Rector’s eNews – 16 November 2022
/ Rector's eNewsOn Sunday we held our solemn Remembrance Day service at which we considered the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in conflict, notably in the First and Second World Wars. However, our service was not only about remembering those who died in these and other wars; it was also about remembering those who were close to any of us and who have been taken from us. We were privileged to have Michael Cassidy, one of the world’s most celebrated evangelists, in the pulpit. He is an Old Boy and has had much to do with reconciliation in this country. He spoke movingly of his days at Michaelhouse and of the importance of boys answering the call of God; he spoke from his own experience in an amusing and direct way and we are grateful to him for his giving of time to be with us.
Thomas Kuhn played the Last Post on Remembrance Day (11 November) whereafter we observed a minute’s silence. You may be interested to know that the period of silence was suggested by a South African, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (of Jock of the Bushveld fame) to King George V in 1919 as Sir Percy was grieving so greatly for his son, Nugent, who was killed on 17 December 1917. George V took up the idea and implemented it from November 1919.
On another matter, our boys are now very much into the revision or examination mode with the B and C Block exams underway and the D Block exams starting on Monday. E Block exams will start next Wednesday. Many of our matrics will be finished with their papers next Thursday, but their results will only be announced on Wednesday 18 January 2023.
An invitation to the Carol Service at the year end is below and we hope to see many parents there. We ask you kindly to respond to this invitation for catering purposes. There is also information about the end of year arrangements, the storage of trunks and Trade Inn hours. These are repeated from previous editions of the eNews in order to ensure that matters of uniform and other related issues have our attention. Boys need to be smart in their dress and may have grown significantly over the year, so trousers may be too short and blazers may need to be replaced with larger ones. Thank you for your attention to detail in this matter.