9 FAREWELL Rob Candotti Rober to Candotti was appointed to the English Depar tment in January 1988 after several years as a copywriter in the adver tising industry and never regretted his move to the classroom. Identifying a need to extend the horizons of the top twelve academics in grade 12, Rob established the twelve club which he continued to run for the rest of his Kearsney career. According to last year’s chairman, the club “offered an intellectual journey that often challenged us to think about, and re-assess, social dynamics and popular beliefs”. He has also been involved for many years in the grade 11 leadership programme and was its co-ordinator until 2008. In English-related matters, Rob was involved in public speaking and in preparing boys for the Alan Paton literary competition. He also accompanied several groups of Kearsney boys over the years to the schools week of the National Ar ts Festival in Grahamstown. In the years before the establishment of a Drama depar tment, Rob directed a number of school productions including Twelve Angry Men and The Diary of Adrian Mole. In addition, he spent many years coaching tennis and squash, and ran the audio-visual club. Rob also involved himself with distinction in Lifeline, serving as a telephone counsellor for twelve years. Rob and his wife, Sandra, will continue to reside in Botha’s Hill for the immediate future.They intend to spend some time leisurely exploring the highways and byways of South Africa in one of the two Alfa Romeos which are stabled in their garage. No doubt they will be spending some time in Cape Town where their sons, Ricky and Alex, both of whom were educated at Kearsney, are currently living. Interestingly, both of them are pursuing careers in the adver tising industry. RonniWallace VeronicaWallace, or Ronnie, retires after 26 years as doyenne of the English depar tment. Having distinguished herself as an English teacher at Hillcrest High School, Ronni was appointed head of English at the College in January 1989 and served in this position until December 2009. Passionate about her subject, Ronni marked matric papers for twenty years and was moderator for paper 1 and the oral examination of the IEB for ten years. Before the establishment of the Drama Depar tment, in which she was instrumental, Ronni was involved in the direction of several school plays and two staff talent shows. Over the years she has prepared many boys for the English olympiad, run the film society, been actively involved in public speaking and debating and accompanied several groups of boys to the schools’ week of the Grahamstown National Ar ts Festival. Ronnie, also co-ordinated Catholic catechism, accompanying boys on a weekly basis to St Dominic’s in Hillcrest and later to Our Lady of Mercy in Kloof. When she first arrived at Kearsney, Ronni and her family resided in what is now known as the hockey house. One Saturday afternoon, their miscreant great dane, Sally, invaded the Greyhound pavilion and, with a group of canine friends, polished off a wedding cake while, blissfully unaware, the bridal couple and guests were still occupied in the chapel! Ronni and Tim moved into their home inWaterfall at the end of last year. Her plans for the future include a trip to England to visit her daughters, Julia and Diana, and her grandchild. She will also continue her sterling work on the Kearsney heritage committee and intends to involve herself in the charity work of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Dave Goldhawk With grateful thanks to STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE SPECIALWORKS – Specialist Civil Contractor – Tel: 031 7017857 Email: smsw@mweb.co.za
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