Former GHS teacher’s book launch

The Covid-19 pandemic put a spanner in the works of Girls’ High School’s centenary celebrations, so the anniversary commemoration book Cheerfulness With Industry, will be launched next week, three years later.

Former GHS history teacher Gareth Thomson, and parent of two former pupils — one who is now a teacher there — has researched and written about the institution’s journey from when it filled the need for a government boarding school for girls in Natal, in 1920.

Its early years saw founding head Norma Burns have the first 71 girls playing hockey, tennis and the piano within days of the school officially opening.

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That was followed by the school surviving the depression years, investment from the apartheid government to bring the school up to its present capacity, a transformation era and, finally, the leap into the current era of technology.

Today, the school has 1139 pupils, 153 of them boarders. School magazines from over the years provided a fountain of information, and the first half the school’s history was written to a standard that Thomson calls “mindblowing”.

“They produced essays and poetry. There was so much detail put into accounts of hockey and other activities. Principals’ addresses were all in them too.”

Thomson said that back then, girls spent a lot more time at school and had more time to focus on literature, writing and poetry on which there was much of an emphasis. “Girls came to school by train. If they came by car, it may have been a two-day trip.”

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More affluent times after World War 2 changed that. Transport became more efficient and, after the 1950s and 1960s, life became “more swinging”. “Poetry might have been considered old fashioned and not what a modern girl would want to write,” said Thomson.

With the reduction in creative writing, more photographs came into school magazines. “But still, there was lots of information.”

Former head Val Fowler made contact with old girls in pursuit of information and, along with former librarian Sally Howes, collected images for Cheerfulness With Industry, the title of which is in line with school’s motto.

GHS still stands where it started, in Alexandra Road, Scottsville, former home of the Davis family — connected to The Natal Witness as it was known then — which served as both the boarding establishment and, according to Thompson, the school area “with classes even taking place on the stairs” as there was a shortage of space so they used “every nook and cranny”.

Within days (of the school starting), Norma Burns (nicknamed TB for Thunderbolt) had the first piano delivered and within days the girls were also playing tennis and hockey at Alexandra Park. Sport and music were essential and significant features of the GHS curriculum

Science became important too, with a science laboratory being built before a domestic science section. “The emphasis has always been in educating young women to take their place in the world — wherever — with a full academic education so that they can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, or whatever,” said Thomson.

Towards the end of the apartheid era, forward-looking principal Sylvia Vietzen understood the issues and demands of the time and what was needed to be done to navigate the way forward, said Thomson. “In 1987 she predicted the school would have pupils of all races, which was met with shock. Four years later, that was the case.

“In 1989 she attended a women’s conference in Harare where the ANC (still in exile) would be in attendance. There was great opposition to her going. She came back with insights on how to deal with the changes ahead.”

Today the school represents the country’s demographics. Thomson said a highlight of producing the book was “getting to grips with the story of the school”.

Even when you work there you take the place for granted. When you start researching and learning about it, you realize what incredible leadership (the founders) provided

He imagines founding head Burns would be proud of GHS today, with its abundant facilities and activities offered, competitive spirit, list of achieving old girls from actors in local series Isidingo to a Wits professor — all featured in Cheerfulness With Industry, as well as the traditions that have attracted multiple generations to its classrooms and boarding establishment over a century.

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Cheerfulness With Industry is available through the school’s finance office or through the website https://ghspmb.co.za/, from August 5, and sells for R450.