Message from the Junior School HOD Mr Swift:

“Moving was tough because it was the first time I had left my mom and I didn’t speak English. Teachers and classmates helped me adjust.” – Bhato Hlekani

During the holidays I had the privilege of accompanying the u16 rugby boys to the Tony de Munnik Rugby Festival, hosted by Jeppe Boys’. It was thoroughly enjoyable, not least because of the conduct of the boys, supportive and encouraging parents and the warm welcome from the Jeppe staff. It is a beautiful campus filled with interesting messaging, including the one that caught my eye, “Turning Black and White [the colours of Jeppe] into Gold!”. Jeppe, like Graeme College, is a proper South African space that is thriving – well done to them.

The other enjoyable part of the tour was that we got to support our 1st team after our matches, at the St John’s Festival. Apart from the high-quality rugby from Graeme College the other highlight was watching an Old Graemian, Bhato Hlekani, in action. This warmed my heart and reminded me of why I love teaching at Graeme College. Although Bhato is a full-time professional with a packed schedule, this is what his three days at St John’s looked like: · Thursday, supporting the 1st team wearing his old GC jersey and giving of his time to chat to GC boys, parents and teachers. · Friday, joining the 1st team practice and assisting with coaching and motivation. · Saturday, being a water-boy for the 1st team. I was blown away by this. I asked myself, and others, what other young up-and-coming rugby stars in South Africa would have behaved in the way that he did? I don’t believe many, if any, would. To see Bhato running the line as a water-boy spoke volumes to me about who Bhato is, and what Graeme College is. For Bhato, it revealed his humility, his kindness and his passion for Graeme College. For Graeme College, it revealed that we are a family, we are united, we care, we love each other and we want each other to succeed.

I believe that these powerful currents extend way beyond rugby fields and that it flows through classrooms, choir and music rooms, hockey astros, squash courts, Grant House dorms and admin offices, amongst others. It speaks to who we are as a South African school and that we are succeeding across so many areas where we put our hands to work.

Virtute et Opera, Courage and Toil Mr Swift (Junior School HOD)