A handful of members of the class of ’63 started the three day 60th anniversary reunion on Thursday 28th September 2023 with an inspirational and eye-opening visit to Masibambane College in Orange Farm, an informal community 50km south of Joburg. In 2022 the class raised about R250 000 to support those completing their matric that year. In the evening more classmates joined to enjoy cocktails at Alto234 on the 54th floor of Leonardo in Sandton with spectacular views of the northern suburbs at sunset. On Friday morning three of us played a lovely round of golf at the Parkview Golf Club where others joined us for a very sociable lunch hosted in absentia by Colin Robinson (Nash) who had just left to enjoy the Wildebeest migration in Tanzania. On Friday evening Alan and Berna Foden (Thomson} held a well-attended, very convivial braai full of reminiscences and anecdotes.
The Old Johannian Club, which had been Alastair MacDuff’s (Austen) family home in our prep school days, was at the centre of our celebrations, starting with morning tea on Saturday when Graham Kerr-Phillips, OJA Chairman, and Shelley Roberts of the Advancement Office welcomed us back to the school. We broke up into three groups for tours of the College, each led by a senior boy. So much the same, but so much changed, not least of which was the boarding accommodation. At 1.00PM the School Chaplain, Jeremy Jacobs led our poignant memorial service for the 28 of our colleagues who are no longer with us. A boarders’ lunch on the stage in Darragh Hall followed, another change for the better. Some of the class enjoyed the start of the music festival on Burger Field in the late afternoon.
Just over 40 gathered on Saturday evening for our reunion dinner at the OJC, starting with predinner pizzas from the Club’s impressive pizza oven. A Zoom link enabled classmates from around the world to get a flavour of our celebrations. A special presentation of the 2023 Golden Eagle award to Gus Mills (Austen) with his acceptance remarks was one of the highlights of the evening. Our main course was a very tasty buffet carvery of beef and chicken. We had two outstanding speeches. Mike Matthews, speaking on behalf of the dayboys, gave a heartfelt talk including a tribute to our dedicated teachers and what the school has meant to him. Cedric Puckrin, in his rich barrister’s voice, took us through some good and bad cultural aspects of SJ life including reference to one of our chaplains, notorious for his liberal use of the cane, “…….nevertheless he was a devout man, a man of the bible, although I thought he tended more toward Leviticus than Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.” Tiramisu completed our meal, reinforcing the wisdom of holding it at the Club.
Stan Trollip (Thomson) put together a wonderful brochure of updated biographies, photos and class anecdotes. Alan and Berna Foden for Alto234 and the braai, Colin Robinson for golf, lunch and other support, and John Wilder for his foresight and wisdom all warrant special mention. Kate Lowings in the Advancement Office, with support from Zelda Siphenuka, did all the heavy lifting in making the reunion the success it was. A very big thank you to all.
