Wednesday 21 October 2020: The year of the pandemic - our annual Matric Valedictory Service, outdoors on the historic Hawthornden Field. The Grade 12 Class of 2020 walked into Wynberg history as the recipients of the School's highest accolade, "Honours Award to the pupil or pupils for outstanding performances which have brought honour to the school." Gentlemen of 2020 and Wynberg Old Boys, we salute you, and wish you well in your final school examinations. #SuperaMoras #OldBoysUnite.

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Good morning special guests, staff, parents, the Grade 8 and 11 classes, but most particularly the WBHS 2020 Matric Class who are the focus of my address today. When we attended our Leadership Seminar in October last year who would have guessed what lay ahead for us in this crazy year. In fact, thinking back, you young men have had a crazy high school career: a fire in 2016 (two fires if you were in Littlewood) a storm that forced the closure of schools in 2017, a drought in 2018, and a pandemic in 2020. You certainly have seen it all! ..... read the full address online

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain That Day that we spoke about has finally arrived. Our time, at this place, has come to an end – and I Om te beklemtoon: ‘This place’ because it is not the end of the journey. Wynberg, through many different situations, has taught me many lessons and has instilled deep-rooted values, undoubtedly in me and you. Before embarking on your journey, I would like to share a few lessons with a few stories. Read the full address online ...

Ladies and Gentlemen, honoured guest, respected headmaster and teachers, members, and fellow Wynberg brothers. It’s a great honour to be gathered with you all today. A day that brings one chapter to an end and marks the beginning of another. A day that brings both joy and sadness. A day we couldn’t wait for, a day we wished would never come. Indeed, this is the last day of being Wynberg boys, but never our last day being Wynberg men. ... read more online

Against the magnificent backdrop with which we are blessed, we bade farewell to 156 of the most resilient and determined young men I have had the privilege to meet (and teach). What a year it has been for these gentlemen, who, despite the odds, have overcome and even thrived in what has to be the most challenging circumstances. They have, in true Supera Moras spirit, risen above and perservered. I was touched by the Head Prefect's speech, in which he uttered the words "Motho ke Motho ka Batho Babang" (A person is a person because of other people.) Not only is this the title of a poem in their English curriculum, it is also a fitting reference to our collective experiences with each other. I do indeed feel as if the 2020 matriculants have impacted my life. I wish each and every one of them the greatest success in the upcoming final exams, and in all their endeavours thereafter. Supera Moras!

Receiving certificates of membership of the Wynberg Old Boys' Union from the Union President, Mr Matthew Thomson (Matric 2007), and gifts of spekboom seedlings for every family from WBHS

A day of high emotion, for Matrics and their families alike - the traditional ringing of the school bell, for the first time in our school's history positioned on the fields, will be a memory of a lifetime, the year of Covid-19, where our Supera Moras Spirit shone through.

Endings and beginnings, ringing the bell at Valedictory - a cherished rite of passage for every Wynberg Man

Valedictory Bell Ringing mirrors the Grade 8s signaling their arrival tolling the bell after the Buddy Hike during orientation, but this time, Matrics announce the start of their lives as Wynberg Old Boys

Every Wynberg Matric's rite of passage: ringing in their new lives as Old Boys of the School

Sanitiser and gloves, preparing to ring the school bell

Leaving the service via the Class of 2001 steps toward the Silverhurst Fields

Matric Prize Giving & Valedictory on the Hawthorden Field. Guest Speaker, Mr Neil Eddy, Teacher & Head Prefect 1987

Matric Prize Giving & Valedictory on the Hawthorden Field

The procession to begin the Valedictory Service on the Hawthornden Field

Little did we dream when I interviewed you five years ago that your Matric year would be so challenging. From all reports, you have embraced the challenges of 2020 phlegmatically and with self-assurance. That Super Moras approach would have been noted and, in time, will be emulated by future grades. That will be your legacy to Wynberg. Now your final school challenge lies ahead of you and I wish every one of you all the best as you prepare for the most important exams of your life. May the lessons of your school days give you the confidence to rise up to the inevitable challenges which lie ahead of you in life.

Time-honoured tradition as the Marko Maric tolls the bell, signaling the commencement of the 2020 Valedictory Service #SuperaMoras

Inside the Clegg Hall, the traditional Valedictory Breakfast: Guest Speaker Steve Mathew (Matric 2016), House Prefects' Reports, the Matric Video, and Valedictorian address by Imtiyaaz Dollie.

Inside the Clegg Hall as the day begins

Wednesday 21 October 2020: Wishing our Matrics a memorable Valedictory! 5 years ago, to the day, these young men met for the first time at New Families' Evening, and now they reach the end of their High School journey and begin their lives as Wynberg Old Boys. Congrats, Gentlemen. Wynberg is proud of you! #SuperaMoras