Full Dress Affair In The Pool!

[Michael Alexander]

Tradition, Tradition , Tradition..... one that still endures to this day.....

I noticed that it was only the boys that did this back then...

[SandyB]

At my  std 5 ending 1969 ,, the girls also used to do the thing ...  those brimmed hats ending up lookng very floppy ... 

[Bob Molloy]

I recall writing that story. It appeared in the Windhoek Advertiser and arose from my arriving home one day to be told with great hilarity by my wife that my 12-year-old son had cycled home soaking wet from his last day at school.
That would date the story in December, '64, and that's when I first heard of the end of term tradition for school leavers. I did a quick phone-around of parents and found most school leavers had participated. There was also some kind of race from school to be first in the pool but I didn't pick up any hard evidence on that, though was told one over-enthusiastic kid didn't hesitate at the pool gate and went straight into the pool while still riding his bicycle.
A strict requirement was that everyone had to be wearing full school uniform including shoes. The School Principal - a Mr Levy, a man of high good humour - said he noticed that each year the departing group of boys seemed to dress with particular care and wondered how he could encourage the same attitude throughout the year in other pupils, but thought parents might object if he recommended a daily clothed bath for all.     
I also talked to the pool lady - in those days a Mrs Van Eytenhoven - who pleaded ignorance. According to her it never happened, certainly not on her watch. Which possibly goes a long way to explain the happy-go-lucky Oranjemund of those days.
Sadly all the safety regulations (shades of Edgar Selby) and the various codes of conduct so loved by the the bureaucrats started creeping in over the years.
I doubt if the pool tradition could be carried out today without some officious busybody slapping on fines and perhaps capital punishment for repeat offenders. That would larn 'em. 

[Michael Alexander]

Bob, tradition reigns supreme.... the kids are still at it..... only difference is, they tend to take their relevant teachers in with them........... I was there when the last lot jumped in.... got there before them.... a person from the school tipped me off before they left the classrooms......  A teacher was adamant that they should wait till all the pupils had gathered at the pool before the plunge..... needless to say, those words fell on deaf ears, the race was on... to see who got there first..... as it has been for decades now!

LINK: http://www.oranjemundonline.com/Forum/index.php?topic=2551.0

[Mike Voden (RIP)]

Mike, I'm sure we have or you have photo's of Michele standing by the side of the pool, having just climbed out in her OPS school uniform.

[Mike Voden (RIP)]

In fact, one of the photo's I'm thinking about is on the introduction page of "oranjemundonline.com under Voden Family in the "Your Photo's" section