Potchefstroom College, as it was originally called, is one of the renowned “Milner Schools”. Following the Anglo-Boer War, Lord Milner, the former British High Commissioner for Southern Africa, became the first Governor of the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. To anglicise the defeated Transvaal, he funded the establishment of English language schools in major centres, including Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Potchefstroom. Charles Douglas Hope played a pivotal role in founding three of these schools, one in each centre.
British Public School Model
The “Milner Schools” were modelled on British public schools like Eton, Harrow, Winchester, and Charterhouse. The goal was to educate boys who would attend Oxford and Cambridge and return to serve the Crown Colony of the Transvaal. These schools aimed to replace the Boer character of the Transvaal with a British-dominated social, political, and economic landscape. The intention was to feed the public service with well-rounded young men who received excellent education, were sportsmen, and were imbued with a sense of duty, responsibility, and loyalty to the crown.
Charles Douglas Hope: A Founding Figure
Charles Hope was born in 1867 into a prominent Scottish family. After the war, Milner’s education department, led by E.B. Sargant, moved quickly to set up high schools to pioneer the policy of Anglicisation in the Transvaal. Hope played a crucial role in this plan but was not a chauvinistic political figure like Milner. During the war, he learned Dutch and established friendly relationships with the Boers in Pretoria.
In 1902, Hope’s wartime, English-language school in Pretoria was divided into Pretoria Boys High and Pretoria Girls High. After 15 months in Pretoria, he moved to Johannesburg to reopen Jeppe Town High, which had closed during the war. He became the first headmaster of Jeppe High School, which later split into Jeppe Boys and Girls High Schools. In 1904, Hope moved to Potchefstroom to establish Potchefstroom High School for Boys , allowing his children to grow up in the country rather than a rapidly expanding city like Johannesburg.
Establishing Potchefstroom College
Hope founded Potchefstroom College, known today as Potchefstroom Boys High. His philosophy emphasized character-building, inspiration of ideals, the development of a boy’s personality, and the inculcation of habits of industry. He recognized that academic success was essential for prowess beyond school and advised his pupils accordingly. During the 1905 hunting season, just before the first Springbok team went on their rugby tour, Hope received the horns of a springbok from his brother-in-law. These mounted horns are now in the school’s museum, and a springbok head forms part of the school’s badge.
Past Headmasters
1905–1926: C. D. Hope
1927–1940: F. G. Tyers
1941–1955: A. D. MacDonald
1956–1975: W. J. B. MacFarlane
1976–1988: H. D. Ackermann
1988–1994: T. J. Blake
1994–2009: M. C. Cartwright
2009–2022: J. Van Vuuren
2022–present: L. Van Der Merwe
A Strong Sporting Tradition
Potchefstroom Boys High has a strong reputation for being sports-orientated, requiring every student to participate in at least one sport each season. The school has produced many internationally recognized sportsmen and offers a variety of sports, including rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, and swimming. Each student is also required to participate in athletics at the inter-house level. Traditional sporting rivals include Pretoria Boys High, King Edwards, Jeppe Boys, Parktown Boys, and St Stithians.
Potchefstroom Boys High remains a cornerstone of South African secondary education, continuing the legacy of Charles Douglas Hope and the “Milner Schools” in providing excellent education and character-building opportunities for young men.
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