The tribute delivered by RBHS Headmaster Martin Barker at the Memorial Service for Prof Tinkie Heyns on 6 February.

TIRBUTE TO PROF I DE V HEYNS ; 06 FEBRUARY 2009

Izak de Villiers Heyns (Tinkie) passed away on 06 January 2009 at the age of eighty-four, after sixty years of dedicated service to RBHS.

The young teacher/academic arrived at the school in 1948.  He embarked on an illustrious career in education, which saw him achieve a doctorate and fill the positions of Professor and Dean of Education at UCT.  Hundreds of teachers emerged from his faculty and recall him with respect and affection.

At Rondebosch Professor Heyns fulfilled a host of functions, despite the heavy demands of his academic work.  He served as Chairman of the school’s Governing Body (at that time called “School Committee”) for a number of years.  He also served on the Jubilee Scholarship Committee, which selects Old Boys of Rondebosch to be funded for post graduate study overseas.  Even in his latter years he still served on the Governing Body as an elected member and on the Board of Trustees of the Carleton Lloyd Education Trust.

Sport was always close to the Professor’s heart.  Himself a Springbok middle distance athlete who broke the SA 800 metre record, he devoted himself tirelessly to coaching this sport at Rondebosch, with wisdom and great insight.  His other sporting love was Rugby and he coached teams at the school for many years.  His preference was to handle junior sides (under thirteen or fourteen) ; many boys who went on to become “big name” players passed through his hands.

Prof Heyns refereed Currie Cup A rugby for 33 years ; was the editor of the SA Law Book for many years and was a member of the Laws Committee of SA.
Never one to seek the limelight, Prof Heyns lived for sixty years in the Boarding House as a housemaster of Mason House.  It was in that role that he gained legendary status through his contribution to the growth and development of generations of young boarders.  It was not uncommon for three generations (from grandfather to grandson) in a family to fall under Prof’s tutelage over a period of years.

Prof revelled in an (at times) impish sense of humour, not always understood by those to whom he revealed it.  There was the mother who arrived to fetch her Grade 8 son from the boarding house and was met by Prof who said : “Take this rubbish away and don’t bring him back”.  In spite of the boy reassuring her that that was “just Prof”, she still contacted the headmaster to ask for Prof to be dismissed.

One Saturday Prof encountered two Mason House boys after receiving a 70 – 0 drubbing at rugby.  The boys said : “Prof, the referee was against us ; he missed several forward passes by our opponents”.  “How could that have accounted for 70 points”, Prof asked them.  On their moving away, one boy was heard to say to the other : “Oh well, what does Prof know about rugby anyway?”

When Mason House was enlarged and modernised in 2006, Prof Heyns was honoured by the new wing being named after him.  This place was his home, fondly called by him “the best house in the world”.  It was fitting that he should die while still a resident housemaster there.
Prof espoused so many of the virtues that we regard as cardinal at RBHS : humility, service, integrity, fairness, courtesy.  We are poorer for his passing but richer for having known and worked with him.

“Tinkie” Heyns is arguably the most esteemed and well-known figure ever to have been associated with RBHS.  The school and its community have been privileged to know him and proud to have worked with him.  He leaves an indelible legacy that will always be treasured by his colleagues, his pupils and all whom he knew.

Martin Barker
Headmaster