The Old Boys' Union congratulates E2011 on their matric results: 100% pass rate 91.9% Bachelors’ passes 9.1% Diploma passes 423 A symbols – an average of nearly 3 A symbols per boy. Ashraf Moolla was placed first in South Africa! Rondebosch was placed fifth overall in the Western Province.

The annual Helderberg Old Boys' dinner will be held at Kilberry Restaurant, Helderberg Village in Somerset West at 19h00 for 19h30 on Wednesday, 16 November . The dinner invitation includes wives and partners. All Old Boys are very welcome.   The guest speaker is Old Boy Athol Maclean  – star athlete at Rondebosch in the 1960s.    

On 3 November from 17h30 Old Boys in Sydney will be getting together at the Occidental Hotel.  Contact Stuart Bennie at bennie@bigpond.net.au to book and for payment details (A$25 per Old Boy).  The guest speaker is The Hon Laurie Brereton, former MP and Federal Minister.

The annual Remembrance Day Service will take place in the Memorial Hall on Friday 11 November at 11h15 .  Old Boys are welcome to attend the service which will be followed by tea in the Restaurant.

A Rondebosch family braai will be hosted by West Coast Old Boys on Sunday 30 October at the Yzerfontein Recreation Club from 11h30 .  All Old Boys and their families are invited - we will be particularly pleased to see Old Boys who live on the West Coast and the Blouberg region of Cape Town.

The OBU committee has scheduled the 2012 annual dinner in Cape Town for Friday 9 March at Kelvin Grove.  This is a change from the provisional date of Friday 16 March 2012.  This change was necessary due to a Super 15 match being played at Newlands on 16 March.  Class reunion organizers and those planning to travel to South Africa should make a note of the date now.  Booking information will be sent to Old Boys early next year.

Old Boys are reminded of the gathering on Saturday 8 October from 18h30 at "Jules of the Karoo" near Deelfontein station.

14 Rondebosch boys have been selected for the 2011 Western Province cricket teams.

The annual Gauteng Old Boys' dinner is on Thursday 22 September at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg. The guest speaker is Tom Dawson-Squibb (E2002 Rondebosch Head Prefect), mental performance coach for the Stormers, the Western Province and the Varsity Cup winning UCT rugby teams and various Rondebosch sports teams.  

Old Boys are invited to the following Old boy events during the next few months:

On Friday and Saturday Rondebosch hosts Bishops for the final rugby and hockey derby weekend of 2011.  Old Boys and supporters of both schools are invited to the E1942 Centenary Pavilion after the First XV match where refreshments will be available. The Prep School is playing at Bishops. The fixtures are listed below:

If you have not received the August 2011 edition of the Enews, please email the Old Boys' Union office at obu@rondebosch.com and update your contact details.

  The traditional hockey, rugby and squash matches between Old Boys and school boys will be played on Tuesday 30 August .   The hockey, rugby and squash teams will be compiled from those Old Boys who have advised the Union by Thursday 25 August that they want to play.  Old Boys who would like to play against their sons or brothers should advise the Union of the details so that they are placed in the appropriate sides – email your details to obu@rondebosch.com The matches will be followed by an informal function in the E1942 Centenary Pavilion from about 17h30.  All are welcome.  

Gary Kirsten (E85) has generously offered to establish a scholarship fund for Rondebosch. A dinner is to be held on 13 September at Kelvin Grove as part of the launch of the Scholarship Fund and Gary will be the guest speaker. Date: Tuesday 13 September 2011 Time 19:00 for 19:30 Venue: Kelvin Grove, Newlands Bookings: Debbie Norris 083 675 5454 td@cybersmart.co.za

It is with great pleasure that the Rondebosch School Governing Body and the Old Boys' Union announce the appointment of Mr Shaun Simpson as Headmaster of Rondebosch Boys' High School with effect from January 2012.  Mr Simpson is presently the Headmaster of Cornwall Hill College, a prestigious independent school in Pretoria, and he has held this position for the past four years.

The annual Bosch Wine Route will eb held on 22 July in the Mears Centre. Over 100 wine will be available for tasting at a cost of R130 pp.

The annual choral concert takes place on Wednesday 27 and Friday 29 July in the City Hall, starting at 19h30.  Tickets are R60 for adults and may be purchased through RBHS from 18 July – call RBHS on 021 686 3987.

Two scholarships are available for Old Boys for overseas post graduate study.

In a time where personal achievement is often measured by material gain or worth, Rondebosch continues to propagate and hold in high esteem values relating to selflessness, humility and service to causes greater than one’s own. Rondebosch prides itself on recognizing those who, like the school’s second Headmaster and founder of the Old Boys’ Union, Sydney ’Dad’ Mason, have offered their time and expertise unreservedly to causes other than their own and may have done so as silent and unsung heroes.

The most recent Enews was emailed to members on 23 August.  Contact the OBU office with your email details if you did not receive your copy.

The Bosch Blitz is the RBHS rugby newsletter compiled by Rondebosch coaches and staff.     

2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Rondebosch v Bishops derby.  The results are below.  

  Deon Melck (E62) is arranging a lunch on Saturday 18 June 2011 for Rondebosch and Bishops Old Boys and their partners at the Phyllis Court Club, Henley-on-Thames.  The club has a magnificent setting on the River Thames and lunch will be served in the club’s listed Grandstand.  The cost for the set menu will be around £30 to £35 with a cash bar.  Please contact Deon Melck at deonmelck@yahoo.com for information and to record that you are interested in attending.

The Prep School hosted the U13A National Rugby Festival from 28 April to 1 May.  

The UK Sub-Union dinner is on Friday 6 May at 19h00 for 20h00 at The Gallery at 75 Cowcross Street London EC1M 6EL (near Farringdon tube station).  

The Union’s Annual General Meeting will be held in the Mears Centre Honours Room on Wednesday 11 May at 18h00.  Snacks and drinks will be served, and all Old Boys are welcome to attend.

The guest speakers at the Bosch Rugby suppoerters' Club function on Thursday evening are Gary Gold, the Springbok Assistant Coach, and rugby commentator and writer Tank Lanning.  Tank is also editor of sport24.co.za      The function is on Thursday 14 April from 18h00 in the E1942 Centenary Pavilion at RBHS.  For catering purpose please RSVP to boschrugby@mweb.co.za or call 021 685 1923.  There is no charge for paid-up BRSC members.  A fee of R120 will be payable on entry for non-members.   

The Helderberg Sub-Union Annual Family Braai will take place on Sunday 10 April from 11h30 at the Muratie Wine Estate off the R44 outside Stellenbosch on the Klapmuts side.  All Old Boys, Rondebosch parents, boys and their families are welcome.  

The Old Boys matches versus High School boys will be played on Founders’ Day, Wednesday 16 March.  All Old Boys are also invited to a casual function in the E1942 Centenary Pavilion starting at about 17h30.  There will be a cash bar and snacks will be served. Normal 0 false false false EN-ZA X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}

On 1 March 2011 numerous Old Boys, Mrs de Jager, David de Jager, invited guests, staff, representatives from other schools and UCT and boys gathered at RBHS for the opening of the Tickey de Jager Mathematics Room .

The annual Walker Cup Golf Challenge between Rondebosch and Bishops Old Boys was played on Sunday 27 February at the Mowbray Golf Club.  Bosch Old Boys again won the trophy and Tom Dawson-Squibb and Charles Sanderoff (both E2002) were the best pair.  Thanks go to organisers Pen Brower and Mike Russell and to Eric Scoble of Auric Auto for the generous sponsorship.

The next Bosch Rugby Supporters' Club function is on Thursday 17 February from 18h00 in the E1942 Centenary Pavilion with guest speaker Western Province, Stormers and Springbok flank, Schalk Burger.   There is no cost for the evening.  A meal and drinks will be provided, but for catering purposes it is essential that you please RSVP to boschrugby@mweb.co.za or call Pam Ogilvie on 021 685 1923 by Monday 14 February .  Old Boys are reminded that the Club's evening functions are for the adult members of the Rondebosch community.  The BRSC is also planning separate functions for boys, such as braais, during the course of the next few months.  

A classroom is being converted into a mathematics lecture theater as a memorial to the late Tickey de Jager who served Rondebosch for more than 50 years as a mathematics and science master, author, rugby, athletics and cricket coach, housemaster and deputy headmaster.  More details will be carried in the next Enews.  An opening ceremony will be held during February or March – the date is still to be finalised.   Old Boys who would like to placed on the invitation list for the opening ceremony should email their names, Eyear and contact numbers to the OBU office at obu@rondebosch.com  The date, time and other details will also appear on the website

The Headmaster of RBHS, Mr Martin Barker, has announced his retirement from his position with effect from the end of this year. 

The Old Boys' Union congratulates E2010 and the Rondebosch staff on the excellent matric results! Daron Golden was placed 9th in the Western Province. 414 A symbols (an average of nearly 3As per boy).  44 boys achived 4 or more distinctions - this is 30.14% of all the E2010s and is the highest percentage amongst the boys schools in the Western Cape.

The late Tickey de Jager was responsible for the planting of many of the trees which are a magnificent feature of the Rondebosch campus.  Special labels have been produced identifying the trees and their countries of origin and these are being attached to several hundred trees on the Rondebosch grounds stretching from the main entrance and Canigou down to the canal.  We thank Adam Harrower (E95) of Kirstenbosch and Mrs Jeanet Barker for identifying and labeling the trees, and the London Old Boys who raised funds towards this specific project in memory of Tickey de Jager. 

This is the last Enews of 2010. The Old Boys' Union wishes all our members and their families all the best for the festive season and 2011.

Ron Monk (E1958) who served on the Old Boys' Union committee for 12 years sadly died on Thursday 4 November after a short illness  The Old Boys' Union extends its condolences to Ron's family, in particular his sons Brent, Dale and Dean.   Ron served on the Union's committee under five chairmen - Dennis Nick, Lindsay Kennedy, Mike Russell, John Benn and Stephen Duffett.  Ron is fondly remembered as a very loyal and supportive Rondebosch Old Boy who was always keen to assist Rondebosch whenever he could.  Ron was also a committee member of the Alma Cricket Club for 16 years and played actively until recently. The funeral service will be Wednesday 10 November at 3 pm at the Rondebosch United Church, Belmont Road opposite the entrance to Marist College in Rondebosch.

Exciting news: The new Bosch Blend 2009 sourced from premium vineyards mainly in the Perdeberg region of Paarl is now available.  Proceeds are used to provide assistance with boarding fees for deserving boys who may not otherwise be able to go to Rondebosch.

The Gauteng Old Boys' dinner is on Thursday 25 November from 19h00 at the Wanderers Club .     

The 2011 Old Boys dinner will be on Friday 18 March at Kelvin Grove , and not on 11 March due to a Super 15 rugby match at Newlands that evening.  More details will appear in the Enews in due course.

A Rondebosch family braai will be hosted by West Coast Old Boys on Sunday 3 October at the Yzerfontein Recreation Club from 11h00.   All Old Boys and their families are invited.  The headmaster of RBPS, Tony Ryan, will also be joining us. The braai food will be provided as will crockery, cutlery, chairs and glasses and we will have access to the club's cash bar.  All that is asked for is a donation on the day to help cover costs.  Any remaining funds will be used for Rondebosch projects.   This is a family day so all Old Boys and their families are very welcome - we will be particularly pleased to see Old Boys who live on the West Coast and the Blouberg region of Cape Town.  Please RSVP to John Duckitt on 083 658 5200 or email info@ctduck.com .  This is very important for catering purposes.  

The annual Sydney gathering is on 4 November from 17h30 at the Occidental Hotel .  The guest speaker is Rupert Rosenblum – ex Wallaby – Son of Myer born in RSA – first father and son to represent Australia in Rugby Contact Stuart Bennie at bennie@bigpond.net.au

Old Boys on the Isle of Man are getting together on Monday 27 September at Bar George (Hill Street, Douglas).  Any Old Boys who may be in the vicinity are most welcome to join them - contact Johnny Kipps  at JohnnyK@Manx.net for more details.    

This is the September Old Boys Enews.

This is the latest Old Boys' Enews.

The August 2010 Old Boys' Union newsletter is available for downloading .  The newsletter will also shortly be in the post to all Old Boys.

July 2010 Enews.

Rondebosch Schools invite Old Boys to apply for a MySchool card to easily earn funds for Rondebosch by simply swiping the card at various shops throughout South Africa.  There is no cost to you.  Rondebosch presently earns an average of R5 500 per month through the scheme by parents using their cards - this can increase with Old Boy support. All funds raised go towards projects at Rondebosch including electronic Smartboards in classrooms. All you need do is follow this link and complete the form.  The completed form may be emailed to zoe@rondebosch.com or faxed to 086 555 4817.  Alternatively if you would like a form to be emailed to you contact Zoe Marquis on 021 681 3966 or at zoe@rondebosch.com

The speech delivered by Mike Reeler, President of the Old Boys' Union, at a function in the gardens of Canigou commemorating the founding of the Union in 1909.

Richard Steyn (E60) delivered this speech at the Union's 100th anniversary dinner on 20 November 2009,

Photographs taken at the Old Boys' Union Centenary functiosn may be viewed by folloing these links: Cocktail party in Canigou garden http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4608&id=100000389904153&l=4cfc75aa87   Dinner part 1 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4597&id=100000389904153&l=240e7a076e   Dinner part 2 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4602&id=100000389904153&l=4edba0d64f   Dinner part 3 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4604&id=100000389904153&l=20dc5d901d    

On 20 November 1909 a group of Old Boys and boys met in Canigou and established the RBHS Union with the first president being the headmaster, Mr Sydney Mason. From those modest beginnings the Union has grown to more than 6700 members in 47 countries and is one of the leading Old Boy Unions in South Africa and quite possibly in the world.  Over the past 100 years the Union is proud to have made immense contributions to both the Prep and High Schools which have helped them become the leading schools they are today. The excellent facilities have benefited generations of Rondebosch boys. The Union has also helped many Old Boys maintain contact with the school and with each other through numerous social occasions, including dinners, reunions and sub-union functions. Thank you to all Rondebosch Old Boys for your loyal support of our school.

An article about the Union's Centenary appeared in the Tatler on 12 November 2009.  The article was written by Rondebosch parent Kathy Malherbe using information compiled by the Old Boys' Union. Click here to download the article in PDF format (1.8mb).  Note that you may need to adjust the Zoom setting in your browser or Adobe viewer to about 150%.

The Old Boys' Union's FaceBook page is Bosch Obu Simply search within FaceBook for Bosch Obu and request to become a 'friend'.    

This is the latest Old Boys' Union Enews .  Old Boys who are not receiving the Enews should forward their email addresses to the OBU office at obu@rondebosch.com

The October Old Boys' Union newsletter is available for downloading.  The newsletter is also in the post to all Old Boys.

The Carleton Lloyd Stand was officially opened by Martin Barker, Headmaster of RBHS, on 29 May 2009.  Guests, boys and staff were addressed by John Benn (E54) former Chairman of the Old Boys' Union and now a trustee of the Carleton Lloyd Educational Trust.      

A quick guide to the new Rondebosch website

One of the many tasks undertaken by Prof Heyns was arranging rugby referees for matches at Rondebosch.  The School is in the process of establishing a database of referees who are able to referee rugby matches at Rondebosch on Saturday mornings. 

It is with sadness that the Old Boys ’ Union informs Old Boys of the death of Prof Tinkie Heyns.

Various events are planned for the Centenary of the Old Boys’ Union during 2009.

School song including the Old Boys verse