Dear Parents and Guardians

As the term draws to a close I would like to thank you for your support these past few months. This has been a busy term indeed and much has been accomplished. My thanks go to the staff as well for their role in allowing our boys the many opportunities that have enjoyed.

School Production

The annual production of Shakespeare in Review was a great success. This clever piece was skillfully interpreted by the cast who delivered outstanding performances. Special mention is also made of those staff who played cameo roles! My thanks go to Mr Wayne Tucker who directed the play and all those who supported the actors in their endeavors. A superb production indeed!

Staff Farewells and News

We thank a number of staff who have stood in for staff away this term. We thank the following:

• Mrs Wendy van Heerden who was our music administrator
• Dr Kathy Wheeler who acted as archivist
• Mrs Cheryl Gammon who stood in for Mr Gibbon
• Mr Rodney Inglis who stood in as we filled the vacant History post
• Mrs Joc Taylor who stood in for Mr Wrensch
• Mrs Wendy Moult who stood in for various staff who were away
• Mr Don Abrey who acted as IT Director in Mrs Bowes’ absence

Special mention is made of Mrs Doreen Lottering who retires from Bishops at the end of this term.

Doreen Florence Lottering or Aunty Doris as she is known to hundreds of boys and staff, joined Bishops in 1987 at the age of 27.  She was 2nd youngest of 13 children. When she heard of the position at Bishops, her late father told her that because Bishops was an Anglican school it was a good place to work, and she would be well looked after. Mrs Lottering packed her bags and headed to CT from Knysna.

Mrs Lottering was in School House for 33 years. During that time she worked with 6 House Directors/Masters and 8 Housemothers and then in 2019 moved to the Bishops cleaning Department, where she became a caring presence to all the boys at the Pre-Prep.

Whilst she is a mom to Granville and has two grandchildren, she has been a mother to many young people over the years and been a positive influence on all those – young and old, who have had the privilege to cross her path.

We thank her most sincerely for her service to our Bishops community and wish her a well-deserved retirement.

Then we congratulate Mr Sharief Petersen and his wife on the birth of their first child, a daughter born on 23 March. May she bring them much joy.

General News

The television programme Carte Blanche did a feature recently on boys who have been offered opportunity through the sport of cricket to attend Bishops. This very positive and uplifting story can be viewed on their website or on our social media pages.

The front entrance is going slowly but well and we are starting to see signs of what the final product will look like. It is really looking good and I hope that the inconvenience of the last few weeks will be forgotten as we start to use the entrance again and experience the beautiful changes.

I attended the opening of the Tutu Memorial and the Rossall precinct at the Prep and was able to see the beautiful piece that has been unveiled to serve as a tribute to a remarkable man. Attended by many including our Bishop Joshua Louw and representatives from the Tutu Foundation, this memorial is well worth a visit as you see the tiles that were created by the Prep boys and placed on the memorial – a fever tree that symbolizes life and opportunity.

Discipline

Last newsletter I highlighted the process to be followed in the case of serious misconduct. We have had some unfortunate incidents to deal with in the past few weeks of unacceptable behaviour resulting from boys who use “tradition” as a reason for various actions that could be construed as some form of initiation. We condemn in the strongest possible manner any action that is designed to hurt, humiliate or belittle others. This is clearly laid out in our various Codes and is told to boys before they tour. We cannot allow these practices to take place in any form.

We are going to undertake a review of our disciplinary process once again, having done so a year ago, to ensure that we are following acceptable and legal process in these cases.

It remains a cause of concern for me, after over 30 years of being in education, that a “Code of Silence” persists in school communities. In this code, boys prefer to remain quiet rather than speak out. I addressed this with the boys at our final assembly of the term and encouraged them to establish an Honour Code rather, where boys own up to mistakes and take responsibility for their own actions, not having to rely on the silence of others to cover their behaviour. The transcript of the assembly can be read below.

OISESA review

The quality assurance review is still under way and we thank those who filled in the survey, giving us much-needed feedback. The results of the survey, combined with a self-study and a visit by the mentors from OISESA will give us valuable information to guide our thinking and actions going forward.

Deputy Principal Post

As you know, Mr Peter Westwood retires at the end of this year. We have been working on the succession plan for some time now and will be advertising the post very shortly. We hope to have an appointment made by the end of the second term which we will announce as soon as we can. We will also be advertising the position of Head of the Pre Prep following Mrs Sharlene Groom’s retirement at the end of this year.

General

I attended the annual Bishops iftaar this week, breaking fast with our Muslim boys and their families in a special and moving event. My thanks to the boys and staff who made the event possible.

Our admissions process is well under way with us making awards of various scholarships as the first part of the process. General admissions will be done at the start of the second term. I am pleased with the number of applications and the interest expressed in our school.

Conclusion

I thank, once again, all parents who supported their boys and the school this past term. Members of the Jewish faith will be celebrating Pesach or Passover, a special time which commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.
We wish our Jewish boys and their families well for this holy time in their calendar. May I wish you a Blessed Easter and a good rest at this time. I hope that those who are travelling keep safe and for all our boys to return well rested at the start of the second term. This term is short in terms of teaching days and I urge our boys to make sure they start the term well in preparation for their mid-year examinations.

Enjoy the break.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

The Bro Code

If I had to ask my colleagues at other schools what exasperates them the most, many would say the Code of Silence that pervades many schools, boys’ schools in particular, under the “dis”guise of “brotherhood” and loyalty.

This code has existed for centuries and is used most often by those who do wrong to cover up their actions. It is used by cowards to hide the truth.

This “code” obfuscates investigations and makes getting the truth difficult. But there is a way round it that can preserve the loyalty you feel towards your friends. That is an Honour Code whereby each person accepts their own part in any matter, owns it, admits to it and accepts their consequences. If each of us had the courage to admit our mistakes, our wrongdoing, there would be no need to put our friends and others in a difficult situation, calling on them to decide whether to tell the true story or protect us under the guise of loyalty.

Loyalty is an important concept and one we admire, provided loyalty does not mask or tacitly condone poor behaviour. If a friend tells you something in confidence such as confiding in you that they like someone as a potential romantic partner, and you share that information without their permission, that is disloyal. If you are witness to an event that is unacceptable and either don’t report that event or tell the truth as you witnessed it when asked, you are, by extension, complicit in the event itself.

I may add that there are moments when you do need to break confidence and can choose how to do so. If a friend tells you he is having issues with substance abuse for example or is being assaulted at home, this is not something you keep to yourself. Seek the advice of an adult and ask them to help you and help them. That way, while you may perhaps be breaking loyalty, you may just be saving his life. What is better, an upset or angry friend who may forgive you or saving someone who may be seriously hurt?

There is a movie I remember from many years ago that starred Jodie Foster, The Accused. I urge you to watch it if you are old enough and without spoiling the move, it deals with the issue of bystanders – those who stood by without acting.

I urge you to think very carefully about what loyalty means to you. How we can redefine the Bro Code as the Honour Code, admitting our own mistakes and not putting our friends in difficult positions, realizing that keeping quiet can in fact cause greater harm and doing what is right, acting with honour.

All Rounders Tie

Noah Macnab is to be congratulated on being awarded an All Rounders Tie.

Public Speaking and Debating

Our Bishops Public Speaking and Debaters are currently in Durban competing in the South African Team at the World Individual Competition. We are extremely proud of:
Jamie Chester
Divakaran Govender
Ché Nanoo (absent)
Ben Anderson
Jacob Fried

They had to write thirteen-minute persuasive speeches, prepare eleven-minute interpretative readings, and will have to improvise both impromptu speeches and debates at the event. They are competing against candidates from all over the world, from the United States, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, South Korea, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Thailand and many more. We are so proud of what these boys have already achieved!

History Society

FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference

Earlier this term on the 2nd of February, the History Society was invited to attend the FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference, hosted together with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. Four members of the History Society Exco were in attendance together with their member of staff.

The theme of the conference was entitled, “Defending the Constitution”. In lieu of this, various speakers of various expertise were invited to present, amongst them the likes of Adriaan Basso, Advocate Paul Hoffman, Lawson Naidoo, and Professor Hugh Corder. The Conference purported to provide an academic challenge on the 1996 Constitution by looking at it through the various lenses provided by these distinguished panelists. The boys were left better for it as the various insights provided by the panelists, and indeed the additional questions provoked in the minds of the boys, resulted in other robust conversations for the post-conference function and more beside back at school. In all, the threats to the constitution were discussed, the role of Chapter Nine institutions were addressed, the role of NGOs was presented, and the role of the Courts was delved into.

The afternoon culminated in a panel discussion, chaired by Tyla Dallas, who artfully and academically provoked robust discussion on the defensibility of the post-1994 Constitution. Proceedings were topped off with an overview and summation of the afternoon by Moeletsi Mbeki, for whose insights the boys and staff were left the better. This he did rather wittingly and yet in an educational manner, commenting on how, despite Italy’s chequered history dating back to Romans times, they are able to produce quality luxury vehicles. Similarly, despite our chequered history and the confusion which characterises our contemporary dispensation, we too can hope to be better and produce quality for our country.

Overall, this was a largely informative and beneficial conference for both the boys, Mr Nzuza and the congregants, with the chief take-away being, in the words of Elita de Klerk, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” And so, in the quest for a better society, we are reminded that freedom truly never rests.

FW de Klerk Foundation Human Rights Card

Following the History Society’s successful outing to the FW de Klerk Foundation’s inaugural Memorial Lecture in late 2022 and the FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference, the boys were once again invited to attend a function hosted by the Foundation. On the 19th of March, the History Society, together with the Law Society, attended the FW de Klerk Foundation Human Rights Report Card Launch. This report purports to assess the state of human rights in South Africa. It goes further to highlight the successes of South Africa’s constitutional dispensation by celebrating the rights that are still protected. Together with this, to Foundation also highlights the areas in which the human rights envisaged by the constitutional dispensation have not been realised. The foundation spent pain-staking hours, and continues to do so in order to deliver a yearly update on the state of human rights in South Africa, researching and collating data in order to give the assessment provided in their Report Card which can be found here: FW de Klerk Foundation Human Rights Report Card for 2022 - FW de Klerk Foundation. The launch of the Foundation’s Report Card can be found on the following link: https://youtu.be/A-98L9xMWc4.

The boys enjoyed the outing as they ventured into the world of human rights and engaged with some of the people that undertook this mammoth task. We thank Elita de Klerk and the Chairman and acting-CEO David Steward for hosting us as well as Tyla Dallas for her delivery of this Report Card, a vital piece in our social and economic ecosystem as we educate our youth and place our hope in them to make a better future for themselves and for each other

Colours

Congratulations to the following boys who have been awarded colours in their various sports.

Water polo
Half Colours
Alexander Smith
Adam Buckham
Cameron Moon
Bryn Parry
Ross Walker
Ross Stewart

Full Colours
Trento Lambrechts

Athletics
Half Colours
Reece Quin

Full Colours
Bafokeng Lehloenya
Daniel von der Heyden
Joe Phillipson

Sailing
Half Colours
Zuhayr Mohamood
Michael Lawson

Full Colours
Ross Collins
Richard Mason

Rowing
Full Colours
Jett Bacher
Didi Marx

Tennis
Half Colours
Jack Frater

Full Colours
Jack Crafford
Nicholas Leith

Rugby

Well done to our 1st XV on their first two performances of the new season. These games were played over the recent long weekend at the festival hosted by Wynberg Boys High. In the first match, Nic Allison and his team defeated St Benedict’s from Gauteng by 42 points to 7; two days later they played superbly in their encounter against Hoërskool Nood-Kaap from Kimberley, winning by 47 points to 5.

We now wish this squad all of the best as they prepare to travel up to the Saint Stithians Sports Festival over the Easter weekend. Here, they will come up against the hosts in the opening game of the festival, before taking on Hoërskool Helpmekaar and Clifton School.

Good luck to the Firsts for the challenges which lie ahead.

Touch Rugby

Cayden Mushonga was selected to represent WP in the national Touch Rugby Tournament played in Kwazulu- Natal over the weekend of 24 - 26 March. WP lost in the final of the tournament and we congratulate Cayden on his selection for the second year running. 

Athletics

Several outstanding boys have been awarded Quadrangular Ties in recognition of their remarkable performance and dedication to the school athletics team for three consecutive years. These talented athletes have shown exceptional skills and sportsmanship, making significant contributions to the team's success over the years. We congratulate these boys on their well-deserved achievement and wish them continued success in their athletic pursuits.

Sam Berrisford
Wa-keem Fortuin
Mu'aath Ganief
Kaspar Holm
Callum Jenman
Gilermo Mentoe
Alexander Newton
Reece Quin

Fencing

The first FWC tournament took place on the 18 and 19th March.
Alexander Horrell and James Wilkin fenced in their first competition of the year and Alexander took the bronze medal in U15 epee. 
Daniel and Aidan Richards are now ranked second and third respectively in U20 epee, where Daniel took silver and Aidan bronze in the finals. In the senior event, which is a highly competitive event, saw both fencers make it to the quarter finals.
Joshua Diggle fenced U20 foil and won a  bronze medal. He is now ranked 3rd in the Western Cape Rankings.

Karate

We congratulate Zuhayr Mohamood and Cuan Sides on their selection to the KSI National karate team to represent South Africa in the KSI World Karate championships held in Cape Town from the 10th to the 15th of July.

Swimming

Our four Grade 8's (Luc Bestel, Rhys Haupt, Christo Le Roux, James Hugo) performed exceptionally well in the water, by winning both the u14 Freestyle and Medley relay. These boys, alongside Alec Alfaro-Mclaughlin, made quite an impression on their competition with the following results:
Rhys Haupt                   
u14 butterfly 32.68 seconds
u14 breaststroke 37.16 seconds (3rd)
Christo Le Roux             
u14 freestyle 28.41 seconds (1st)
Luc Bestel           
u14 backstroke 32.40 seconds (2nd)
Alec Alfaro-Mclaughlin   
u16 backstroke 34.90 seconds
u16 freestyle 31.69 seconds

The Bishops team represented our school exceptionally well and we are proud of the results they have achieved. They competed against schools such as Rondebosch Boys High, SACS, Herschel and Durbanville.

This past week, Luc Bestel also competed in the South African National Swimming Championships and brought home impressive results. His times are as follows: u14 100m backstroke 1. 07. 68, u14 100m freestyle 1. 01. 93, u14 50m butterfly 30. 36, u4 50m freestyle 28.28 u14 200m back stroke 2. 24. 11, u14 100m butterfly 1. 11. 03, u14 50m backstroke 32.51 Well done, Luc! We are very proud of you.

Soccer

A squad of soccer players (ranging from Grade 10 to 12) played in the u19 Reddam Football Cup over the long weekend in March. There were 10 boys' schools participating in the tournament, with Bishops playing 4 pool matches. We managed to win two of our games, while our two losses were against the eventual winners of the tournament and the runners-up, respectively. Bishops ended 3rd in our pool of five and were tied in 5th place with our four tournament goals scored. The boys displayed great determination and we look forward to a competitive season ahead.

Cricket

The following boys took 5 wickets or more and received a mounted cricket ball: Jack Viljoen took 6 for 6 for the u14B team against Parklands College, Ben Koenig took 5 for 22 for the 2nd X1 against Pearson High School. Well done boys.

Centuries by Bishops Cricketers:

Adnaan Lagadien 133 for the 1st XI v Paarl Gym; Jack Hibling 102* for the U15Bs v Bergvliet; Luke Hofmeyr 100* for the U15Bs v Bergvliet; Robbie Vintcent 167* for the U14Bs v Parklands;
Ollie Chevallier 120 for the Frank Reid XI v Dutch u18s; Michael Rich 100* for the U14Bs v Groote Schuur; Shafiek Joseph 101 for the U14As v Wynberg;
Thaafier Japtha 107* for the U15As v St Andrew’s School and Alex Vintcent 101 for the U15As v St John’s College.

Five-Wicket hauls and/or hat tricks:

Storm Matthews 6 for 25 for the 1st X1 v Rondebosch CC;  Peyton Leigh 5 for 21 for the 1st X1 v Pretoria Boys’; Alex Vintcent 5-25 for the U15As v St David’s & 6-9 for the U15As v Waterkloof;
David Lewis 5-25 (incl. a hat-trick) for the 4th XI v Paarl Gym & 5-5 (incl. a hat-trick) for the 4th XI v Zwaanswyk; Ben Koenig 5/22 for the 2nd XI v Pearson; Shafiek Joseph 5-9  for the U14As v Reddam;
Waco Bassick 6-11 for the U15As v Pearson & 5-20 (incl. four wickets in four balls) for the U15As v Paarl Boys’ & 5-19 for the U15As v Rondebosch (incl. a hat trick);
Daniel Perold 5-21 for the U14s team v Pearson & 6-2 for the U14As v Curro Durbanvile & 9-18 (incl. a hat-trick) for the U14s v Wynberg;
Matthew Brodziak 5-46 for the 1st XI v Paarl Boys’ & 5-38 for the 1st XI vs St David’s; Nicholas Axten 5-20 for the U15As vs Clifton; Ethan January 5-8 (incl. four wickets in four balls) for the U15Cs vs Wynberg; Tiaan Louw 5-43 for the 1st XI v Wynberg; Connor Sara 5-8 (incl. four wickets in four balls) for the U15Cs v Cannon’s Creek and Jack Viljoen 6/6 for the U14Bs v Parklands College.

Daniel Perold returned the best bowling analysis by a Bishops’ cricketer this term. 9/18 v Wynberg for the 14As.

Robbie Vintcent has the honour of registering the highest individual score by a Bishops’ cricketer in Term 1 2023. 167* v Parklands College for the 14Bs.

Shafiek Joseph and Alex Vintcent had the distinction of being the only two Bishops cricketers to score a hundred and record five-wicket hauls during the term.

Golf

Congratulations to Sebastian Dorward on his appointment as the captain of Golf for 2023. The season tees off at the start of next term where the 1st team will be defending their league title.

Rowing

It is with great pride that we congratulate the following boys on their selection for Western Cape Rowing:

Jett Bacher
Didi Marx
Cameron Redfern
John van der Watt
Matthew Maurel

These young gentlemen have dedicated hours to achieve this selection and look forward to SA Senior Champs at the end of April representing the Western Cape. 

Shakespeare in Revue

The College first-term production was an evening of sparkling sophistication and unabashed fun, celebrating the delights of the Bard in comic writing and music. The delicious cabaret-style cocktail of sparkling songs and hilarious sketches was inspired by Shakespeare. It is our hope that the audiences were enthralled, entranced, and entertained – and all without a doublet and hose in sight! Direction was by Wayne Tucker and Musical Direction by Stephen Carletti. Apart from boys ranging in age from Grade 9 to Grade 12, there were surprise cameo appearances by staff members and ODs.

We are excited to share with you this term’s highlights of the VUSA Rugby and Learning Academy. VUSA was established with the aim of using rugby as a tool to enhance the academic and personal development of young people from the Langa community. We are pleased  to share with you the progress made, the challenges faced, and the plans for the future. Click HERE to learn more about the impact of the academy and the wonderful opportunities that our VUSA children have been able to experience this term thanks to the generous support of donors, volunteers and sponsors. 

Have a wonderful holiday. 

The VUSA Team.  

We have had a few OD sportsmen in the news recently for their exceptional performances internationally.

James Flint recently played for SA U21 in the Junior Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, not only did his team win, he was the  top goal scorer of the tournament! Well done James!

This past weekend, Cambridge won the inter-varsity rugby against Oxford at Twickenham, we had two Bishops ODs in the winning team! Congratulations Christian Stehlik and Ty Wills.