FLIPPING BOOK CHRONICLE 2024

this year, each bringing his own qualities and skills to our House. Fine-tuned by strong mentorship from our prefects, they have grown to be an extremely well-rounded and well-liked group in the House. They excelled both at interhouse activities and while representing the school. In the first term, Adam Cooke played a big role in the U14A cricket side, and Rendani Ramabulana, Owen Pelser and Justin Hewlett all represented the U14A basketball side. Nikolaus Willfort played for the A water polo side. Moving on to winter sport, Rorke Gehren and Sinakekele Nkompela played for the A rugby side, and there were strong showings on the hockey astro from Owen Pelser, which earned him provincial selection. In the third term, Rendani Ramabulana and Kgosi Ogotseng delivered excellent performances for the U14A soccer team, and on the cultural and academic front Nkanyezi Ndlovu and Sam Porter showed substantial potential, with Sam coming third in the Block for academics, and Nkanyezi singing in the choir as well as racking up an admirable 100 service points – an outstanding achievement considering this was his first year at Michaelhouse. Our D Block boys showed huge growth and maturity and were arguably one of the most talented of the D Block groups; their service for House and school was most valuable. Farfield is known for breeding good sportsmen and this group is no exception, with six representatives in the U15A rugby team in Tom Smith, Fabiano Fierro, Sphelo Mfazwe (Sharks B team), Jed Reilly, Richard Knott and Iminathi Mntu; most of these boys also made the A side on the sevens field as well. Cricket was privileged to have Tom Smith, and Fabiano Fierro and Jed Reilly turned out for the water polo, once again showing why they are formidable athletes. Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports at Michaelhouse and Iminathi Mntu, Khazimula Hadebe and Thabang Dlamini all made the A side among steep competition. Iminathi is also one of our star athletes and he had some incredible achievements in our bid to retain the interhouse athletics cup, breaking records in both the U15 and U16 triple jump as well as being awarded the U15 bronze medal for his exploits. Other notable successes were Oliver Watt-Pringle and his commitment to the golf team, Iminathi Mntu once again for his role in the U15A basketball team, and Thabang Dlamini in the junior marimba band. All in all, it was another successful year for this group. They have shown immense maturity, and I believe they will enjoy school even more next year. The C Block enjoyed their first year of being seniors in the school, which culminated in the prestigious rite of passage that is the C Block Journey. The Journey is not just a highlight of one’s C Block year but of one’s entire school career. These boys are extremely likable and passionate, so were the perfect men to occupy the “middle ground” and aid the well-being of the House. They were also able to showcase their skill and development, making up many of the Michaelhouse teams both on and off the sports field. Jack Carmody had a successful year in the U16A rugby team and got a call-up to the KZN set-up, where he represented the Sharks’ B team, playing alongside James Mallet, Imani Nkilankila, Alex Jankowitz and Laird Hamilton-Brown. This close group of boys also showed they weren’t just here for winter sport either, with Laird and Alex both representing Farfield and the school in the first water polo

side. Chris van Rooyen and James Hayward-Butt represented one of the school’s most successful teams, the U16A hockey side. Chris’s performances earned him selection to a side that tours the Netherlands every year during the holidays, which was an exceptional achievement. In the third quarter our boys sharpened up their rugby skills during the short, but busy, sevens rugby season. James Mallet, Laird Hamilton-Brown and Alex Jankowitz all represented the school’s first team, earning half colours, and can now display the white stripe proudly on their blazers. Further achievements included Siyambonga Skenjana in U16A basketball, Sam Heath in both first team tennis and golf, Otto von Claer in the U16A soccer side, James Hayward Butt in the first team water polo and golf, Harry Porter in the first team squash, and Kyle Heyns, who again pulled us over the victory line in interhouse swimming. This group of boys will adopt a more senior and significant role in the House next year, and with many changes happening their input and help is going to be invaluable. The B Block developed their leadership skills through active involvement in their leadership portfolios, which should stand them in good stead as they lead the House in 2025. They were another group that showed profound commitment to the House and school, and the following achievements are just a small representation of the talent and ability among them: Hayden Hewlett represented the school in both the first team sevens and first team cricket; Koketso Bopape played prop for the first team rugby; Oratile Monama represented the school’s athletics team; Harry Latter represented South Africa in the Junior Polo B team, and was a reserve for the A side; Thando Makopo played in both the first team basketball and first team soccer; and Bryn Retzlaff represented the first team water polo for another year, managing to surpass 100 caps with another year still to go and earning full colours for his efforts. On top of various half colours awards across the board, and Seth Harie being known school-wide for his involvement in photography, they are certainly not short on diversity of skill sets, and I have full confidence that they will make Farfield and Michaelhouse proud in all their endeavours next year. The A Block stuck to their promise of finishing strong in their matric year, and this showed in the boys’ achievements. Andrew Boettiger represented South Africa at bass fishing, while Benjamin Bryden represented the country alongside fellow B Blocker Harry Latter during the third term. Ayabonga Mkhokeli, Connor McAlpine and Riley Gehren all filled important roles in the First XV rugby side. Nicholas Fearnhead, Pikolomzi Nkompela and Mokilibi Makara all represented the First XI hockey team, who achieved their first win over Hilton College in six years. Dylan Hewlett and Matthew Kennedy represented the first team cricket and first team soccer, respectively, and consistently showed academic promise by finishing in the top five in the grade throughout their time at Michaelhouse. It was another successful year for our star athlete, Ruben Visagie, who had strong performances in events across KZN, culminating in interhouse athletics, where he swept the stage and ended his Michaelhouse career just how he started. Our A Block also took on many leadership positions at the school: Ben Bryden as swimming captain, Karl Schaefer as tennis captain, Ruben

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