class of 73 newsletter - print version

8/14/2019 Class of 73 newsletter - print version

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“You don’t need permission to have a reunion. Just do

it. This is your school. This is part of your history. This ispart of the rich tapestry you have laid out for us as a new

generaon of teachers to take forward.” That is how NHS

headmaster, Mr. Manuel Govender, welcomed the Class

of 73 to their 40-year Matric Reunion in mid-October.

The event was held at the Grey Goose Lodge just out-

side Newcastle over the weekend of 18 and 19 Octo-

ber. Almost 100 guests and matrics of the Class of 73

aended the event, where “the good old years” were

remembered. Many a friendship was renewed and new

memories made.

Several teachers also aended the reunion. Among them

were Mrs. Minda van Rooyen, a Class Two teacher at the

Infant School way back in 1963, now a sprightly 86 years

of age. Who can forget Mrs. Beth Fourie, the high school

music teacher, now in her late eighes, who also aend-

ed. Other teachers who were also present included Cas

Vorster, Jannie Haarho and Lee Engelbrecht, as well as

the present deputy headteacher, Muggie Liebenberg.

Mr. Govender recalled entries from the headmaster of

73’s journal and came to the conclusion that: “Julle was

stout. Julle was baie stout!” He cited from the journalthat an unnamed Matric pupil was caught vising the

Newcastle Show and that he had used some alcohol

while there. He then mused that 40 years have passed

and very lile changed in that respect. “Educaon stays

the same. Schools stay the same,” concluded Mr. Goven-

der.

He stressed the symbolism of the number “40” and said

40 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG

the Class of 73 has “served their own 40 years

in the wilderness” and have found their own

oases. “You have had adventures you never

dreamed of. You have had experiences that

have changed you forever. You have made amark in the history of Newcastle High School.”

He went on to say that he always told the sta

and learners “we have to remember where

the school came from. Your associaon with

the school will always be welcome,” said Mr.

Govender.

Former headboy John van Rooyen and the

organizer of the reunion, Johan Kor, had the

guests in stches recalling anecdotes from the

past.

One remark made by many at the reunion was

that they shouldn’t wait 10 years for the next

event, but that a 45th reunion sounded like an

excellent idea.Christelle Adendorff with Mrs. Minda van Rooyen, a former teacher

of hers in the Infant School.

Mr. Govender delivering his welcoming address. His ob-

servation was that, over the years, very litle has changed

in education. “Education stays the same. Schools stay the

same.”

“You have had experiencesthat have changed you

forever. You have made amark in the history of New-

castle High School”



The playground games “king” and

“overs” never achieved Olympic sta-

tus, but boy, did the kids of the Junior

School have fun playing them those

many years ago!

And during the 40th Matric reunionthey tried their hand at “overs”

again.….but this me with much less

success than they had 45 years ago.

“What on earth is overs?” I hear you

ask. Well, it simply means that two

teams of players stand on either side

of the school’s outside toilets and

throw a tennis ball “over” the out-

building’s roof, catching it at the other

side. Hence the creave name of

“overs”.

On Reunion Saturday the 50-some-

thing-year-old “kids” gathered around

the toilets again and re-enacted a

symbolic game of overs, but most of

them had lost their skills. In fact, it

was only Tersia Robbertse who man-

aged to lob the ball over the roof.

Dit was ook heerlik vir die oud-leerlinge om weer in

hulle skoolbanke te sit en die atmosfeer in te drink. Wat

merkwaardig is, is dat dit waarskynlik dieselfde banke

is waarin hulle 45-plus jaar gelede gesit het wat oor die jare herhaaldelik sorgvuldig gerestoureer is.

Die hele groep is dankbaar vir die gasvryheid waarmee

die skoolhoof, André Spies, hulle ontvang het. Hulle het

ook ‘n draai by die Bewaarskool (nou die Bytjie-skool)

gemaak, waar Alecia Raubenheimer die hoof is. Op die

volgende bladsy verskyn ‘n paar van die fotos wat die

Saterdagoggend geneem is.

NOSTALGIA DURING JUNIOR SCHOOL VISIT

Wilna van Deventer, Anneke van

Vuuren en Karina van Zyl wonder hoe

om die rumoerige klas tot bedaring te

bring.

Mens kan sommer sien Anneke en

Kariena is altwee onnies. Uitskryfwerk

sal nie help nie, so dis kantoor toe

met die voorbokke!

Annamarie O’Reilly checking what’s on her sandwiches. Martie Bosman, Jo-

han Korff, Christelle Adendorff and Tersia Robbertse wonder whether she’ll

share.

On Reunion Saturday the50-something-year-old “kids”gathered around the toiletsagain and re-enacted a sym-bolic game of overs



Weg is die Bewaarskool se

swartbord en kryt. Nuwe

tegnologie het klasgee baie

vergemaklik en dinge word

nou elektronies gedoen.

Wonder net wat gooi die juf-

frou nou na klein Elwin as hy

nie aandag gee nie. ‘n iPad?

Die skoolhoof van die Juniorskool,

André Spies, saam met die Afri-

kaanse Standerd 5-groep voor hulle

klaskamer van destyds.

Die klas was gesluit maar André sê

alles is nog net soos destyds, die

valdeur in die vloer inkluis.

So stil soos muise sit die klomp-

ie in een van die klassies by die

Bewaarskool.



“WELCOME BACK CLASS OF ‘73”“Welcome back Class of ‘73”. That’s

the message on the large electronic

billboard that greeted the reunion

group as they arrived at NHS on Satur-

day aernoon.

They were there to visit their alma ma-

ter again and rekindle old memories.

Memories such as those documented

in the school’s journal and the register

recording the punishment meted out

to errant pupils.

They also went to remember their

friends who had passed on. In com-

memoraon of them they released 73

black, white and yellow balloons to

soar away over the school. There were

very few dry eyes aer this srring

ceremony.

On the rest of this page we show some

of those memories in picture form.

The visitors to the high school posing in front of the electronic billboard

welcoming them back.

It was a poignant moment when the Class of 73 released bal-

loons to remember their class mates who had passed on.

Bennie Pienaar, who ew in all the way from

New Zealand to be with his old chums in the

Class of 73. With him is Martie Bosman.

The old school

hall is now a

media centre.

The school

building is

hardly recog-

nisable with all

the additionsand improve-

ments.



FOTOS VAN DIE HOOFFUNKSIE

Die nege was hulle hele skoolloopbaan

saam. Hulle is Harry de Jager, Corrie

Meyer, Wilna van Deventer, Johan Korff,

Martie Bosman, Eugene Hattingh, Douw

Willemse, Annamarie O’Reilly en Flippie

Joubert.

If Louis Joubert is in the photo-

graph, who’s behind the controls

of his camera?

From the left are Rob Ritchie,

Anne Rawlings, Delza Botha,

Leigh Jeans, Helen Kruger, Issie

Dicks and Louis.

The happy faces of the ladies from the

English Matric class. In the usual order

are Issie Dicks, Helen Kruger, Bernice

Mason, Leigh Jeans and Anne Raw-

lings.



THARRIE DINK AAN KLAS VAN 73

RETHA ALLISON’S MESSAGE

Mag dit ‘n wonderlike naweek wees. Mag dit ‘n naweek wees van lag en heimweë. Nie ‘n naweek van onthou wat

liewers nêrens moes uitkom nie. Nie ‘n naweek van bierheid en van vergelyk wat nie gedoen is met drome nie. Mag

dit ‘n naweek wees van dankbaarheid oor dit wat ander bereik het. Mag dit ‘n tyd wees om saam met mekaar bly te

wees. Om saam te geniet die tye wat miskien grys was, en ander weer ‘n reënboog van goedheid. Dankie vir dae wat

ons gespaar is, vir die tye waar ons mekaar gehelp het, dit wat ons geleer het van mekaar en om vir mekaar te sê:

Dankie! Dankie dat jy saam met my hierdie pad geloop het van “haasbekkie” tot “hormone-buite-beheer”!

Dankie julle almal vir hierdie herinneringe. En dank die Vader dat elkeen van julle op my pad gesit is. Mag Hy sy goed-

heid oor julle uitstort!

Dankie Klas van 73! Ek wil asseblief alles hoor wat gebeur het! En foto’s sien!

Drukkies en liefde,

Tharrie (Dreyer) Zietsman

Dear 1973 Matrics, 2013’s successful, mature adults,

40 years ago you were on the very brink of your future lives, not knowing quite what to expect and some of you proba-

bly very unsure of what the future held for you. I was younger then than you are now, and I was entering a new phase

of my life: married with two small children and a career which I loved and all the ramicaons which the job entailed.Somehow we all managed to deal with whatever faced us, and now you are the adults that emerged from those some-

mes confused teenagers. By now you will have achieved most, if not all of your goals and you are seled in your own

homes with beauful families and hopefully fullling careers. I can almost imagine the conversaons which are to take

place at the reunion while you catch up with each others’ lives. I wish I could eavesdrop on you!

I would have loved to be with you this evening as I would love to hear all about your lives and your achievements,

which I am sure are many. I have some contact with a few of you via Facebook and I enjoy that interacon thoroughly.

I hope that your reunion is all you wish it to be: you will nd that the years in between just disappear and you are back

to the friends you were way back then. That is the wonder of true friendship – it never goes away and the bonds that

you forged in 1973 sll remain intact. May you all have a wonderful evening. I shall be thinking of you with great fond-

ness because even if I was a dragon in those days, I loved you all and enjoyed every minute of teaching my favourite

subject (even if you did not agree)! I send you much love and a warm invitaon to any one of you who may be in theEastern Cape at any me to call and see me in Port Alfred where you will be most welcome.

Bless you all and may your lives connue to prosper and always be lled with happiness and love.

Retha Allison

REüNIE BEGIN OP HOë NOOTDis Vrydagaand 18:30 en die eerste gaste kom by Newcastle Country Lodge aan. Hulle beloer mekaar ongemerk en

mens kan byna hoor hoe hulle name by die gesigte probeer pas. Gesigte wat hulle in baie gevalle 40 jaar gelede ge-

sien het. Name wat al byna vergete is. Dankie tog vir die naamkaartjies en leesbrille!

Ander het mekaar by die 25-jarige reünie raakgeloop, maar selfs hulle sukkel plek-plek, want almal is nou of gryser

of blesser of dikker of meer vol plooie! Uiteindelik is die herontmoeng agter die blad en die groot kuier en gesels

begin. “Waar bly julle nou?” “Wat het van so-en-so geword?” “Waar’s die ou van Nieu-Seeland?” “Daar staan hy. Jyonthou mos vir Bennie Pienaar?” “Ek wonder of hy nog vir die ‘Bokke skree?” “Kyk, daar’s Mnr. Kooyman, Mnr. Haar-

hof en Mnr. Van Niekerk!”

Teen middernag hang daar nog ‘n paar vasbyters rond wat stories uitruil oor hulle skooldae. Uiteindelik word dit sl

en die ouens wat gehelp het met die reëlings sug tevrede. Die maande se harde werk was die moeite werd. Maar

more lê nog voor.

Dankie aan al my helpers, Mare, Wilna, Tersia, Japie, Arrie en André. Sonder julle hulp en bydraes sou die reünie

“geop” het. Ook dankie aan my vennoot van Mwelase Kore vir sy borgskap wat die koste help laag hou het.

Johan Korff, “Projekbestuurder”

class of 73 newsletter - print version

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