributor to a broad based BBE company Tutuwa and Deutsche Bank is involved with the SA Foundation.
Peter is a member of MOBS, last visited the school in 2003 for the fireworks, is married to Sarah and has
two daughters, Emily born 1999 and Beatrice 2003. Had he had sons they would most certainly have
attended St David’s.
Peter is keen to become more involved with the school, business commitments allowing.
JE October 2014

Egenrieder, Julie