Educator, 91, still writing
HAROLD Samuel, at 91 years old and a retired educator, has recently completed his fourth book.
His educational journey gathered speed at Stanger High in 1950, where he was among the first lot of matriculatants from that school. This marked the beginning of his lifelong dedication to learning, teaching, and serving the community.
He was also a Natal cricketer. “As a small group from Stanger, we were Natal champions beating Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Northern Districts.
“Royals, the team I captained, twice won the coveted Natal Super League. Strangely, my contribution as a player of the Natal team was limited but there were moments of glory there as well,” he said.
He later became an official of the Natal Cricket Board and delegate to the South African Cricket Board of Control (SACBOC).
“As an administrator and manager of the Natal team, we were SA winners of the Dadabhai competition. As a delegate to SACBOC, we plotted and planned successfully the expulsion of South Africa from international cricket, which later finally resulted in the creation of a united SA cricket board.”
Samuel is a patron of KZN Cricket. He has already penned four books. His latest book, Beethoven, Dutch Apples and Hadedas: A Grandfather’s Stories (2024), offers a collection of his memories and was completed in his 91st year.
It presents insight into this distinguished father, sportsman, church leader, fond gardener, cultural connoisseur, devoted husband. The other three books are Collective Memories: A Short History of Stanger (2023), Bowled Over: My Story of Cricket (2019), and The Struggle for Non-Violence in South Africa: Gandhi, Luthuli, Mandela (2017).
After attaining his Natal Teachers Senior Certificate from Springfield Training College in 1951, he began teaching at Stanger High for a rewarding 17-year period. Alongside teaching, he actively participated in extracurricular activities such as sports, drama, debates, and editorial duties for the school magazine.
His commitment led to his progression to senior assistant in English at Darnall Secondary in 1973, eventually advancing to deputy principal at Stanger Primary and serving as principal at various schools across the Stanger region, Phoenix, and Overport. In 1993, after a career spanning several decades, he retired from formal education.
His dedication to professional growth spurred him to obtain multiple academic qualifications, including a Bachelor of Arts degree, Higher Education Diploma, and Bachelor of Education from Unisa.
Throughout his career, Samuel actively engaged in professional associations, notably chairing the Teachers Association of South Africa and later becoming the first National Treasurer of the South African Democratic Teachers Union.
As a widower with five children and six grandchildren, family remains at the core of his life.
Currently residing with his daughter and granddaughter in Durban, he treasures the family and community ties that have shaped his remarkable journey.
“SA will always remain my home,”
he said.
“We are a very special part of the globe and live in an amazing country gifted with amazing assets, all of which are not correctly utilised.
“Currently, our politics has gone awry and administration has been affected by deep limitations. However, even though we are in a period of depression, we can easily be the best country on the globe if only we get our politics right again.
“Mandela showed us what was possible in the 1990s. I am an optimist and my prayer is that the country can be saved for a glorious future.”