The 2023 Chronicle

To the Rector, Mr Clark, thank you so much, sir, for all you do for Michaelhouse. Your professionalism and wise judgement, among many other skills, have significantly transformed our school since your arrival in 2019. Additionally, thank you for the personal guidance, wisdom and mentorship you have shown me this year – I have learnt so much. Mr Ncamani and Mr Gittins. Thank you for always keeping us in check and making sure every boy in the school is heard. Your hands-on approach (not in that way) as well as the way you shape boys into becoming significant leaders is unmatched, and we are truly grateful. Mr Ncamani, thank you, sir, for always having your office door open. Your sweets have become my daily lifesaver. It’s a pity Murray’s dorm is that much closer to them than mine, as usually by the time I get there they have pretty much been polished off. To Murray, despite eating all the sweets, you have been an inspiration to me, as well as to countless others. Your talent, kindness and integrity will take you far. Thank you for all that you have done for Michaelhouse. To the rest of the school prefects, thank you for leading with strength and being significant examples of Michaelhouse Men. I have loved working with each and every one of you and wish you all the best for your future. To you, the boys of Michaelhouse, thank you all for your contributions to my Michaelhouse experience, and for being a direct part of the brotherhood that I will always treasure immensely. To all the parents, thank you for sacrificing so much to send us here and for always being there to support us. And specifically to my family, Mum, Dad, Peter and Tori, thank you so much for all your support, help and wisdom this year and every year of my life. It is appreciated more than you will ever know. And lastly, to the rest of the Michaelhouse community, thank you all for running the operations of our precious school. You guys make this place hum like clockwork and there is nothing we could do without you. CS Lewis was a British writer and scholar. At the start of the second world war, he was bemused by people saying that because there was too much turmoil and uncertainty in the world, they would wait until conditions were better before following their dreams. Young people in the current era, unfortunately, often say the same thing. In 1939 he gave a sermon at Oxford University where he said the following in response: “Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun.” So, boys, don’t wait to take up the opportunities and experiences that this great school offers you. Grasp them with both hands as soon as you can because, before you know it, they will be gone. I would like to end with a message to the boys.

Elon Musk, as you all know, grew up in South Africa like us. He wants to put a man on Mars. When asked why he has this crazy ambition, he replied, “Well, you have to have some reason to get up in the morning.” Each of you, go and find your reason to get up in the morning, and make sure you achieve your own crazy ambitions. In conclusion, you will notice that I have not once mentioned our incredible facilities, superb academics, top sportsmen or cultural heroes. Because these are not our identity. We do have all of this, but our uniqueness lies in the individual independence and capacity to take on life, developed here through friendships and mentoring, that gifts us with our “humble confidence”, and it is why I am so intensely proud to be called a Man of Michaelhouse! Thank you. INTRODUCTION OF GUEST OF HONOUR It is my privilege to welcome our guest speaker, Mr Andrew Cook, back to Michaelhouse this afternoon. Mr Cook is a Michaelhouse legend. There are many Old Boys present, both staff and fathers of current boys, who were taught or coached by Mr Cook, and they will all remember him fondly, mostly for his wicked sense of humour. Mr Cook was born the middle child of six children to, in his words, “a brilliant father and a child-whispering mother”. He spent his first years of school at Wykam School, before moving on to Merchiston in Pietermaritzburg and then Parkview Senior. During his Grade 1 year, he also spent some time in Scotland. He may be a Michaelhouse legend but, sadly, he is a legend of the school down the road. Mr Cook excelled at rugby, cricket and squash during his time at Hilton. He captained the first team squash in 1973 and was head boy of the school in his final year. He went on to study at Rhodes University, where he graduated in 1978. He spent the next two years in the army, where he continued his love of sport, playing squash and cricket for the army. In 1976 he married Heather Ferguson and they went on to have three sons, Michael, Matthew and Stephen, who all grew up at Michaelhouse and then attended it and achieved many great things. Mr Cook joined the staff of Michaelhouse in 1980. During his 24 years here, he served as an English teacher, a Housemaster, a marketing director, the head of Pastoral Care and as Deputy Rector. He coached the First XI cricket from 1989 to 1994, and then coached cricket again from 1997 to 2004, breaking to focus on marketing and outreach partnerships. According to some who knew him as a coach, he had such confidence in his cricketing skills that he was not afraid to face the First XI opening bowlers with no pads on, which did not end too well for him most of the time. After leaving Michaelhouse, Mr Cook was appointed head of Beaulieu College in 2004 and he spent four years there. He then became the head of Mitchell House in Polokwane in 2009, where he stayed until his retirement in 2020. During this time he chaired the north-east region of Southern African Heads of Independent Schools and organised a national conference in 2015. He sat on

And now to my fellow A Blockers, leaving school in a few weeks’ time.

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