Matric Farewell of Bakolobeng students
( This post is dedicated to them )
Delareyville, 20th September, 2013
Today is an unusually happy day because of two reasons. Firstly, the schools
close for a one week recess. Secondly, it's the much- anticipated Matric farewell
day for the Grade 12 students of Bakolobeng Secondary School. The organizers
of this event had been working very hard for the success of this event for many
months, looking for a suitable venue, raising funds,etc etc.
To describe the importance and the excitement of Matric Farewell would be
like carrying coal to Newcastle. It's their dream day, full of excitement, high
expectations, splendour and spending on glittering attires.
The choice of the venue- Taung Tusks Resort at Taung, 150 Kms from
Delareyville, was ideal. The students, teachers and two SGB members set
out for Taung in the afternoon . Leelamma and I followed them a little
later.
Bakolobeng Secondary School is a female-dominated school. The Principal and
the Deputy Principal are Mrs.J.D. Visser and Mrs. Kurian respectively. The majority
of the teachers are females. The organizers of the Matric Farewell are mainly
lady teachers.
The town next to Delareyville to the west is Vryburg, 80 kms away. Vryburg
is famous as a centre of beef production in the country, and the area around it is
called ' The Texas of Africa'. There are vast cattle ranches around .The population
of Vryburg is increasing rapidly due to rural people and others coming to settle
in town. In this Province, the distance between towns is about 60 or 80 kms. In
between towns, the land is sparsely populated due to ranches or large farms of
maize, sunflower, groundnuts etc.
The traffic volumes were heavy due to the weekend and school closure .Huge
trailors transporting iron ore and manganese are a common sight on
these roads in recent years. These minerals are destined for export to China.
In South Africa, freight movement is mainly on the roads due to underdevelopment
of railways. This causes extreme strain on the roads, and inconvenience to motorists.
We reached Taung at 4.30 pm. I am familiar with this town. More than 10
years ago, I used to come here at some weekends to spend it here with my close
friend, the late Mr Samuel Kochummen ( Bhanu ) . He also used to visit us at
Atamelang. Unfortunately, he died of heart problems, in 2003.
Taung Tusk Resort is close to the main road, away from the hustle and bustle
of the town. I like the African setting of the hotel. It is situated on hundreds of
hectares of land, with sprawling lawns and surrounded by evergreen pepper
trees. This tree is very beautiful, with its thin leaves and flexible branches drooping
and gently swaying in the wind. The borders of the resort are formed
by African thorn trees. The hotel is a one-storey building, in the true spirit of
abundance of land available. An ideal place to relax, near the swimming pool
or on the lawns, undisturbed by anything.
The students were in high spirits because they had booked rooms for the night.
By 7 pm, they were all ready for action. As they danced their way into the beautiful
hall, with the accompaniment of loud music, the whole atmosphere was filled with
splendour and opulence, with the young couples trying to eclipse one another with their
stunning attires and hitherto-unseen hairstyles.
Mrs Meloloe was the programme director. She was in full control, with a stamp
of authority and witty remarks. Of course, the dancing was the star attraction of
the night. My role was to welcome the audience. I used the opportunity to thank
the students for their good conduct and cooperation throughout the year.
South Africans love speeches, both to listen and to speak for themselves.
Motivational speeches are very popular, and have been fine-tuned to perfection
by some speakers . Luckily, the motivational speaker of the day was such a veteran
speaker that everybody was highly impressed. She is the principal of a school.
Her words were sincere, and to the point .Her English is perfect.
Unfortunately, Mrs Visser, our principal, could not attend the function due to
fatigue. Her role was carried out by her Deputy, Mrs.Kurian, who delivered the
vote of thanks and distributed the prizes to the students.
There was a former student of mine, Mr Monagaratwe, who delivered a speech
representing the School governing Body.( SGB). I was amazed by his oratory.
He told me he is studying for priesthood.
After the buffet, we departed, leaving the students and teachers to extend their
festivities as much as they wished. The road from Taung to Vryburg is
very good, but there are hidden dangers, in the form of stray cattle and donkeys
on the road. I was very cautious about this danger, and drove slowly. After a few
kilometres, I saw blue lights flashing on the roadside. Somebody had hit an animal.
I saw cows and donkeys at random. luckily none of them tried to cross the
road. The day ended safely and satisfactorily.
( This post is dedicated to them )
Delareyville, 20th September, 2013
Today is an unusually happy day because of two reasons. Firstly, the schools
close for a one week recess. Secondly, it's the much- anticipated Matric farewell
day for the Grade 12 students of Bakolobeng Secondary School. The organizers
of this event had been working very hard for the success of this event for many
months, looking for a suitable venue, raising funds,etc etc.
To describe the importance and the excitement of Matric Farewell would be
like carrying coal to Newcastle. It's their dream day, full of excitement, high
expectations, splendour and spending on glittering attires.
The choice of the venue- Taung Tusks Resort at Taung, 150 Kms from
Delareyville, was ideal. The students, teachers and two SGB members set
out for Taung in the afternoon . Leelamma and I followed them a little
later.
Bakolobeng Secondary School is a female-dominated school. The Principal and
the Deputy Principal are Mrs.J.D. Visser and Mrs. Kurian respectively. The majority
of the teachers are females. The organizers of the Matric Farewell are mainly
lady teachers.
The town next to Delareyville to the west is Vryburg, 80 kms away. Vryburg
is famous as a centre of beef production in the country, and the area around it is
called ' The Texas of Africa'. There are vast cattle ranches around .The population
of Vryburg is increasing rapidly due to rural people and others coming to settle
in town. In this Province, the distance between towns is about 60 or 80 kms. In
between towns, the land is sparsely populated due to ranches or large farms of
maize, sunflower, groundnuts etc.
The traffic volumes were heavy due to the weekend and school closure .Huge
trailors transporting iron ore and manganese are a common sight on
these roads in recent years. These minerals are destined for export to China.
In South Africa, freight movement is mainly on the roads due to underdevelopment
of railways. This causes extreme strain on the roads, and inconvenience to motorists.
We reached Taung at 4.30 pm. I am familiar with this town. More than 10
years ago, I used to come here at some weekends to spend it here with my close
friend, the late Mr Samuel Kochummen ( Bhanu ) . He also used to visit us at
Atamelang. Unfortunately, he died of heart problems, in 2003.
Taung Tusk Resort is close to the main road, away from the hustle and bustle
of the town. I like the African setting of the hotel. It is situated on hundreds of
hectares of land, with sprawling lawns and surrounded by evergreen pepper
trees. This tree is very beautiful, with its thin leaves and flexible branches drooping
and gently swaying in the wind. The borders of the resort are formed
by African thorn trees. The hotel is a one-storey building, in the true spirit of
abundance of land available. An ideal place to relax, near the swimming pool
or on the lawns, undisturbed by anything.
The students were in high spirits because they had booked rooms for the night.
By 7 pm, they were all ready for action. As they danced their way into the beautiful
hall, with the accompaniment of loud music, the whole atmosphere was filled with
splendour and opulence, with the young couples trying to eclipse one another with their
stunning attires and hitherto-unseen hairstyles.
Mrs Meloloe was the programme director. She was in full control, with a stamp
of authority and witty remarks. Of course, the dancing was the star attraction of
the night. My role was to welcome the audience. I used the opportunity to thank
the students for their good conduct and cooperation throughout the year.
South Africans love speeches, both to listen and to speak for themselves.
Motivational speeches are very popular, and have been fine-tuned to perfection
by some speakers . Luckily, the motivational speaker of the day was such a veteran
speaker that everybody was highly impressed. She is the principal of a school.
Her words were sincere, and to the point .Her English is perfect.
Unfortunately, Mrs Visser, our principal, could not attend the function due to
fatigue. Her role was carried out by her Deputy, Mrs.Kurian, who delivered the
vote of thanks and distributed the prizes to the students.
There was a former student of mine, Mr Monagaratwe, who delivered a speech
representing the School governing Body.( SGB). I was amazed by his oratory.
He told me he is studying for priesthood.
After the buffet, we departed, leaving the students and teachers to extend their
festivities as much as they wished. The road from Taung to Vryburg is
very good, but there are hidden dangers, in the form of stray cattle and donkeys
on the road. I was very cautious about this danger, and drove slowly. After a few
kilometres, I saw blue lights flashing on the roadside. Somebody had hit an animal.
I saw cows and donkeys at random. luckily none of them tried to cross the
road. The day ended safely and satisfactorily.
Wow that shows it was an amazing event....only if I was there.
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