Administrator Opens New School

[Michael Alexander]

From the Scrapbook of Pat Honeybourne...

April 1952:

Administrator Opens New School

The Administrator of SWA, Dr AJR Van Rhyn, officially opened the new Oranjemund Private School yesterday. The Administrator was accompanied by Mrs.Van Rhyn and his private secretary.

In his speech the Administrator outlined the education history of Oranjemund. In 1937 there were twelve pupils, today there are ninety. He then granted the children a day's holiday.

Many distinguished visitors were invited to attend the function, including the Secretary for SWA and Mrs Neser, Mr. MH Greeff, The Director of Education and Mrs.Greeff, Mr JGH Van Der Wath MEC, officials of Education and Mines, representatives of the CDM, DeBeers and the Anglo American Corporation.

Mr. Harry Oppenheimer , MP was invited but was unable to attend owing to Parliamentary duties.

The School consists of eight classrooms, well ventilated and airy, round a grassed quadrangle. It was a kindergarten section with up to date equipment, a fully equipped woodwork section , a library, washrooms, a large concert hall with a stage and dressing rooms and a screen and cinema projector.

A clock tower with four electrically operated clocks, visible from all parts of the town, forms an imposing entrance to the building. Spacious playing fields have been provided.

[Alfred Boehme]

So the first school buildings must of been the 8 class rooms next to the middle side door of the min hall I recall they did a play in this quadrangle "Follow the yellow brick road" if memory is correct with the two PT change rooms at the end near the wall next to the cricket field

[georg ruf jr.]

90 pupils? That's a joke Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OPS used to have about 400 or 500 in thec 70s. Or am I mistaken?

[Michael Alexander]

Georg , in our days there were 500-600 pupils..... the current number of pupils is about 500..... Remember the boom time in Omund only came in the 60's and early 70's... the article refers to 1953...

@ Alfie, you are right, the play was held in the quad, the stage was built over the Fishpond, circa 1979...

[georg ruf jr.]

looooool
Sory, but I didn't read properly.

[John Haycox]

Remember some time ago, somebody asked when the clock tower was added.  Now you know.  I thought it was part of the new school.

Before the school was built, we went to school in a tin building which later became the Moth hall.  There was also a small brick building, which had the principal's office and one or two class rooms.

The principal was Mr (Pop Andy) Anderson, our teacher was Mrs. Revington.

[mavis(smith)]

Mrs Revington was my first teacher, she was a lovely.