Pupils touch
Glenwood High has old ties with regiment
GLENWOOD High School takes pride in linking the past to the present and retains a close association with Natal Mounted Rifles (NMR), a volunteer army regiment with which it has been affiliated since 1936.
This year, the regiment celebrates its 165th anniversary on March 23, making it South Africa’s oldest tank regiment.
The link between schools and volunteer regiments was once a notable feature in older schools, but this has largely disappeared today. Glenwood proudly maintains this link and, for the past few years, it has held its Grade 8 orientation at NMR’s base.
Few of the boys knew that this was once Durban’s first airport. Beautifully maintained by the NMR Board, the building retains many of its period features. At the back, even part of the original hedge survives.
For three days, the 270-strong class of 2019 Grade 8 made this their base.
A tent town soon emerged on the field. Cold showers – a welcome necessity after a long humid day – were provided by the regiment’s enclosed outdoor shower system. Each evening a braai was held at the base.
The orientation is an ambitious venture. The boys participated in sailing, surfing, canoeing, beach Olympics, indoor target shooting, an obstacle course and a walk in the mangroves. It’s a walk with a purpose: bag after bag of litter was collected.
With the prefects setting the tone, the youngsters absorbed the values and expectations of their school.
The orientation is largely of a civilian nature, but the links to NMR are ever present. On the first evening, a Sunday, a prayer service was held by the regimental chaplain, Padre Daniel Finlay, in the Dixie Adams room. Named after a former mayor of Durban, Dixie Adams was the honorary colonel of NMR until his death in 1982.
On the second night, the NMR Pipe Band, which rehearses on a Monday, gave an impromptu performance as the sun went down.
The obstacle course was assembled by 58 Durban Air Scout Troop, which is loosely affiliated to NMR and has erected the course for the past 19 years. The Group Scout Leader, Nigel Lewis-Walker, is also a serving captain with NMR. The course may not be American Ninja, but leopard crawling under a tank is an appropriate reminder that NMR is, after all, a tank regiment.
Many of the boys had never surfed or sailed before. Glenwood has its own registered sailing club. In exposing the boys to the sea, the club endeavours to encourage them to take up sailing as a sport. Much of the success of the club rests with Ron Pet, a Glenwood teacher and member of the Point Yacht Club, whose passion is the force behind the school’s club. Because of the large number of Grade 8 pupils, Glenwood teamed up with Sail Africa, a youth development foundation. It too aims to widen the appeal of sailing.
Much is crammed into three days, testing the boys’ fortitude and endurance. They have the opportunity to make new friends, support one another and to reflect on the school of which they are now a part.
When the parents fetched their tired sons at the end of the camp, they should not have been surprised when they trooped off to bed for an early night.
Both the school and the regiment have adapted the traditions of the past to ensure relevance in the future.