Founders Day 3 March 2016 (always the first Thursday in March) As has become tradition at Westerford, we celebrate the OW 50th rReunion group on this day; they are the special guests at the Founders Day ceremony. No doubt, they will enjoy reuniting with their classmates, reminiscing over tea, meeting current staff, touring the magnificent school grounds, watching the school DVD and seeing first-hand the many developments. This year we honour the Matrics of 1966. We also have the Matrics of 1961 joining us for their 55th Reunion, as well as a some from other years including some from the ‘original’ class of 1957. OWs are most welcome to attend the Founders Day service at 11.45 but please let Margie know if you are attending, as space is at a premium. Parking will be made available on the Top Field.

News from School Yet again our Matrics have done us proud. Yet again we are listed in the Provincial “Top Performing” Schools, achieving a 100% pass rate and a 99% Bachelor’s pass rate! This is a fine achievement; we are one of the few schools in the country that can boast these results on such a consistent basis. Congratulations to all our Matrics and thanks and praise to our teaching staff. Particular congratulations go to Shea Walls on being listed in the Provincial Top 20 Merit List. (A full summary of these outstanding results can be found elsewhere in this newsletter). To this we must add our congratulations to Mr Murray Gibbon (1990) and all at Claremont High School (particularly the Matrics of 2015, the inaugural Grade 8 class of 2011) for their stunning matric results: 100% pass-rate as well as 85% Bachelor’s pass-rate. Special congratulations to Tala Ross on the most stunning achievement of being placed third in the country!

OWA NEWSLETTER February2016

1966 Staff

NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE RESULTS 2015

At the 2015 NSC Awards Ceremony at Leeuwenhof, Westerford was, yet again, listed in the Top School category for “Excellence in Academic Performance in the Western Cape”. In this category awards were made to 22 top schools based on the following criteria: 1. Consistency in the number of Grade 12 candidates over a 3 year period. 2. An overall pass rate of over 95%. 3. The % of candidates with a Bachelor’s pass. (Over 90%) 4. The % of candidates with a pass in Maths (a % of the total matric class). (Over 60%) This year schools were not ranked but the 22 schools listed were the following: Bishops, Herschel, Herzlia, Paarl Boys’ Bloemhof, Paarl Girls’, DF Malan, Paarl Gym, Parel Vallei, Norman Henshilwood, Paul Roos, Rhenish, Rondebosch Boys’, Rustenberg Girls’, Sans Souci, SACS, Springfield, St Cyprian’s, St George’s, Westerford, Wynberg Boys’, Wynberg Girls’. All these schools can be extremely proud of the excellent results achieved by their pupils. A summary of the fantastic Westerford Results: Number of candidates: 182 Number of candidates who passed: 182 (100%) Number of candidates with Bachelor’s pass: 181 (99,5%) Number of Maths passes: 150 (100% pass; 82,4%% of matrics) Subject Averages:

Subject Wrote No. A s No. < 50% Average

ENGLISH 182 80 0 77,4% AFRIKAANS 177 74 4 76,6%

MATHS 150 59 12 73,7% MATHS LIT. 32 19 0 79,9% PHYS. SCIE. 124 48 7 73,5% LIFE SCIE. 146 71 9 75,8%

GEOGRAPHY 84 43 1 78,1% HISTORY 94 60 0 81,3%

ACCOUNTING 34 25 0 84,9% VISUAL ART 25 20 0 87,4% XHOSA FAL 5 0 0 69,2% XHOSA SAL 8 6 0 86,6%

MUSIC 10 8 0 81,8% FRENCH 18 16 0 84,8%

Snippets and OWs in the News The following e-mails were received from OWs with news, either of themselves or fellow OWs.

Colin Sylvester (1958) Colin Pat and I are now in New Zealand (thank you family and friends who have made this possible!) and we have already had an awesome time (ok, that's for the younger generation!) time both with family and in visiting beautiful places. What a privilege and joy it is to take Pat around, introducing her to my friends and to places which I enjoyed many years ago. Richard “Woggie “Abraham (1962) Woggie Some of the 1962 faithfuls met for lunch in 2015. We hope to see more of them at their 55th reunion in 2017! Dhiveshan Govender (1999) Dhiveshan Dhiveshan made contact with the OWA as he would love to connect with old classmates. Jonathan Argent (2003) Jonathan Jonathan spent a year at UCL writing a Commonwealth Scholarship exam, completed a Masters in Economics (after two Honours degrees at UCT in Finance and Economics). He worked for four years in Rwanda, for an NGO, and then for the World Bank. He is currently in Johannesburg as a management and economic consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. Brendan Argent (2005) Brendan Brendan has just handed in his PhD on wind energy. In 2013 he married and - together with his wife - is currently organising Cape Town’s first Swing Dance Festival. Both are passionate vegan activists. Lucy Argent (2007) Lucy Lucy is completing her Masters in History at UCT. She spent six months and Madison, Wisconsin, on an Exchange last year.

Western Warriors Waterpolo club Tel: 083 666 3040 Email: dean@warriorspolo.com Website : http://www.warriorspolo.com

Daniel Richards (2009) Daniel has a BA (Theatre & Performance, Cum Laude, University of Cape Town). He has been nominated for a Fleur du Cap award twice, has performed at international theatre festivals in the Czech Republic, the US and Zimbabwe, is the co-writer and performer in a much-acclaimed play on gangsterism called ‘Die Glas Ennie Draad’. Daniel is currently shooting a South African Afrikaans feature film, 'Johnny Is Nie Dood Nie' as well as an American produced dance movie franchise, 'Honey 3' He writes...”I had the privilege of meeting and interacting up close with Prince Harry during his visit to Cape Town. Prince Harry visited one of the projects of the Ruben Richards Foundation - an organisation founded by my father, a previous Chairman of Westerford High School Board of Governors.

From time to time I co-facilitate the workshops alongside my father. As the creative director of the RRF, I use theatre-skills during my workshops with the boys to help bring healing and to facilitate communicative skill development. On Monday 30 November 2015, my father received Prince Harry as the guest of the RRF. The main purpose of Prince Harry’s visit was to participate in a seminar with the boys and to hear their stories. My job, on the day, was to facilitate the ice-breaker for the seminar session - a warm up exercise. Prince Harry joined in on a quick body and vocal warm-up exercise with the boys before we sat down for an intimate engagement between the Prince and the boys. Prince Harry seems to be very down-to-earth and engages with everyone with whom he comes into contact. I can imagine this must get tiring because people horde him but he approaches his interactions with grace and charm. I can tell he has a naughty school-boy within him. He was very interested in how these juveniles got to where they are - in a lockup facility. The boys are at the Centre by virtue of a court order. They are too young for adult prison. Prince Harry offered some advice and guidance to the boys and commented on how easy it is to slip into mob behaviour and become part of a gang. The Prince seems most comfortable when having honest and casual conversations with people. He seems like the kind of person you could have a long conversation with in a coffee shop or at a bar, if you didn't know who he was. He is an open, engaging, personable and interesting individual. I hope I get to meet him again. What a day!” Alex Hawkins (1997) Alex “The Western Warriors Waterpolo Academy is the brain-child of directors Dean Rimmer and Alex Hawkins. With their combined coaching experience, they aim to solidify the game through providing skills-based training to players from the age of 9- years-old.” They currently coach from four Southern Suburbs schools and are fast expanding their reach.

The Tatler (January 2016)

Where are they now? Please let Margie know if you can help. “I am searching for a childhood friend with whom I lost touch a very long time ago. I was a student at Sans Souci while she attended Westerford. Her name was Daphne Jenkins (she had a younger sister, Linda Jenkins and an older sister Joan) She would have attended Westerfor around 1961 – 1965, if she matriculated. I believe her younger sister, Linda, also attended Westerford, but am not that certain that the eldest did as well, although the cobwebs of my memory suggest that she did. The older sister probably attended in the latter part of the 50's and she married a fellow with the surname "Camacho" Hoping that you can perhaps unearth some information on Daphne!” Avril Light (née Clifton) Accolades We are keeping a track of our illustrious OWs. See below for those who have received their PhDs and please let us know of any more whom we can add to the list. In the next newsletter we will highlight other areas of achievement. We will publish OWs achieving in Music, Art, Theatre, Business, Education, Environmental Affairs... and more. Watch this space! Surname

First Name

OW Year Field

Archer van Garderen Emma 1988 Geography

Argent Brendan 2005 Wind Energy

Becker (née de Kock) Danielle 2002 Art History

Bergman Dean 2004 Aerospace Engineering

Bergman Grant 2000 Buchanan (nee O'Connor) Helen 1980 Occupational Therapy

Cameron Robert 1975 Public Administration

Cooper Adam 1998 Education

Doherty Tanya 1993 International Health

Donnelly Simon 1985 Theretical Linguistics

Durrheim Raymond 1974 Exploration, Earthquake and Mining Seismology

Fagan Marijke 2004 Chemical Engineering

Faull Andrew 1997

Greyling CJ 1983

Hill Andrew 2000 Economics

Jawitz Jeff 1972

Joffe Sharon 1978 English

Joubert Alec 1986 Climate Change Science

Knott Brendon 1995 Sports Management

Lighton John 1970 Biophysics and Physiology

Lilienfeld (nee Smith) Margaret 1967 Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Overett Gary 1998 Software Engineering

Prinsloo Garielle 1994 Exercise Science

Starke Philip 1993 Electrical Engineering

Strassner Carola 1983 Home Economics and Nutrition Science

Valkin (nee Green) Connie 1964 Psychology

van Steen (nee Callanan) Linda 1990 Chemical Engineering

Warwick James 1985 Psychology

Winterbottom Rick 1962 Biology

Obituaries Lauren Keiser (2006) Lauren passed away tragically in a motor car accident on 1 January 2016. She was a sixth-year medical student. Our sincere condolences go to her family including her sister, Jemma (2012). Westerford and OW Merchandise Available from the OWA Office; please contact Margie owa@whs.wcape.school.za . OW Merchandise .

WHS Merchandise

Sports cushion The sports supporters’ cushion is R50

Umbrella We have a blue golf umbrella with two Westerford badges on it for R130.

The OW tie is R150

The OW scarf is R80

WHS Jacket Waterproof, fleece-lined, hood. WHS badge with “Westerford Supporter”. R300

OWA Jacket Waterproof, fleece-lined, hood. OWA logo and “Old Westerfordians”. R300

1966 Founders Day Thursday 3 March 2016 50th Reunion Tea / Assembly / Lunch / School tour / DVD 10h30 –14h30 Daphne Commin (nee Mercer) daphne.commin@gmail.com Erik van Vlaanderen erik@4digroup.com John Cowlin tshaya@iafrica.com 1961 Founders Day 3 March 2016 55th Reunion Friday 4 March 2016 Kelvin Grove formal dinner Saturday 5 March 2016 Chestnut Grove 12h30 Braai Jeff Herringer Jeffo_H@mweb.co.za 1986 30th Reunion December Tim Short tshort@gpx.co.za

Dave Thompson Teacher-in-charge of the OWA DT@westerford.co.za

Margie Hiscock (OW 1979) OWA Secretary and Archivist OWA@westerford.co.za

2016 Reunion contact details

The OWs of 1986 are looking for two DVDs x Guys and Dolls (1984) x West Side Story (1985)

Please contact Margie if you have them in any format and we will arrange to copy and reformat them.