I spent 10 wonderful years at St George’s enjoying my final year in 1988 as Head Boy, Captain of Tennis and being awarded swimming colours - all that cold early morning training finally paid off!

 

We were a small class of only 14 but our inspiring Headmaster, Paul Cannon, frequently reminded us of the words of Mark Twain: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

 

We took those words to heart over the years in the classroom and on the sports fields. Our small class comprised Western Province squash players and water-skiers. We won the Western Province Sailing championship, and punched well above our weight in regional swimming galas and at water-polo. We even beat the mighty St Andrews and Kingswood College at rugby on tour to the Eastern Cape the one year.

 

Today many of us work internationally and are respected in our various fields which include: engineering, academia and finance. Our cohort includes: an Associate Professor at UCT, a Partner at the World’s leading Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, IT and mechanical engineers and many entrepreneurs who employ people and make a difference in the world.

 

I was awarded honours in Business Science Finance at UCT, qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte and started a career in Fund Management with Old Mutual Asset Managers in Pinelands. I took an opportunity a few years later to move to England and after five years in London with Orbis, Allan Gray's international partner, I founded my own Fund Management company in 2008. Since the Fund’s launch nearly 10 years ago, our performance ranks in the top 8% of our international competitors.

 

At St George’s I was more than just a number. I had the opportunity to represent my school at the highest level: to play for the 1st team, to attend Maths Olympiads, to act in school plays and to lead with outstanding people. It's rare to get the chance to do all those activities in schools five times the size. This gave me the confidence to believe in myself and most importantly, I learned the need to be resilient in the face of adversity.

 

My message to the current pupils is: "Enjoy every lesson and make the most of every day at school. Embrace every single opportunity offered by St George's and don’t wish the days and weeks away until the next weekend or holiday. All too soon you will beyond the school walls and have joined me in the "rat race." It is now 30 years since playing sport beneath the magnificent Devils Peak and yet those memories are still clear. So appreciate that beauty and be grateful for the opportunity you have, remembering that most schools in Africa, and even here in Europe, have little more than a single tarmac netball court for sports facilities."

 

I enjoyed 10 wonderful years at St George’s enjoying my final year in 1988 as Head Boy, Captain of Tennis and being awarded swimming colours - all that cold early morning training finally paid off!

   

We were a small class of only 14 but our inspiring Headmaster, Paul Cannon, frequently reminded us of the words of Mark Twain: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

    

We took those words to heart over the years in the classroom and on the sport fields. Our small class comprised Western Province squash players and water-skiers. We won the Western Province Sailing championship, and punched well above our weight in regional swimming galas and at water-polo. We even beat the mighty St Andrews and Kingswood College at rugby on tour to the Eastern Cape the one year.

   

Today many of us work internationally and are respected in our various fields which include: engineering, academia and finance. Our cohort includes: an Associate Professor at UCT, a Senior Investment Advisor at the World’s leading Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, IT and mechanical engineers and many entrepreneurs who employ people and make a difference in the world.

    

I was awarded honours in Business Science Finance at UCT, qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte and started a career in Fund Management with Old Mutual Asset Managers in Pinelands. I took an opportunity a few years later to move to England and after 5 years in London with Orbis, Allan Gray's international partner, I founded my own Fund Management company in 2008.

 

At St Georges I was more than just a number. I had the opportunity to represent my school at the highest level: to play for the 1st team, to attend Maths Olympiads, to act in school plays and to lead with outstanding people. It's rare to get the chance to do all those activities in schools five times the size. This gave me the confidence to believe in myself and most importantly, I learned the need to be resilient in the face of adversity.

   

My message to the current pupils is: "Enjoy every lesson and make the most of every day at school. Embrace every single opportunity offered by St George's and don’t wish the days and weeks away until the next weekend or holiday. All too soon you will beyond the school walls and have joined me in the "rat race." It is now 30 years since playing sport beneath the magnificent Devils Peak and yet those memories are still clear. So appreciate that beauty and be grateful for the opportunity you have, remembering that most schools in Africa, and even here in Europe, have little more than a single tarmac netball court for sports facilities."