In his earlier days he also taught junior Afrikaans and Woodwork. Robin's first promotion post was when he took over as Housemaster of Finningley in 1969. Prior to that he had served as acting-Housemaster in each of the other three houses when theincumbents wereonleave at various times -this is a unique record.During his ten years as Finningley Housemaster he demonstrated fully his organisational and inter-personal skills. His ability to motivate and to gener ate house spirit is reflected in the fact that during his pe riod ofoffice Finningley dominated mostofthe inter-house competitions. In 1981 he was promoted to the postofSenior Master,and in 1990 he became Deputy Headmaster. In these capaci ties he played a vital role, not only in the day-to-day run ning ofthe school, but also in protecting the unique spirit of Kearsney. In his farewell address to Robin at an Old Boys/Parents function in November,Lauron Buys referred to his role as a preserver of Kearsney standards in these words: "I am not sure whether this role was partly chosen by him or imposed upon him by others but whatI do know is that he was certainly eminently suited to this role for it is a role which requires a person to have the courage ofhis convic tions and this Rob certainly had in abundance. It is true that no one is indispensable,butI believe that it is equally true, Roh,that you will leave a huge void at Kearsney in this area. During the last several months in casual discus sions thatI have had with teachers at Kearsney,invariably the question ofRobin's retirement would arise and I think it is appropriate that he should be judged by his peers at this time.It was no coincidence that all ofthem referred to this role that I have just mentioned and perhaps this was best summed up by one of your colleagues who used the analogy of the yacht. It was said that whereas the head masters and the Board could he seen as the rudder which gives the school direction, you were the hull which kept the yacht uprightno matterin what direction the yacht was sailing or in what storms it found itself. And so,I believe thatit is particularly in this area,Robin that Kearsney must thank you the most and in which you will be missed most severely." In all his multifarious activities, Robin was always fully supported and assisted by his wife Phill. She was totally committed to Kearsney and all its activities.She gavefreely ofher time on behalfofthe school-in flower arranging in the Chapel and elsewhere, helping to beautify the school gardens,pouring teas and gracing a wide variety ofschool activities. Robin, you can go into retirement with the sure knowl edge of a job well done. The immediate, and the wider Kearsney community thank you for your vital contribu tion to Kearsney over your long and distinguished career. ALLISTER THISELTON I first met Allister when I was a university student and he was a teacher at Maritzburg College. We played cricket together for Zingari,and he impressed me with his utterly determined spirit.As a batsman,I hope he will forgive me when I say that his technique was not great, but his attiW. ^9" ft:- .:i tude to bowlers was'THEYSHALLNOTPASS'and they had to virtually dig him out. I met up with him a few years later when he saw the light and left College to join the Kearsney staff. He arrived in the classroom block with a briefcaseembossed in gold with the initials M.A.T.-he was that for ever after. About 15 years later, in an advanced state of decrepitude,the brief case finally collapsed and died.Notso its owner,wholong since had made his very special, vigorous and unforgetta ble mark on Kearsney. Allister is unashamedly an old-fashioned schoolmaster.He has demanded(and got)total dedication from generations of schoolboys. Some boys have discovered to their cost that second-best to him is unacceptable. No boy has ever tried producing shoddy work for him more than once! Many,many boys willremember having sweated overtheir Science prep,to the exclusion ofall other work,in order to avoid his wrath.Boys who were taught by him,however, soon discovered that the demands which he made ofthem were exceeded by his own efforts. His marking was al ways meticulous,swift and multi-coloured.They came to appreciate that he would stop at nothing to do the best for them-when results came out they discovered that it had been worth the blood,sweat,and often very real tears! Allister also made his mark as a Sports Coach.He was the first Master-in-charge of Squash and a devoted 1st Team Coach.Asa provincial squash player himselfhe had many skills to impart. Many of his proteges gained their Natal Schools' Colours. However, the sport he loved to coach most was cricket. Lor many years he coached the U15A with remarkable success. At one of his farewell functions he described his first match as U15A Coach - against Maritzburg College. He recounted his abject humiliation at the result(Allister is a man ofstrong adjectives!)-Col lege lost two wickets and Kearsney 20,to lose by an in nings and plenty. He had a couple of words with his team during theirfive afternoons ofpractice thefollowing week -needless to say, the U15A next lost a match more than two years later. Allister's other activities included coaching hockey, tak ing the Bridge Club,and taking boys on European educa-
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