October half term saw 30 tourists head to South Africa for a netball and hockey tour.
It all began at school on 16 October and a coach journey to Heathrow.
After an overnight flight to Johannesburg, 26 excited Year 10 and 11 pupils and 4 staff members eventually arrived at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria (after a little retail therapy and a wonderful Woolworths lunch (SA’s equivalent to M&S) tired but excited for what lay ahead. After quickly settling into our accommodation, we had a light training session to blow away any cobwebs from the flight.
The next day, we played our first fixture against Pretoria Girls High School. The hockey game was closely fought, ending in a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, we brought the rain over from the UK and were unable to play the netball matches due to the waterlogged courts. It was a great experience to play and get to know the opposition over pizza at the post-match hospitality, and now we have made lifelong friends.
During the afternoon, we visited the Voorrekker Monument, which honours the Afrikaner pioneers who journeyed inland by ox-wagon during the Great Trek from 1835 to 1854, seeking new land, greater independence, and freedom from British rule. On the journey back to our accommodation, we visited the world’s largest statue of Nelson Mandela.
On Sunday 19 October, we visited a township called Soweto, which was originally known for its role in the struggle against apartheid. Once a segregated area, it’s now a vibrant community, rich in history and culture and famously home to both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We were fortunate to visit and see memorabilia at Nelson Mandela’s house – 8115 Vilakazi St, Orlando West, Soweto.
We then had the opportunity to visit The Little Rose Centre charity, an orphanage in Kliptown, one of the most underprivileged areas in Soweto. We got to meet children and helpers at the centre and were delighted to donate stationery and t-shirts funded by local Rotary clubs and a tourist’s family. It was an incredible, eye-opening experience. Afterwards, we enjoyed an authentic African meal with live cultural music, which was amazing.
For the second part of our tour, we travelled to Cape Town, where we went to the top of Table Mountain and saw the incredible views of the whole city. After getting back on the coach, we travelled to Simon’s Town, a historic naval village and had a lovely lunch at Bertha’s overlooking the vibrant harbour and stunning ocean views. Before heading back to The President’s Hotel, we visited the world-famous Boulders Beach to see the African penguin colony in its natural habitat.
We visited Wynberg Girls’ High School a couple of times in the next few days for fixtures and training. Despite the heat, we had action packed training sessions with South African coaches where we learnt lots of new skills to apply to our next matches.
After an early start, we trekked up Lion’s Head and despite the heat and the steep climb, the views were definitely worth it! At the bottom, after over three hours of walking and climbing, we enjoyed our well-earned, refreshing smoothies.
En route to our next destination, Stellenbosch, we were delighted to visit the Cheetah Outreach Programme in Somerset West. It is a facility dedicated to the conservation and education of South Africa’s vulnerable cheetahs. We were fortunate and excited to be given the opportunity to see these incredible animals up close.
The final destination of our tour was the beautiful safari in the Aquilla Game Reserve, where we spotted so many animals (including zebras, lions, cheetahs, buffaloes, rhinos, giraffes, gazelles, antelopes and many more).
The tour was a tremendous success – the tourists experienced different styles of play and officiating in both hockey and netball; they made new friends and experienced a different culture. They also saw how some less fortunate people live, work and play. The Game Reserve was undoubtedly a highlight, and we were lucky enough to see so many different animals.
A massive thank you to all those who supported the various fundraising events prior to the trip. A special mention and thank you to The Winning Margin, who worked so closely with the school in providing all the tour kits, which have been admired by many.
It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will never forget, and we are so grateful to the teachers involved!
Lucy J, Aleena B and Mrs Beck
