13 “One Day or Day One. You Decide.” To the Headmaster, Dr Cardo, Mr Bamber, invited guests, parents, staff and boys of the College. The words above come from the pen of the acclaimed writer Paulo Coelho. Who could imagine that two small and insignificant words like ‘one’ and ‘day’ could turn into such profound wisdom and that these two little words could actually shape one's entire outlook on life? “One Day or Day One. You Decide.” How are you living YOUR life? Do you keep delaying your goals, waiting for ONE DAY in the hope that they realise? Or, are you taking charge of your own destiny and seeing today as DAY ONE – the start of something new, the possibility of a happy and successful future? We all have to make that choice… Carpe Diem – we know this as the motto of our beloved Kearsney. So, if we have learnt anything along the way, it is that ONE DAY is not an option for a Kearsney boy. For us, every day is DAY ONE. Our journey in this extraordinary place has, no doubt, taken an interesting route, one that, although more confusing and often frustrating, has left us more experienced and taught us what really matters to us as Kearsney boys. Although we may have forgotten about some of the massive detours, we had in this journey like Covid-19 and the problems it brought with it, we must never forget the valuable lessons we learned along the way. To think that the Matric group of 2023 was in Grade 9 during that difficult time and remember the devastation of the unrest in our country just a year later, which also caused even more disruption in our lives, is still hard to believe. For me, though, this serves as a reminder of just how far we’ve come. Additionally, the wonderful staff members of this school have played many roles for the gentlemen of the College. I can say that personally, some staff members have played father- or mother-figures for me in my time when I lived on campus as a boarder. They were able to guide me and assist me when I needed help. These staff members were my housemasters, coaches and the heads of clubs and societies. It goes without saying that the least I can do on behalf of my grade is say “Thank you”. To our support system, the ground staff, cleaning staff, kitchen staff, laundry staff, San sisters, admin and teaching staff as well as the board and the trustees, I thank you. Some families may not have a father-figure or mother-figure, and some of my Kearsney brothers come from homes with separated parents and challenging family circumstances. But every Kearsney boy in this room, these gentlemen with whom I have grown up over the past five years, has shown so much strength and courage, regardless of what they have been experiencing in their lives. In life, I have learned that we never know the struggles of another person, and we will never know the story of someone else unless we take the time to get to know more about them. I thank my prefect body for being true leaders and for making my life a lot easier this year. You gentlemen have been a good example constantly and have been an older brother for the younger gentlemen when needed. As I said at the beginning of the year, we are all here because of the sacrifice of someone else behind the scenes. I want to thank everyone who has given up so much to send their son to Kearsney because if it wasn’t for people like you, I wouldn’t have gotten to know your son, and for that, I must thank you too. To my own parents, I want to thank you for working tirelessly and sacrificing so much to keep me at Kearsney and for dealing with me and my teenage nonsense for all these years. You have done so much for my brother and me and have helped me become the man I am becoming. From this Kearsney journey, the most important lesson I have learned is the lesson of Perseverance. The definition of perseverance is the persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. This evening we get to see the hard work of these individuals pay off. They have all put in so much work to reach their goals and deserve every bit of the recognition they Class of 2023 Headboy’s speech - Speech Night September 2023 GRADE 12 CLASS OF 2023 Back row (L-R): Nthato Sifumba (G), Thomas Hulse (G), Njabulo Ngcobo (S), Jacques Nel (G), Benjamin Livesey (F), Sean Diseko (S), Tiaan Steyn (P), Brett Parkinson (P), James Drysdale (P), Blessings Chiluba (F) 7th row: Gabe Delport (G), StJohn Vallance (G), Tom Larson (P), Jack Rankin (G), Joshua Wise (S), Zhouhao Zhang (S), Alex Gordon (P), Stephen Kruger (S), Siyen Gounden (P), Adam Zeiler (S), Adam Hatty (F), Salusiwe Mqobongo (F), Roderick Tayler (G), Aidan Albrecht (G), Okuhle Khupe (G) 6th row: Seth Scorer (S), Thomas Godwin (G), Harvey Millard (G), Andile Nomvete (G), Andrew Aspinall (F), Levi Wilcox (P), Riku Boshoff (S), Seth Abrahams (F), James Engelbrecht (G), Connor Mills (G), Jordan Boyd (G), Callam Currin (F), Neo Scott (G), Mihlali Sigonyela (S), Sani Sawuti (S), Abdul Mahomed (G), Solethu Mdladla (S) 5th row: Samuel Schmitz (F), Ross McClelland (S), Eric Anderson (F), Kieran Pearton (F), James Radford (F), James Francke (P), Troye Schulz (F), Luc Jonker (S), Ryan Taylor (P), Jaryd Savic (S), Ethan McCormick (F), Jua van Wyk (S), Ethan Marnitz (S), Nicholas Butler (F), Ross Williams (S), Ethan Reay (F), Thando Sithole (G), Bonga Mbhele (F) 4th row: Junior Dlamini (F), Asavela Mfazwe (F), Dylan van Tonder (S), Thomas Hurley (G), Reuel Jagarnath (P), Christopher Mace (P), LiPuma Mthethwa (P), Zipho Cele (F), Marcus Scheepers (P), Mawande Mnqayi (S), Sheyn le Roux (F), Jadon Moodley (P), Callum McCrae (G), Rocco Klomfass (F), Lethokuhle Ngidi (S), Mandisi Mseleku (S), Likhona Nunwana (G) 3rd row: Lihle Maqhugula (G), Caleb Saks (F), Kamva Khamba (P), Aaron Osborn (F), Nala Madlala (P), Phiwenhle Chonco (G), Lwandile Khoza (S), Jarred Christie (P), David Pohl (P), Guy Roberts (F), Ryan Denekamp (F), Ruschay Govender (P), Dan Riceman (S), Anesu Chimusoro (S), Motheo Nkadimeng (F), Nhlendla Zulu (G), Maano Setimela (S), Sachin Bhagwan (P) 2nd row: Kyle Pottinger (P), Zibusiso Ngobese (P), Zweli Sibanyoni (F), Dominic Hislop (G), Michael de Beer (G), Otsile Ntsele (F), Dhiyarv Govender (F), Oliver Brazier (G), Ross Phillips (P), Matthew Rix (S), Hayden Davel (F), Fritz Rheeder (G), Liam Jansen van Rensburg (S), James Gillespie (S), Matt Langeland-Hansen (F), Chad Croshaw (G), Francois Snyman (F) Front row: Siso France (S), Ethan Groom (G), Ethan Williams (S), Hayden Bishop (P), Asande Nyawose (S), Mr Patrick Lees, Simthembile Mkhize (F), Devahn van der Walt (G), Mr André van Zyl, Luca Veronesi (P), Sange Mdunyelwa (F), Dylan Wiggett (G), Esihle Mfeka (G) (House shown in brackets)
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