Love a Little Local: Bush babies of the Kogelberg

Bush babies of the Kogelberg

Writer Elaine Davie

Photographer Taylum Meyer

The 50 pupils of Pringle House Eco School must be amongst the luckiest in the country. Sheltering under tall trees on the slopes of the Kogelberg Mountains, with the village of Pringle Bay across the valley and the ocean beyond, the little school is as much a living organism in the landscape as the fynbos. Just as in nature, nothing is regimented at the school; the buildings, originally a farm house with outbuildings, have grown haphazardly, with classrooms springing up around the grounds like mushrooms. One has progressed no further than the foundations and a concrete slab, but is put to good use nevertheless. The children, from age 18 months to Grade 6 do not wear uniforms and easily blend into their natural surroundings. As the school enters its 14th year, the Head, Heather Miller, who has been there for four years, is hoping for a less disruptive year than 2020. Having previously taught at big schools in Durban and Johannesburg, she can’t believe her luck at landing up at Pringle House Eco School. “When I tell my former colleagues that I have to dodge guinea fowl and tortoises on my way to work, they don’t believe me,” she laughs.

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