RETURN TO INDEX
A HISTORY OF SEA VIEW SCHOOL 1904 - 2004AUTHOR'S NOTE
The main source of information for writing this book was the log books that the principals of Sea View School have kept since 1914. I then did some research, for example on the Flag Issue of 1928 and the need for air raid drills in Durban during the Second World War, to provide some background information. The oral histories of past pupils, teachers, and principals, from the 1920's up to the present, have provided eye witness accounts and often some humour. A newspaper. The Sea View and District Chronicle stored at The Natal Society Library, provided valuable information on the first two years of Perseverance/Sea View School. Several of the pages had to be split open and I had a sense of wonderment at being the first person to be reading those particular sheets. Early Natal Education Department records were available from the Pietermaritzburg Archives, filling in the period 1906-1911. There was only a snippet of information for the years 1911- 1913 that I found in The Natal Mercury, 1927, thus partially closing the last gap. For the 'girls' who have married since being at school, I have chosen to use their maiden names first, followed by their married names. The history is not complete and I hope that new information will come to light to add to this book, or to clarify assumptions that I have made. You are invited to add your comments to the feedback page of the school's webpage.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the course of my research I found valuable information at two places in Durban: the Killy Campbell Reading Room of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Old Court House Museum. In Pietermaritzburg I visited the Natal Society Library, the Pietermaritzburg Archives and Repository and the Voortrekker Museum. I am very grateful to the librarians and assistants who helped me. The members of the Sea View Conservation Group were a constant source of inspiration and helped me to see the suburb of Sea View through new eyes. Thanks to Robert Brusse for his professional help with descriptions of buildings, Koos Botha for translating the Afrikaans log books into English, Bertha Pitout for sharing her knowledge of the suburb and its listed buildings, and Jeanne Kayser for proof-reading. Gill Nicholson's contribution through her charming line drawings has given the book great visual appeal. David Larsen inspired me to look more deeply into the early history of the farm of Sea View. My colleague, Pearly Pillay assisted with public relations to make contact with past pupils in the initial stages of the research, and then to proof-read. Kerry Bega and Barbara Dreyer put in many hours typing, and Johan Grobbelaar assisted me with computer skills. Much credit is due to Mr Andrews, the Principal of Sea View Primary School, for having the foresight to initiate the project and to nurture it to completion. Lastly I'd like to thank my daughter Liliana for being so patient and sacrificing much quality time so that this history could be written, and my father Victor for willingly substituting for me at home during the long hours that I was away and for doing some valuable proof-reading.May 2004
Denise Carrick
Sea View Primary School
Telephone: 031-4657724
E-mail: mediacentre@iafrica.com
A HISTORY OF SEA VIEW SCHOOL 1904 - 2004
253 pages ISBN 0-620-32324-8
ANNIVERSARIES
1854: The Township of Durban is declared a borough.
1904: Mahatma Gandhi founds his settlement in Phoenix.
1904: The Armadale Castle is the first large ship to enter Durban harbour and tie up at the quay.
1904: Perseverance/Sea View School opens in the Congregational Church with Mrs J.H. Millar as Headmistress.
SEA VIEW PRINCIPALS
J. H. Millar January 1904 - December 1909
A. J. Baker January 1910 - October 1914
L. E. L. Gilbert November 1914 - June 1916
S. S. Voss July 1916 - February 1917
J. A. Mc Laren March 1917 - September 1921
G. Pardy October 1921 - March 1923
T. Harle April 1923 - December 1936
R. Evans January 1937 - September 1937
T. A. Blakeley October 1937 - December 1940
L .Llewelyn Gibbon January 1941 - February 1944
C. Selwyn Smith August 1944 - December 1948
F. Burger January 1949 - September 1950
S. L. C. Van der Walt January 1951 - December 1952
H. C. Viljoen June 1953 - December 1955
J. N. Neethling January 1956 - December 1956
F. J. Hugo January 1957 - August 1960
A. Valentine September 1960 - December 1966
S. J. Kruger January 1967- September 1968
C. Human January 1969 - December 1986
J. J. Nothnagel January 1987 - June 1989
R. S. Andrews January 1990 -
SPOTLIGHT ON SEA VIEW PRIMARY SCHOOL
Sea View School, then known as Perseverance, opened on 1 February 1904 in the local Congregational Church Hall with 58 pupils. It was a private school, run by Mrs J.H. Millar, a qualified and experienced teacher. There had long been a need for quality education in the suburb which took its name from the original farm Sea View, bought by Robert Newton Dunn in 1838. The delightful wood-and-iron church hall, now a listed building, soon proved too small, and by 1906 Mrs Millar had built a school house with the help of a grant from the Education Department. It was built by the Hollow Block Syndicate at a cost of P650. The school was bought by the Government in 1910 and it was renamed Sea View Government School. Classes continued at the school house until 1928 when a new redbrick, double storied building was occupied by 262 pupils in eight levels, (Classes i & ii, and Standards I to VI). The School Inspector of the time, Mr Murry Brown commented: "The grounds of the new school have been nicely laid out with flowers, and the school bids fair to be the neatest in appearance of the suburban schools." The school motto at the time was ‘FROM PERSEVERANCE TO SUCCESS.’
During ‘The War Years’, 1939-1945, each pupil had to wear a name disk and rubber around the neck. Sirens would alert pupils and teachers to an air-raid drill. Never the real thing, though. By 1945 the ten classrooms were insufficient and a second campus was created for the infant classes. Afrikaans classes were introduced in 1947 and Sea View became parallel medium. The school motto changed to ‘Kennis/Knowledge’. Numbers continued to increase until 1969 when neighbouring properties were purchased and classrooms, a science laboratory, art room and library were added. We also gained an athletics field for the first time. A hall was built in 1974 and the quadrangle no longer served as the venue for assembly, class photos, concerts and Prize Distribution as it had done for so many decades. Our numbers dropped sharply in the 1960’s and 1970’s and when our last Afrikaans-speaking pupils left in 1990 we were threatened with closure. Changes were taking place rapidly in South Africa and in 1990 we took our first step to becoming multi-cultural by admitting our first Black pupil. From then the school has transformed along with the rest of South Africa. We now have over 1 000 pupils on three campuses: Sea View Pre-Primary in an old Victorian villa, Reception to Grade 2 on the Junior Campus, and Grades 3 to 7 on the Senior Campus. We now boast a swimming pool, a Computer Room with twenty work stations and a Media Centre to meet the needs of Outcomes Based Education. We have a comprehensive merit and demerit system to maintain good discipline, with frequent certificates to reward good behaviour and a set of interventions to manage and minimise poor behaviour.
We offer a range of sporting activities: athletics, swimming, cross-country, netball, hockey, cricket and soccer. Cultural activities include a highly prestigious Orators’ Contest. Still on the cultural side, we offer three main cultural activities in a three-year cycle: an Art Exhibition, Speech and Drama Festival and a school concert. The policy in each of these is to include all pupils. In service to the community we host literacy and numeracy classes and computer skills training.
We endeavour to develop learners intellectually, socially and emotionally and each child is acknowledged as a unique individual. We aim to prepare our pupils to face the challenges and opportunities of life in democratic South Africa. The majority of Sea View’s pupils are Christian but our approach is to respect all religions and to be informed about customs, rituals and religious celebrations of all cultures.
The School Theme for ANNIVERSARIES IN 2004
1854: The Township of Durban is declared a borough.
1904: Mahatma Gandhi founds his settlement in Phoenix.
1904: The Armadale Castle is the first large ship to enter Durban harbour and tie up at the quay.
1904: Perseverance/Sea View School opens in the Congregational Church with Mrs J.H. Millar as Headmistress.
APPENDIX i
SEA VIEW PRINCIPALS
J. H. Millar January 1904 - December 1909
A. J. Baker January 1910 - October 1914
L. E. L. Gilbert November 1914 - June 1916
S. S. Voss July 1916 - February 1917
J. A. Mc Laren March 1917 - September 1921
G. Pardy October 1921 - March 1923
T. Harle April 1923 - December 1936
R. Evans January 1937 - September 1937
T. A. Blakeley October 1937 - December 1940
L .Llewelyn Gibbon January 1941 - February 1944
C. Selwyn Smith August 1944 - December 1948
F. Burger January 1949 - September 1950
S. L. C. Van der Walt January 1951 - December 1952
H. C. Viljoen June 1953 - December 1955
J. N. Neethling January 1956 - December 1956
F. J. Hugo January 1957 - August 1960
A. Valentine September 1960 - December 1966
S. J. Kruger January 1967- September 1968
C. Human January 1969 - December 1986
J. J. Nothnagel January 1987 - June 1989
R. S. Andrews January 1990 -
SPOTLIGHT ON SEA VIEW PRIMARY SCHOOL
Sea View School, then known as Perseverance, opened on 1 February 1904 in the local Congregational Church Hall with 58 pupils. It was a private school, run by Mrs J.H. Millar, a qualified and experienced teacher. There had long been a need for quality education in the suburb which took its name from the original farm Sea View, bought by Robert Newton Dunn in 1838. The delightful wood-and-iron church hall, now a listed building, soon proved too small, and by 1906 Mrs Millar had built a school house with the help of a grant from the Education Department. It was built by the Hollow Block Syndicate at a cost of P650. The school was bought by the Government in 1910 and it was renamed Sea View Government School. Classes continued at the school house until 1928 when a new redbrick, double storied building was occupied by 262 pupils in eight levels, (Classes i & ii, and Standards I to VI). The School Inspector of the time, Mr Murry Brown commented: "The grounds of the new school have been nicely laid out with flowers, and the school bids fair to be the neatest in appearance of the suburban schools." The school motto at the time was ‘FROM PERSEVERANCE TO SUCCESS.’
During ‘The War Years’, 1939-1945, each pupil had to wear a name disk and rubber around the neck. Sirens would alert pupils and teachers to an air-raid drill. Never the real thing, though. By 1945 the ten classrooms were insufficient and a second campus was created for the infant classes. Afrikaans classes were introduced in 1947 and Sea View became parallel medium. The school motto changed to ‘Kennis/Knowledge’. Numbers continued to increase until 1969 when neighbouring properties were purchased and classrooms, a science laboratory, art room and library were added. We also gained an athletics field for the first time. A hall was built in 1974 and the quadrangle no longer served as the venue for assembly, class photos, concerts and Prize Distribution as it had done for so many decades. Our numbers dropped sharply in the 1960’s and 1970’s and when our last Afrikaans-speaking pupils left in 1990 we were threatened with closure. Changes were taking place rapidly in South Africa and in 1990 we took our first step to becoming multi-cultural by admitting our first Black pupil. From then the school has transformed along with the rest of South Africa. We now have over 1 000 pupils on three campuses: Sea View Pre-Primary in an old Victorian villa, Reception to Grade 2 on the Junior Campus, and Grades 3 to 7 on the Senior Campus. We now boast a swimming pool, a Computer Room with twenty work stations and a Media Centre to meet the needs of Outcomes Based Education. We have a comprehensive merit and demerit system to maintain good discipline, with frequent certificates to reward good behaviour and a set of interventions to manage and minimise poor behaviour.
We offer a range of sporting activities: athletics, swimming, cross-country, netball, hockey, cricket and soccer. Cultural activities include a highly prestigious Orators’ Contest. Still on the cultural side, we offer three main cultural activities in a three-year cycle: an Art Exhibition, Speech and Drama Festival and a school concert. The policy in each of these is to include all pupils. In service to the community we host literacy and numeracy classes and computer skills training.
We endeavour to develop learners intellectually, socially and emotionally and each child is acknowledged as a unique individual. We aim to prepare our pupils to face the challenges and opportunities of life in democratic South Africa. The majority of Sea View’s pupils are Christian but our approach is to respect all religions and to be informed about customs, rituals and religious celebrations of all cultures.
The School Theme for 2004, our Centenary Year, is "WE ARE PROUD OF OUR SCHOOL" – we take pride in ourselves, our environment and especially our school. As part of our Centenary, and to reflect the changes that have taken place in our school in the last fourteen years, our motto has changed to "KENNIS/KNOWLEDGE/ULWAZI".
is "WE ARE PROUD OF OUR SCHOOL" – we take pride in ourselves, our environment and especially our school. As part of our Centenary, and to reflect the changes that have taken place in our school in the last fourteen years, our motto has changed to "KENNIS/KNOWLEDGE/ULWAZI".