On the 21st of September St John’s College welcomed the Class of 1961 and 1962 back to school, with some coming from just up the road in Parktown, and others travelling from as far afield as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. After reconnecting in David Quad, the group enjoyed a beautiful Chapel service conducted by Father Jeremy Jacobs. Following the service, everyone enjoyed a delicious tea and there was much reminiscing and chatting. At 11h00, the SJC PR boys arrived and conducted tours of the school.
The Classes of 1961 and 1962 had many a trip down memory lane as they re-discovered familiar spots and enjoyed seeing the later upgrades to the school. The matric boys conducting the tours enjoyed hearing the Old Johannian’s stories, particularly of the time, many years ago, when they were responsible for laying the grass on Rice Field. The general conversation of the tours was “do you remember when…”
A highlight for all was attending the announcement of the Second Prefect at the amphitheatre and enjoying the traditional SJC boys war cry. This was an emotional moment as they pictured themselves in a similar spot in years gone by. A boarders’ lunch in Darragh Hall followed. Everyone agreed that the boarders’ lunches had greatly improved since the 60’s!
The evening event was hosted at the Old Johannian Club. The Head of School of 1962, Barry Walters, gave a moving speech, and a special tribute was paid to Prof Bill Runciman and Prof Paul Fatti on their 2022 Golden Eagle Awards. The Executive Head, Mr Stuart West, presented Prof Bill Runciman with this prestigious award. Following the speeches, a delicious meal was enjoyed by all as the chatting and reminiscing continued. The festivities continued the following day with a game of golf at Wanderers followed by a lunch.
It was such a special occasion and an honour for the school to host the Classes of 1961 and 1962. We hope to see many more classes returning to the school in years to come, especially in 2023 as we celebrate our 125th birthday!
