FLIPPING BOOK CHRONICLE 2024

(McAlpine, Ratsey, and Ralfe A Block, please don’t disappoint us.) We have successfully displayed how – and set a standard nationally on how – the boys of an elite boys boarding school conduct themselves. When getting my head around this whole concept of “legacy”, I came to another realisation. I had thought so long and hard about what we as a Block were leaving behind that I’d forgotten about what we were taking with us. A boy may leave a legacy here, but he also takes with him something from Michaelhouse – a family. A family for life. Over the years, we have had many people give their opinions on what Michaelhouse means to them, and today my answer to that question is one word. Family. Over the past five years I have built a family here at Michaelhouse. Whether it was in the form of parents who have looked after me when mine were often unable to come down for sports fixtures, or those who opened their homes to me when I needed a place to stay, or members of staff who I saw and spoke to daily, or my brothers sitting here this afternoon. As mentioned before, this family lasts for a lifetime, and a very practical illustration of this is the OM+ platform, which will help us navigate our paths out in the real world. Now where do I even start when it comes to thanking the people who have had such significant roles in my life here at Michaelhouse. There are so many, but today I can only mention a few. Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs de Wet, Mr Noel, Mrs Kelly and the rest of the team for organizing this event. It has definitely been a memorable one. We cannot thank you enough for the hard work you have put in to make this all possible. Then I’d like to extend huge thanks to the teachers who have directed me on my academic journey here at Michaelhouse. Your selflessness and willingness to put in the extra hours with your pupils has equipped us with all we need heading into these final exams. To you all, we will forever be grateful. To my mother figures. Ms Moffat, you always made sure that I was in the right head space, taking me out for lunches to clear my head when all the pressures we face here at school got too much. Mrs von Mayer, you always had a word of encouragement to brighten up my day. And finally, Mrs Bolttler, you were always a shoulder to cry on when times got tough for me this year. I do not know how I would have made it through the year without all of you. Thank you to all the families that went out of their way to make sure I was looked after throughout my time here, none more important than the other. But I would love to take this opportunity to mention just a few. To the James family, who introduced me to this school, Aunt Lauren and Uncle David, you guys have changed my life forever. Then the Lamberts, who always had a bed for me to sleep in and a desk – which I didn’t have at home – to work at during half terms and holidays. Many would argue that I go down to Durban for other reasons, but that is a story for another day. Thank you, Iain and Carri, for always welcoming me with open arms. And finally, to the Flemings. Thank you, Gran, Rob, Fran, Warren and Mr Fleming, for always being in my corner and for the support you have given me throughout my career here. 30

cacking duties – snackwich making and all. This resulted in us being given the name “Covid cacks” by the staff and the older boys. This struggle with Covid was really hard at times both that year and in our D Block year, teaching us to appreciate the things in this school that we so often take for granted, such as playing competitive sport, being in class and physically being in the presence of one another. In the blink of an eye C Block came around, and life seemed to go back to normal. We were fully back in the classrooms and cultural departments and on the sports fields, and morale was high in the school. We got to experience our first ever Hilton Michaelhouse and got to see what Michaelhouse was “really about”, which I’ll get back to shortly. And then of course, came the C Block Journey – all its smiles, laughter, tears… Ike’s lost tent poles and Big Kev’s strategic daily cramps. B Block. What a year! I could talk about it for days, but there is one thing that comes to mind immediately. Elijah, sorry to bring it up. Then finally 2024, A Block. We were finally the mnumzanes of the school. Some of us took this a little too far, such as Matt Nel, who almost single-handedly orchestrated a strike in which boys were instructed not to attend class for the day. Not the best way to fight the system, right Nel? Considering where we find ourselves today, looking back to 2020 shows how quickly time has actually passed by. I remember being put into the E Block top-set class and staying behind after my first lesson to tell Mrs von Mayer that “these guys are too smart for me” and that Michaelhouse is not where I am meant to be. That day we sat down and had a chat, and the gist of it was, “Carlyle, you are special, you will find your place here, this is where you are meant to be.” Many of us have our defining moments during our Michaelhouse careers, and mine was at that very moment. Mrs von Mayer in that short conversation gave me all the confidence I needed to become the man I am today, and for that I will be forever grateful. This is where that confidence got me to, ma’am. Who in a million years would have guessed that a boy from the streets of the little coloured community of Heidedal in Bloemfontein would be the senior prefect of Michaelhouse? What good comes out of Bloemfontein beside the brandy? Round about this time of year, matrics are asked about the legacy they will be leaving at Michaelhouse. I did a bit of reflection on the legacy that the class of 2024 will leave. This is a thought-provoking question, and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that we didn’t have something big like the transformation and diversity committee introduced by the class of 2020 to show for our legacy. The legacies we will leave as a grade are in the small things. We are the Block that calmed things down the night before Hilton-Michaelhouse, which led to our huge successes on the day and will continue to do so in future. We are the class that were pillars of strength in times of difficulty, such as the tragic death of our beloved Zanda and Garth, which both occurred during my tenure. The manner in which you all responded, your sensitivity and maturity, played a pivotal role in our school’s healing process, with the cacks in particular. And then, finally, we are a matric group where not one boy has been expelled the whole year. Touch wood.