Glenwood High School (Durban)

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Coordinates: 29°51′51″S 30°59′36″E / 29.86409°S 30.99341°E / -29.86409; 30.99341
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Glenwood High School
Glenwood High School crest
Address
Map
1 ZK Matthews Road, Glenwood

Durban
,
KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa
Information
School typeAll-boys public school
MottoNihil Humani Alienum
(Nothing that concerns humanity is unimportant to me[1])
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
Established1 August 1910; 113 years ago (1910-08-01)
School districtDistrict 9
HeadmasterPierre Jacobs
Grades8–12
GenderMale
Age14 to 18
Number of students1,300 boys
LanguageEnglish
Schedule07:30 - 14:00
CampusUrban Campus
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)  Red
  Gold
  Green
  White
MascotStormin' Norman (Grasshopper)
RivalDurban High School
NewspaperSentinel
School feesR73,000 (boarding)
R53,000 (tuition)
Websiteglenwoodhighschool.co.za

Glenwood High School is a public English medium high school for boys situated in the suburb of Glenwood in Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The school was established in 1910, as Durban Technical High School, and split with the Technical High School in 1928 to form Glenwood Boys High School.

History[edit]

Establishment[edit]

Glenwood High, circa 1914

The school had its origins with the creation of a small institution called the Day Continuation School that was located in a double-story building on Smith St in August 1910 with a student roll of 24 boys. In 1915, due to building size limitations, the Day Continuation School moved to the Technical College building and changed its name to Durban Technical High School which by 1916 had 150 students.[2][3] Student numbers continued to grow during the First World War and by 1918 there were 267 scholars. In the same year the Natal Provincial Council appointed a commission to investigate the feasibility of expanding the school and the subsequent Coleman-Dukes Report stated that ..a large increase in the numbers [of students] for which it is exceedingly difficult to find accommodation... and recommended the allotment of 10 acres of land on the corner of Alan Paton and Bulwer Roads in Glenwood. The construction of the school buildings eventually took place and by 1934 the current premises were ready for occupation.[4] At the same time, the school subject matter was changed and all technical subjects were removed from the curriculum (these subjects were allocated to Mansfield Road Intermediate School)[Note 1] and the name was changed from Durban Technical High School to Glenwood High School, also reflecting the new location.[3]

War years[edit]

World War I[edit]

In 1915 South Africa sent one brigade of Infantry to support the Allied war effort on the Western Front. The 1st South African Infantry Brigade comprised four battalions with the 2nd Battalion being known as the Natal & OFS Battalion, containing many men from Durban and Pietermaritzburg.[6] In 1915, there were only 120 boys at the school,[7] of which (from the Class of 1914 and earlier) twenty five ex-Glenwood pupils lost their lives as part of this Battalion during World War I.[8] Of those killed, four were killed during the Battle of Delville Wood.

Glenwood High School crest in Delville Wood Memorial commemorating the death of Glenwood old boys in the 1916 Battle of Delville Wood (2009)

World War II[edit]

In 1939, at the start of World War II there were 490[7] pupils in the school and during the six years of war, 457 Old Boys served in East Africa, the Western Desert and Italy. Of these, 109 were in the South African or Royal Air Force.[7] Out of the 457 who served, 120 old-boys lost their lives during this war. There is a poignant picture of the school's 1st Rugby Team of 1935 where at least 15 of the 18 boys in the photograph volunteered for service in the war and six of those in the photograph were killed. These included Clement (Neville) McGarr, who was one of the prisoners of war to escape from Stalag Luft III as part of the "Great Escape".[Note 2]

1960s and Zoning[edit]

In the early 1960s the Natal Education Department (NED) made a controversial attempt to enforce school zoning in the core suburbs of Durban. A study conducted by the NED showed that considerable amount of money was being paid to transport students to and from school and that children travelled "further than they should" and introduced a policy that compelled students to attend the closest school to their residence. Glenwood old boys (supported by DHS old boys) defended the schools’ favouring of the children of old boys, reflecting an "English society siege-like mentality" to counter the Afrikaner policies after the National Party's election victory that threatened the perceived English school traditions. Eventually a compromise was reached between the schools and the NED whereby a zoning system was implemented that allocated points based on children's place of residence and on whether they had ties to the school through either their siblings’ or father's schooling. It was labelled as ‘preferential admissions’ or ‘restrictive admissions’ and allowed the Glenwood management the freedom to take out-of-area students when they were not full.[10]

Facilities[edit]

Glenwood High is one of the few Durban public schools with a boarding establishment. The boarding establishment was opened in 1935 and is known as Gibson House, named after Roy Gibson, the first pupil to be killed in World War 2. He was the son of "The Lady in White" who saw off soldiers at the docks embarking on ships for tours at the front during the Second World War.

Gibson House is situated on the corner of Alan Paton and Esther Roberts Roads, a short walk from the main school. The original boarding school took only a small number of boys (three dormitories) but has been expanded.

Notable alumni[edit]

Sport[edit]

Sport Name Year(s) Achievement(s) / Notes
Rugby Wally Clarkson 1921-1924 Springbok rugby international (Centre).[11][12]
Rugby Mauritz van den Berg 1937 Springbok rugby international (Lock).[11][12]
Rugby Roger Sherriff 1938 Springbok rugby international (Lock).[11][12]
Rugby Don Walton 1964 Springbok rugby international (Hooker).[11][12]
Rugby Rodney Lloyd Gould 1968 Springbok rugby international (Fullback)[11][13][12]
Rugby John Allan 1990-1996 Springbok and Scotland rugby international (Hooker).[14][15][12]
Tennis Kevin Curren 1979-1982 International tennis player[16]
Rugby Nanyak Dala 2007 Former international Canadian World Cup rugby player[17]
Cricket Steven Jack International cricketer[18]
Motorsport Gordon Murray 1987-2004 McLaren F1 car designer.[19]
Cricket Colin Munro 2012-2020 New Zealand International Cricketer[17]
Surfing Jordan Michael "Jordy" Smith 2010-2018 Professional surfer[20] Qualified to represent South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[21]
Rugby Warren Whiteley 2014 Springbok Rugby player (No. 8) and Lions rugby team Captain[22][12]

Politics, law and government[edit]

Field Name Year(s) Achievement(s) / Notes
Politician Ivan Toms Late physician and political activist, recipient of the National Order of Boabab[citation needed]

Sports[edit]

The sports that are offered in the school are:[23]

Trevor Kershaw fraud scandal[edit]

In 2019, Trevor Kershaw, who was headmaster between 1999 and 2015, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding the school of over R5 million. After reaching a plea bargain with the State, he was sentenced to three years of correctional supervision, and a ten year prison sentence was suspended.[24]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Today known as Steve Biko Campus of the Durban Institute of Technology.[5]
  2. ^ 95691 2nd Lieutenant Clement A.N. (known as Neville) McGarr (24 Nov 17 – 24 Mar 44) 2 Sqdn SAAF escaped by tunnel on 24 March 1944. He was caught and executed by the Gestapo.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Glenwood High School Prospectus". Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  2. ^ "Glenwood High School website" (PDF). Chapter 3: Developing a school whilst the world is at war. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Durban Schools.. a historical listing – Facts About Durban". Fad.co.za. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Glenwood Boys High website". History.
  5. ^ "Mansfield High – Facts About Durban". Fad.co.za. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  6. ^ Buchan, John (1992). The history of the South African forces in France (Litho reprint of 1920 ed.). London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press. ISBN 0-901627-89-5.
  7. ^ a b c "Commonwealth War Graves Commission". A School in South Africa. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  8. ^ "Facts about Durban". Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  9. ^ "Casualty". 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018.
  10. ^ Hunter, Mark (31 January 2019). "'Larney' and 'rough and tough' schools". Race for Education: Gender, White Tone, and Schooling in South Africa. Cambridge University Press. pp. 29–52. doi:10.1017/9781108635189.003. ISBN 9781108635189. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e Posted on April 24, 2008. "Historic Overview between Glenwood High School vs Maritzburg College 1921-2011". Rugby15. Retrieved 22 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Alan Morrissey. "Grasshoppers and Horseflies: The history continues". Ruggaz.co.za. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ^ Posted on January 1, 2002 (1 January 2002). "Rugby 2002 Awards". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Posted on April 24, 2008 (24 April 2008). "John Allan is Saluted in Scotland". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Glenwood Rugby Internationals – NextGenXV".
  16. ^ Posted on July 27, 2008 (27 July 2008). "A recent magazine article on Glenwood Old Boy Kevin Curren". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ a b "Alumni Archives - Page 6 of 40". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  18. ^ Posted on January 2, 2003 (2 January 2003). "Old Boys' Day 2003". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Alumni Archives - Page 2 of 40". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  20. ^ Posted on July 4, 2003 (4 July 2003). "Jordy Smith - World Surfing Champion". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "SA surfer Jordy Smith qualifies for Olympics". Northglen News. 25 December 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Alumni Archives - Page 7 of 40". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Sports Offered". Glenwood High School. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  24. ^ Waterworth, Tanya (2 November 2019). "Ex-principal pleads guilty to R5m fraud at Glenwood High School". Retrieved 14 March 2021.

External links[edit]

29°51′51″S 30°59′36″E / 29.86409°S 30.99341°E / -29.86409; 30.99341

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