24 May 2023
When DHS welcomes Kearsney College to School for their Founders Day celebrations on 27 May, a popular port of call for the Old Boys will be The Memorial Pavilion.
Located high above Van Heerden’s, with massive windows all round, it offers “the best view in the house”, DHS Foundation CEO, Andrew Shedlock, told Pinnacle Schools during a recent chat over a cup of coffee in The Pavilion. It’s hard to argue his point.
On an upper level, the viewing option is quite remarkable. “You can walk five metres and watch a hockey game, and then you walk five metres the other way and watch a rugby game,” Shedlock said. In summer, one could take in water polo and cricket matches at the same time.
“The heart of the school”
“We looked at it as the heart of the school, where we sit here,” he said, gesturing towards the magnificent, elevated view of Van Heerden’s. “It has created an amazing facility for weekend sport. As we sit here, you’ve also seen numerous people walk in and out, sit down and have a coffee, sit down and have lunch. That’s what I wanted to create.”
Café 1866 looks after the coffee and eats and is open Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 17:00. With the floor to ceiling windows, it’s an airy space, filled with light and that can’t-take-your-eyes-away-from-it view.
“I wanted to create an atmosphere and a vibe for Old Boys and friends, a place that they can come and sit and enjoy. It’s a social place for people to meet during the week, and then on Saturday there’s a membership,” Shedlock explained.
That membership pays for the best viewing available on the weekends when the Horseflies take to the sports fields. During the week, Shedlock said: “It’s open to staff. It’s open to friends, to Old Boys.” No membership required.
“Which school in KZN, let alone South Africa, allows you to stand in one venue and watch hockey and rugby at the same time?” he asked.
Stage two
For many Old Boys, who are visiting from out of town, it will be their first opportunity to take in the impressive addition to the school. Phase one of The Memorial Pavilion is complete, but stage two, a further addition, begins on 29 May.
That will create a room that will be able to be hired for functions or business meetings. Catering will be available next door, from Café 1866.
“Once we extend out, we’ll go back onto the roof again,” Shedlock added. “And then, that is when I will make a proper walkway from here to the AstroTurf. Upstairs, now, there are a whole lot of railings in the way.”
Close to his heart
The Memorial Pavilion is a project that is close to his heart, Shedlock admitted. It was something that he had been working on since 2019, although the Covid-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works for a while.
Since the DHS Old Boys Club had been sold and knocked down, Shedlock thought, what do boys, when they finish matric at the school, have to look forward to as Old Boys? The Club had, once upon a time, been “a great place to socialise”, with a wonderful history, but now there was no meeting place to offer to them.
That’s why The Memorial Pavilion was built with a nod to the history of the school. It brings an interesting contrast of old and new to the facility. Bill Payn, a legendary teacher and owner of, arguably, the most amazing story in the entire history of the Comrades Marathon, features in a painting in one corner.
Izak van Heerden, after whom the main rugby field is named, has his well-worn leather chair nearby.
Beneath a large-screen TV is a clock. Shedlock told how he came to be in possession of it: “The family [of former Headmaster Aubrey Samuel Langley] came to visit me. We were sitting at a table, and just before leaving they said to me ‘Andrew, I want to know if you want this’.
“They opened the bag. It was AS Langley’s clock, which had been presented to him in 1931. There is an inscription on it. I said they’d given it to the right person. I love these things. There it stands, pride of place in The Pavilion.”
Contrasting with the history is a beautifully rendered Horsefly painting done by Shaun Oakley, who matriculated in 2005. Known as Damn Vandal, he has a two-decades-long history in design, branding, illustration and graffiti. The painting is, in one word, “cool”. Viewed within the context of the entire Pavilion, it adds extra oomph to an inviting space.
“I want to create a lot of old, and also a lot of new. I want to create a timeline through The Pavilion,” Shedlock said.
A DHS Foundation project
The Memorial Pavilion is the latest in an impressive list of projects to be built with the support of the DHS Foundation. Primarily, though, it was driven by the generous support of the school’s very loyal Old Boys.
“I have realised that there are a lot of Old Boys out there, who want to be involved in our school, who want to see our school do well,” Shedlock said.
“Because of our history and tradition, and the pride we have in our school, I think a lot of them are pleased to see the school doing so well again. They are very generous.
“It has been through the generosity of the Old Boys that we have been able to build a High-Performance Gym, to build an AstroTurf, to build this Pavilion. Where we are with state schools at the moment, we need our Old Boys to support us as much as possible.”
The fundraising for The Memorial Pavilion was driven by a class challenge, which was begun by the class of ’82. There were a number of big contributions from individuals but, Shedlock said, smaller contributions – “R500 here, R100 there, R1 000 there – all add up.
“The Memorial Pavilion is one way for me to reward the Old Boys for their generosity. I am able to say this is a facility for them, so when they come to DHS on a Saturday to watch rugby, they can come to the comforts of The Memorial Pavilion. You get the best view.
“I think it is human nature that we feel proud to belong to something. Old Boys can belong to The Memorial Pavilion at DHS. They might never go there, but there is pride in belonging to it.”
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