The 2025 Chronicle

BRANCH REPORTS

CAPE TOWN Written by Kyle Dutton (Mackenzie, 2004)

Pat spoke openly about his time at Michaelhouse and his profes sional rugby career, sharing plenty of stories that had everyone smiling. The Durban Branch continues to play an active role in support ing boys at Michaelhouse and keeping Old Boys connected. There’s a strong sense of pride and loyalty within our group, and it’s great to see that energy carrying through year after year. Looking ahead to 2026, we’re excited for the return of our golf day, which will once again be our main fundraising focus. It’s always a great opportunity to catch up, compete and contribute to something worthwhile. Thank you to everyone who has given their time and support this year. The Michaelhouse spirit is alive and well in Durban, and we look forward to keeping it that way. Greetings, beloved Michaelhouse communi ty. As the Lesotho Affiliate, we are glad to announce that our numbers finally justify the formal establishment of a branch/affiliate. We are working hard towards hosting a launch at the end of the first quarter of 2026 with what we hope shall be a beautiful day of golf at the Maseru Golf Club. Naturally, the entire school community cracks the nod for an invite, so should you find your self in the area, please do join us. For those in and around HQ who are slightly more adventurous: please hit Underberg, then head up Sani Pass and over into the western side of the “bear er of spears” for an honest round of golf coupled with some frothy cold ones. Ciao! The Pietermaritzburg Branch has hosted two very successful events this year. We put to gether a team that took part in the Notting ham Road Touch Tournament, and we hosted the Hudson Bennett Golf Day at Victoria Country Club. Clay pigeon shooting at Kinmount range against the Midlands Branch was abandoned owing to bad weather, and was not re scheduled because of date constraints. The internal committee celebrated Nick Jackson’s nine-year stint at the helm. Nick (East, 2004) passed the reins to me in May. He has been nothing short of exceptional as a leader and has taken the branch to new highs. We as a committee, and myself as branch chairman, will do all we can to ensure that the momentum Nick created does not lose steam. Nick has graciously agreed to stay on the branch committee for the foreseeable future. Thank you, Nick. LESOTHO Written by Bataung Likate (Pascoe, 2000) PIETERMARITZBURG Written by Mark van Heerden (Farfield, 2009)

It’s been another busy and enjoyable year for the Cape Town Branch of the Michael house Old Boys’ Club, filled with camarade

rie and memorable gatherings.

We kicked off the year with a series of social events – a number of golf days in both Stellenbosch and Cape Town gave the lads a chance to reconnect (and, for some, to remember why we didn’t all turn pro). Regular drinks evenings at both the West ern Province Cricket Club and Foresters Arms (Forries) kept the fellowship alive between the bigger occasions. Our highlight in August was the annual general meeting and dinner, once again held at Barristers in Newlands, which saw a strong turnout and plenty of good cheer. We were also fortunate to join forces with the Old Diocesans (Bishops) to host an eve ning celebrating the launch of John van de Ruit’s latest Spud book – a fantastic reminder of the talent within our broader old boys’ community. Another notable occasion saw us join the Hilton old boys at Twelve Bells for a screening of the first Hilton v Michaelhouse fixture. The event was well attended by our Old Boys and, true to form, the festivities carried on well into the evening – a fine example of the enduring rivalry and friendship between our two great schools. However, the most moving and remarkable moment of the year came through an act of extraordinary generosity and brother hood: Justin Fletcher (Mackenzie, 2000), who had been bat tling kidney failure, received a life-changing transplant from none other than his former Housemaster, Marc Ancelotti. Both are doing well, and Justin has been able to enjoy precious time with his young daughter – a story that truly embodies the spirit of Michaelhouse. As always, the Cape Town Branch remains a vibrant and wel coming group, and we look forward to another year of friend ship, laughter and shared memories. Here’s to keeping the red and-white flag flying high on the southern tip! 2025 was another good year for the Durban Branch of the Old Boys’ Club. Our annual din ner at Mama Lucianna’s in Glenashley was, once again, a great success. It was well attended and strongly supported, which shows the strength of our Durban community. A big thank you to Scott Rogers (East, 2009) for organising the evening. He has made it a highlight on the calendar, and this year’s dinner was probably the best yet. We were fortunate to have Patrick Lambie (Founders, 2008) as our guest of honour. DURBAN Written by Nick Tatham (Farfield, 2007)

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