Welcome to the first edition of the Dassieland News!
HS van der Walt High School Paarl, no longer exists since closing down in 1992, but as a school remains alive in the memories of many of its past students and teachers. It is therefore our honour and pleasure to create a space where old friends can find each other again and reminisce about the old days ..... some good; some not so good; some funny; some sad but always, always memorable!
We hope to publish a Newsletter at the beginning of every month and look forward to
YOUR contributions - Suggestions, Grapevine, Memories and anything else you would like to know more about - either on our brand new website:
http://hsvanderwalthighsc.wix.com/hs-van-der-walt-high or on Facebook! Our new website will not replace our vibrant and exciting Facebook Group - instead it is aimed at finding more students and teachers who are unable to access Facebook for whatever reason. Important Information currently on the Facebook Group will be added to the website which means it serves as a static reference for anybody seeking information on HS van der Walt High School.
The Celebration Reunion planned for 2015 is just one of those bits of important information that needs to be spread around and shared as often as possible!!!
-o0o-
Looking back - Dassie Reunion 2012:
Press Release to the local newspapers:
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| Julie and Maryna - Reunion Organisers |
Way
down at the bottom end of Hospital Street in Paarl, on the banks of
the Berg River is one section of Boland College. These structures
were first built to house female high school students in the form of
HS van der Walt High School, which opened in 1915 and closed its
doors in 1992.
Thanks
to modern technology and the ability to connect via social media, the
ex pupils of the school established a page where past pupils from as
far back as the 1940s to those who left when the school closed in
1992 could connect. They got talking about the old days of the
'Dassies' (they earned the nickname because they were always looking
for a spot of sun in which to get warm), and inevitably
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| Dassies that stayed in Protea hostel |
talk of a
reunion surfaced. Thanks to the staunch efforts of Maryna Ontong,
with the help of her sister Julie, and one or two others, talk and
wishful thinking became a reality!
The
'Dassie Reunion' was organised for the weekend of 27-29 April 2012, a
fitting date as many of the girls spent this Freedom Day putting old
ghosts to rest. As many of the ex students came from afar, flying and
driving in from all over South Africa, some of them stayed over in
one of the hostels for the weekend, whilst locals generally just
attended on the Saturday. Those who made a weekend of it took many a
trip down memory lane as they went up Paarl Mountain, strolled the
shops of Paarl Mall, and walked around the school grounds,
remembering their days spent there. Of course, girls being girls,
there were many stories shared after "lights out" and the
corridors once more echoed with the giggles and fits of laughter of
the Dassie girls. Oh yes, and of course a few of the girls had to
have a "skelm" smoke as well, just for old time's
sake.
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| Group
photo of some of the Dassies and Teachers –
some were smoking outside – not on photo |
The
highlight of the weekend was the Cocktail party in the old school
hall on the Saturday night, which was attended by 49 ex students from
various years, the oldest being 79 year old Sally Storkey (nee
Lucas), who matriculated in 1950! There were gifts and award
certificates handed out to various ex staff members and Dassies, and
each Dassie attendee and ex personnel received a key ring with the
school badge and reunion details on and a bookmark featuring the
school song as mementos. There were loads of laughs and more than a
few tears shed during the various speeches.
Sally
Storkey regaled everyone with tales of her time as a
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| Sally
(Lucas) Storkey |
teenager at HS
from 1947 – 1950, including the fact that she had the same ‘young
girl’ irritations with teachers, teenage boyfriend issues and yet
also remembered how attending the school had been a privilege and
opportunity she would never forget. She said “I am pleased to see
the Dassies that kept on running”, when asked to elaborate she
explained “Dassies are strong, they are fast, and they are alert.
The girls in this room have kept those qualities and through sheer
grit and determination, in sometimes very difficult circumstances,
kept going and flourished”.
 |
| Rita
Swartz |
Rita
Swartz gave a very moving testimonial which once again displayed the
fact that no matter the circumstances and hardships, anyone can
triumph against the odds if the determination is there. Testimonies
were also given by Maryna and various others as to what HS v/d Walt
and the teachers had meant to them as young girls, and they expressed
thanks for the grounding and inspiration that they were afforded by
the staff of the day.
Some
ex staff members also attended, including the last principal of HS,
Mr Hein Wessels, and his wife. Mr Piet Kilian, who earned the title
"HS’s Heart-throb" gave a very moving speech, as did Mr
Willie Swart. Mr Wessels showed his dedication, even in retirement,
by having gone to the National Archives in Roeland Street, Cape Town,
and brought
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| Mr Wessels and Maryna |
letters from students, annual school reports and a
dedication Bible with him.
Once
the speeches were done with it was time to catch up with old friends
whilst enjoying the wonderful catering from Pick ‘n Pay WP
Corporate Paarl Mall that had been arranged by Maryna and her team,
and soon the dance floor was occupied by various generations spanning
50 years, all dancing to the sounds of “I want to break free” and
“I will survive”.
The
reunion weekend allowed many old friends to be reunited and new
friendships to be forged. Many ghosts were laid to rest and in excess
of 600 pictures attest to the resounding success that was Reunion
2012 - now we are planning the next reunion for 2015, the Centenary
year!
Our heartfelt thanks
goes to Nella van Niekerk from Boland College for permitting us to
have our Reunion at our old school.
Maryna
Ontong – Ex Student & Organiser of the Reunion
-o0o-
Just in case you missed the following : Best Posts on our Facebook Page:
Wanting to make contact:
Anyone know what happened to Louise Van der Berg, Pat Watson, Linda Cameron,Daphne Potgieter or Cecile Van Huyysteen? Also Stella Harris, Anna Benade or the Burmeister sisters from Protea?
Help Billi du Preez do something Great!
Best Chuckle:
Best Philosophy:
Last Word :
So here's the thing - this monthly Newsletter is not going to last very long unless we get some input from you! Remember, this is not only for the Facebook Page but also to encourage more old students and teachers to find us on the internet! Send an email with your contribution, suggestion, compliments and/or complaints to hsvanderwalthighschool@gmail.com, to reach us no later than the last week in every month.
Thanks!
