EDITION 32 7 November 2019
Calling
PHOTO: Daily Maverick
Well done, boys!
PHOTO: Sport24
Thank you for your hard work, courage, dedication and commitment to the game, your team, your families and our country! #stronger together
Executive Headmaster
Dear Clifton Family
Leaders are purveyors of hope. I am writing this missive in the week after the Rugby World Cup Final, still basking in the warm afterglow of the perhaps unexpected and certainly comprehensive victory by our Springboks in Japan on Saturday. Whilst it was a wonderful game of rugby, what made it even more pleasing was firstly, the ecstatic reaction of South Africans around the country, and secondly, the comments made by commentators and rugby scribes from around the world lauding the Springbok performance.
More impressive than even this however, as a learning moment, was the humility of the team in victory, and hearing the responses by our captain, Siya Kolisi, and our coach, Rassie Erasmus, in the aftermath of the match. Rassie Erasmus reflected on how the team had felt the pressure before the match against the All Blacks at the start of the tournament, and how he had reflected on this question of “what is pressure” and put it in the correct perspective. “Pressure in South Africa is not having a job…or having a relative murdered”, he said. “Rugby should not be something that creates pressure, but rather something that creates hope”. He spoke of the “privilege” of giving people hope, and that it should not be a burden. “But you can’t create hope just by talking about it, hope is not something you say in a beautiful tweet”, said Rassie. “Hope is when you play well. Hope is when people watch the game on a Saturday, and they have a BBQ, and they feel good about themselves, and no matter your political differences, or your belief differences, for those 80 minutes, you all agree. It is not our responsibility as players to create that hope, it is our privilege.” In other words, bringing hope needs to be a conscious act, like playing well. I thought that Siya’s message straight after the game was inspirational. His first thought post-match was “… we have so many problems in our country… since I’ve been alive, I’ve never seen South Africa like this…we love you South Africa!” Speaking about the Springbok team, he said, “we come from different backgrounds, different races but we came together with one goal. This just shows that if we pull together, we can achieve something…we can achieve so much if we work together as one.” What a fantastic message for our communities and our country, echoing the “Stronger Together” World Cup campaign theme. Andy Bull, from The Guardian, speculating about what motivated the Springbok team and what the world Cup victory means for South Africans, wrote “The difference, this time, is they were led by a kid from the townships. Kolisi said he did not dream about winning the World Cup when he was young, because he was too busy dreaming about where his next meal was coming from… a captain leading a team who had more to play for than the likes of you, and I, and Eddie Jones, and England, could possibly fathom.” So indeed, it is possible that a World Cup victory means more for us in South Africa than it might mean in other countries. What it has done, I believe, is to allow us as South Africans to celebrate this good news moment, amongst the many stories of doom and hopelessness that permeate our consciousness; to feel a sense of national pride and unity; and yes, to allow ourselves to hope of what might be, and what could be achieved if we do as Siya has suggested, and that is to work together for a common goal. Let’s hope and pray that we don’t lose this momentum and that this really could be a turning point for collective action in our country. Enjoy the celebrations around the country (and in Durban on Friday) as the Springboks, the World Champions, parade the William Webb Ellis Cup. Warm regards
DAVE KNOWLES EXECUTIVE HEADMASTER
Meander On Friday Messrs Ravenscroft and White will be at the U9 cricket matches being played against Glenwood. They will also be at the Prep cricket matches being played against Virginia over the weekend. In the evening Messrs Boniaszczuk and Bresler will be at the KZN Youth Choir Carol Performance in the Sutcliffe Theatre. On Saturday Messrs Knowles, Goedeke and Bresler will be at the cricket, basketball and water polo matches being played against Kearsney. Mrs Achmad will be at the Grade 2 cricket matches being played at Durban North College. Mr Mezher will be with his team for their match against Virginia.
News bits... Well done to Mark Maree, Mikka Spurrett and Luke Achmad (Grade 9) who completed their canoeing river proficiencies on the Upper Umgeni. A great accomplishment, gents.
Clifton congrats to the following boys who have been selected for the 2020 KZN Youth Orchestra:
PREP: Chad Leslie-Smith, Rushil Parbhoo and Rishabh Nathwani. COLLEGE: Lance Leslie-Smith and Andrew Ward. Well done, gents. This is a wonderful achievement earned through hard work, dedication and commitment.
Congratulations to Joshua van Biljon (below) who scored a century against KZN Inland U11 while captaining the KZN Coastals U11 team. Well done, Joshua.
Congratulations to Jack Rowe (Grade 8) who won the 2019 KZN Junior Max Regional Karting Championship. Jack moves up into Senior Max in January 2020 as one of the youngest drivers in this category! The competition will be tough, fast and aggressive, and we wish him everything of the best! The annual College Sports, Cultural and Service Awards Evening acknowledged the achievements of our boys across the full range of codes! Well done to all prize winners.
The Prep Inter-house gala was full of colour, spirit and competition. Well done to all swimmers, specifically to the boys of Barbarians who were the 2019 winners of the gala.
We are so looking forward to hearing both our Prep and College Orchestras performing live on East Coast Radio! Set a reminder now to tune in from 16h00-17h00 tomorrow
The Grade 5 Cooking Club visited the Elangeni Hotel this week, and got to meet one of the chefs to find out more about what it takes to run a kitchen in a large, busy hotel.
Outreach A letter received… Dear Mr White On behalf of Umduduzi – Hospice Care for Children and the patients we serve, I would like to thank the Clifton Prep family for all the support we have received this year. The Civvies Day and #Hatson4CPC have both contributed financially to support our work with seriously ill children and we have been delighted to distribute the toiletries, puzzles and nappies collected earlier in the year. The generosity of the Clifton family is overwhelming and has certainly made our difficult work a bit easier. Thank you Clifton! We wish the Clifton Family a very happy end of 2019! Kind regards Dr Julia Ambler Deputy Director
REMINDER: The ECR Toy Story collection box can be found at the Lambert Road entrance to the school. Toys donated should be brand new and preferably chosen by your son. (Please don’t wrap them as they will need to be sorted at the collection point) Our very grateful thanks to all Clifton parents for their continued support of our civvies days. Money raised for Addington Primary over the past two years has enabled them to purchase a new overhead projector and screen. Thank You!
Let’s Shop! Our Grade 2 boys have had an exciting week preparing for and running their “Let's Shop" Market Days. There was plenty of variety at the stalls that offered sweet treats, snacks, Christmas gifts, novelty items and games, combined with a real festival feel. Well done to all the boys, mums and teachers who worked so hard to make this such a successful project!
LEFT: Two of our winners from “Let’s Shop” are pictured here with the marketers who ran the competitions. Nickolas Berios won ‘Count the Smarties’ (696) from Cosmo Friedman, and Ahmed Badat won a gift hamper in the ‘Buy a ticket’ lucky draw from Muhamad Ismaeel.
Well done boys on a great two days of shopping!
ABOVE: The Foundation Phase vegetable and edible flower garden is growing so well! The boys have been tending their gardens with great care and now it’s time to ‘reap’ the rewards! Well done, lads. You certainly seem to have developed ‘green fingers’!
Classifieds TOWNHOUSE TO RENT LAMBERT ROAD, MORNINGSIDE Upmarket Townhouse for Rent in Lambert Road. 3 Large Bedrooms, all with en-suite Bathrooms and built in cupboards. Open plan living and kitchen fitted with oven and hob. Fully airconditioned. Store Room. Secure Undercover parking for 2 cars and small pet friendly garden. Call Dawn – 0825182011 CHILD CARE Tersia Brenna has eighteen years of experience in supervising and teaching children from 3 months olds to 5year-olds. She also has experience with autistic and ADHD children. She is available to au pair, assist with homework and holiday care Monday to Friday and weekends from the 15 December onwards. Please contact her on 0635351952.