FLIPPING BOOK CHRONICLE 2024

with Elephants, the business of Sean Hensman (East, 1999), within five minutes. This interaction proves the maxim that Old Boys are eager to help each other; they just need to be effectively connected to each other. Following the invigoration of the club by our current president, Sean Lumley (Baines, 1994), the club has started to make progress around becoming more visible and meaningful to the Old Boys’ community. To this end, Ron Rutland, director of the club, and Brett Bowes (East, 1970) held a workshop with a group of 10 Old Boys of various ages, industries and backgrounds at Bryanston Country Club in order to synthesize some of the outcomes that Old Boys want to see from the club. My thanks go to Brett, Ron and the focus group for a valuable session, the findings of which will hopefully lead to further improvements in the way the club, the school and the Old Boys engage and help one another. One of the club initiatives that I am most excited about is the programme led by Richard Bates (Pascoe, 1989) to find vacation work for A Block boys, particularly those who are financially assisted boys (FABs). I am sure anyone who has entered the job market can attest to how daunting and difficult this process can be. When you add in the factor of having little to no connections in the business world, the task can seem insurmountable. This initiative is in its infancy, but if you are interested in taking on Michaelhouse boys into your business for a week or two over the holidays, please get in touch with the club, and we will add you to the database. I had a matric boy with me for a week at our own business, and I was absolutely blown away by the quality of individual coming out of the school. Maka, as soon as you finish studying, give me a call! From an events perspective, our annual dinner was a fantastic night out. The Rector’s update on the school is always a highlight at these events, and this year was no exception. The evening was headlined by the truly impressive Michael Beaumont (Founders, 2003) as our guest speaker. Michael’s address resulted in a thought-provoking discussion about the elections and the future of our beautiful country. A big thanks to the Rector and Michael, and all who attended, who listened and engaged with maturity and respect, which is not a given these days around a fairly contentious topic. It really showed the quality of the school in my opinion. In addition to the dinner, we held numerous after-work drinks events, and on 22 November we were scheduled to host our annual Hilton v Michaelhouse golf day. This is my personal favourite for the year, where the promise of December holidays and the Joburg summer always result in a relaxed and festive atmosphere. At the time of writing, the big day had not yet arrived but our aim was to retain the bizarrely named “Hiltonian” trophy against our rivals from the south east. Finally, I would like to sign off by thanking Rob Brown (Founders, 1986), Lawrence Rumble (East, 2006) and the rest of the Joburg committee for their help and guidance in managing the Joburg branch. A considerable amount of their personal time and effort went into organising the year’s events, and I am very grateful for this selfless contribution to the ecosystem of our beloved school.

MIDLANDS Written by Graham Mitchell-Innes (East, 1992)

I

t has been a great year for the Midlands branch. We started out with the annual cocktail evening at Fordoun, filled with entertainment, nostalgia and camaraderie. The guests enjoyed music from the Michaelhouse Jazz Band, who performed a variety of pieces showcasing their versatility and skill. The evening was concluded with a fascinating talk by Howard Geach (East, 1974), a cultural and nature specialist guide. He spoke about the vast history of the Cradle of Humankind and Johannesburg, two of the most significant sites in South Africa’s heritage. He captivated the audience with his stories and anecdotes, revealing the rich and diverse legacy of the region. Following the cocktail evening we had the now annual Midlands v Pietermaritzburg clay pigeon shoot. The Midlands branch narrowly won for the second year. A great afternoon was had by all at the Kinmount Gun Club. The next evening there was action cricket at the Michaelhouse astro. Although there were a few pulled muscles and some ducks, a few drinks around the braai wrapped up a great evening. The weekend ended with the touch rugby tournament at Michaelhouse. The Old Boys just could not hold on to the trophy which they had successfully defended for a few years. The Old Boys’ Club was opened many times throughout the year during school rugby games and international rugby games. These casual events were entertaining and allowed for some good camaraderie. Thanks must go out to Ronnie Rutland and his team for hosting many of these occasions. One important role of the Midlands branch is managing the Weaner Scheme, a programme initiated to assist and support the sons and grandsons of Old Boys from farming communities in attending Michaelhouse. I would like to encourage any farmers who are not yet part of the scheme, but who would like to get involved and give back, to please get hold of me. I am happy to go through the initiatives we have running. We look forward to growing engagement with Old Boys and having a successful 2025. he Pietermaritzburg branch held numerous events this year, with the number of Old Boys increasing at each event. The events that took place were clay pigeon shooting at Kinmount range against the Midlands branch, social golf at Gowrie, action cricket on the school astro, the annual 6-down touch game against the boys and the Hudson Bennett Golf Day. The 87th Hudson Bennett Golf Day took place at the Victoria Country Club. The playing numbers were the highest ever, with more than 90 Old Boys involved. Numerous sponsors jumped on board, creating unbelievable prizes and a festive atmosphere that would put most other golf days to shame. The golf was highly enjoyable and the antics on the course and festivities afterwards will long be remembered. T PIETERMARITZBURG Written by Nicholas Jackson (East, 2004)

205