Dear SACS 1969 Trust
2017, a year filled with challenges, great experiences and memories which I will never forget.
The year started off with me and a few others getting chosen to move on and reside at Rosedale. Rosedale was very different from Michaelis hostel as it was much bigger and offered a gym which was going to be more beneficial as the year progressed. At Rosedale, we got to know the older grades better and live in a much more mature and controlled environment.
Academics kicked off and we were introduced to our new teachers and given textbooks needed for the year. Throughout all my subjects, I did find Natural Science a bit challenging despite Maths and my marks dropping in the third term. History was my most enjoyable subject including English and Afrikaans. I could easily relate to the work we did in History and our English orals also related to what we did in History which was based on apartheid.
Sports and cultural activities kicked off and I tried to involve myself in all spheres of cultural activities. I joined the African Society where I took part in dancing and singing and we would go on to attend cultural evenings at Wynberg Girls & Boys, Herschel, Springfield and many more. Other schools did poetry in Xhosa and did motivational poems etc.
Sports was yet another highlight of my high school year. It started off in late 2016 when preseason started. Preseason continued on till we played our actual first game, which was at a Paarl Boys Festival. We won all three games and started off the season unbeaten. The season kicked off and the most memorable game was the derby against Bishops who this season had only lost two games. They beat us away and the home fixture was a different result. We went down in the first half 20-0 and it took great character and dedication and we pilled on the pressure and ended up winning 22-20. The season ended with me and 6 other SACS BOYS who got chosen to go to WP High-Performance trials. 3 SACS BOYS were chosen in the final squad of 45 and I was one of them. I viewed this as a great achievement but yet I kept humble and still focused on my sports duties at school (basketball) and kept my head low.
We ended our rugby season with 18 games played and 5 lost to (Paarl Boys, Bishops, Paarl Gym, Paul Roos and Oakdale).
Hostel dinner was held in the second week before school closed. We celebrated the farewell of our Matrics and they announced the new hostel prefects.
I would like to thank each and every one of the 1969 Old Boys Trustees for gifting me with this great scholarship where I’m able to learn and have a solid education in a protected and safe environment. I’m forever grateful and thankful. And to Tessa Smit, thanks for always coming to check up on us, it’s highly appreciated, the pies and the great biscuits you bring us always make our weeks shine a bit better.
Hlumelo Ntweni