Pine cones, trees, tinsel and tealights... Christmas trimmings for a 3-course feast with ginger biscuits and golden notes.
This, the third celebratory event for our Alma Mater’s 90th anniversary places our focus on something we’ve never been at school to celebrate together... a Christmas fellowship and the lessons to be gleaned from the original nativity story.
What is Christmas without good food and good music though?
After much greeting and meeting, guests followed their star waitrons, Grade 11 students, to their tables... the SDA Wind Band and friends started playing a tune called ‘a new beginning’ as we waited for the MC’s to take their place.
Dwight Luntz, in cheerful confidence greeted the expectant audience alongside his former Science teacher and co-host Denise Du Plessis.
The Band (who had been practicing together for only 4 weeks prior to the event), under the leadership of Theo Smith and Ananda, provided the tone of gratitude as Adelé Kock and Godwin Bruinders led out the carols - we can still hear ‘Gloria’ ringing in our ears.
As alluded to in the narration and choice of carols, the shepherds and wise men followed the star/light given to lead them to the Christ child. So we are to use the education given us to not only find the Christ but to present Him with gifts of gratitude.
We sure have much to celebrate, for once a graduating class had 1 student with 100% pass rate and now we have more students and much education to give. Brother Robert Koopman, a member of the Alumni Interim Committee, rang the ‘bell’ of the school’s history between 1940 and 1947... taking us on a tour of those era’s students whom we traced back as parents of more well-known alumni. (See the video attached for an overview of the history we have in archive in that decade of our school’s history.)
Between various alumni artists’ renditions (names to be mentioned), we were inspired by 3 alumni committee members in particular:
Aunty Marie Baatjies appreciatively reminisced of how someone (unbeknown to her) sponsored all of her and her 5 siblings’ tuition and educational needs for 15 months while her dad was ill... she now is a teacher at the same school.
Denise du Plessis told of her late father (Pastor du Plessis) who when moving to Cape Town to study Theology in 1972, had placed all his school-going age children at Good Hope. At one stage there were 6 of the du Plessis children at Good Hope. Denise related how passionate their father was about Christian education. In honour of the commitment showed by their dad and acknowledging the role Good Hope had played in their lives, they have responded to the call made by the Alumni Association ( please see attached letter) to alumni, families, and graduating classes, to gift the school with a bursary, award or prize for academically needy and deserving learners as we celebrate the School’s 90th Anniversary. The du Plessis siblings have donated half of the tuition of a learner for the year 2020 in honour of their parents who sacrificed greatly to ensure that they had a Seventh-day Adventist Christian education.
Considering the monthly fees of R2500, the Alumni wish to thank them for their gift.
Following these inspiring stories our friend and chairperson, Sylvester Vogel, in heroic manner, placed mourning of his late wife aside for the welfare of future students and raised R40 000 from among the attendants in auctioneering style. Our hearts continue to go out to him and his family.
For the families that worked tirelessly to make it a success, Adonis, van Tonder, De Buys, du Plessis, Maphike...we thank you.
To the attendants, we salute and thank you.
To our Heavenly Father, Saviour and Comforter... we thank you three in one.
To the donors of goods and financial assistance, we thank you.
God bless as you follow the Star in your life. ‘Look for the waymarks’ as the wisemen did, and be ready for the grand celebration of all!
