La Rochelle 2021

L A R R I E S G R O E T

Before I go over the word limit as I have warned thousands of learners not to do over the years, let me summarise as follows: More than ten things I love about La Rochelle (aka wonderful memories I shall treasure forever): The tremendous spirit – ‘die onblusbare en onstuitbare gees’ – the girls can generate inminutes; the famous saying ‘Larries don’t sweat, they sparkle’; the glorious victories at 4G; co-hosting the best All Girls’ Festival ever; climbing every mountain with the intrepid members of the Outdoor Club; the various magical musical evenings; the angelic voices of the choirs and ensembles; the unbelievable artistic talents of so many; the community service offered by various societies; the contagious laughter in the passages and the quad; the fun times such as ‘Valentine’s Days’, ‘Civvies Days’ and ‘Forty Days’; the soft touch ladies have when it comes to decorating venues for functions; the eagerness of the learners to knuckle down to serious work without any threats from the teachers; the willingness to laugh at the lamest puns and the corniest jokes by you know who. As a final request I would like to ask the Larries a big juicy favour: when you see my dog dragging me around town, do not cross over to the other side of the street because you are afraid of him. He would love you to stop and chat – after all his bark is much worse than his bite! Even though the voice of the BFG will not disturb the peace anymore, he wishes every Larrie everything of the best and promises to keep all of you in his prayers on a daily basis. Long live La Rochelle! Viva La Rochelle! En Avant La Rochelle! Joerg Neethling

Mr Joerg Neethling.

Ms Joyce Janssen.

As I look back on a teaching career spanning more than four decades – 6 years at DF Malan, 31 at Paarl Gymnasium and the last 6 at La Ro- chelle – I cannot help but regard my- self as being unbelievably privileged and mightily blessed to have been associated with such outstanding schools. Being afforded the oppor - tunity by Ms Lochner to stand as a tall tree in the stunningly beautiful Larrie garden was a gift from above. As Sir JN, I felt like a lord who was loved, accepted and respected unconditionally. I could always sense the sincerity and spontaneity in every greeting of ‘Good morning/ afternoon/evening, Sir’, even if it was for the second time in a day or at the wrong time of the day! I know I will go down in history as the only husband whose wife was his boss at home and at work. The truth of the matter is I admire a woman who has strength of character, who has strong moral values and is willing to stand her ground on important issues. In this regard I hope that I created a safe space in Room 22 within which beautiful young minds could broaden their horizons; spread their intellec- tual wings; view matters from a wide range of perspectives and voice their opinions without fear of being judged. Froma purelymasculine point of view, I loved it, but I could not help but see the irony in the girls standing up for me in the passages, some more than willing to stand a second or even a third time if I happened to be walking to and fro. Was I not supposed to be the gallant gentleman who should stand up for the ladies? (NB This is merely a rhetorical question!) I have always valued good manners, friendliness and kindness and I urge all the Larries to continue this fine tradition. Hopefully in the not-too- distant future Larrie hugs and high- fives will become the norm again.

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to La Rochelle Girls’ High School. I started my LAR journey a year before I officially became an educator at the school as a student teacher in 2013 at the young age of 22. I always told myself that I would never teach at an all girls’ school because it simply “isn’t for me”. Needless to say, after doing my practical here and observing the way in which the school and the learners operate, I completely changed my mind. I was so grateful being able to start my career in an environment that was familiar and to work with staff who are kind and helpful. Over the years I have grown tremendously as an educator and was able to form a great bond with my learners. So much so, that they offered to come and decorate or “Larrie-fy” my classroom in the new school. As the saying goes: “once a Larrie, always a Larrie” could not be more accurate. My teaching experience here will never be forgotten as many wonderful memories were created by staff and learners. As a teacher, your wish is to instill a passion in learners for your subject and I take great pride in knowing that the new German teacher is an old pupil of mine. Eight wonderful years later, I leave La Rochelle knowing that the German Larries will be in great and capable hands. I would like to finish off with the following German quote by Albert Schweitzer: “Das einzig Wichtige im Leben sind die Spuren von Liebe, die wir hinterlassen, wenn wir

weggehen. En Avant! Liebe Grü βe Frau Janssen

Mnr. Muller Joubert.

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