Boishaaier 2018

There’s only one way you’ll really understand

’n Ballade van Boys’ High Onthou jy nog die dae? Ek onthou! Ek onthou! Toe ons ook hier gedra het Die Blou-en-wit-en-blou? Onthou jy nog die name? Ek onthou! Ek onthou! Magnus, en Mellville, en Martin, Kretzen, en Koekie, en Custard, En Jannie Briers-Louw Onthou jy ons menere? Ek onthou! Ek onthou! Pauwtjie, en Koper, en Steely En Obie - Mister “0” En wat hul ons geleer het? Ek vergeet! Ek vergeet! Das Wasser, King Lear, amoebas, En hoe om daai hoeke te meet Pappa was nie net ’n meester Maar ’n draer van Boys’ High kultuur: “Ek ken jou neefs, jou familie, Jou vader se foto hang hier” Our master of music was Allie He led us for periods long, And if you listen, - and listen,- and - listen You might still hear our song lnterschools - playing and singing Some things stay the same: Not only – “Who won it or lost it –

Interschools The Gymmies came down like a wolf on the fold, In their togs they were gleaming, their faces were bold; And the sight of their armour was dreadful to see As forward they rolled on that fateful day “D” Like the leaves of the forest their jerseys were green That bost with their togs the Boys’ High had seen: Like the leaves of the forest the Gymmies have flown And all that remains lies wither’d and strown. For the Boys’ Highers attacked from the very first blast And hammered the Gymmies till they couldn’t last; And the eyes of the Gymmies were frightened and chill, For their spirits were sinking—and sank lower still! And there was Gymnasium just licked to the wide, Defeated and battered was their loyal captain’s pride; The battle-scarr’d remnants lay stiff on the turf Ineffective a bastion as the Normandy surf. And there stood the captain, disordered and pale, With sweat on his brow and droop of his tail; About him lay his henchmen down-trodden and lone, Their hands were uplifted— their faces like stone. And people of Gymnasium how loudly they wailed, For they heard Boishaai cheers, and they knew they had failed; And the might of the Gymmies was melted like snow, So praise be to Boishaai, their invincible foe! SW VAN DER MERWE (1944) After a blur of events, the first day of school started and everything started to fall into place: standing up and greeting, being polite, traditions of in- terschools all became part of me, which was completely different – watch- ing the blue blazers from the stand is totally different from being in there and experiencing it for yourself. It is something you’ll only understand when you’re a part of it. And although I didn’t enjoy the “orientation camp” I feel that it made my journey into Boys’ High all the more interesting and eventful. BY NICOLÁS DU TOIT Being in Boys’ High is completely different to the outside perceptions often formed. I had heard about it all my life – my father had gone there, my grandad had been a teacher there; so, one way or another, I felt as if I was part of this “group” of people wearing a striped blue blazer so proudly and passionately. As I grew older, I started to understand more and more of what they did – oddly becoming so energetic in early August, as they dressed the town up in their three colours. And then watching interschools as an “outsider” – so many people in blue lined up on the benches and singing their lungs out, declaring the game theirs. Then there was the drumline. Being very young, I thought it would take forever to learn and master the intricate and complex rhythms of the drumline (I still do!), which seemed to make ocean of blue even prouder. Then, of course, there was Mr Visagie, an icon of Boys’ High – in the way which people portrayed him, I imagined him to be a ferocious, angry man, with an appetite for, well, most know for what. I did my interview with Mr Visagie and I was quite confused when I met a polite, very friendly man. I was beginning to reconsider the stories of Boys’ High and its “harshness”. My years of high school might not be as bad I thought it would be. Well, that was until the two days just before the first day of school … The day started peacefully, but I can honestly say it was the longest day of my life. I felt small as I said goodbye to my parents and walked down the stairs towards the many others dressed just like me. Everything just started rolling downhill from there. Climbing the mountain, carrying the pole, which seemed to make the mountain higher. The succession of in- tense parade on the mountain which pushed me to my limits and beyond. Each minute felt like an eternity, while the sweat dripped slowly down my face, almost reluctant to fall to the ground and the breaths now forced in and out of my burning lungs making my heart beat louder and faster as the sound moved through me. The worst part, though, is the night of “hell” with no sleep.

But - how we played the game” En nou is ons almal óu bome Ons takke en blare maar flou

Ons wortels die dra ons met moeite En óns kleure is grys-wit-en-grou MAAR - ons was ook eens takkies Ek onthou! Ek onthou! En binne-in elkeen klop nog Die Blou, - en die wit, - en die blou. L KAMFER by geleentheid van 50-jaar re-unie van die 1949 matrieks (1999)

First Impressions Like any other school Boys’ High has its own, peculiar “character”; and one of the outstanding qualities of Boys’ High is that it leaves a stamp on its pupils and teachers which never disappears. The ma- turity of the boys, the enterprise they display, their courtesy and fine spirit of sportsmanship, mould the new-comer and leave an indelible imprint on him. Possible reasons for this “moulding capacity” of Boys’ Highmay per- haps be found in the fact that the 201 boarders come from the four points of the compass; that Afrikaans- and English-speaking boys mix freely on the school grounds and sports fields; that the intel- lectual potential of the pupils is perhaps slightly above average; and, last but not least, that the strong bond of mutual respect which ex- ists between staff and pupils have made Boys’ High a most effective educational unity and an excellent starting point for advanced study. The assertion that Boys’ High prepares its pupils well for Univer- sity and other forms of higher education, furthermore rests on the following facts: the school offers a wide range of academic and practical subjects; senior pupils have the opportunity of selecting subjects which form a suitable basis for the different fields of ad- vanced study, e.g. Physical Science, Biology and Mathematics for Baccalaureates in Medicine, Science and Engineering; Agriculture andMathematics for a degree course in Agriculture; Latin and His- tory or Bookkeeping and Mathematics for degree courses in Law or Commerce, etc. On the new-comer Boys’ High leaves the vivid impression that it is a privilege for any boy to be educated here, and an honour to be a member of the staff. PS MEYER – HEADMASTER (1962)

BOISHAAIER 2018 / Van Toeka Tot Nou

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BOISHAAI 150 YEARS