Termly Reflection 

It was while sorting through the ubiquitous pile of lost property that a Clifton tie emerged. Unlabelled. This would generally result in a low growl or a deep sigh, but on this occasion it elicited a giggle. It was clear from it’s layers of lichen that the once proudly/carefully-placed tie must have flown from the Dream Tree, perhaps during those fearsome early June winds that provided us with huge piles of autumn leaves… a little sooner than anticipated. The ghost of Colonel Greene alone would know how long the tie had been up there… and where its owner might be these days.

This created a moment to step back and wonder just where our past Clifton children might be, and how their life paths have unfolded… anthropologists, archaeologists, doctors, lawyers, accountants, psychologists… parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents… professional sportsmen and sportswomen, farmers, chefs, vets, explorers, adventurers, perhaps a teacher or two… who knows?

While we don’t have a Comrades Marathon winner yet (challenge issued!) there is a commonality amongst all who have left our gates. Mostly, everyone knows Elvis. Not ‘The King’, although he could easily lay claim to that title, but Elvis Kalika. The primary commonality, however, is that each Cliftonian departs in possession of the Clifton spirit, a sort of gentle yet nuggetty, dogged passion infused with a spine of steel. People who seek to achieve, but without seeking recognition or acclaim; the embodiment of the Latin ‘Prodesso quam conspici’, willing and able to add value to the people and the world beyond our gates.

Of matters Latin, Mrs Viola Winnicott, who was the last of Clifton’s Latin teachers, retired in 1999. She would have been happy to help with the pronunciation of the Latin phrase, one thinks! Her husband George (after whom the school pub is named) was famous for his command of the English language, and his Maths teaching ability. He was best known, however, for refusing to wear trousers. Alarming that may sound, but Mr Winni preferred the old-school ‘safari suit’. A tradition at the time was for our senior boys (we had Grade 8s until the end of 1998) to try to match Mr Winnicott’s mettle, only wearing ‘longs’ when Mr Winnicott did. Not many survived the challenge. One can’t help feeling Mr Winni would have succumbed to a nice warm Clifton tracksuit these days!

Tracksuits. Our sportsmen and sportswomen have all given of their very best over the course of rewarding rugby and hockey seasons, respectively. There have been ample opportunities to improve and showcase skills, as well as the ‘good stuff’ - teamwork, personal growth and so on, with a good number of children earning the privilege of wearing another black and white strip - those of our province’s colours. We are equally proud of those children gaining provincial selections in squash and equestrian, too.

The second quarter has ended in a happy flurry of activity, with time available to rest or read in the branches of the Japanese Maple, of course! In amongst this has been the quiet calm of our evolving recycling program, in conjunction with the Love Notties organisation. We continued the rollout of our CEA tools (Cognitive Enrichment Advantage) to give our children practical, ‘real’ tools to manage day to day life more effectively and efficiently. Add to this Grandparents Days, outdoor learning days, overnight trips, design thinking challenges, SP showcases and a busy, vibrant calendar, and one is left in no doubt that personal bests and championing childhood are at the core of everything the school so proudly offers.

A well-deserved break awaits Clifton’s people, if only to gather strength for the excitement of Term 3: Mandela Day, drama showcases, a Botswana trip, hiking in the Berg… and hopefully some kite-building. It was old Cliftonian Mr Julian Roger Ellis (Old Cliftonian 1968), father to Lloyd (OC 1998), Cameron (OC 1999) and Myles (OC 2002), who reminded us this tradition not too long ago - we hope we can do him proud with the August winds at our backs!