Ons Onnies

There was Ploddy Earp, who ran the library; Patat Cronjé who continuously encouraged us to put some “zir” into it; Old Crappy in the wood-work class; and Piskriek opening up the wonderful world of physical science. I also fondly remember Chain, Biscuits, James Bond, Sheppie Shepstone and last, but not least, the inimitable Joe Barry, Des Schonegevel, George Sabbagha, Dawie Marquard and AK Volsteedt.

Hans Arendt het altyd in verkleinwoordjies gepraat:  “Het julle jul huiswerkies gedoen? Haal uit julle potloodjies en skryfblokkies.  Ons gaan nou ‘n paar eksperimentjies doen.” Dan was daar Baf Bornman wat altoos dinge “dadelik indien nie gouer nie” gedoen wou hê.

Toemaar, ek het glad nie vergeet nie van die asemrowende mev. Dina Haller, die Duitse onderwyseres met haar blonde hare, welgeskape bene en kort rokkies. Ek word skoon verleë wanneer ek terugdink aan hoe ons spulse jong manne behoorlik ‘n erewag gevorm het wanneer sy van een klas na ‘n volgende beweeg.

Ek onthou ook vir Stonie Steenkamp, Karel Pienaar, Nic van der Walt, Jaap Rousseau, Poon van Rensburg, die handvol Strydoms (Willie, Steve, Kallie, ou Uil en Staal Burger), Michau Heyns, Travers Jordaan, Barend Boude, Boer Fourie, Zaza Fichardt, David Gray, Nic Fourie, Lappies Labuschagne, Piet Streeknuus, Nic du Plessis (wie se bynaam nie publiseerbaar is nie), en die waardige mevv. Ina Volsteedt en Susan Pretorius.

En natuurlik, die een en enigste Ewie Cronjé. Toe my ouer broer, Stef, ná my eerste dag op Grey by my wou weet wie my klasonderwyser is, kon ek nie op Ewie se naam kom nie. “So ‘n bakgat windgat,” het ek hom beskryf. “O,” het hy dadelik gesê: “Dit is Ewie Cronjé.”

It was only in later years that I really appreciated the tremendous influence that all of these giants had on my life. For that, I honour them.

Tom Ferreira

At school in Namaqualand I was told that English was just like Afrikaans. For instance, you had to say “I is”, “you is” and “we is “.  Only the pronunciation was somewhat different. The word “water”, for instance, was pronounce “wottir”. I made rapid progress at English and then went off to Grey.

I soon found that my new English friends could not speak proper English. And neither could my new English teacher. But I readily forgave both parties for these infirmities. For on the very first day in class, the English teacher took a careful aim and threw our prescribed book into the waste paper basket. He really did! He then proceeded to tell us all about French culture and showed us copies of French paintings which my mother certainly would not have approved of.

Later he pranced around, a French sword in his hand, and cut an imaginary enemy in the class-room window to ribbons. Yes, he really did!  It am quite certain that none of this was in the syllabus. But he opened up wonderful new worlds in the minds of his Afrikaner pupils.

He is the one who had the biggest impact on my personal life. For he gave me the confidence talk to the Eunice girls. I is still uncertain why they giggled constantly and nervously when I talked to them. But I is quite certain that it is my good command of English that enabled me – like my grandfather before me – to capture the heart of a beautiful Celtic lady.

So, wherever you are today, sir: I thank you. I is, of course, referring to the extraordinary, the one and only mister Joe Barry.

Hermann (“Herrie”) Leibbrandt
(or as old Joe referred to as Herrman the Gherrman )

Here’s a story that might be of interest and maybe someone else could corroborate, it certainly made an impression that has always stayed with me….

Jaap Rousseau used to tell the story that growing up, he used matchboxes as substitutes for weight training (body building) as they couldn’t afford dumbbells. He used to squeeze (put huge tension) on the boxes in his hands and then mentally believe he was exercising with weight resistance. I’ve sort of tried it and it works. Such was virtual bodybuilding born.

Royden Hodskin

Dawie Marquard was the teacher that I admired the most. What a gentleman!

Servaas de Kock

My fondest memory of a teacher at Grey and that made the biggest impact on my life will be Ewie Cronje (hence the nickname Poepies). I also had great respect for Patat Cronje.

Andre Barends

In 1908, the Minister of Education of the then Orange River Colony, introduced a radical new idea to education. He believed that the chief aim should be to inculcate moral values into pupils and that all else should rest on that solid foundation. Our great principal, Mr Jock Murray Meiring, followed this philosophy and by 1960 the then principal, Mr JMB Faure, still maintained that Grey was NOT about rugby and the number of passes in matric.

The passing decades have proven this to be the real secret of our success.

During my years at Grey (1960-1968), one teacher personified this code to me. It was obvious that the shadow of Oom Jock had at one stage fallen on him. He was a true knight of the old school of moral values: fairness to all, irrespective of financial means, language, religion or political persuasion. And also discipline, integrity, merit, duty, loyalty, faith and honour.

During a quiet moment in his office, he illuminated the real meaning of our motto to me. And that was not to bother my mind about minor issues, but that when great matters of moral principle are involved, to stand fast. Do not give an inch! Stabilis!

I sketched the first cartoon for “Stabilis” and based on this dubious talent, I was asked by a friend of mine to paint a cartoon on his shirt for his last day at school. I jokingly depicted his future life as a hobo, with a bottle of wine in one hand. In the other hand I painted a flag. But the words on the flag were no joke, because it paid homage to Mr JL Cronje. It read: Viva la Patat.

Hermann Robey Leibbrandt

Post scriptum. Do we still follow the code established by our one time official patron, General James Barry Munnik Hertzog? Just asking.

My ma het mos gedink sy kon sommer die eerste skooldag by Grey opdaag en daar sal plek wees. Uit nood het ek toe my Sub-A jaar in Oranje deurgebring. Ons was so vyf seuns tussen die klomp meisies. As ek reg onthou was Jurie Geldenhuys ook een van hulle. Ek het die goue twaalf dus met een jaar gemis.

Op laerskool was ons maar ‘n rowwe klas, soveel so dat ons mnr CP Fourie  (een van die strengstes),  vir Std 2 ,3 en 4 as klasonderwyser gehad het. St 5 was ‘n besonderse lekker jaar met Steve Strydom as ons onderwyser.  Ek onhou goed hoe ons liedjies oor die bandopnemer gesing het en hy dit dan teruggespeel het. Callie Human was altyd ‘n ster met sy Elvis-liedjies.

Hoërskoolonderwysers wat ‘n groot indruk op my gemaak het, was mnre. Travers Jordaan, Dennis van Rensburg, Lappies Labuschagne, Stonie Steenkamp en Ewie Cronjé.

Schalk Cronjé

En daar was daar George Herbst, beter bekend as James Bond, wat tydens studietyd in Brill-huis klein vierkantige gaatjies in sy koerant geknip het sodat hy ons kon dophou terwyl ons dink hy is besig om koerant te lees. Dit het ons – slim en uitgeslape Grey-seuns wat ons was – nie lank gevat om agter die kap van die byl te kom nie.

Toe James Bond op ‘n keer ná pouse by sy koerant terugkom, staan daar toe in groot letters op sy koerant geskryf:  “Wie loer, kry niks!”

Tom Cronjé

Een keer in Murray-huis het Baf Bornman ons uitgetrap omdat ons sy appelkose steel. Wat hom nog kwater gemaak het , was dat van die appelkose grasgroen was. Om sy stelling te staaf , stuur hy toe ‘n piering met vyf groen appelkose deur die studiesaal terwyl hy preek en kwater word.

Nadat die bord deur die studiesaal is en weer by hom terugkom, was daar net twee groen appelkose oor en drie pitte oor! Ek kan nog die ongeloof in Baf se oë sien. Veel kwater kon hy nie.

Reunie-gedenkuitgawe: 1984

Een van my gunsteling onderwysers was Travers Jordaan.  As hy die dag nie lus was vir werk nie, het hy ons ‘n “lekker, vars plaastoets” laat skryf en bewaar die een wat nie goed gedoen het nie! “Plankie” het gepraat, maak nie saak hoe hard jy probeer verduidelik het dat die vrae gestel is uit dele van die werk wat ons nog nie behandel het nie.

My pa het ook ‘n sagte plek vir Travers gehad en het hom selfs toegelaat om sy troetelarend in die koshuis aan te hou. Sy kamer was reg bokant my pa-hulle se slaapkamer en ons moes menige oggend die grusame resultate van die arend se gesmul aan rotte, muise en ander goggas op ons stoep skoonmaak. Sy liefde vir voëls het hom baie naweke na die berge gedryf waar hy vir ure kon sit en hulle dophou (en sy dop ook hou!) Ek het later as kollega langs hom in die Reuniesaal gesit tydens saalperiodes en onthou hoe hy eendag, terwyl Michau Heyns besig was om die naweek se uitslae te lees, aan my gestamp het en gefluister het, “Luister, ‘n budgie!” Hoe hy die budgie se geluid bo die gekoer van die hordes duiwe en die hoof se stem kon raakluister, het my verstom. Ná saal is hy dadelik buite toe en het sommer gou die budgie op die hoofgebou se dak uitgewys.

Twee van Travers se kollegas in Brill-huis was Louis Smith en Abie van Wyk. As die merkwerk bietjie te veeleisend geraak het, het die drietal gaan ontvlugting soek in die destydse kuierplekke (Fontein; Oranje Hotel; Cecil Hotel; Die Vic ens.) Dit was die taak van die prefek aan diens om die manne te vervoer en weer veilig terug te besorg in die koshuis na hulle eskapades. Danny Doubell (’67) was dié aand die prefek aan diens en het glad nie omgegee om by die “tiekieboks” in die portaal te wag vir sy menere se oproep nie, want dan kon hy weer lekker met Travers se rooi Zodiac rondry om hulle op te pik. Laat die aand lui die foon.

“Danny, jy moet ons kom oplaai!”

“Ja, meneer, waar is meneer-hulle nou?”

“Wag net bietjie, ek kyk gou,” laat Travers weet.

Na ‘n lang ruk is hy terug en sê, “Hier buite is so blou bordjie wat sê ‘Bar’….. Bye!”

Heelwat later het Danny sy vrolike vrag veilig tuis gehad.

N.S. Travers se Plankie is in die museum by die skool.

Tommie Cronjé

Dit is 1960 en die standerd 2-klas is totaal uit beheer. Mnr. Breytenbach huil letterlik. Op ‘n dag daag die hoof, mnr. Baf Bornman, op met ‘n man van statuur in ‘n Karmann Ghia-sportmotor. Die man van statuur klim uit met tas en rottang van pinkie-deursnit en sowat ‘n meter lank.

Dit was mnr. C. P. Fourie wat saam met sy bynaam, Boer, vinnig legendariese status bereik het. Daardie dag het die helfte van die klas pakslae gekry.  Hy was ons onderwyser in standerd 2, 3 en 4. Phew!

Glo my, daardie eens onhebbelike klas was nooit weer buite beheer nie.

Chris van Rensburg