St. Andrew's School, Bloemfontein

Infobox Secondary school
name = St Andrew's School

motto = "Fiat Lux" (Let There Be Light)
established = 1863
city = Bloemfontein
state = Free State
country = South Africa
type = All-Boys Public School
headmaster = Christopher Thomas
students =
grades = 0 - 12
colours = Royal blue and white
newspaper =
yearbook =
free_label_1 = Boarding Houses
free_1 = Chandler, Twells, Storey, Dunn
free_label_2 = Day Student Houses
free_2 = Webb (Senior), Carey (Junior)
free_label_3 = Affiliation
free_3 = Anglican Church of Southern Africa
free_label_4 = Nickname
free_4 = Saints
website = [http://www.sasb.co.za]
footnotes =

St. Andrew's School, established in 1863 is a public school for boys located in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.

The years of study are from pre-primary to grade 12. Boarders are accommodated in four boarding hostels: Dunn House for junior boarders, Storey House for junior secondary boarders, and Twells and Chandler Houses for senior boarders.

Day students are associated with Carey (grades 1 to 7) and Webb (grade 8 to 12) Houses.

Its sister school is St. Michael's School, a girls' school which is located nearby in Bloemfontein.

History

St. Andrew's was founded on 16 November 1863 by Bishop Edward Twells as the "Diocesan Grammar School", and was located in a building now known as the Old Raadsaal in St George's Street, Bloemfontein. The first headmaster was George Clegg.

In 1874 the school was renamed "St. Andrew's School" when it moved to new buildings on the corner of St George's Street and Church Street. The headmaster at this time was Reverend Douglas McKenzie. The foundation stone of the first St Andrew's is preserved alongside the current chapel.

In March 1899 new buildings were built for the school; these were however only occupied for a few months before being requisitioned by the British Army during the South African War and the school closed.

At the conclusion of hostilities in 1902, the facilities were appropriated for use by the new "Oranje Meisiesskool", which still occupies the premises.

Bishop Arthur Chandler worked for a number of years to reinstate the school, and the school reopened in January 1916 on its present site on General Dan Pienaar Drive. Canon E. Ford served as headmaster until the end of 1916.

Francis Storey served as headmaster from 1917 until 1946.

Headmasters in the modern era

* 1916, Canon E. Ford
* 1917 - 1946, Mr F. W. "Oubaas" Storey
* 1947 - 1957, Mr E. L. Harrison
* 1957 - 1967, Mr N. C. H. "Jumbo" Ferrendi
* 1968 - 1974, Mr B. Thiel
* 1974 - 1984, Mr W. I. O. Patterson
* 1985 - 2006, Mr R. A. Gordon
* 2006 - 2007, (Acting) Mr J. E. Bridger (Old Andrean)
* 2007 - Present, Mr C. Thomas (Old Andrean)

Governance and ethos

St. Andrew's was originally a private school controlled by a board of governors chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Bloemfontein. In 1976, the school was sold to the Orange Free State Provincial Administration (PAO), on condition that it could retain its Anglican character.

The Bishop of Bloemfontein maintains a seat on the School Governing Body to this day.

The school maintains links with a number of independent schools in South Africa.

Construction in the 1980s

A cornerstone of the negotiations resulting in the sale of the school to the PAO was that the PAO would institute a significant capital works program at the school, in respect of upgrading and expansion of existing buildings, and the construction of new boarding hostels.

The project commenced in 1985 with the demolition of the sanatorium, adjacent to the then Storey House. The new (current) Chandler / Twells block was built on this site.

Simultaneously, upgrading and refurbishment of the Ferrandi Block (senior school buildings) and Dunn House (integrated junior school and junior boarding facilities) was undertaken.

At the end of 1986 the old Chandler / Twells block (dating back to the early 1920s) was demolished to make way for the new Storey and Dunn blocks, prep room, sanatorium complex, a number of accommodation units for masters and a walkway linking the three boarding units with the Champion Hall (dining facility for boarders). Chandler and Twells Cottages, providing accommodation for the masters of the respective boarding blocks, were retained.

The bulk of construction was completed in time for the 125th anniversary of the founding of the school, in 1988.

On conclusion, the former Dunn House was renamed Jagger Block, a title dating back to its construction in 1952. The former Storey House was converted to common room facilities for the senior boarding houses, and more latterly, as the premises of the pre-primary school.

Oubaas Storey's House, home to the school chaplain until the completion of new Dunn House, was transformed into a museum and visitor's centre.

A plaque highlighting the efforts of Mr Patterson towards initiating the project, and commemorating the completion thereof, may be seen at the Dunn House common room.

Other significant buildings on campus

* Harrison House - headmaster's home
* Champion Hall - boarders' dining room and adjacent multi-purpose annexe, 1925
* Centenary Hall - completed in 1963, hosts drama productions, annual speech day, examinations and dances
* Walter Carey Library - within the Ferrandi Block precinct, 1938
* Bailey Hall - adjacent to Ferrandi Block, hosts examinations and gymnasium facilities, 1929
* Staff flats - accommodation units, late 1950s
* Coaker Gates - representing the links between St Andrew's and St Michael's Schools
* Twells Bells - fragments of disused railway line suspended from chains, used as time bells in the old Twells House, re-installed in a purpose-built structure
* Circular Memorial - built in honour of the 130th anniversary of the founding of the school, 1993

The following annotated Google Earth screenshot depicts the school in its current manifestation:

Chapel

The foundation stone of the structure was laid in 1955, and the chapel was consecrated in 1956.

The chapel is designed in the traditional cathedral fashion and comprises a large nave, with a pipe organ and choir stalls at the rear (west end), transepts including the vestry on one side, the lay chapel on the other, and the sanctuary, which is raised, (and takes the form of a quarter sphere) and houses the altar. Communion is taken at the top step of the sanctuary.

Each school day commences with a short service of prayer in the chapel, and traditional Anglican services are conducted on Sundays.

The chapel observes the rites and festivals of the Anglican church.

The current school chaplain is Rev Dr Gordon Bauer.

The accomplished school choir plays an important part in the activities of the chapel. The Master of Choristers is Mr Clive Mott.

ports facilities

* Vossie's Field (and pavilion), named for Mr H. D. "Vossie" Vorster who served the school with distinction between 1940 and 1983, both as teacher and Master in Charge of 1st XI cricket - principal turf cricket wicket and oval (summer), twin hockey fields (winter)
* Hickling Field (and pavilion), named for Colin Hickling (Old Andrean) - rugby field (winter), secondary turf cricket wicket and oval (summer)
* Two additional rugby pitches adjacent to Hickling field
* Chapel Field - turf cricket wicket and oval (summer), twin soccer pitches (winter)
* Tennis courts
* Squash courts
* Swimming pool

Old Boys' Association

St. Andrew's has a strong Old Boys' Association for past pupils, and Old Boys' reunions are held annually at the school in Bloemfontein, in Johannesburg, in London and periodically in other locations such as the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, the Middle East and Australia.

Notable alumni and former members of staff

* Colin Hickling (1957), Mayor of Bloemfontein in 1985 and formerly Vice-Chairman of the SABC board.
*Brett Kebble (1981), controversial mining magnate who was shot dead in 2005
* Guy Kebble (attended St Andrew's, but completed his schooling at Bishops, Cape Town), rugby Springbok (1993 to 1994)
* George Mazarakis, Executive Producer, Carte Blanche (TV series)
* Richard Laubscher, former Chief Executive Officer of Nedcor Limited and Nedcor Bank Limited, prominent personality in South African business
* Christian "Bunny" Ashley-Botha, teacher and Master of the Choristers (1970s), appointed to the position of Director of Music at the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School in 1980, a position he held until his retirement
* Professor Phillip Tobias (1943), Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand, world-renowned paleo-anthropologist, most notably recognised for his discovery of Little Foot, a hominid dating back three million years
* Gordon Forbes (1950), international tennis player
* Peter Carlstein (1956), cricket Springbok (1958 to 1964)
* Lindsay Tuckett (1936), cricket Springbok (1947 to 1949)
* D. J. "Daan" de Wet, teacher, 1st XV rugby coach, Master of Chandler, rugby prop forward for the Orange Free State provincial team (1970s)
* Fred Brownell - former State Herald and responsible for the final design of the new South African flag
* Wilson Dunster - well-known South African actor married to Elise Cawood, also a well-known South African actress
* Roger Crawford - Director of Johnson and Johnson SA - a subsidiary of the international Johnson & Johnson organisation. Has twice been President of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa and was heavily involved in the implementation of the Sullivan Code of Conduct in the 1980s.
* Michael Crawford - who has been one of South Africa's major property developers and is a former Chief Executive Officer of Retail Property Projects and a Director of Grinakers.
* Mann Oelrich - represented South Africa at polo
* George du Rand - current South African swimmer

External links

* [http://www.sasb.co.za/ St. Andrew's official site]