Cross of Gold

Cross of Gold - The Story of St George's Grammar School 1849 - 1998 by Patrick Coyne

Patrick Coyne attended St George's Grammar School from 1936 - 1945, during which time he experienced the headmastership of both Rev CC Tugman and Mr PE Cuckow. He was a boarder at Bloemendal during 1939 and played cricket (captaining the Under-14 XI) and 1st XV rugby. In his Matric year, he was a prefect and captain of Shaw house.

After trying out careers in banking and wholesale pharmaceuticals, a teacherís diploma. Following this he was awarded a bursary from the South African National Council for the Deaf to study at the Deaf and subsequently taught at the Royal School for the Deaf in Margate, Kent, before returning to South Africa in 1953.

He taught at St Vincent's School for the Deaf in Johannesdurg for five years before being appointed principal at Fulton School for the Deaf in Gillits, Natal. He then joined the Natal Education Department as an assistant teacher at Warner Beach Primary School and later to the acting principalships of Northlands and Windsor ParkPrimary Schools.

His first principal's post was at William Hartley School, but other headships followed at Park View Senior Primary and Atholton Primary in Umhlanga Rocks.

On retiring in 1988, he turned his time to hobbies: restoring and running old Rover cars, re-building the Coyne voice pitch indicator (invented by his father), photography, acting in and producing amateur plays, and writing. Three of his radio plays have been broadcast by the SABC and several short stories and articles have been published in magazines.

For two years he was lured back to teaching computer science at Gordon Road Girls' School, before returning to his hobbies and writing about his alma mater - St George's Grammar School.

Patrick is married to Helen (Wilson) and has two children Marion and Christopher.