THEME: IDENTITY
The theme for the week is “identity”, in other words how you view yourself and, of course, how others view you.
Perhaps you already have a strong sense of identity, based on the language you speak, the religion you believe in, or your membership of a particular clan? At a simpler level, perhaps it is the type of music you listen to, or the football team you support?
I, for example, have a strong sense of identity arising from the windswept islands off the north of Scotland where my family comes from.
At this school, it is an especially important topic, as it has been the stated desire, over much of the school’s 160 years, that each Maritzburg College boy should have a strong sense of himself, as guided by the Core Values, as well as a very strong shared identity with the Collegians around him.
Without a doubt, much of my own sense of who I am as a person has been forged by my time as a schoolboy and as a teacher at this school and by my strong sense of what it means to be an Old Collegian. Since before the days of Mr RD Clark, headmasters of this school, as well as teachers and coaches, have strived to forge the character of each College boy, so that he fits a certain, broad mould – that of a hard-working, problem-solving, determined and socially-aware young men, who is able to play a prominent and positive role in the broader society that surrounds him.
To obtain a strong sense of who you are as an individual or as part of a bigger collective can give a young man a strong self-belief, as well as a burning sense that he has others (his comrades or brothers) who “have my back”. Perhaps you forged it during “Vietnam” or on Basher Ridge, in one of the boarding houses, through toiling on a sports-field wearing the red-black-white, or striving to win the prizes at Speech Day?
But having a strong identity or sense of identity are not always good or healthy. After all, members of criminal gangs and prison inmates also have them.
In our case, here at Maritzburg College, it remains a key ingredient of that identity that you MUST strive to follow the Core Values.
The public brawl that took place last Wednesday between 4th and 5th Formers and caused great anger and concern, and also led to the suspension of EIGHT boys from the school, is also an example of a powerful sense of identity that has gone wrong. The boys who took part in that brawl were, in the main, defending a Form-mate whom they believed had been wronged. Their sense of identity, and their loyalty to that Form-mate and to themselves as a group, caused them to cast aside the Core Values of the school, as well as common sense and common decency, and to engage in disgraceful conduct that could still cause great damage to the school. After all, would you want your son to attend a school where groups of dozens of boys engaged in public brawls?
But a strong sense of identity also breeds camaraderie, a strong sense of service to a higher goal and of being a small part of a grand and worthy affair, and can provide great strength and comfort in times of hardship. For me, this is shown at its schoolboy best by College boys on Reunion Day.
It is also shown by the story I heard when I first started here as a teacher – of an Old Boy whose brother had been killed at a young age. Distraught and confused, he sought out a place where he could sit quietly, mull over the tragedy that had befallen him, gain comfort, and work through the way forward. He drove to Maritzburg, and sat quietly on Basher Ridge.
It was also shown over 100 years ago, when College boys about the age of our 6th Formers volunteered in their hundreds to fight in the First World War. They fought in battles in Africa, Asia and especially in Europe, where dozens of them faced the bombs, barbed wire and bullets of the German Army. 26 Old Boys died in one battle alone in 1916 – and it is said that a number of them, facing the strong possibility of a bullet through the gut or to the head, as they went over the top into No-man’s Land, climbed out of their trenches and marched towards the enemy lines with the words, “College-College-College!” on their lips. The question is, “Why on earth would young men, at a time of the gravest danger and fear, mutter the name of their high school 12 000 kilometres away?” Why not a call out to their parents – or the sweethearts they’d left behind? Perhaps it was for comfort, and the memory of the carefree days of their youth. More likely is that, as they faced the possibility of not just being challenged whether they were brave enough for the task but the real possibility of a painful and lonely death, they turned to the one thing in their young lives that burned the brightest. Perhaps, as they thought of the precariousness of their immediate future, they clung to something worthy of preserving and dying for, and as an inspiration for heroic deeds.
Perhaps, as you mull over these stories, you will get a sense why so many of us, who have attended this school or work here, cherish what Maritzburg College stands for, are always disappointed when its high and noble standards are not met, and fight to preserve what it stands for and its good name.
I ask you – no, I demand of you – that so long as you attend this school and wear its proud badge and colours, you always strive to be better, and to enhance its good name. Too many of you are letting us down.
I now call on the head prefect, Kadira to address you. [Address by Kadira]
Thank you, Kadira, for reminding us all – of our duty to each other and to our school, to ensure that, in 160 years’ time, the name of Maritzburg College will still stand for not just a shared identity, but also excellence, integrity and decency.
ACADEMICS
On the academic front, well done to several boys who have qualified for the final round of the South African Maths Olympiad.
SPORT
This weekend saw Maritzburg College’s 1st XI soccer team take on Durban High School (DHS) to defend the Raw Cup, unfortunately losing the match 0-1.
College’s canoeists secured top places at the Upper Umgeni Jock Claasens 16km race.
The U15 and U17 rugby sevens teams travelled to Glenwood to play in their first tournament, and the College’s shooting team competed in the next league securing excellent results.
Full sports results are here
SPORT AWARDS
Congratulations to the following sportsmen on their excellent achievements:
For Swimming and Photography:
PR Lamb [Snow] Outstanding performance at the KZN Short Course Gala in Kloof and the Seals Short Course Gala in Pietermaritzburg
MR Thomson [Barns] 2nd Place Kearsney College Photography Competition
TW Haviside [Lamond] 1st Place Kearsney College Photography Competitions
Shooting:
JE Kauffman [Commons] 2nd U20 Sporter 10m / 2nd U20 Sporter 3P League 6
JK Martin [Strachan] 3rd U20 Sporter 10m League 6
N Naidoo [Strachan] 2nd U16 Sporter 3P / 2nd U16 Sporter 10m League 6
WM Parker [Strachan] 3rd U16 Sporter 3P League 6
For Cricket and Paddling:
CJ Thomas [Pape] for scoring 108 against St Andrews 1st XI Cricket Team
KH Vogt [Calder] 1st U16 Upper Umgeni Jock Claasens 16km
MJ Rawson [Fuller] 1st U14 Upper Umgeni Jock Claasens 16km
J Worthmann [Commons] 2nd U14 Upper Umgeni Jock Claasens 16km
This is another busy week of activity, including prefect interviews today and tomorrow, house plays, lots of sport (including a warm-up match for the First XI vs Michaelhouse), a visit by the Blood Bank on Wednesday, a very important Open Day on Thursday for boys in Grades 5 and 6 and their parents, the Prestige Music Concert on Friday night, and another busy weekend for our sportsmen.
Have a good week, work hard, and I especially encourage the 6th Formers to really knuckle down, as their Trials loom.
Matthew M Marwick (Acting Headmaster)