Boishaaier 2023

Message from the Headboy 2023

To the class of 2023: my last wish for every single one of you is that you will never forget where you came from and what forged you into the young man you are today. May you never forget the first time you wore the blue blazer or the last time we sang the school song with the first team.

Aan Roux en die klas van 2024: Ons gee nou die stokkie aan julle oor met die wete dat julle elke man wat al die voorreg gehad het om die gestreepte baadjie te dra, ongelooflik trots sal maak. Julle is ’n besonderse groep seuns wat ons reg deur die jaar ondersteun het in alles wat ons aangepak het. Baie mense gaan julle onderskat, maar ek het geen twyfel dat julle die skool volgende jaar tot nuwe hoogtes sal neem nie. Sterkte met alles en geniet elke oomblik; as jy jou oë uitvee, is alles weer verby. To the class of 2023: my last wish for every single one of you is that you will never forget where you came from and what forged you into the young man you are today. May you never forget the first time you wore the blue blazer or the last time we sang the school song with the first team. May we never forget the parades on the field or the sing songs in the hall. May we never forget our traditions and values, and may you never forget the face of a brother who carried you on his shoulders the past five years. Paarl Boys’ High has taught us everything we need to take the world by storm. Set out into the world and be the best in everything you do; chase everything you’ve ever dreamed of and become the greatest man your bloodline has ever seen. And when you feel lost, the comfort of a brother is only one phone call away.

I want to leave you with the following: you are allowed to grieve what was, while still having hope that, just because the beautiful parts of the past cannot be repeated or replaced, it does not mean you cannot have a beautiful future that will be meaningful and special in its own way. You might not bond with new people in the same way you did the past five years, but that friendship can still be beautiful. You might not see how anything

could ever compare to that one day, that brother or that one moment, but you can still find purpose in the present moment. Yes, the future will look different from the past, but perhaps that can be a beautiful thing. This is not the end: just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. In five years’ time the blue blazer will bring us together once more as we reunite to revisit the countless moments that became memories; memories that become treasures. Manne, ons vyf jaar het nou tot ’n einde gekom en elke liewe sekonde saam met julle was ’n absolute eer en voorreg gewees. En ek sal dit saam met niemand anders wou doen nie. The twig became a tree. Dankie.

BOISHAAI 155 YEARS 15