Dear Parents and Guardians

I hope you and your son managed to enjoy a brief break this past week with the second part of our April break. With the disruption of the public holidays now behind us and full academic weeks back to normal, this is a good time to ensure that your son has an established routine as he prepares for the upcoming mid-year examinations.

I have always found that a busy boy is a successful boy so do not be alarmed if your son is juggling multiple responsibilities of schoolwork, sport, Eisteddfod prelims and so on. He learns through this process to prioritise and manage his time wisely and it is good for him to do so.

Water Polo pool

The demolition of the pool is well under way and the construction of the new pool will begin shortly. Great care has been taken in the design team to have a final product that will be a wonderful asset for our water polo teams, sympathetic to the surrounding architecture and with appreciation for the space, particularly the space closest to Mallett House. While the build will primarily be the pool itself and surrounding seating, we have made provisions to future-proof the facility, being able to add to the project over time and with additional funding.

Access to the campus from Sandown Road has been affected and we have shared the new procedures with the boys and the Pre Prep community. We ask parents’ patience once more as we go through this project.

Cambridge Awards

I was blessed to be able to attend the annual awards evening for Cambridge pupils in South Africa. Special mention is made of Jonty Bresler who was given an award as the top pupil in SA in Mathematics A Levels and Nic Caldwell who was top in SA in IGCSE Economics.

The most significant award went to Jacob Fried who was recognised as the top pupil in the world in A Level History! This is a remarkable achievement, and we are very proud of all three boys, Jacob in particular.

Robert Gray Award

We held a wonderful assembly at which we were able to recognise the achievements of one of our ODs, Professor Tim Noakes, through the awarding of the Robert Gray Medal. Prof Noakes has done ground-breaking work in the field of sports science over many decades and his citation, which can be read below, is quite remarkable. We congratulate him on this award and thank him for sharing his story with our boys. These moments often serve as inspiration to our boys on what is possible and on how they can impact the lives of others.

Carte Blanche

I was very proud to see a number of our young ODs featured on Carte Blanche, Jonty Wright in particular, as they launched their idea for promoting organ donation. This initiative called Save Seven, is well worth reading about and we are proud of these young men.

This is a short communication as I have not had an opportunity to address the boys recently due to the public holidays. We are playing home fixtures against SACS this weekend and this is a compulsory fixture for our College boys, both hockey and rugby. We wish all our teams well for the weekend and hope parents will be able to come and support the school.

Final thoughts

We will be streaming the hockey and rugby this weekend and next weekend against Stellenberg as a trial to see how we go forward in the future. The games can be watched on the SuperSport Schools app and the hockey vs SACS will be on DStv channel 216 as well. The Links are below under the sport section.

I wish you all well as we settle into the term.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Prof. Timothy Noakes

Timothy Noakes matriculated from White House in 1966 where he was a prefect.  He was awarded half colours for cricket and was a Command Sergeant-Major in the Signals division of the Cadet Corps. He currently serves as a Vice-President of the Old Diocesan’s Union.

After school, Professor Noakes studied Medicine at the University of Cape Town, earning his MBChB degree and subsequently the MD, and DSc degrees, the latter for his seminal discoveries in sports sciences. At UCT he was awarded a full-Blue for Rowing, representing the South African Universities’ Proteas Eight in two consecutive years.

Professor Noakes has published over 600 scientific papers; he is the world’s most-cited living sports scientist and the third most-cited South African Medical Scientist. (Each time a scientist’s work is cited by another in their scientific publications, the cited author earns a “citation”. This is a true measure of the scientist’s impact in his or her field since it is a measure of how other scientists value his or her work).

For the final 15 years of his career, Professor Noakes was rated an A1 scientist by the National Research Foundation (the NRF), the highest possible rating this Agency can award. To attain this rating, a scientist must be considered a world leader in their field of expertise, and this must be unanimously agreed upon by their peers. In 2012, the NRF awarded Professor Noakes a Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest South African scientific honor.

Professor Noakes is also a recipient of the Order of Mapungubwe Silver, awarded by the President of South Africa, to recognize South African citizens whose achievements have international impact and serve the interests of South Africa. It is our country’s highest civil honor.

In 2006 the North American running publication Runner’s World, included Professor Noakes as one of the 40 Most Influential People and Moments of the Past 4 Decades in the sport of running. Professor Noakes was chosen for his authorship of the book Lore of Running, considered the Bible of the Sport, and for describing the cause, cure and prevention of a novel, potentially-fatal medical condition in endurance athletes – Exercise-Induced Hyponatraemia – caused by voluntary overdrinking.  He was one of only 4 non-Americans so honoured.

In addition to his seismic academic and research contributions in sports science, Professor Noakes has served in numerous capacities, including the Medical Advisory Board for the Organizing Committee of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He has consulted South Africa's three main national sports teams: Bafana Bafana; the Proteas, for whom he was travelling medical doctor at the 1996 Cricket World Cup; and for the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks under Jake White, who later acknowledged Professor Noakes’s unconventional advice on resting players in the lead-up to that competition, as crucial to their winning it.  Professor Noakes also assisted cold-water swimmer Lewis Pugh to become the first human to swim one kilometer in ice-cold water (minus1.8 to 2.0 degrees Centigrade) at first the Antarctic Peninsula (2005) and then at the geographical North Pole (2007), whilst wearing only swimming shorts, a swimming cap and goggles.

Professor Noakes was also the co-founder, with iconic Springbok rugby captain, Morne du Plessis, of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, an institution that contributed significantly to the health and wellness of thousands of Capetonians and South Africans and still does. It changed and saved lives and led to a wellness culture that has positively impacted society. His work in persuading the University of Cape Town to establish this facility, starting from a small room in the far reaches of the UCT Upper Campus to a state-of-the-art facility next to Newlands Rugby Stadium, sparked a new culture of sports training not just in the city but throughout South African sport. He has captured much of his life in published books including topics such as running, cycling, rugby, cricket, to name some.

However, beyond all his publications and his research, Professor Noakes’ contributions to society have literally changed and saved lives. A case in point is his involvement in helping to establish the Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Memorial Fund, championed by his great friend, the then Springbok rugby captain, Morne du Plessis. Together they realized that rugby faced an existential crisis because of a sudden increase in the number of paralyzing neck injuries, especially amongst schoolboy rugby players, many of whom were admitted to the Conradie Hospital in Pinelands in the late 1970s.  His request to analyze the data on those injured players made him extremely unpopular in certain circles, and he faced intense public criticism from the then South African rugby supremo, Dr Danie Craven, and the rugby establishment, who ensured that his request was initially vetoed. Rugby hit its nadir in the 1980s and 1990s, with the deaths on the field of both Chris Burger and Petro Jackson, leading to the creation of their Memorial Fund to assist rugby players with spinal cord injuries.

Together Noakes and du Plessis co-authored the book Rugby without Risk which in addition to the work done at the Sports Science Institute they founded, (around rugby safety, injuries, analysis, contact impact, concussion, and player well-being), formed the basis for the world-leading BokSmart preventative rugby injury program introduced by the South African Rugby Board in the 1990s. The result is that today, rugby is in a far better place and is much safer than it was. In fact, it is no exaggeration to suggest that, had the fatality and paralysis rates continued as they were then, the game would not be played in the form we see today.

Another of Professor Noakes’ seminal scientific contributions has been to formulate the Central Governor Theory which holds that the brain (central nervous system) and not the muscles regulate human exercise performance, which means that the human mind becomes the ultimate determinant of our ability to conquer adversity and to achieve sporting and other successes. The science that Professor Noakes provided behind the Central Governor Theory has contributed to revolutionizing sports science and endurance sports. 

In a speech in 1964 at the end of his inaugural year as Principal of Bishops, Mr Anthony Mallett said that "not only was a good Bishops boy disciplined and devoted to his curriculum, his school, his fellow man, and his church, but he was encouraged to ask questions and contribute to broader society”. He urged Bishops boys to have an 'inquiring mind'.

No words could have been truer of Professor Noakes, his philosophy and his achievements.

Simply Blue

On Tuesday, 22 April Bishops hosted and took part in the Annual A Capella festival. They were joined by a capella groups from Westerford, Wynberg Girls, Wynberg Boys, Herschel and SACS. It was a memorable evening filled with beautiful harmonies and singing, appreciated by a packed audience. Well done to our a capella group, Simply Blue - not only did you look so smart in your new waistcoats, but your performances were fantastic.

Battle of The Bands

On Wednesday, 7 May our Senior Rock Band consisting of Liam Chester, Edward Cruise, Oliver Frankel and Julian Pilkington, coached by Richard Brokenska won the Battle of the Bands competition hosted by Herschel. Well done boys, what an incredible achievement with some talented opposition. We are super proud of you!

Ensemble Ties

Congratulations to the following Grade 12's who have successfully received their Ensemble tie:

John van der Watt
Gabriel Comitis
Daniel-Reid Diedericks
Liam Chester
Deen Fortune
Joseph Bolus
Edward Cruise

Debating and Public Speaking

During the April holiday, Samuel Clarke, Shankara Moodley, Noah Macnab, Daniel Bursey and Matthew De Jager represented their school and their country at the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The boys gave excellent performances with three ranking in the top twenty (the highest-ranking South Africans at the competition). Matthew De Jager placed 19th, Noah Macnab placed 14th, and Samuel Clarke placed thirteenth and placed second overall for Interpretative Reading. Congratulations on these excellent achievements.

Public Speaking Distinction Ties

The following boys need to be congratulated on achieving Distinction Ties for Public Speaking:

Noah Macnab
Shankara Moodley
Daniel Bursey
Re-awards of the Distinction tie also go to Matthew De Jager and Samuel Clarke

Eisteddfod Debating Semi-final Results

In a gripping round of junior debates, the Founders team; Cruz Sun, Ben Honigwachs, and Jack Townshend faced off against Gray’s Lorenzo Chen, Tristan Brunton, and Sango Kunene, debating the motion "This House believes that torture is justified." Founders emerged victorious, with Cruz Sun named Best Speaker.

Meanwhile, the Birt junior team; Yazeed Lalkhen, Ashil Singh, and Milo Bonadei who also proposed the same motion but narrowly lost to Mallett’s team of Hamaad Badroodien, Nicholas Henry, and Michael Rich. Hamaad earned the Best Speaker title in that debate. In the senior category, the motion was "This House believes that extremism in the defence of liberty is justifiable." The Mallett team; Jack Buckham, Samuel Clarke, and Chris du Toit, proposed the motion, narrowly losing to Gray’s David Lewis and Noah Macnab. Samuel Clarke was named Best Speaker.

Shankara Moodley and Zac Rosenberg from the Birt team opposed the same motion against the Founders team of Connor Henriques, Luke Carter, and Singa Mayoyo, securing a win. Shankara was awarded Best Speaker for his performance.

Congratulations to all the teams who participated! We now look forward to the thrilling junior final between Mallett and Founders, and the senior final between Birt and Gray, both taking place during Eisteddfod Week.

Eisteddfod Debates Prelim Results

Junior motion: This House would make sports compulsory for all students up to matric (grade 12). Senior motion: This House believes that prisoners should not be permitted to participate in local and national elections in South Africa.

Well done to Birt, Mallett, Gray and Founders for winning both their junior and senior debates.

Debating Awards

Hamaad Badroodien is awarded Half colours for debating in recognition of his consistent attendance and meaningful contributions to the Bishops Debating Society, as well as his commendable achievements in both the National Debating League and the Western Cape Schools Debating Championship.

Zac Rosenberg is awarded Half Colours for Debating in recognition of his consistent participation and valuable contributions to the Bishops Debating Society over the past two years. This honour also acknowledges his notable achievements in the National Debating League, the 2024 Western Cape Schools Debating Championship, and the 2023 South African National Schools Debating Championships.

Matthew Walker is awarded full colours for debating in acknowledgement of his sustained commitment and significant contributions to the Bishops Debating Society throughout his entire College career, as well as his representation of Bishops as a member of the senior Western Cape team at the South African National Speech and Debating Championship.

eSport Tournament

Saturday the 12th of April saw a group of our eSports Boys participating in a tournament hosted by Bellville High School.

Our players fared against other contestants drawn from several schools including Paul Roos, Brackenfell High, Curro Hermanus, Curro Durbanville and Bellville High. The games at play included Rocket League, FIFA 24/25, Brawl Stars, Clash Royale and Brawlhalla.

Congratulations go to the following boys for their outstanding achievement in this derby encounter. Clash Royale: In the Clash Royal individual games, Gabriel Cooke and Fardeen Parker stormed into the finals after subduing their contenders. They fared against each other resulting in Gabriel taking the 1st place and Fardeen coming 2nd.

Brawl Stars: Our two teams stormed into the finals and contended against each other. First place went to: David Douglas, Dean Weich and Milo Bonadei. Second place went to: Gabriel Cooke, James Myhill and Joshua Loos.

We look forward to hosting SACS this weekend in the longest standing Southern Suburbs derbies.

We are pleased to be live streaming the matches on the Woodlands Astro on Friday evening and on the Piley Rees on Saturday.

Rugby live streaming links:

U19E: https://live.supersportschools.com/events/6819b4f86fdbed5b865c778d/
U19C: https://live.supersportschools.com/events/6819b4f86fdbed5b865c778d/
U19B: https://live.supersportschools.com/events/6819b65d6fdbed5b865c7fb4/
U19A: https://live.supersportschools.com/events/6819b6bd6fdbed5b865c829c/

Hockey will be live on DStv channel 216.

Click on the links to view this weekend's programmes

Hockey: https://communication.bishops.org.za/college/sport/BishopsHockeyProgramme.html

Rugby: https://communication.bishops.org.za/college/sport/BishopsRugbyProgramme.html

Rugby

Our 1st XV travelled to Johannesburg for the first part of the Easter weekend to take part once again in the annual sports festival which has been hosted by St Stithians College in Bryanston for over four decades now.

Two very challenging sets of opponents were lined up for the Boys in Blue, as the festival organizers arranged for us to play against Helpmekaar Kollege, a highly-rated local team, and then (two days later) against Hartpury College from the UK; this huge institution in Gloucestershire serves as a feeder school for Hartpury University.

Things started on a bright note in Thursday’s main game against Helpmekaar, as an exciting line-break by our midfielders ensured an early lead. We were to score again immediately after half-time, but few things went our way thereafter, as our opponents ran in four tries during the second period.

The final score was 38-12 against Bishops … an indication perhaps of just how much our players had struggled at altitude, having flown into O. R. Tambo just a day before.

On Easter Saturday, a re-arranged line-up of First Team players took on our English visitors. Unfortunately, two early tries were conceded forcing our players into a game of catch-up rugby. Despite the stop-start nature of this encounter, our Firsts tried hard to run the ball on every occasion and were rewarded when scoring the last two tries of the match, with a third touch-down being cruelly ruled out for a forward pass.

Hartpury won this game by 19 points to 14. Despite the on-field setbacks, Daniel van den Heever and his teammates served as excellent ambassadors for the College at every turn, receiving compliments on their behaviour and conduct on a couple of different occasions.

Swimming

Congratulations to Luc Bestel, who competed in the SA National Junior Championship from 25–29 April. We were incredibly proud to have him represent Bishops Diocesan College.

Waterfront Canal Challenge

Reynard-Gray competed in the Waterfront Canal Challenge, finishing first in his age group and second overall in the skins category (no wetsuit).
We are incredibly proud of Reynard-Gray for braving the icy waters and achieving such an impressive result!

All-Rounder's Tie

Congratulations to Max Davies on achieving his All-Rounder's Tie.

My School Card Rewards

For any parents that are not aware, Bishops is a member of the My School Card initiative, and while we enjoy the benefits of being a recipient, our membership also ensures that we contribute at large to the foundations that the My School card program supports.
We encourage all parents to own and use the My School card at participating partners.
Get a free card online http://www.myschool.co.za/ or simply phone 0860 100 445. You can also get a card at any Woolworths store.
Please ensure that you nominate Bishops as your beneficiary, and swipe every time you shop.

School-Days

Please also register for the Dis-Chem loyalty programme,  which is a cardless process.
Click on this link Bishops Diocesan College Registration Link and select your school as a beneficiary. Use the App to access other partners such at booking.com, Netflorist and more.
School-Days mobile App
www.schooldays.co.za