Wynberg Boys' High School
| Wynberg Boys' High School | |
|---|---|
 Supera Moras Overcoming Difficulties | |
| Location | |
| Cape Town, South Africa | |
| Coordinates | 33°59′47″S 18°27′32″E / 33.99639°S 18.45889°ECoordinates: 33°59′47″S 18°27′32″E / 33.99639°S 18.45889°E |
| Information | |
| Type | All Boys High School |
| Established | 27 August 1841 |
| Headmaster | Jan de Waal |
| Enrollment | 850 |
| Houses |
De Waal Wellington Rhodes Van Riebeeck Littlewood De Villiers McNaughton Lorie |
| Colour(s) | Blue |
| Former pupils | Old Wynbergians |
| Publication(s) | The School Magazine, The Wynbergian |
| Website | http://www.wbhs.org.za/ |
Wynberg Boys' High School is a traditional boys' school in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, founded in 1841. The second oldest school in South Africa, it is the alma mater of sportsmen such as Jacques Kallis.
History
In 1841 John McNaughton re-opened the doors of his new school, the ‘Established School at Wynberg"[1] in Glebe Cottage to sixteen pupils.[2] McNaughton had to share the cottage with the Lady D’Urban School of Industry for young ladies.[1]
Initially a co-educational school it became boys only in 1853.[1] The senior and junior schools operated as one school until 1943 when the Junior School separated from the High School.[3]
In 1845 the school moved to Bryndewyn Cottage', at the corner of Aliwal and Tennant Roads in Wynberg. In 1863 the Government decided to relegate the school to status of "second class elementary school" and the headmaster, Mr. MacNaughton was instructed to close on 27 February 1863.[4] Permission was granted to change Wynberg Boys to a private school on 2 March 1863.
In 1876 a building was purchased from the Higgs estate and in 1891 Sir Herbert Baker designed new school buildings which were opened in 1892.[4] In 1980 the school moved to its current site on the Hawthornden Estate in Wynberg.[4]
There are two school museums as well as in the two books written on Wynberg: 'The History of a School' (1961) by Doug Thompson who was a teacher of English at the school and 'A School Reflects' (1991) by Old Boy Roger Goodwin.
The School's motto 'Supera Moras' can be translated literally from the Latin as 'Overcome Difficulties'.
Sporting Activities
Wynberg Boys' High School has a competitive sporting tradition and the students take part in sporting competitions with schools from the areas, Western Cape and sometimes from other parts of South Africa, as well as occasional competitions with visiting teams from other countries. Wynberg regularly competes with Rondebosch Boys' High School, Diocesan College and Paul Roos Gymnasium as well as South African College Schools.
The school offers sporting facilities such as an astro turf, a swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, four rugby fields, and the WBHS cricket field renamed in 2010 as "The Jacques Kallis Oval" in honour of World cricketer of the year and a former Wynberg Boy.
Cultural Activities
The WBHS choir has a large reportoire of songs ranging from jazz to classical. Choir members are offered professional vocal training in order to learn and improve special techniques. In addition to the choir, WBHS has three school bands, namely the Concert Band, the Steel Band and the Jazz Band. Recently, the Wynberg Boys' and Girls' High bands have joined to form the Combined Band playing at many Inter-school events.
Every year Wynberg Boys' High School holds a memorial day in which the founding of the school is celebrated. The school also pays tribute to Wynberg Old Boys who died fighting in World War I, World War II and the South African Border War. In World War I, 42 Wynberg Old Boys were killed.[5]
Notable Old Boys
Cricket
- Jacques Kallis, South African cricketer
- Allan Lamb, England cricketer
- Garth Le Roux, South African cricketer
- Charl Willoughby, South African cricketer
- Shadley van Schalkwyk, Chevrolet Knights cricketer
- Dominic Telo, Cape Cobras and Derbyshire cricketer
- Richard Levi, Cape Cobras cricketer and South African cricketer
Hockey
- Wayne Denne, South African Hockey Team
- Rhett Halkett, South Africa Hockey Captain 2013
- Lloyd Norris-Jones, South African Hockey Team
- Ian Haley, South African Hockey Team
Other
- Vic Clapham, founder of the Comrades Marathon
- Hendrik Verwoerd, Former Prime Minister of South Africa [6]
- Andrew Feinstein, South African politician
- Michael Gelfand, distinguished Professor of tropical medicine
- Rob Louw, Springbok rugby flank (1980-84)
- Gary Gold, Former Springbok, Western Province rugby coach, Current Head coach at Bath Rugby
Notable Staff
- Jani Allan, columnist and radio commentator
References
- 1 2 3 "Wynberb Boys Junior School". Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ↑ Thomson, D.H. (1960). The Story of a School: A Short History of the Wynberg Boys' High School. Wynberg.
- ↑ "Our History". Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Wynberg Old Boys Union". Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ↑ Lambert, John (2004). "'Munition Factories … Turning Out a Constant Supply of Living Material': White South African Elite Boys' Schools and the First World War". South African Historical Journal. 51 (1): 67–86. doi:10.1080/02582470409464830.
- ↑ "Archive for Wynberg Boys' High School". ancestory24. ancestory24. Retrieved 7 September 2013.