THE LAST WORD………….
Privileges at College
Dispelling some rumours: The College Traditions Committee
Recently there has been a flurry of activity on various social media outlets regarding the fate of College‟s
privilege and tradition system. Rumours have abounded that the Headmaster, who has allegedly become
softened by the moist conditions of the land of the long white cloud, has made it his mission to eradicate all
of College‟s unique traditions and manly rites of passage.
Gentlemen, and the odd lady, may I personally assure you that the Headmas ter has no such intentions.
Being a former scholar at Wynberg Boys‟ High School (Est. 1841) and a rugged former Border Schools
front row forward, our headmaster fully respects the value of school traditions and need for boys to endure
manly rites of passage.
These rumours seem to stem from the decision made by the school‟s traditions committee to weed out
some of the more degrading and trivial „traditions‟ that have crept into the system over the last 15 or so
years. The headmaster set up the committee to revisit the privileges outlined in the school extensive
privilege booklet (drawn up by Head Prefect R Hosking in 2011) as he felt that some of these „traditions‟
were trivial or not in keeping with the school‟s core values.
The committee, which is made up of some of the most legendary and longest serving members of the
College community and not pedantic Ballito housewives as some troublemakers have suggested via the
inter-web, revisited the traditions booklet and unanimously agreed that the booklet needed thinning.
The following extract comes from the speech the Headmaster delivered to the 5 th form explaining the
views and decisions made by the traditions committee. I believe it eloquently summarises the entire matter:
The first point that was made by the committee was that the word "tradition" is often used at the school
without due thought having been given to precisely what a tradition is. After all, traditions by definition
have to have been around for some time, have to have been generally accepted as being applicable and
relevant, and I add also that they need to be "positive" in the sense that (in a College setting) they are for
the benefit of the school.
Also, it was pointed out by the committee that at College the word "tradition" is used very broadly by you
boys to described a whole range of privileges, duties and what I would rather refer to simply as recently
created "tribal practices" – practices that in all honesty are by no means "traditions" in the correct sense
of the word. And so, to begin with, the Traditions Committee has come up with a set of guiding principles,
i.e. that all such traditions, privileges and duties at the school should –
be in accordance with the school rules and, in particular, the provisions of the South African
Constitution and any other applicable legislation;
underpin and reinforce the Core Values of the school;
not demean any boy;
not require the performing of any irrelevant tasks that serve little or no purpose; and
be something of which the school can be justifiably – and publicly – proud.