nash newsflash 8

8/3/2019 Nash Newsflash 8

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/nash-newsflash-8 1/4

17 October 2011 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1

Dear Parents

Greetings from the Nash Clan!

At last it‟s here! I know that you must have given up hope of ever seeing another Nash Flash,

but you are not dreaming. I can offer all sorts of excuses for why I did not manage to get a

newsletter out sooner, but suffice it to say that I have discovered how running the biggest

boarding house in the school plays havoc on any plans one might have made for the evening.

Those unexpected knocks on the door which heralds the latest crisis in a boy‟s life, real or

imagined, soon does away with any good intentions.

But enough of this; let me rather bring you the latest news from Nash. I am sure you will

enjoy hearing something of what your sons experience here.

The Remove Camp

This remains one of my favourite camps at St John‟s. Not because I am pleased to be away from home, but rather

because I really enjoy meeting the new youngsters in the school and the House, to talk with them about this and that

and nothing in particular (and yes, they do sometimes reveal all sorts of things about Mom and Dad!) and to see how

they tackle and manage the various tasks and challenges which they are given.

Once again we have a terrific group of Remove boys in Nash and I know that they will reach all sorts of highs at St

John‟s. The boys instantly made friends and worked very well together during the tasks which required group work

and co-operative thinking. I know they all enjoyed the camp and will end up speaking about it for years to come!

Interhouse Swimming

For the second year in a row, Nash walked off with the swimming

honours. However, it was not easy and our boys had us chewing our

fingernails right to the end. Our winning margin of 9 points was far

from comfortable, but a win is a win and we were all too happy to

take it! I thank all our swimmers again for their participation andespecially for the fact that they fought heart and soul for every point.

It was wonderful to see that competitive energy in the pool. It was

also gratifying to note the wonderful support and encouragement

from the rest of the House which inspired our swimmers to return the

trophy to our cabinet.

Interhouse Music

Sweet, sweet, sweet!!! Sweet was the victory at this year‟s interhouse music competition.

Last year we had to play second fiddle, but this year our musicians pulled out all the stops

and broke the points record Nash set in 2009. I commend our musicians who rehearsed solong and hard and sacrificed so much time to make a success of the evening. The mass

participation item delivered stiff competition, but the Nash boys sang with so much passion

that I got goosebumps! They truly deserved their victory.



Special mention must be made of Daniel Arnot and Reshard Kolabhai. Daniel sang like an angel and many moms

were brought close to tears (my wife was amongst those

who could not hold back their tears). Together with the

other musicians, Daniel ensured that we won the

instrumental section.

Reshard was the brain, heart and soul of the entire

competition. He handpicked all the vocalists and

instrumentalists and rehearsed for hours and hours until

he was satisfied. I thank him for his dedication and

energy and congratulate him on his achievement. We

will certainly miss him in 2012.

Nash Staff

By now you ought to know that Mr Matt Taylor has left Nash after serving as Deputy Housemaster to take up the reins

as Housemaster of Hodgson. I thank him for his valuable service to Nash during his

tenure and I am sure all the boys will join me in wishing him everything of the best

as he takes up his new challenge next door. I know that he will be a great

Housemaster and very successful.

We welcome and congratulate Mr Craig Milligan as our new Deputy Housemaster. I

trust that he and his wife will be very happy in Nash. He has taken up his position

with enthusiasm and has already made his mark as someone who is dependable and

resourceful. I know that we are going to work well together and that he is an asset to

Nash. Mr Milligan has also replaced Mr Martin Huysamer as the tutor for the Matric

group.

It is also a pleasure to welcome Mr Robert Garura to Nash. He is serving as the new

tutor for the Lower Fours together with Mrs Inez Malan and has quickly found his feet and proved to be a verypositive person with whom the boys can identify. We look

forward to his contributions to Nash.

Nash Cleaning Staff

Allow me to introduce Nash House‟s cleaners. They are a

wonderful group of people, responsible for the cleaning of

the the rooms, bathrooms and corridors as well as the

common room. On top of that they also wash and iron all

the boys‟ laundry on a daily basis, which is no mean task! I

know that the boys are very grateful for what this teamdoes for them. They are Morris Bila, Sarah Machwisa,

Mildred Faye and Tembi Mhlongo.

McDonald Day

Good deeds deserve to be rewarded! After the boys had performed so well in the house gala and music competition, I

decided that they deserved to be spoiled a little. We all know that the road to a boy‟s heart lies through his stomache

and therefore Mariolette and I decided to buy every boy in the House a McDonald meal. I thank her for buying the

meals, organizing the setting out of the tables and the distribution of the meals to the boys while I was locked into ameeting which I could not miss. Without her, Nash would definitely not be as successful as it is



New Nash Boys

It is a pleasure to welcome the following group of boys to Nash after having seen the light and transferred from other

houses. Each one has settled in well and is contributing valuably to the success of their new house. I know that theywill never forget their stay in Nash House.

Bingo and Pancake Evening

Our first opportunity to socialise with the parents was our Bingo and Pancake

Evening, and just like last year this was a resounding success. The boys had a

great time and the parents who attended even more. To those parents who could

not attend, it would be wonderful to see you at one or more of the three

remaining functions coming up this term. The next opportunity is our popular 30

Seconds evening and I hope that many of you can make it. Remember, the

parents have been challenged to dethrone the boys as reigning champions!

Nash Father and Son Golf Day

The last of our get-togethers is our Nash Father and Son Golf Day. It has become

an institution and every year grows bigger and bigger. I invite all the dads,

moms, grandparents, uncles and aunts and Old Nash boys to come and enjoy the

day with us. I will send out more details later this term, but pencil in the date in

the meantime - it is really a day not to be missed!

When: 24 October 2011

Where: Observatory Golf Course

Nash Achievers

I congratulate and thank all the boys involved in the

House Plays Festival this year. Once again, our boys

displayed an enormous amount of hard work and

dedication to make a success of their production. In

particular, I want to single out Kai Brummer, Nick

Reid, Murray Dryden and Christian Kocher who

delivered outstanding performances. Nash is veryproud of you and the very high standard of your acting.

Well done, men!



After submitting a proposal to the College Executive, Rashard Kolabhai has been appointed as the College‟s first

„Custos‟. The office-bearer will have the responsibility to guard the historical traditions, customs and standards of St

John‟s and to defend them against erosion and neglect. This includes an awareness of the maintenance of our

wonderful buildings and grounds. I am very proud of Rashard‟s initiative and I congratulate him for having

established this position. I know that he carries the interests of the College close to his heart and that he has already

performed his new duties with diligence and enthusiasm.

Peter Raney‟s science expo project won first prize in South Africa and with his partner Schalk Burger went off to New

York. I know that they learned a great deal overseas and enjoyed every moment of it. Congratulations - we are very

proud of you.

Sean Wynne is developing into a very good DJ. He made the finals of UJFM‟s “Can you rock the party?” competition

and I congratulate him and wish him success in his DJ career.

The following boys achieved sporting success

Gianni Mbayo – Golden Lions Rugby

Academy Side

Charles Verwer – Colours for swimming

Andrew Williamson – Golf A-side, playing

in Sun City Tournament

Bradley Dial – Gauteng U18 A-Squash

Team.

Tyrone Dial – Gauteng U16 A-Squash Team

Fantastic, men! Keep it up!

Housekeeping Matters

Again a reminder to our boarding parents:

Boys must arrive for boarding in their number one‟s with no exceptions, please.

Boys only have the choice to return to boarding either on a Sunday evening or Monday morning after a

weekend in term. After a holiday (i.e. at the beginning of a new term), they do not have a choice and they

must return to boarding by 17:45 on the day before term begins.

Quote for the Last Term

Remember boys (especially the Matrics) “the wishbone can never replace the backbone” and if you want good marks

you will have to work very hard.

Parents, we are thundering into the final term of the year. The academic pressure is enormous on the seniors: theMatrics left us after five weeks to prepare for their Finals and the Lower Fives should be pulling out all the stops in

order to deliver their very best at the end of the year in order to stand the best chance for provisional acceptance at the

faculties of their choice. It is a stressful time of the year and I thank you for supporting us in our shared task of

ensuring that our boys are as well-equipped as they can be to take on these challenges.

Thank you, too, for the trust and support which I get from you, and a special vote of thanks to our boarding house

manager, my wife, who supports me so wonderfully in my task as Housemaster. Without her I doubt that I could

sustain the effort required to be successful in this position.

Nash Greetings

Chris Bossert

nash newsflash 8

Documents