Gifford High School Bulawayo 50th Anniversary Jubilee Magazine Page 136
1967, a span of some twenty-five years! At that stage it was obvious that there was some interest though the School was at the disadvantage of having far too few tennis courts to cater for the interest.
The earliest record of courts being built was in 1946 when two courts were built at Johnson House. In 1954 a grass court was laid at the Russell House site, which lasted until 1958. Another court was built at Russell House in 1956. These courts have long since disappeared, and in fact were on the site where our present courts are now situated. Newman House, in 1961 , built its own tennis court; this court is still in existence and is, at this time, being renovated.
It was not until 1970 that we acquired four ant-heap courts, and tennis coaching could really get under way. Since that time it has become increasingly obvious that even more courts are needed if the interest shown by an increasing number of boys is to be catered for, and, just as important, if the standard of tennis is to be improved. At the time of publication, a start has already been made on levelling ground for three new courts adjacent to the existing courts. The completion of these will do much to alleviate congestion, which results in lack of practice and a low standard of tennis.
D. A. JACK
RESULTS OF INTER-SCHOOL TENNIS MATCHES
Year First Number
Played Played Won Lost Drawn
C.B.C. 1967 16 6 10 —
Falcon 1967 10 — 10 —
Founders 1970 4 2 2 -
Guinea Fowl 1967 2 1 1 —
Hamilton 1969 25 4 20 1
Milton 1938 25 4 18 3
Northlea 1967 15 12 2 1
Plumtree 1969 11 2 2 —
Sixth Form college 1968 2 — 2 —
TENNIS, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. D. A. Jack
Captain: G. W. Ashby
On the whole this has been a disappointing year for the first team: we have in this School a number of talented players, but they are not prepared really to get down to work on their tennis and try to achieve some consistency in their game. Too often, regrettably, promising
players lose heart during the course of the year and give the game up. One other fact that affects the performance of the team throughout the year is that a number of players do not play for the whole year: a number play other sports during the second term, and this has the effect of weakening the team during the term and leads to some discouragement when the team is consistently beaten. On the other hand, there appear to be some very good and dedicated junior players making their presence felt in the lower levels. This augurs well for the future if they continue to be dedicated and determined.
The recurring problem of too many players and not enough courts is still with us, but the situation should ease in the coming year with the adition of more courts, work on which has already started. This could have a very beneficial effect on the standard of tennis at this School in that the players will be able to practise more frequently - too often we have lost matches because players have not had sufficient practice, particularly in singles play.
On the whole, I feel a certain amount of optimism as far as the future of tennis in this School is concerned.
FIRST TEAM RESULTS
First term:
Lost to Milton 0-16; Beat Northlea 9-7
Beat Plumtree 11-5; Beat Founders 10-6
Lost to Hamilton 1-15
Second term:
Lost to Milton 0-16; Lost to Falcon 5-10
Lost to Hamilton 4-12; Lost to Grey High School 0-9
Beat Northlea 9-7
Third term:
Lost to C.B.C. 3-13; Lost to Hamilton 4-12
Lostto Plumtree 2-14; Lost to Milton 1-15
Drew with Northlea 8-8
SECOND TEAM RESULTS
First term:
Lost to Plumtree 4-12; Drew with Hamilton 8-8
Lost to Milton 0-16; Beat C.B.C. 9-7
Second term:
Lost to Milton 2-14; Lost to Hamilton 5-11
Third term:
Lost to Plumtree 1-15; Lost to Hamilton 1-15
Lost to C.B.C. 5-11
UNDER 15 RESULTS
First term:
Lost to Founders 4-12; Lost to Milton 4-12
Lost to Hamilton 5-11; Drew with Northlea 8-8
Second term:
Lost to Hamilton 4-12; Lost to Milton 6-10
Lost to Northlea 2-7
Third term:
Lost to Hamilton 6-10; Lost to Milton 4-12
Drew with Northlea 8-8 Lost to Falcon 7-9
This page sponsored by: . . . Mr. and Mrs. G. McAtier, D. de Jager, Mrs. B. A. Miller
UNDER 14 RESULTS
First term:
Lost to C.B.C. 5-11; Lost to Milton 4-12
Beat Founders 13-3; Beat Hamilton 11 -5
Second term:
Lost to Milton 5-11; Drew with Hamilton 8-8
Third term:
Beat Hamilton 9-7; Beat Milton 4-3
Drew with C.B.C. 8-8
UNDER 13 RESULTS
First term:
Lost to Milton 4-12; Beat Hamilton 9-7
Second term:
Lost to Hamilton 2-14; Lost to Milton 0-16
Third term:
Lost to Milton 0-16, and 0-16
TABLE-TENNIS SINCE 1937
Two “small-ball” sports which have been played at the School for varying periods are table-tennis and badminton.
At the beginning of the third term 1937 table-tennis equipment — including a full-size table — was given to Heyman House by the Lottery Trustees, and a table-tennis committee was set
up consisting of Douglas Hawkins, Ian Ballantyne and W. S. Goulding; two old boys, Stanley
Anderson and Ronald Scott-Roger, helped to coach those boarders who were interested in the game. The following year interest ran high for the first term, but then abated somewhat — a fate which this sport has suffered over the years.
In 1950 mention is made of a Heyman House table-tennis tournament, the senior section being won by John Martin and the junior by Maxwell Tink.
In 1951 after many Heyman boys had moved across to Johnson House (on the closing of the former), table-tennis moved with them and a tournament was held, with James winning the junior and Gittleson the senior titles. This was followed by a match between Johnson House and Charter House of Milton School, which Johnson House won by seventeen games to ten, but once again the sport faded to resurge once more in 1953 when Lawrence James and Clive Currin won the senior and junior titles respectively in the tournament held in the first term. The annual tournament was won in 1955 by Mr. E. C. de Wet (housemaster) in the senior final and D. Pugh-Roberts won the junior title.
In 1956 a table-tennis championship was organised in Newman House and the senior title went to M. du Preez while P. Edwards won the junior competition.
Not to be outdone, in 1958 Russell House acquired a table-tennis table from house funds and a hope was expressed in the magazine of that year that inter-house (hostel) competitions might be held. In 1959 the School team entered the Matabeleland League with C. Warburton (Captain), J. Petzer and A. Harris comprising the team. They won all their matches in the Third League and individually did well in the Matabeleland Open Handicap Championship.
During the next four or five years we must assume that the game continued to be played although no mention appears in old magazines, but in 1964 P. Hulland writes that “although table-tennis has been rather slack during the last two years, keen interest was shown in the game throughout the year, so it was decided to hold table-tennis singles championships within the School.” These were played on a knock-out basis and P. Hulland beat R. Dobson in the finals. During the same year the School was invited to participate in the Matabeleland Inter-Schools Championships. Despite lack of practice and preparation, M. McNeill reached the quarterfinals in the boys’ singles and P. Hulland and R. Dobson reached the semi-finals in the boys’ doubles. Although a hope was expressed that a table-tennis club might be formed in 1965, nothing came of it and the sport has been in mothballs since then.
BADMINTON SINCE 1965
In 1965 owing to Mr. F. Gardner’s efforts badminton was introduced late in the second term and gained a keen following. The enthusiasm brought to the sport was rewarded when the School beat Northlea, a team which had been top dog for many years.
In 1966 Greg Gardner, who the previous year had been selected to tour Natal and Transvaal with the combined Bulawayo juniors and Northlea School badminton team, became the Matabeleland “B” League champion, then played in a triangular tournament between Mashonaland, Matabeleland and Manicaland, and crowned his success by being awarded his School badminton colours.
The next two years saw a decline in the sport, but in 1969 the badminton club was revived. The faint lines on the gymnasium floor were repainted, but unfortunately no fixtures were arranged because so few schools have such a club, and regrettably the club fell back into oblivion.
A. L. L. FURBER
Overheard in Classroom:
“Hands up the boys who are absent.”
Now squash is a school sport, not merely a handful of enthusiasts calling themselves a club, and so the game must go from strength to strength in all age groups, and soon the squash team perhaps will be travelling to schools out of Bulawayo for inter-schools’ matches.
R.T. McGEOCH
SQUASH, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. T. M. Brine
Captain: H. N. Bolton
1976 was a very successful year for squash. Initially squash was confined to sixth formers and was held at Queens Sports Club each Friday afternoon from 2.00 to 4.00 p.m. The School is indebted to them for this sporting gesture.
In the second term the old squash courts of yesteryear were restored and were officially opened on 11 June by Mr. C. 0. Benson, the Regional Education Officer, whereafter exhibition matches were played by boys and staff, namely Mr. D. W. R. Wakefield and Mr. R. T. McGeoch. Membership was now opened to all age groups and interest increased as matches were organised. We were able to field two senior teams which did surprisingly well considering the lack of experience and training, and an under 15 team which shows great potential. The School has been included in the Matabeleland schools’ squash league, and so we can look forward to increased competition.
K.Bernet was chosen to play for the Matabeleland Schools’ team in the first term, and was also the first pupil to earn an award, namely halfcolours, for this sport.
This report would not be complete without mention being made of the existence of a squash club for parents and Old Boys of the School.
FIRST TEAM RESULTS
First term:
Lost to Northlea 9-16; Lost to Milton 7-11
Second term:
Lost to Milton 12-18 and 1-9
SECOND TEAM RESULTS
First term only:
Lost to Milton 3-13
UNDER 15 RESULTS
Second term:
Beat Mount Pleasant 3-2
Third term:
Beat Milton 3-2 and 5-0
Overheard in a classroom:
“You appear to be making as much progress in Maths as a blind man groping in a dark room for a black cat that isn’t there”
(From HINC ORIOR in the 1930’s—Editor).
HOCKEY, 1954-1976
Hockey was introduced at Gifford by Mr. W. A. Ainsworthy in 1954. Since then it has become a very popular and well-established sport with many well-known national players having begun their hockey at the School: a glance at the tabulation at the end of this article substantiates this.
Hockey in its initial stages was played on the Matabeleland Hockey Board’s grounds, now known as Queens. The sport soon attracted enthusiasm, and the prestige of the sport was further enhanced when Gifford first played Plumtree, in 1954, losing 0-2. The Magazine of that year records that “although there are more defeats than victories to record, the margin of defeat has never been large”. Seven games were played: one was won, and two were drawn.
The years 1955 and 1956 saw the introduction of a second team, and teams in the under fifteen, fourteen and thirteen age groups. Pedagogues, a schoolmasters’ team, was also founded, and the match played against Gifford proved to be our team’s best that season.
In 1957 although play was hampered by the scare of a polio epidemic and by a number of serious injuries, the first team managed to win seven of the ten games played. D. Tyrer (the captain), R. Gadd and D. Pugh-Roberts were the first to receive colours for the sport.
The Old Miltonians’ ground was used for practices in 1958, with our own rugby field being used the following year. This did not prove to be very successful, and so in 1960 two hockey fields were built near Russell House. Unfortunately, the next year hockey and soccer were compelled to use only one field.
Great interest and enthusiasm was shown for the sport until 1964 when hockey experienced many up’s and down’s owing to the attractions of rugby. As a result no senior teams at all were fielded the following year; in 1966, however, Mr. Ogden managed to raise a team which initially struggled because of a lack of experience and very little grounding. Yet, Mr. Ogden proved to be a tremendous inspiration for the team, and of the ten games played that season, Gifford won six.
Disaster struck in 1967 when bad fields hampered play and therefore practices were transferred to Old Techs. The standard of hockey gradually rose through the season and there was a change of attitude towards the game. It was also during that year that half-colours were introduced for the first time.
A choice at the open level between rugby and
hockey was instituted in 1969, therefore giving each team more practices. Unlike the previous year, practices were taken a little more seriously although the players still had the attitude of “we don’t win so why play”.
The following few years proved how wrong the attitude of 1969 had been: very good seasons followed with only slight difficulties encountered. Successive teams developed excellent defence systems, but little penetration was produced by the forwards. The hockey team embarked on its first South African tour in 1970 with the next being two years later. Since then a team has travelled to South Africa every year. As the tours are made every April holidays, the teams are always provided with good pre-season experience.
1975 was the first time that the Matabeleland selection board had held a tournament, at Hamilton, as a prelude to the trials — our team did very well by winning two and drawing two of the games they played.
Although hockey at Gifford has experienced numerous awkward periods, the players have fared very well and the sport has become firmly established at the School. Hockey has now taken its place as one of the two major winter sports at Gifford, and in recent years has come to challenge rugby for pride of place in achievement.
In conclusion, a special word of thanks must be given to Mr. J. Sandham who, throughout the twenty-six years of hockey at Gifford, has played a vital part in its development. Congratulations go to C. Trautman who is the only player to have played one hundred matches for the first team. He also managed to become vice-captain of the Rhodesian Schools’ hockey team in 1975 and then captained the side in 1976, the first Giffordian to do so.
D.W. A. WAKEFIELD
Provincial and National representatuon:
(Names in italics indicate which players, in addition to playing in the Matabeleland “A” team, also were selected for the Rhodesian schools’ team)
1959 H. Edwards
1960 R.Q. Moodie
1963 B.Davison, B. Lund
1964 B.Davison, B. Lund
1970 D. Boynton, B. H. K. Fraser, I. McGibbon, R.0. Rayner
1971 R.0. Rayner, G. Smith
1972 D.V. Fraser, M. Wyness
1973 G.Inness, K. A. Meth
1974 C.Bolton, M. Fuzzey, G. Inness, K. A. Meth
1975 I.R. Hayes-Hill, C. J. Trautman
1976 H.N. Bolton, C. J. Trautman
HOCKEY, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. R. T. McGeoch
Coach: Mr. D. W. R. Wakefield
Captain: C. J. Trautman
Once again the first team has turned in a set of good results. The team’s strength lay in its ability to play as a team, although this asset was not always used to advantage. This, together with a good team-spirit plus considerable depth of ability among the open group as a whole, meant that the Gifford team was a powerful force in school’s hockey in Matabeleland.
For most of the season a system of hockey was played involving four forwards, two links, three halves and a sweeper, and was based largely on the lessons learned as a result of the tour to Pietermaritzburg and Durban during the April/May vacation. These tactics were most successful, and had advantages both in attack and defence.
If there was a weakness in the team, it was in the forward line where the forwards lacked penetration and so wasted many opportunities,
RHODESIAN SCHOOLS First No. Greatest Greatest
Played Played Won Lost Drawn Victory Date Defeat Date
Allan Wilson 1972 5 2 2 1 4-0 1973 1-4 1975
C.B.C. 1957 6 5 - 1 9-0 1974 - -
Chaplin 1969 6 5 - 1 12-0 1972 - -
Churchill 1970 3 - 1 2 - - 0-3 1971
Falcon 1955 28 4 20 4 7-2 1955 0-10 1968
Fort Victoria 1975 1 - - 1 - - - -
Founders 1963 12 7 5 - 8-0 1976 0-1 1969
Guinea Fowl 1969 7 5 1 1 6-1 1974 0-3 1969
Hamilton 1963 26 10 10 6 4-0 1975 0-3 1969
Milton 1955 32 16 11 5 9-0 1959 4-10 1968
Northlea 1955 30 18 5 7 15-0 1973 0-8 1964
Plumtree 1954 26 3 10 13 4-1 1971 0-8 1968
Prince Edward 1970 4 1 2 1 2-1 1971 0-3 1970
St. Stephen’s 1964 17 10 7 - 7-0 1974 1-3 1968
Sixth Form College 1968 4 1 - 3 2-0 1968 - -
*St. Stephen's and Sixth Form College are both defunct.
OTHER LOCAL MATCHES
Army 1963 1 1 - - 1-0 1963 - -
B.A.C. 1955 3 2 1 - 6-1 1963 1-3 1955
Old Prunitians 1955 4 2 2 - 2-0 1955 1-2 1955
Old Techs 1963 1 1 - - 5-0 1963 - -
Queens 1959 2 1 - - 4-0 1959 - -
T.T.C. 1956 6 1 4 1 2-1 1974 2-4 1956
and so while the team scored 54 goals, this tally could have been much
higher. Various forward line-ups were tried, none of which was really
successful, though the emergence of D. Sahli as a powerful hitter and
good positional player holds promise for the future season or two. Sahli
with 9 goals scored was second only to Chris Trautman who scored 14
goals.
In defence Gifford again proved to be a strong team, as the record of
only 33 goals conceded indicates. J. Hunt as sweeper was always reliable
and steady, as were B. Fitzgerald and T. van Rooyen, while the
goal-keeping of G. Rudnick improved constantly as each game passed.
The team had its ups and downs, but un doubtedly the highlight of the
season was the defeat of Falcon on their home ground. The strength of
the team is indicated in that seven players were selected for the
Matabeleland trials. Of these, C. Trautman captained the Matabeleland 'A' team
while H. Bolton and B. van Blerk were also selected for the 'A' team;
J. Hunt and T. van Rooyen earned selection to the 'B' team. In addition,
Trautman had the honour of captaining the Rhodesian School’s team which
he did very ably. Trautman is also reputedly the first person to have
played over a hundred games for the first team. As captain, he set an
excellent example for the other players to follow, and never faltered in
his efforts to encourage his team.
FIRST TEAM RESULTS
Tour Matches:
Lost to Alexandra 0-2; Beat Westville 5-0
Lost to Maritzburg College 2-4; Lost to Northlands 2-3
Home Matches:
Beat Hamilton 1-0, and 2-1; Beat C.B.C. 2-0, and drew 3-3
Beat Milton 2-0, and drew 0-0; Beat Founders 8-2, and 8-0
Drew with Plumtree 2-2, and 1-1; Drew with Churchill 1-1
Beat Falcon 2-1, and lost 3-5; Drew with Allan Wilson 3-3
Beat Northlea 4-0, and 3-2; Lost to Grey High School 0-3
SECOND TEAM RESULTS
Drew with Hamilton 1-1, and lost 1-2; Beat C.B.C. 4-3, and 2-1
Lost to Falcon 3-4, and won 2-1; Lost to Plumtree 0-3, and 0-1
Beat Milton 5-0, and 3-0; Beat Northlea 3-1
THIRD TEAM RESULTS
Lost to Hamilton 0-2, and 1-2; Beat Milton 3-1
Drew with Falcon 4th XI 1-1, and lost 1-2
UNDER 15 'A' RESULTS
Drew with Hamilton 1-1 and 0-0; Beat Founders 11-1, and 3-1
Drew with Falcon 2-2, and 2-2; Beat Milton 6-0, and 4-2
Lost to C.B.C. 1-3, and 0-1; Lost to Plumtree 1-2, and won 5-4
Drew with Northlea 1-1, and won 2-0
UNDER 15 'B' RESULTS
Beat Hamilton 3-0, and 3-1; Drew with Milton 1-1, and 0-0
Drew with Falcon 1-1, and lost 0-1
UNDER 14 'A' RESULTS
Beat Hamilton 3-0, and 3-2; Drew with Milton 2-2, and 2-2
Beat Northlea 3-2, and 8-1; Beat Founders 7-2, and 8-1
Beat Plumtree 3-0, and drew 1-1; Beat C.B.C. 6-1, and 6-1
Lost to Falcon 3-8, and 0-4
UNDER 14 'B' RESULTS
Beat Hamilton 10-0, and 2-0; Drew with Milton 2-2, and won 1-0
Lost to Falcon 2-3, and 0-3
UNDER 13 'A' RESULTS
Drew with Hamilton 1-1, and won 1-0; Beat Founders 8-0, and 6-1
Beat Northlea 4-0, and and 5-0; Beat Whitestones 3-2
Beat Falcon 3-1, and and lost 0-3; Beat C.B.C. 3-1, and lost 1-2
Beat Milton 3-0, and 3-0
UNDER 13 'B' RESULTS
Beat Hamilton 1 -0, and Lost 2-4; Lost to Whitestones 1-4
Drew with Falcon 1-1, and lost 1-2
BASKETBALL, 1957-1976
Basketball started at this school in 1957 although no competitive games
were played until 1959 in which season the team fared well:
although only three games were played, all against Milton, the School
won each game convincingly.
In 1960 the School entered the newly formed Basketball League. The team
played five games against town teams, won three, and finished third in
the log. The beginning of 1961 saw the team in the second league, but
after winning all its games it was duly promoted to the first league
where in the remainder of the season the team lost only one game, so
justifying its place in the first league.
During the 1962 season the team continued to play in the first league
where it established an
impressive record, but the next year it was decided to withdraw from the first league. During 1963 two macadamised courts were brought into operation, and are still very much in service to this day. These are the ones adjacent to Sixteenth Avenue.
The 1964 season in the second league proved to be most successful as the team lost only one game throughout the season. At the end of the season the team was rewarded by the presentation to it of the League Cup and also the Knockout Cup.
The following year saw many team changes, mainly because of school leavers, thus weakening the team, and so the 1965 season was not very impressive. Once more a team had to be built for the future, and with experience and practice the 1966 team was once again fairly strong. This team managed to beat Milton and to gain for the first time a place in the Layland Shield competition. The team fared fairly well and finished in third place. At that time the team was playing in the third
league, which they won when they beat the McDonald’s Club team, and consequently were awarded the floating trophy.
The 1968 season saw an end to league fixtures and the start henceforth of the playing of games against other schools only. At the end of 1969 Mr. D. K. Broster relinquished the position of the first-team coach. He had coached first-team basketball since its inception twelve years previously, and it is without a doubt mainly through his efforts that basketball became a major sport at the School.
In 1970 Mr. A. W. Loxton took over the coaching of the first team, having had several years of experience in the coaching of junior teams. That year at the Layland Shield competition, the team lost its first game, but went on to win the Plate competition.
Two new courts came into operation during 1974 giving the School four in all. The baskets were jointly made and erected by those tireless personalities Messrs. T. M. Brine, E. R. Lafrentz and A. W. Pate. In 1976 a score-board was made by Mr. B. M. Stone for these courts which, by virtue of their siting behind the Hall, became the matchcourts of the School.
Mr. Stone took over as coach in 1975 and inherited a young and inexperienced team, which managed to win only three games during the season. With practice and experience, however, the little-changed 1976 team proved very strong losing only three games out of the sixteen played. At the Layland Shield competition the team were the favourites from the Matabeleland/Midlands areas, but the Salisbury schools once again proved too strong for us and we were narrowly beaten in the first round.
The best teams on record must be the 1964,
1974 and 1976 sides, but it is impossible to single any one out as being better than the others. Seen in perspective, the sport of basketball has had a chequered career at Gifford, but it is nevertheless a very popular sport and can only continue as such. There is still one goal that the School must aim for and that is the winning of the major Layland Shield. Various teams have come close on occasions and I wish future teams success in this endeavour.
B. M. STONE
The following pupils have represented Gifford in the national schools’ teams:
1969 B. Lloyd, G. M. McLoughlin, R. D. Seton-Rogers
1970 P. C. Semple
BASKETBALL, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. B. M. Stone
Captain: J. B. McTaggart
The year 1 976 proved to be a highly successful one of the first team; in fact, it was the most
successful season on record, although it only narrowly bettered the record set by the 1974 team. Sixteen matches were played: only three were lost. A particular pleasing aspect was the teamwork that existed among the players, even when a game was especially tough; another was the able captaincy of J. McTaggart throughout the year. Practices were hard and strenuous, and pressure from all sides became very great as the season progressed, but good spirit was evident
at all times. Factors such as these in no small measure contributed to that excellent season.
During the first term Rhodesian trials were held: J. McTaggart played for the Matabeleland team, and was chosen as the non-travelling reserve for the Rhodesian Schools’ team. B. Boyd and L. van der Merwe played in a combined Matabeleland-Midlands team.
The highlight of the season was the Layland Shield competition which was held at Gifford. The four top Matabeleland-Midlands teams played against the four top Mashonaland-Manicaland teams; although Gifford was seeded number one in our area, we lost, albeit narrowly, to Morgan in the first round, and so were knocked out of the competition.
FIRST TEAM RESULTS
First term:
Beat Plumtree 52-16; Beat Founders 103-22
Beat Milton 34-27; Beat Chaplin 64-42
Lost to Hamilton 25-29; Beat Northlea 38-23
Lost to Milton 18-33
Third term:
Beat Founders 63-48; Beat Northlea 61-47
Beat Chaplin 36-28; Beat Plumtree 59-40
Beat Hamilton 46-30, and 57-49; Beat Milton 42-26
Beat Guinea Fowl 57-23; Lost to Morgan 39-41
SECOND TEAM RESULTS
First term:
Beat Plumtree 24-18; Beat Founders 22-8
Beat Hamilton 22-20; Beat Chaplin 38 22
Lost to Hamilton 12-22; Beat Northlea 14-12
Third term:
Beat Chaplin 38-26; Beat Northlea 40-22
Lost to Founders 30-36; Beat Plumtree 36-22
Beat Guinea Fowl 44-24; Beat Milton 26-17
Lost to Milton 12-25
INTER-SCHOOL BASKETBALL RESULTS, 1959-1976
First Greatest Greatest
Played Played Won Lost Victry D3te Defeat Date
Allan Wilson 1971 1 1 - 49-40 1971
Chaplin 1967 20 10 10 61-35 1970 21-16 1975
Churchill 1967 8 2 6 46-40 1974 16-70 1975
Cranborne 1962 2 2 - 50-40 1962
Ellis Robins 1971 2 1 1 60-26 1971 22-17 1975
Fort Victoria 1970 1 1 - 73-18 1970
Founders 1968 19 14 5 103-22 1976 30-52 1975
Guinea Fowl 1968 18 7 11 62-20 1969 21-68 1975
Hamilton 1968 23 14 9 60-2 1968 34-76 1971
Lord Malvern 1970 1 1 - 68-39 1970
Milton 1959 28 19 9 66-12 1961 69-40 1969
Mount Pleasant 1970 4 3 1 70-39 1970 45-61 1972
Northlea 1968 26 18 8 73-31 1970 44-63 1972
Peterhouse 1966 1 1 - 70-22 1966
Pietermaritzburg Tech. 1975 1 1 - 51-27 1975
Plumtree 1972 9 8 1 73-19 1972 28-30 1975
Prince Edward 1964 9 2 7 38-20 1966 26-49 1975
St. Georg&s 1973 1 1 - 46-32 1973
T.T.C. 1972 3 2 1 84-64 1974 36-63 1972
Thornhill 1970 1 1 - 49-27 1970
Umtali Boys’ High 1972 3 - 3 - - 53-24 1972
A.T.M ./A. L. L. F.
UNDER I5 ”A” RESULTS
First term:
Lost to Founders 10-28, and 20-42; Lost to Milton 15-28
Lost to Northlea 29-34
Third term:
Lost to Hamilton 8-50; Lost to Milton 39-74, and 34-44
Lost to Founders 18-52, and 24-82; Lost to Northlea 10-26
UNDER 15 “B” RESULTS
First term:
Beat Founders 34-12, and 30-8; Beat Milton 26-19
Third term:
Lost to Hamilton 4-8; Beat Milton 32-28, and lost 20-28
Beat Founders 18-12, and 30-20
UNDER 14 “A” RESULTS
First term:
Beat Northlea 22-12; Beat Hamilton 16-12
Lost to Milton 8-12
Third term:
Beat Milton 18-12, and 25-14; Beat Milton(?) 42-14
UNDER 14 “B” RESULTS
First term:
Beat Northlea 20-4; Beat Hamilton 16-2
Beat Milton 26-6
Third term:
Beat Milton 20-16, and 16-12; Beat Hamilton 38-10
UNDER 13 “A” RESULTS
First term:
Beat Hamilton 16-14, and 16-14; Lost to Milton 6-18 and 12-14
Third term:
Beat Milton 16-8, and lost 14-12; Lost to Hamilton 16-14
UNDER 13 “B” RESULTS
First term:
Beat Hamilton 10-4, and 8-2; Beat Milton 8-2, and 16-4
Third term:
Beat Milton 8-4, and 12.8; Beat Hamilton 16-8
JUDO, 1961-1968
The judo club had a somewhat short-lived appearance, though in those five years from 1961 to 1965 much was achieved. Its success depended largely on its chief instructor, a Mr. Dan van der Byl. He even presented a cup, which bears his name, to be competed for at inter-school level.
In the second term of 1961 judo became a full school activity; previously there had been an association with the Judokai Institute, though for how long is not recorded. Under Mr. van der Byl’s tutelage, the School won the cup for three years in a row, from 1962, and ultimately lost it to Milton in 1965. These contests were against Falcon, Hamilton, and Milton.
In 1962 the School’s team gave a display at the City Hall as part of a display of physical education, and later a tour to South Africa was undertaken. In 1964 seven of the juniors got into the Matabeleland Schools’ team to compete against Mashonaland, while Arnold Kotze was adjudged the best senior school boy judokai in Matabeleland.
In 1965 Michael Wolhuter travelled to South Africa with the Rhodesian National team. In October, in the national judo championships, E. Holl became the Rhodesian champion in the under 90 lb. group, while Neil White was runnerup in the junior over 130 lb. group. But, in that year, Mr. van der Byl left Rhodesia for Japan to further his skill. With his departure, interest in judo declined as there was no one else to step into his shoes as instructor. The last award of Colours was in 1968 to A. Edkins who, with W. A. Booyse and R. Shadbolt, achieved selection for the National team. Others to achieve this were M. J. Wolhuter in 1965, and J. de Wet and B. Booyse in 1967.
Although no school club existed, several pupils maintained an interest in the sport and entered the inter-schools’ competitions: in 1970, A. Edkins for the second year in a row won the title of the best senior judoka, while at the 1971 competition the following all won bouts: W. Steyn, J. Mellet, J. Oborne, G. Archer. The following year A. Schwin represented Matabeleland in the national championships while C. Clarke got provincial colours.
GYMNASTICS, 1939-1976
Gymnastics displays began for the first time in 1939 when an exhibition was staged as part of the annual sports held on 15 April on the Russell House Ground, now the Cowan Field. The following year a similar display was mounted and again the agility of the participants was a credit to the instructor, Capt. F. A. Bailey. After the war, in 1946, a further display was given.
In 1957 the newly appointed physical education instructor, Mr. Ken Broster, organised the first gymnastic championships at the School. The evening began with mat-work and moved on to apparatus. A. Whitfield won the senior individual championship while T. Donachie won the junior. Davy House won both House Championships.
A gymnastic club was apparently started in 1964, and later in the year staged two night displays in front of an audience of over 300 persons. As a just reward for those achieving high standards of proficiency, Colours were awarded for the first time: A. Simmonds and P. Watson were the first recipients.
Gymnastic displays have since then been a regular feature. For example, in 1965 a display by form one pupils was staged in the second term; later in the year two evening performances by the senior and junior teams were held in the Small City Hall. In 1968 the team appeared over seven successive Mondays on R.T.V. As a result of this, the Gifford team was invited to appear at the Agricultural Show. The leader of this most successful team was Vincent Staples, possibly the best gymnast the School has so far produced.
In 1970 the club gave a demonstration at the open-day held for the parents of the following year’s form one pupils. As a result of this the club was invited to appear on television again. Since 1970 the annual display has been associated with the open-day.
More recently inter-school gymnastics have again taken place, and in each of the four triangular competitions in 1975 the team did very well by winning three times and gaining a second place.
F. WILSON
GYMNASTIC CLUB, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. F. Wilson
Captain: C. W. Griffin
There were three competitions scheduled for the first term and the boys had a lot of work to cover to prepare for the first, against Milton and
Hamilton, in which our two junior teams came first and second whilst the two senior teams came second and third, thus helping us to an overall victory by a margin of more than 250 points.
The second competition saw our juniors completely overwhelm the opposition; the seniors, however, were beaten by Thornhill: nevertheless, we still managed to win the competition overall. This encouraging situation was repeated in the third and last competition of the first term.
In the second term C. Griffin, the team’s captain, and B. van Blerk travelled to Salisbury with Mr. Wilson to see the inter-schools competition at the new Sports Centre. This is an innovation, and it is to be hoped that we shall be able to take part in 1977. It will mean, however, a tremendous amount of preparation as these competitions involve work on some new apparatus such as the horizontal bar, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars, and a ground sequence. One thing that reassured us was the fact that the floor work of the Salisbury schools was not at all superior to ours.
For the annual display in the third term, we had for the first time two girl gymnasts from Townsend School who attended our Gym Club, namely Christine Tucker and Joy Jardine. The display, although perhaps not quite as spectacular as those in previous years, showed the importance of timing and team-work.
LIFE-SAVING, 1976
Master-in-charge. Mr. D. W. R. Wakefield
A large number of boys attended life-saving classes during the year and enthusiasm grew for this particular activity. The boys were very keen and progressed well, some reaching very high standards. Most boys, upon gaining a certain medal, stayed on to strive for more advanced medals. In the first term the following boys managed to achieve the standard set by the Royal Life Saving Society to earn the Society’s Bronze Medallion: D. Garriock, H. Garriock, P. Richards, H. van Zeeventer, B. Johnson, H. Halsted, S. de Clerq, M. Brassington. The Bronze Cross was awarded to F. de Clerq, S. Evans, W. Berry and P. Wedlake.
The third term results were even more pleasing:
H. van Zeeventer, P. Richards, and F. de Clerq gained the Award of Merit. This examination requires considerable stamina and detailed firstaid knowledge. Other awards made during the
third term were: the Intermediate Award — D. Neyland, C. Edy; the Bronze Medallion D. Evans, L. Meal, R. Perrett, M. Trevenan; The Bronze Cross — P. Richards, H. van Zeeventer. Furthermore F. de Clerq instructed the Bronze Medallion pupils and, as a result, was awarded an Instructor’s Certificate.
Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Meal, the attendant at Borrow Street Swimming Pool, for
all his help during the year.
BOY SCOUTS, 1929-1963
The 4th Bulawayo (Technical) Troop, the first school troop in Bulawayo, was registered on 1 December 1929. The Registration Certificate was signed by R. E. Robins, and it is still in the possession of the School. There are very many gaps in the early records of the Troop, but it would appear that the first scoutmaster was Mr. A. R. Innes and that the Troop met in the B.A.C. Pavilion. In 1931 while Mr. Innes was on leave, Mr. Zacharias, who was assistant scoutmaster of the 2nd Bulawayo (Raylton) Troop, took over. In 1935 Mr. C. Sweetman was the scoutmaster, and he took the troop on a camp to the Victoria Falls.
In the immediate post-war era, the Troop was the holder of the Barnet Trophy which was awarded for rifle-shooting. At the end of 1949 Mr. F. le Roux left to start a troop at Queens Park, and Mr. Franklin took over. By 1950 the troop had forty-two boys, and in that year they won the scouts’ gala. That was the year that the Chief Scout, Lord Rowallan, visited Rhodesia, a memorable event for the boys as the Troop joined in a parade held at the Drill Hall to meet their Chief. Also at this time, Patrol-leader P. Piggot led a patrol in the Assegai Competition for all-round out-door scouting and the Troop gained fourth place.
In 1956 after a lapse of about four years, scouts were re-started at the School by Mr. A. Sandwith, but he did not stay long, and, rather than see some thirty-two boys having to give up scouting, Mr. E. R. Lafrentz took over the Troop. After two years the School had the biggest troop in Bulawayo, and Mr. Mike George and Mr. F. Butler, both Old Technicians, joined as assistant scoutmasters, and so the Troop went from strength to strength.
In 1959 five boys, patrol leaders E. Arnott,M. Algeo, and P. McGaw, with scouts B.
Marshall and M. Solberg, represented the Troop at the Central African Jamboree held in Salisbury.
In that year the Troop again won the scouts’ gala.
burnt offering to a bloody sacrifice, but to the boys it was always a better meal than they would have had in the hostel. The cook matrons, I am sure, would have had other ideas.
In 1961 the Troop won the Assegai Competition; the patrol consisted of Patrol Leaders J. Ralph, and H. Solberg, R. Ralph, T. Coulson, K. Parsons and R. Kissack. But, numbers in the Troop began to fall because of fewer boarders in the hostels. 1962 saw the Troop with its first Queen’ Scout, Mike Alego, though numbers continued to fall till the end of 1963 when, because of the lack of boys wishing to become scouts owing to all the counter attractions being offered at the School, the Troop went into recess.
E. R. LAFRENZ
RED CROSS, 1972-1977
Red Cross was started at Gifford in 1972 after a request from the Headmaster, Mr. I. J. Maclachlan that a group should be trained in the School and C. Heuer, N. Binns-Ward, G. Rudnick and D. Garriock were among the first to be trained. Since the formation of the group, the Gifford contingent of the Red Cross has been, and still remains, one of the strongest in Matabeleland. C. Heuer and D. Mouat, both Gifford pupils, have each held the position of chairman of the Junior Red Cross Committee, and have been representatives on the Executive Council. D. Garriock was
elected honorary treasurer in 1977.
Since 1973, the contingent has provided first-aid help at all rugby
matches, no matter what the age-group, as well as at athletics meetings
and the swimming galas. In 1976, over 250 hours of duty during the rugby
season alone were worked. With the present situation prevailing, the
Gifford Red Cross has made ample preparation for any emergency: the
group, consisting of about thirty cadets, has a room, or base, in which
there is sufficient equipment to help deal with any emergency.
Moreover, there are fully-equipped first-aid kits at various points in
the School, while the cadets are well-practised in drill and rescue.
For the past two years, the cadets have been trained by C. Heuer, and the
results of examinations have been extremely pleasing. C. Heuer, D.
Garriock, N. Binns-Ward and H. Garriock, have received a bar to their Grand
Proficiency Medals, whilst D. Mouat and G. Rudnick have received
proficiency certificates in first-aid, nursing, drill, rescue, health and
hygiene. The School has recognised the services that these boys have
rendered to Gifford, and awards have been, and will continue to be, made:
the first pupils to get a Merit Award specifically for Red Cross were C. L. Heuer
and N. Binns-Ward, while Heuer was the first to be awarded with a
Merit-with-Honours.
C. L. HEUER
CADETS, 1927-1968
The cadet corps of the School started in the same year as the School
was founded. The instructor of the unit of junior cadets was
Sergeant-Major Dyer who soon had the unit ready for its first cadet camp at which a
very creditable standard of drill was achieved. The cadets also did
well in the bisley, boxing and athletics competitions, and the unit ended
up being placed eighty-ninth out of the best one hundred units in the
Imperial Challenge Shield, a creditable first performance.
The unit was reclassified as senior cadets as a result. In 1928 two
sergeants from England arrived and soon had the unit on its toes to
provide the Gu2rd of Honour of fifty c~adotc~ for the official opening of the
Rhodes Street school buildings on 4 August 1930 by Sir Cecil Rodwell,
the Governor of Southern Rhodesia. (See page
18).
The years up to the Second World War were years of growth and
consolidation during which the unit turned out on several ceremonial occa sions,
notably in 1931 when the unit paraded at the Cenotaph on the arrival of
the Grenadier Guards in Bulawayo, and in 1934 when G-platoon and the
band were present on the occasion of the visit of H.R.H. Prince George.
As the size of the school increased, so the cadet strength was
increased, and in 1936 application was made to increase the muster from 135
to 175 cadets. That same year the bisley team won four of the six
trophies competed for, while the years 1938 and 1939 were also very success
ful as there were some outstanding performances at the cadet camps. At
that stage the 0/C was Capt. A. E. Farrell and, quaint as it may seem
to the reader of the moment, the magazine records his “exciting
privilege” while on an instructor’s course in Salisbury of flying with a
squadron of Hawker Hart biplane aircraft (considered then to be the last word
in bombers) performing acrobatics in formation. The Magazine added:
“The roaring sweep of these powerful machines across leagues of sky,
wing-tip to wing-tip, must have been a wonderful experience.”
The war years saw the formation of an air cadet unit with a restricted
number of 30 cadets under the command of Flying Officer S. Pearson.
DRAMATICS, 1929-76
The first dramatic performances at the Bulawayo Technical School formed part of what for many years was known as “The School Concert and Prize-giving.” These occasions, which were attended by invited guests, parents and friends of the School, were held annually in November initially in what was called “the School Theatre at the Hostel.” As the evenings consisted of a report by the Headmaster and the presentation of prizes and awards to pupils, time was limited, so the plays performed were always one-act plays. It is of interest to note that on several occasions the actors in the play were drawn from outside the school: on other instances, members of staff took leading parts in plays, with the supporting roles being played by pupils.
In 1931, the building of the Beit Hall at the Rhodes Street School began, a project which was greeted with much excitement. In 1933 the hall was completed and officially opened. The occasion was marked by a School concert. Indeed, in the early years of the School, these concerts — which featured solo items by local singers and musicians — were popular, and periodically they took place of dramatic performances.
In the years 1934-1937, Mr. N. Levitzky took charge of dramatics and, with the help of Mr. Peel Nelson, undertook some ambitious work, which included Shakespearian drama, satire and a portion of a Spanish play by Ivan Minshev. The local critic, who was invited to these performances, was very complimentary about Mr. Levitzky’s productions.
1938 saw the start of a short-lived tradition whereby two one-act plays were performed at the concerts by the junior and senior hostels respectively. This arrangement continued into the 1940’s, when Mrs. Hart began to direct the School’s productions. A triumph was scored in 1945 when The Dumb Wife of Cheapside, a comedy, was so well received that it was performed again in the Barbour Hall before members of the Bulawayo Theatre Club.
A dramatic society was, however, formed only in 1947, and Mr. H. J. Sutherby, the Headmaster, became its president. The Dramatic Society met regularly for play readings and, a year after its inception, a Junior Dramatic Society was also started. As a result of this, two one-act plays again were performed each speech night, the one being presented by the Senior Dramatic Society and the other by the Junior. The two
societies were a great success, as evidenced by the fact that, in 1951, two hundred members attended the annual general meeting.
In April 1948, Mrs. Sutherby directed the school’s first full-length play — Laburnum Grove by J. B. Priestley. Girls who had connections with the school took the female roles in the play. Laburnum Grove was well received by the audiences, and Mrs. Sutherby continued to direct the major productions of 1951 and 1952, In 1953, D. Hagemann, a pupil who had played a valuable part in the Dramatic Society and in school productions, left school, after having been awarded a School Council Prize for his portrayal of Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
In 1955, an inter-hostel one-act play competition was held for the first time. It was won by Johnson House, with Russell House taking second place. The following year, the School’s production of Pygmalion, in which D. W. Lapham played Eliza Doolittle and J. H. Jackson played Professor Higgins, won a second class award (over 75%) at the eisteddfod.
For some years after 1958, no major plays were staged at the School, largely owing to the fact that, since the Beit Hall no longer belonged to the School, facilities were limited. At this stage, plays were being performed in the gymnasium. In 1962, however, Ivanhoe was produced, the properties being made by Mr. R. Pate, whose work in the making of stage sets and properties has since proved invaluable. Mr. H. Knowles produced H.M.S. Pinafore in 1963, and the 1964 speech night production was directed by the boys themselves. The following year, dramatic colours were awarded to T. Skeenkamp and I. Murphy. Nowadays, achievement on the stage is rewarded and recognised by the presenting of Merit or Honours awards.
By 1969 a hall had been built at the School, and it was officially opened in July by the Minister of Education, the Hon. A. P. Smith. The availability of a suitable stage and auditorium made a great difference for the scope of drama at Gifford. For the first time, the School had a full-scale lighting system, storage space for dramatic equipment, a properly designed stage and, most important, the prospect of staging future productions without being hampered by a lack of facilities. Initially, however, equipment, especially sophisticated lights, was hard to come by and had to be acquired piecemeal. We literally started from scratch; a box set was design-
ed by Mr. R. T. McGeoch and built by Mr. T. M. Brine.
The new hall was first used for dramatic purposes in 1970, when the junior dramatic society staged A Message from Mars. For the first time, Eveline girls took the female parts in the play, and Alan Rutherfoord-Jones and Keith McConnell made the first of their many appearances on stage at Gifford.
In 1971 the hall was used extensively. The major production Arms and the Man, was directed by Mr. R. T. McGeoch and received favourable criticism from Bulawayo’s critic, Martin Lee. The same year, Mr. R. D. Furber produced Morning Departure, cast entirely from form three pupils, with the constructive intent of building an actors’ “bank” for future productions. A new idea was the staging of a staff play, held on the same evening as a junior one-act play. An inter-house one-act play competition was also held for the first time and was won in 1971 by Dalton House’s production of The Stroke of Twelve. Since then this competition has been an annual event, and it is of importance to note that everything is done by the boys themselves.
Since 1971, dramatics have become firmly established at Gifford. Every year a major production takes place, with Eveline girls taking the female roles. So far it has been possible to produce a play one year and a musical the following year. New talent is continually being brought to the fore by the inter-house competition, while a Theatre Workshop, under the direction of Mrs. S. Jordaan, started in 1975 and serves successfully to maintain interest in drama on a high note.
Highlights since 1971 have been Oklahoma, where the entire proceeds of the first night went to The terrorist Victims’ Relief Fund, and The Trial of Mary Dugan, which achieved the grand feat of winning the Rhodesian Schools’ Drama Festival in 1 976: both of these productions were directed by Mr. Furber. Individual awards for their parts in The Trial of Mary Dugan were won by S. Rowley and M. Ainscough. Other names which have often been associated with school productions since 1971 are N. Hayes-Hill, L.Tobias, I. Howard, N. Rutherfoord-Jones, M.Nichols, K. McConnell, M. Robinson, and D.Hutchinson.
Any survey of dramatics at the School since 1929 must show that there has always been an interest in, and a keen awarness of, dramatics amongst the staff and pupils; the success, therefore, of The Trial of Mary Dugan provides a grand finale to the first fifty years of enthusiasm and hard work.
S. JORDAAN.
DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS
(The titles in bold type indicate full-length play as distinct from one-act plays, or extracts from plays.)
1929 The Dear Departed.
1930 The Monkey’s Paw; The Grand Cham's Diamond.
1934 Two scenes from A Midsummer Nights Dream.
1935 Scenes from The World We Live In.
1938 Rory Aforesaid; On Dartmoor.
1939 Shivering Shocks; Something to Talk About.
1940 The Bishop’s Candlesticks; A King’s Hard Bargain.
1941 Augustus in Search of a Father; Birds of a Feather.
1942 In Port.
1945 The Dumb Wife of Cheapside.
1946 Old Boyhood.
1947 Banquo’s Chair.
1948 The Dickens of Gray’s Inn; The Kitchen Knight; LABURNUM GROVE.
1949 Elegant Edward; The Murder of Duncan
1950 The Mock Doctor; The Little Man; GAPTAIN BRASSHOUND’S CONVERSION.
1951 ANDROCLES AND THE LION; Fortunes of Falstaff; Rory Aforesaid.
1952 Shivering Shocks; Two Gentlemen of Soho; Treasure Island.
1953 THE GHOST TRAIN; A Night at an Inn, from “The Merry Wives of Windsor".
1954 A Gentleman of Verona Comes A-Wooing from “The Taming of the Shrew’
1955 False Colours; The Spartan Girl; The Crimson Coconut; The Goalbird.
1956 The Invisible Duke; Birds of a Feather; The Middle Watch.
1957 An Unusual Lunch from “Charley’s Aunt”.
1958 The Creel of Trout; PYGMALION.
1959 Davey Jones’s Dinner.
1961 The Dark.
1962 IVANHOE.
1963 H.M.S. PINAFORE.
1964 The Ghost of Terry Bundler.
1965 THE NAKED ISLAND.
1966 TWELVE ANGRY MEN.
1970 A Message from Mars.
1971 ARMS AND THE MAN; MORNING DEPARTURE; Augustus Does His Bit; The Mock Doctor; The Stroke of Twelve.
1972 BOTH ENDS MEET; Passion, Poison and Petrifaction; Something to Talk About;
The Hut.
1973 OKLAHOMA; The Bridegroom Rose Early; Daniel and Bel; The Man
Upstairs; Two Blindmen and a Donkey.
1974 TEN LITTLE NIGGERS; Make Your Way.
1975 SHOWBOAT; Rules.
1976 THE TRIAL OF MARY DUGAN.
DRAMATICS
“The Trial of Mary Dugan”
Polished, enthralling, a thoroughly worthwhile evening’s
entertainment, the best yet, is how I would describe The Trial of Mary Dugan. Let me
go further and say that anyone at the School who did not see this show
will never know how much he missed.
The show promised to be good from the onset:
the set was magnificent; from the simple rail separating the public
galleries from the courtroom floor to the judge’s superb bench, reality
was there, while the fluted columns and ornate door handles added just
that final touch. The production owes much to Mr. Pate’s craftmanship and
Mr. Stone’s fine artwork.
I did not like the mime, which is my only real criticism of the
production; it was too protracted, and I was left wondering why the courtroom
charwomen had uttered their “good mornings”. But, having got the cast
into the courtroom, what a shattering experience lay in wait: Judge
Nash’s pronouncement of the death penalty on Italian-
speaking Paulige Aguerro was gripping enough, but the terrifying
necessity of translating to her that sentence sent chilling waves through the
audience. Then the numbing shock of Pauline’s hysteria followed.
The scene was set for a further murder trial, and with the ring of
Pauline Aguerro’s screams ever in the mind and with the case against Mary
apparently so overwhelming, reinforced particularly by the Public
Prosecutor’s attitude, I was never so glad as when Mary Dugan was acquitted.
In an average school production, one can reasonably expect to find a
number of goodish actors in a cast as large as that in The Trial of Mary
Dugan. What commended the production to me above all was not so much
the leading players, who gave exceptional performances, but the
supporting roles. Each in his or her way belonged in that court room — I
hesitate to call it a stage for the audience soon willingly suspended its
disbelief as one by one each member of the cast gave life to that drama.
Rosanna di Palma as Pauline Aguerro was superb: her penetrating screams
of sheer unbelief horrified me beyond saying, and I consider her role to
have been vital in providing that essential realism upon which so much
of the atmosphere of the drama depended, not to mention the existence
of her fate as a chilling reminder as Mary’s trial seemed to be drawing
to its foregone conclusion of guilty-ascharged.
Others among the supporting cast who drew my attention because of
their poise and self-possession included Judge Nash played by L. Starkey
who fitted my picture of a ponderous, unshakable upholder of the Law.
Here let me comment on the director’s eye for detail: at one stage in the
proceedings Judge Nash had to have recourse to his knowledge of the law
when confronted by a tricky point. One was impressed by his momentary
search for precedent before overruling an objection by the prosecution
to a question of the defence. Details such as the stenographer’s
continual miming at his stenotype, all lent an air of reality, while other
lesser roles such as those by M. Ainscough as the self-assured Dr. Welcome
(his make-up was excellent), by G. Hogan as Inspector Hunt and K.
Fitzgerald as the suave tailor named Henry Plaisted, and by K. Griffin as
James Madison, the elevator attendant, each contributed to the overall
success of this drama. In fact, each of the minor roles was well cast and
directed to allow the players to give quite impresssive performances.
I think Debbie Peters as Mary Dugan was superb. She gave a more than
convincing display of controlled emotion under circumstances which would
have tried to extremes any normal person, any normal actress, and she
did this on one occasion for well over thirty minutes: indeed a
remarkable performance which got the audience to sympathise with her. She lived
her role, even when not on the witness-stand. Her agony of mind, her
sobbing, her deep despair deserve the highest applause. In fact,
paradoxically let it be said that her greatest applause was no applause at all:
the audience was too absorbed, too moved by her portrayal to clap for
fear of breaking the atmosphere she, by her performance, created. The
play, as I saw it, really revolved around her; good as the other
characters were, imagine what this drama would have been without Debbie Peters.
There were three cameo roles, each of which was a fine performance.
We saw Barbara Wilmot portray the character of an essentially
unsophisticated follies-girl determined to adopt an air of psuedo
sophistication and take it to its illogical extreme. Perhaps there was a tendency to
over-act, but in a courtroom drama on stage one ought to have at least
one character who does not conform to commonly accepted norms in order
to create a foil for the other characters. Barbara did just that.
Certainly her use of facial expression and gesticulation was excellent: they
fitted her role as did her costume, which I felt was the best of all if
only because
the costume had to suit the character, which it did to perfection.
Michelle Beaumont, as May Harris, and Roxane Bales-Smith as Ferne
Arthur, other not-too bright follies girls, with muddled evidence, did not
have roles quite as attention-drawing as the other girl, but it must be
remembered that each was equally important by way of the contrast each
offered. Their determination to say what they thought they were
expected to say under cross-examination was neatly done. Finally, Clare
Robertson, as Marie Ducrot, was particularly successful in providing humour at
critical points. Agreed the playwright created the dramatic relief, but
it nonetheless requires a competent actress to make that relief felt. I
loved her reply of “Oui Monsieur” to the reprimand that “You must
always speak to me in English”. She was also very good in conveying the
playwright’s sense of dramatic irony, and as her appearance is in the third
act, she was in no small way responsible, as the French-speaking maid,
for prolonging the dramatic suspense by dragging attention away from
the critically bleak situation confronting Mary. Particularly was I
impressed by her ability to hold her accent.
Shayne Garde showed what could be done as Mrs. Edgar Rice: her
overbearing, haughty and hypocritical demeanour convinced me, and I was not in
the least surprised to find she had perjured herself. I could
understand why her deceased husband had deserted her, and as such her rOte,
unattractive as it was in its nature, was very well interpreted.
Of the leading male characters, Daryl Sahli, as the defence council,
gave the impression, as he was meant to do, of defending Mary merely for
the sake of defending her: he was technically correct, but rather
heartless, which was not surprising as he was ultimately trapped into
revealing he was Edgar Rice’s murderer and Mrs. Rices lover.
Spencer Rowley as Jimmy Dugan improved as he went along. I did not
find him quite as convincing as Donald Hutchinson, the District Attorney.
Yet, his was probably the more demanding role in which he could have
made the mistake of being too impassioned: after all, his sister was on
trial for murder. Fortunately he gave the impression of being able to
temper personal feeling with the need to be clearly rational. It was a
pleasure to hear him speaking so clearly, and to see him being so quick
with his cues. He was the prime manipulator in maintaining the pace of
the drama, and that in itself was no mean achievement.
The role of District Attorney was a mammoth one, and who better to have played it than the experienced Donald Hutchinson. He is fortunate in having a mature, resonant voice, but it takes acting ability to produce the right blend of subtlety in his sarcasm in questioning the accused, Mary Dugan. The clash of temperament with the defence attorneys, firstly D. Sahli and then S.
Rowley, was well handled, and lent human interest in a realistic situation. In fact, as he cross-examined Mary, one came to dislike the Public Prosecutor more and more even while accepting him as a very necessary extension of the justice of the people.
Lastly, this drama could have been performed on stage, yet by having the audience Elizabethan-style surrounding the players, we became not spectators but participants. That the audience became so acutely involved is a tribute to the set and skill of the actors, but above all, and it is the chief factor often forgotten when a play is a resounding success, the director must be congratulated. And so I am of the opinion that, considering the recent history of excellent Gifford theatre, Mr. Furber has set an incomparable standard. That this was so was revealed later when the A.R.T.S. adjudicator selected The Trial of Mary Dugan as being the best school’s production of 1976.
R.T.McGEOCH
THE INTER-HOUSE ONE-ACT PLAY
COMPETITION, 1976
The inter-house one-act play competition was held on 2 July and was adjudicated by Mr. N. Bisby. Traditionally, a producer was nominated from each house and the plays were staged entirely without staff assistance.
The programme for the evening was: The
Chinese Mask, directed by M. Ainscough of
Davy House; The Unexpected, directed by S.
Rowley of Newton House; There’s a Man in
that Tree, directed by N. Rutherfoord-Jones of
Whitworth House; The Ghost of Jerry
Bundler, directed by D, Hutchinson of Faraday
House.
Mr. Bisby awarded a joint first-place to Faraday’s production of The Ghost of Jerry Bundler — a play which takes place in an atmosphere of suspense and anticipation — and to Whitworth’s production of There’s a Man in that Tree, the casting of which was no mean task for the producer, who had to make a bevy of beauties out of a group of bumbling boys. Third and fourth places were filled by Davy House and Newton House respectively.
S. JORDAAN
THEATRE WORKSHOP
Teacher-in-charge: Mrs. S. Jordaan
1976 was the first full year of the Theatre Workshop’s existence and, although membership was small, the enthusiasm and energy of the partipants made the meetings worthwhile and enjoyable.
During the year, the group tackled a variety of aspects of drama. Individual efforts involved the learning and reciting of poems and extracts from plays which required emotional response and interpretation. On some occasions, a taperecorder was used to give each performer an idea of the effectiveness of his presentations. Work on characterisation continued, and impromptu scenes — such as The Airport Terminal, The Dinner Party and A Crowded Lift were presented, with realistic and often amusing results. The group also experimented with creating situations wherein individuals were required to show emotions, such as happiness, distress, anger, or horror.
In the second term the group rehearsed and presented scenes from plays, which included Richard of Bordeaux, Charley’s Aunt, Androcles and the Lion, and The Importance of Being Ernest. This was a valuable exercise as it provided scope for improving dramatic techniques and for developing stage awareness.
Throughout the year the members of Workshop were willing to attempt new aspects of drama and they were forthcoming in suggesting constructive ideas for improving and varying the Workshop’s activities. This resulted in a successful and rewarding year.
CAROL CONCERTS, 1951-1975
Properly the annual carol concerts started in 1970, though there are references to Christmas and carol services as early as 1950. These were joint services among the Technical School, Eveline, and Milton, and were held in the Beit Hall in Rhodes Street. In 1951 an “impressive Carol Service” was held at the end of the year:
the organist was Mrs. A. Hart, wife of the then deputy headmaster, while there was some “excellent singing” from the Eveline choir. Prayers and Lessons were read by the Heads of the three schools, while the scholars, also from the three schools, filled the hall to capacity and made the occasion a “memorable one”. In fact there was for a number of years a tradition of School services, with the service at the end of the year naturally being devoted to carols and the Christmas story.
Ever since he had arrived at the School in 1967, Mr. I. J. McLachlan the Headmaster, had
hoped for a carol concert to become an annual feature of the School’s calendar. Mr. R. T. McGeoch in 1970 produced a script in which the traditional story was retained, but as far as possible the format aimed at variety without being shallow or inapt. Mr. D. G. Stephens trained a choir, mainly of form 1 pupils, who with “great enthusiasm and commendable success” gave “a surprisingly pleasing rendering of the well-known carols”. The Hall was lit by candles from hastily constructed wooden candelabra, while the properties such as the crib were equally rapidly made at the last moment. The stage, too, was candlelit. Much was improvised, but the impression created was considerable. The Magazine records the “the evening proved to be an inspiration to many”.
Since then the carol concert has indeed become an annual feature in the third term. A permanent set depicting the Bethlehem stable has been made by Mr. R. W. Pate; Eveline girls took part for the first time in 1972, and have done so since; the re-introduction of music in the School in 1973 considerably helped Mr. D. M. Davis, who took over from Mr. McGeoch in directing the concerts, as a school choir naturally played a considerable role. And so the Christmas story is, with a few minor alterations each year, presented in a series of readings, tableaux and carols.
R. T. McGEOCH
CAROL CONCERT, 1976
Director: N. K. Hughes
For the first time, the Gifford musicians and readers presented a complete Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, in the tradition of England’s best, King’s College, Cambridge. The processional carol heralded the entrance of the choir, bearing their lighted candles. An innovation was the choristers’ uniforms: their new maroon gowns with over-lying white surplices were very smart.
Once the choir had taken its place, the auditorium lights were raised, as were also the congregation’s voices as they joined the singing. The congregation played its full part in the proceedings, and it was most gratifying when a parent remarked afterwards: “We felt we really belonged, and were part of everything.”
P. Harrold was our treble soloist, with R. Geddes accompanying him on the guitar. An Eveline girl, Hilary Jones, sang a beautiful solo, while S. Rowley, T. Wiggill, M. Stopforth and A. Connor were worthy Gifford soli.
The readers appeared in ascending order of seniority, starting with a form one pupil, and ending with the Headmaster.
Our band of instrumentalists has become quite a fine little orchestra, which besides accompanying most of the carols and Christmas hymns, contributed its own solo item, in the form of an excerpt from the Christmas Concerto, by Corelli. D. Richardson was the leader.
We are deeply grateful to the Headmistress of Eveline School for permitting some of her girls to sing for us. This was a highly necessary procedure: our treble boys’ voices had dwindled to only four at that time of the year, as the boys had started to mature. Thanks are also due to Mrs. Barbara Thomas as the School continues to enjoy the benefit of her expert accompaniment on both piano and organ.
THE LIBRARY, 1930-1977
“A good school library is the most important room a young reader passes through on his way to growing up” (Mrs. M. Sharp at the Rhodesia Library Association conference, 6 March 1976).
Notes on the Library in the November 1930 magazine echo the cry made by all librarians through the ages: “If we’d had the room, we should have had a room full of books, if we’d had the books.” In the early years of the School the library benefited from donations from such prominent people as Col. C. F. Birney, who, on his retirement from the General Managership of the Rhodesia Railways in 1930, presented the School Library with a large number of valuable scientific and technical books of reference. Parents also made donations and a sum of money, raised at the School concert in 1930, was spent on others, but it was in 1942 that Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Friggens (he joined the staff in 1940) collected together 450 books as a nucleus of a school Library. The collection was temporarily housed next to the workshops in a room which also served as a reading-room.
The various houses (Main School Hostel, Heyman House, and Russell House) had built up fairly respectable libraries by 1942, and many of these ultimately found their way into the School Library when the hostel libraries ceased to exist. Donations and gifts of money for the library continued to arrive, and a library was developed in Johnson House with the funds bequeathed by Sir George Johnson. After its foundation in 1951 Newman House also built up a House Library.
In 1967 Gifford was most fortunate in the appointment of Mr. R. T. McGeoch to the post of Head of the English Department as he revolutionised the Library. Order emerged from chaos, the books were covered in plastic and
tidied into serried ranks, classified according to the Dewey System of classification, and catalogued (with the invaluable help of many parents), and opened during the afternoons. The Library was also refurbished with funds made available by the P.T.A.; P.T.A. members also made and erected the pelmets, new curtains were hung, and the library was painted out for the first time in
years.
The next stage of development began on 1 July, 1970 when the Minister of Education made provision for a permanent library-assistant in all Rhodesian high schools, to develop the full resources of the school-library and to assist pupils in making better use of books and material both for study and recreational reading.
Once again the Fates smiled on Gifford and the School was incredibly lucky in their first full-time librarian. Mrs. D. Kutchen was not only a fully trained librarian, but she was very enthusiastic in her work. The classification begun in 1967 was expanded, and the marked increase in the borrowing of books over the succeeding years was a tribute to, and a reflection of, the excellence of her choice of new books. In 1973 Mrs. Kutchen left and her place was taken by Mrs. A. L. Furber who continued her work of encouraging youthful minds in their pursuit of knowledge and enjoyment.
The number of volumes borrowed from the Library each year continues to grow and a considerable number of volumes was added to the shelves this year, that is 1976. Our grateful thanks must go to parents and pupils who have donated books, and no report would be complete without a heartfelt thanks to the Beit Trustees and the Ministry of Education both of which make grants to the School for the Library. I am also indebted to the Headmaster for an allocation from the General Purpose Fund. Our funds were, this year, further enhanced by the sum of money donated by Messrs. Textbook Sales for the prize-winning entry in the Schools’ Drama Festival.
The Library is now also a form of Archives for the School as old magazines, volumes of The Bee Hive and The Honeycomb, photographs, records of addresses of Old Boys, records of sporting achievements, and so on, are being kept there so that the writing of reports for future magazines may be facilitated for all those who wish to make use of them.
Any person who has not developed the habit of reading is imprisoned in his own immediate world. His life falls into a set routine: he is limited to contact with friends and acquaintances, and can see only what happens in his immediate
vicinity. From this prison there is no real escape until he learns to read and enjoy books. Once learnt it is a lesson never forgotten and never relinquished, even after those formative school years are left far behind and new interests and tastes are developed. It is a truism to say that if one uses the library wisely while at school, one will have learnt a greater lesson than any which may be taught in a classroom. A.L.L.F.
It should be added that our Librarian, Mrs. A.
L. L. Furber, who wrote this report, has, perhaps understandably, omitted any mention of her own splendid contribution to the Library’s development. In addition to that, she has established herself as the School’s archivist and historian and has spent a great many additional hours bringing into existence and keeping up to date our records of Old Boys. A large proportion of the historical material reflected in this Magazine is derived from
her research.
HEADMASTER
LIBRARY REPORT, 1976
Librarian: Mrs. A. L. L. Furber, B.Sc.
During 1976 only the Upper 6th were permitted to occupy the library during their study periods; the M-Level pupils were allocated classrooms for their use, and each had to obtain permission from his individual teacher and the librarian before the library could be used during study periods. This immediately meant that a more meaningful use of the library was made, by those pupils who felt the need for additional information.
The library grants (from the Government, a sum of $429,75 allocated in November 1975, and the Beit Trust a total of $340,00 sent to us in October 1975) have been augmented by additional sums during the year. The Headmaster kindly agreed to make up the difference from the General Purpose Fund to $1 000,00 while the $100,00 prize won by the School in the Schools’ Drama Festival provided a further injection of funds.
Although there has been a fairly constant enrolment of pupils in the School over the past few years, the following table shows that there has been a steady increase in the borrowing of books:
Year Volumes borrowed
1971 4672
1972 4702
1973 5324
1974 5862
1975 6524
1976 6701
At the end of 1975 St. Stephens's College closed and the books which had been in their library were divided among the Bulawayo Schools
We were lucky to get 152 volumes from this source. A further 244 volumes were donated during the year by boys, parents and friends of the School (notably two very welcome volumes from Mr. H. J. Sutherby — Other Men’s Flowers and The Ascent of Man) and we purchased 249 volumes with another 67 still on order.
The History section of the library has been augmented to the stage where it can be said that it is of general and genuine use to the pupils in the School.
While I have laid an emphasis on the buying of paperbacks where possible (reinforced and covered in plastic they stand up to considerable wear and tear), it seems to me that the following year should perhaps see an increase in the stocking of the fiction shelves, and the encouragement of reading for pleasure and not just for education.
DEBATING SOCIETY, 1928-1976
Traditionally debating is an integral part of School life in Rhodesia, and in this Gifford is no exception, though one thing above all else stands out: debating societies at the School have had a chequered existence, often falling into abeyance and just as often being reformed. The one consolation is that many changes do not reflect disorganisation or absence of interest: changes and innovations are bound to occur where there is interest shown and where ideas are generated by those who have, over the last fifty years, been involved with debating at this School.
The first mention of a debating society is to be found in the very first magazine where mention was made of successful debating in 1928. The motion for the first recorded debate, held on the 27 April 1929 was that “there is no commercial future for aircraft.” Speakers for the motion were F. D. Wickwar and J. B. McLeod, opposed by G. S. Perry and M. Taute. The motion was defeated by 35 votes to 7. This article concluded with these words: “The proposers found some solace in their defeat by reflecting that the House had not listened to the voice of reason” — a familiar cry from defeated debaters!
The following year the name was changed to the Literary and Debating Society, but only two debates were held, the first being on the motion that “ it is better to be the eldest rather than the youngest of the family.” Where the Literary section came in, history does not relate; perhaps this came under topics such as Mr. A. C. Vaughan’s talk on his trip to Mount Kilimanjaro, or the Headmaster’s: talk on “Health through rational dieting.” In 1931 there was only one debate on
the motion that “schools should be self-governing”. Thankfully, the motion was defeated.
In debating circles all could not have been well because there follows a dearth of debating news until 1935, and again until 1941. Debating societies come and go the world over, and those at “Tech” were no exception, so it was not surprising that another debating society was inaugurated in June 1941. A committee was formed: in the Chair (not at the same time, we hope!) were Mr. A. Hart and Mr. H. Friggens; the vice-president was Andley; A. Banks was the secretary and B. J. Geldart was his assistant, while M. P. Piers and E. 0. Wilson were committee members. The motion for the first debate was “Competition is harmful in schools”, which was defeated 40-29.
Once again there is a gap in the records till 1946 and we must assume that debating was out of favour during those years. What helps to confuse the history of this society even more is the reference in the 1948 magazine to the effect that the debating society had been reconstituted in February. An interesting historical note was that Mrs. Sutherby, the wife of the Headmaster, took over the Chair during Mr. A. Hart’s leave. Moreover in 1948 an association developed
between the School’s and Eveline’s debating societies. In the words of the secretary at the time, “Hopes were expressed on both sides that this might be only the first of a number of such joint debates.” This association has been continued right through to the present day.
During 1949 the debating society again suffered from poor attendances, and recorded in this magazine is the wish that “1950 will bring a revival of interest in the Society. It can be of immense value to the School, and to individual members if it is not left to the select few to do everything.” This appeal was obviously heeded because there was a slight improvement: three debates were held. In 1951 the chairman was Mr. I. H. Grant, the present Secretary for Education, and mention is made of the first debate against the staff, the motion being “Further nationalisation would be detrimental to the progress of the Colony”.
Again there is a gap in the records, till 1955 when a decision was taken to create a junior debating society as well. One of the topics debated must have encouraged overwhelming support for the proposers, namely that “schools should close until the end of the polio epidemic”! In 1956 the separate societies continued, with a present member of staff, Mr. B. P. Webb, in charge of the juniors. Once again the senior society appeared to be almost dormant. Mention is, however, made of a debate against Townsend, at Townsend.
In 1957 the senior debating society was reconstituted yet again, presumably in an effort to whip up support, but it would appear to have had no immediate effect as there is no report on debating between 1958 and 1960. It was in 1960 that the “Sixth Form Club” was started as a form of social studies. This was the forerunner of our present-day Sixth Form Forum.
There is another gap in the records from this time until 1964 when the School entered speakers in the Lions’ International Public-Speaking Contest for the first time. Gifford was well represented on 3 March by T. Steenekamp and W. Green who spoke respectively on “Columbus went too far” and “The new countries of Africa are not free.” During 1965 the first round of the Inter-Schools’ Debating Contest was held in the School’s gymnasium. This was also a new venture sponsored by the Bulawayo Speakers’ Circle, and T. Steenekamp was specially commended for his efforts. During 1966 C.Green, G.Seale, and N.White represented the School in the Interschool Debating Competition.
In 1967 edition of the magazine records how once again a debating society was formed in March, its first, and only, debate being on the motion that “the School cadet corps is a complete waste of time”. Thereafter debating lapsed once again till 1968, when the senior debating society was revived at the instigation of Mr. R. T. McGeoch. The highlight of this year was the School’s victory over C.B.C. in the Bulawayo Speakers’ Circle Debating Contest: P. Hastings, R. Wright and I. Mcintyre represented the School, with Hastings and McIntyre taking part in the Lions’ Public-Speaking Contest.
1968 was also noteworthy as there was also a revival of the junior debating society.
At that stage it was felt that a debating society was rather limited, and that there was scope for associated activities of an intellectual nature in order to provide sixth form pupils with intellectual and cultural stimulation necessary to their development. So, in 1969 Mr. McGeoch founded the Sixth Form Forum.
The Sixth Form Forum was obviously successful as the standard of public-speaking improved to the extent that in 1971 D. Rademeyer reached the semi-finals in the Lions’ Public-Speaking contest, and the School won two out of five trophies awarded by the Bulawayo Speakers’ Circle in the Inter-Schools’ competition. Standards continued to rise, for in 1973 J. Nash-Webber was a semi-finalist in the Lions’ Public Speaking, and the following year Gifford achieved a first in that we had three semi-finalists, the first School ever to achieve that feat: they were J. Nash-Webber, K. McConnell and J. Howard. K. McConnell was eventually the runner-up with his topic: “The Art of Communication”.
For the first time, too, the School’s nominees for the Junior Council were elected by the Forum, those for 1969 being B. Marais and K. Ashcroft. This procedure has been followed since then.
1973 was a most significant year for the Forum, for it was in this year that the forum was properly constituted, and on 17 August, a formal, inaugural meeting was held with Sir Hugh Beadle Chief Justice of Rhodesia, as the guest of honour. Sir Hugh witnessed the adoption of the constitution; the illuminated Motion recording this event now hangs in the School Hall. There were in addition 150 guests, and Mr. I. J. MacLachlan, the Headmaster, gave his Presidential Address. At this time Mr. R. Reeve-Johnson was in charge of the Forum, and it was he who organised the Sixth Form Forum along the lines of the present.
During 1975 the inaugural Sixth Form Forum Dinner was held at Grey’s Inn. Since then Forum has continued to play a valuable part in the extra-
mural activities of the School. The Forum, in fact, has given rise to the Toastmaster’s Society, formed in 1976 by Mr. A. L. van Heerden, and this selective society has proved very popular.
All this activity among the seniors does not mean that the Junior Debating Society has disappeared: to the contrary, it still proves to be a popular activity with boys in forms one and two.
D. A. JACK
SIXTH FORM FORUM, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. A. L. van Heerden
Chairman: D. G. Hutchinson
Secretary: N. B. Binns-ward
Committee: G. A. Biffen, A. M. Croll, S. D. Muldoon, B. K. Payne
1976 proved to be a most successful year for the Gifford Sixth Form Forum. A determined and dedicated committee organised a wide programme which drew a very pleasing response from the general body of sixth formers. If one of the major aims of the society is to encourage greater participation by individuals in the activities of the Forum, major progress has been made and we can look forward to 1977 with confidence. The lively question-and-answer sessions which invariably followed general studies talks, were evidence of the development which had taken place in individuals largely as a result of their association with the Sixth Form Forum. In addition, in the Lions’ public-speaking contest, A. Konson reached the finals.
Several controversial films were screened during the course of the year and in every case long and interesting discussions followed. Over the course of the year the growing maturity of these discussions could be readily perceived. Various speakers addressed the Forum during the year and our debt to these people is far greater than they appreciate. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable evenings was that on which the members themselves set up a committee to “roast” three well-known schoolboy personalities.
JUNIOR DEBATING SOCIETY, 1976
Teacher-in-charge: Mrs. D. Tod
As the 1976 Debating Society was rather small in numbers, it was difficult to hold fully-fledged debates, but the smallness of the group did, however, enable everyone to have his say. Boys explained about their hobbies, pets, how to make money during the holidays (some incredible ideas here!) and whether pocket money should be earned or not. Certain discussions required a sound proof room, such as the one where an imaginary $12 000,00 was to be distributed to charities each of which had to stake its claim. This latter led to the boys visiting “Abilities”. We also held a mock council meeting to suggest improvements to Bulawayo’s facilities.
TOASTMASTERS, 1976
Master-in-charge: Mr. A. L. van Heerden
1976 saw the founding of the Toastmasters’ Society at Gifford. The Society was made up of fourteen first-year sixth-form pupils under the chairmanship of Mr. A. L. van Heerden. The aims are to improve the standard of public-speaking at the School, to afford individuals the opportunity to develop self-confidence and ability in this field and further to promote, in a society which is complementary in many ways to the Sixth Form Forum, an interest in social and cultural endeavour.
Meetings took the form of dinners held in the foyer of the halt, after which toasts were made and critiques offered. Guests, chosen from staff, old boys and friends of the School, added greater vitality to the meetings and never failed to pass to the budding toastmasters valuable advice.
Individual development over the course of the year was in some cases spectacular and in all cases most pleasing. Those of the 1976 Toastmasters who return for a second year in the sixth form at Gifford will almost certainly make a valuable contribution to sixth form activities in 1977, while a new group of toastmasters will again meet once a month to carry on the tradition already established.
The final meeting of the year was held at the Holiday Inn and among the guests were a number of fathers who enjoyed themselves in the proceedings with a relish which probably stunned their sons. One felt sure at that last meeting of 1976 that the Toastmasters’ Society had established itself firmly in the life of the School.
CHESS
The Chess Club was formed by Mr. A. Hart in the second term of 1946. The club had a secretary, namely T. Lange, and two committee members, K. M. Peacock and W. R. Rogers. Meetings were held weekly at Johnson House during which time members were introduced to the finer points of the game by means of a demonstration board borrowed from the Bulawayo Chess Club.
Initially membership was restricted to those pupils in form 3A and above, The first-ever competition, a knock-out tournament, was held in June, and was won by G. Slater. Thereafter
matches were played according to the laddersytem in preparation for the first club championships: C. J. C. Visagie won the A-division and G. L. Ziehl won the B-division.
In 1951 the first inter-school competition was held, while in 1952 meetings were regularly held at Newman House, so enabling pupils from forms one and two to join. Until 1955 the direction of the club had been in the hands of Mr. J. G. Burke, and when he left Mr. B. P. Webb took over. Right from the start his enthusiastic approach was felt, and a year of very successful matches against Plumtree, Milton and Falcon followed, as did something new, a novices tournament against Milton.
The club has always been singularly lucky in the support it has received from members of staff. Mr. Degenhardt took over from Mr. Webb in 1958 and proved himself to be an untiring instructor and organiser. In 1962 the new Headmaster, Mr. D. White, took over chess, and a new period dawned for the enthusiasts. Pressure of work unfortunately compelled him to inveigle a newcomer to the staff to lend a hand, a newcomer who in fact knew nothing of chess then, and who knows little more now. That was in 1963, and that newcomer was Mrs. L. du Preez. Since then one of the valued features of the club has been the service put into it by the older boys and the better players in coaching, explaining moves, and so forth. Players such as D. Wesson (1963) and
T. Quirk (1965) were among the first to give invaluable help to the club and to Mrs. du Preez; more recently names such as P. Whitehead who served the club so well as secretary in 1972-1974 and who made a demonstration board to enable senior players to explain moves to large groups, R. P. du Preez who made the chess ladders, and
J. Howard, G. Urquhart, N. Nortje, D. Geddes G. van den Heever all come to mind. It has been the enthusiasm of boys of their calibre that has maintained the interest in chess in the School at such a high level: the School team has had a fine record in inter-school matches, but more important social chess played on an inter-house basis has a large following, so much so that there are often enough players to fill two classrooms.
Consequently of recent years since the inception of Merit Awards, not a year has passed without an award being made.
Over the years some outstanding players have emerged, and in 1957 S. Reynolds became the Matabeleland schoolboy chess champion in a competition arranged by the Bulawayo Chess Club. He was the first pupil of this School to hold the title; S. Herbert in 1976 became the second.
In 1972 boys from Gifford for the first time entered the Rhodesian Senior Schools’ Chess Tournament, and annually since then our players have travelled to Salisbury to participate. In that first tournament, G. Urquhart came fifteenth,J. Howard was nineteenth, W. Nortje and P.
