MCOBA Newsletter March Issue 3 | Page 9

Summary Term 1 continued…. Old Boys Memorial Trust A full length film is in the making and this has incorporated not only actors, but also the boys who show strong technical skills. Our outreach boys have also continued to make a significant difference to those in need. Everyone at the School is very excited about the changes and additions that have been made over the last 12 months, thanks to a very generous donation of R5million from the Maritzburg College and Old Boys‘ Memorial Trust. The money has been spent on a number of capital and other projects that have added enormous value to the school. These include the following: Always a school blessed with fine and diverse facilities, College has maintained its mantle as a leader in KZN and its peers nationwide by perpetually upgrading or pioneering facilities to give our boys the edge. Barely any schools can boast an indoor shooting range with mechanised targets, a river adjacent for canoeing or an Olympic standard (certified) synthetic hockey surface. College has gone further this year by adding two international standard indoor basketball courts and five synthetic indoor cricket nets. Both of these facilities have received accolades from visiting schools as well as visiting senior provincial teams. • The building of two new staff houses that now provide accommodation to two new staff members and their families. • The installation of an international standard basketball floor surface, as well as hoops, in the Alan Paton that now allows the school to boast two top-quality indoor courts – as the 1st team have played fantastic basketball this year, and are now ranked No1 in the country, this investment has yielded a superb return! The school has also acquired two football fields adjacent to the AB Jackson Astroturf and our first soccer team will play home fixtures in the Harry Gwala Stadium this year. It is no surprise then that the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) has identified College as a ―Hub of Excellence‖ in KZN and has allocated a portion of its funding to the College High Performance Centre. In collaboration with the DSR our boys will also be tested via the High Performance Institute in Durban (who deal with SA‘s Olympians) and data will be analysed by the CSIR. The tarring of new parking and access areas around the school that have improved the image and functionality of the parking areas on the Princess Margaret Drive side and around the boarding houses access routes Installation of 5 indoor cricket nets in the MultiPurpose Centre, as well as the upgrading of the changerooms and lighting; and • We are proud that we can keep to our boast of developing multi-faceted gentlemen who can enter the greater South African community as the next generation of confident, socially and physically balanced leaders. Graham Bennetts HOCKEY / RUGBY RESULTS FROM FRIDAY 21 March 2014 Hockey: 1st XV College vs Northwood 3—1 Rugby: 1st College vs Northwood 36—6 Upgrading of the toilets and changeroom facilities in the Alan Paton Hall. The School would like to record its sincere thanks to the Trust, and all the Old Boys who have contributed in one way or another over the years. In these days of everdiminishing government funding, contributions such as these are critical to College being able to maintain its high standards in offering a sound educational foundation that competes with the best in the country. In this respect, the Trust and the College Foundation have separate and specific roles to play – more on this in future newsletters. Dave Rogers