Nr. 4 : July 2014

From the Editor:

Hello!

Thank you everyone for your kind comments and positive response to the June Newsletter where we published personal stories from old Dassies themselves. They were so well received we look forward to publishing more in the future.

The little survey we did on Facebook certainly supported this view, as most of the respondents indicated that stories like these were what they would most like to see in the Newsletter!

To help you get started and to make it easier for you to share your story with us, we have compiled a list of questions for you to answer and you can find these on our website.

Enjoy!

If you would like to submit your story for publication, send it to hsvanderwalthighschool@gmail.com 
Click here to visit the HS van der Walt High School website 

LOOKING BACK: MR C J PIENAAR

Mr C J Pienaar

Mr Pienaar is now 89 years of age, happily married and settled in Strand. His health has not been good for a number of years but he was still willing to provide us with information about his time at our school. His wife , Edith, neè van der Merwe, is the daughter of HJ van der Merwe, principle of HS van der Walt 1957 – 1969. (She was known as Miss Pepsi.)

When did you arrive at HS van der Walt High School and what was your original position?
I arrived at HS van der Walt in July 1970 as VICE PRINCIPLE

Where did you come from and was HS van der Walt High School similar or vastly different from your previous post?My previous school was the COMMERCIAL HIGH SCHOOL, RUSTENBURG, TRANSVAAL. HS van der Walt was vastly different

What were your first impressions of the school and the students?
I found the school very interesting and thought-provoking

Was there something you could not wait to change? (either a process or tradition?)
One cannot change a process or tradition immediately. It comes with time and experience

What was the greatest challenge at the school?
The challenge was to accept the pupils came from vastly different backgrounds and needed special help and guidance.

Could you relate a few of your fondest memories from the school/students?

I recall my nickname was “Govy Daddy”. Some pupils and incidents were very entertaining. Some pupils found it difficult to adapt, causing unfortunate incidents. I felt very privileged in helping, guiding and educating the pupils

Mr C J Pienaar (Front row 4th from left) and staff (Year unknown)

When did you leave the school and where did you go?
I left the school end of March 1985 to retire. I resided in PAARL and KLEINMOND for a time and finally settled in STRAND

Were you aware of the school closing and how did you feel about it?

I was not aware of the closure of the school

Is there something special or particular you would like to tell those girls who are now all grown up?

I sincerely hope that the part I played in the pupil’s lives, however small or large, really made a difference

Describe your life now and what are your interests?

I like watching sport: cricket, tennis, rugby and cycling. I read a daily newspaper (Afrikaans), English novels and complete crossword puzzles regularly. My family consists of 4 children, 13 grand-children and 6 great-grand children.

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DASSIES kzn GET-TOGETHER: SATURDAY 7th june, 2014

Lynette Stirling, Rita Swartz, Ansie Groenewald, Lyneve Perrow Salsoni, Susan van Roestoff & Agnes Rebock Scheepers

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LOOKING BACK: MR MIKE VAN SCHALKWYK

Mr M van Schalkwyk (1977)

When did you arrive at HS van der Walt High School and what was your original position?

I arrived at HS van der Walt in October 1977 to take up the post of Principal - Mr Pienaar had been Acting Principal until that time.

Where did you come from and was HS van der Walt High School similar or vastly different from your previous post?

I had been the Vice Principal since 1973 at a Boys Reformatory where I had also taught Maths so there was not a vast difference in the environments. Both school had a massive amount of kids from broken and abusive homes.

What were your first impressions of the school and the students?

Similar to the Boys at the Reformatory, the Girls also saw themselves as being "punished". Mainstream schools were totally incapable of dealing with them so instead of establishing the cause of the kids unacceptable behavior, the passed these "problem children" along to another system, that way avoiding having to deal with them. 

Was there something you could not wait to change? (either a process or tradition?)

Mr Barnard (previous principal at HS van der Walt) and I met each other as fellow teachers at Tom Naude High School in the then Pietersburg and he had warned me that the girls were a lot more difficult to handle than the boys. I believed that strict routine and discipline would be better guidance and one of the first things I did was to ban smoking entirely. I believed that treating each child as an individual and discovering their potential would serve them better if I could create an environment where their potential could be nurtured and realised.

What was the greatest challenge at the school?

Getting the children to accept their circumstances and not to let their past dictate their future. the staff was there to assist them and I was determined to help to children change their perception of "punishment" to understanding that removing them from their environment was simply to save them and provide them with alternatives.

To this end I implemented the training of matrons and teachers in dealing with special needs children - re-educating them to taking on the role of parents as well. The  hostel staff and teaching staff, attended a weekly meeting with myself and the psychologists where individual students were discussed and best practices in dealing with the child was agreed upon. This way the entire staff was able to present a united front in dealing with a specific child and not cause confusion by contradictory messages being sent.

Mr M van Schalkwyk with Head Girls & Staff (Year unkown)

Could you relate a few of your fondest memories from the school/students?

Oh I had a number of favourite activities in the time I spent at HS van der Walt:

• It was a rule of mine to join the kids at their hostel once a month for dinner and have a meal with them
• Being sports-mad I attended all the sporting events
• I loved the school choirs and visited all the churches where they performed
• Mrs Broodryk used to send the practical results from her domestic science class to me for tasting - their baking efforts were really very good!
• Sometimes the office would become too stifling and I would walk through the magnificent gardens of the school

When did you leave the school and where did you go?

During 1979 I was moved to Head Office and appointed as one of the youngest school Inspectors and went on to obtain my Masters Degree. I was sent to England and Belgium to do research on their reform, special needs  and youth facilities. What I observed there inspired me to come back and change the titles of the schools from "industrial schools" to "special needs schools" and the way which we used to do things.

Were you aware of the school closing and how did you feel about it?

Yes, I was still at Head Office at the time and knew of the plans for a number of the schools to be closed. Advising the schools of their closure was one of the hardest things I had to do and it contributed towards me taking early retirement.

Is there something special or particular you would like to tell those girls who are now all grown up?

Mr M van Schalkwyk (2014)

They may not have experienced it or realised it at the time but they need to know how much the staff at the school cared about them and loved them and worked very hard to help them become good citizens.

Describe your life now and what are your interests?

I still work mornings only at a large plumbing concern, love gardening and am still sports mad! Saturday mornings  I visit the local Boeremark from 04h00 and get vegetables for the family and neighbours. I buy flowers for my wife and daughter-in-law and drink rooibos tea while I wait for my pancakes order. With these pancakes I then go to my son's home for breakfast before going back home again!

Righto! 

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JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT -  BEST POSTS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE:

Debates are the big thing this past month with some serious and delicate topics being approached:

• Jienie-Michelle Dreyer started the ball rolling with "DO YOU BELIEVE HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY" - 46 comments to date
• Cher Manning wanted to know if the girls thought cellphones etc would have been allowed in HS van der Walt High - 51 comments to date
• Leading the debate participation is Madre Mattheus Horne with "IS LOVE AN EMOTION OR A DECISION" - 60 comments to date

Posted by Rache Swart