That spirit of backing boys with promise — regardless of financial means — is what the Old Boys Heritage Award is about.  This isn’t just a fund.  It’s a statement:  That other sons and grandsons deserve the same chance we had, no matter what today’s economic realities look like.  That St Charles College remains accessible.  That it never forgets where it came from, even as it punches well above its weight.

Many of us remember those days vividly – the Saturday morning school struggle, the small rewards at the tuckshop, the reverence of chapel on Sunday nights.  Not forgetting the teachers who shaped us, who made the College human, and unforgettable.
 
In the late 1980s, the school made a bet — a courageous one — on students like me.  I was granted a bursary, made possible by the generosity of those who came before.  At the time, I didn’t fully grasp what it meant.  But years later, I understand it profoundly: the school saw potential before I even saw it in myself.  And in doing so, St Charles didn’t just change the course of my life — it gave it direction, character, and conviction.

Being a boarder grew my tolerance of other people’s personalities, and provided a tremendous bonding experience, as well as the enrichment of learning about one another’s cultures – an insight I still use in business and in life.  I’m forever thankful to St Charles.  Thankful to the teachers in particular, the leadership, and all the students who were my friends, many remaining so today.  They all had an incredible influence on my life in one way or another.

And the confidence I gained gave me the audacity to join startups which became unicorns in the IT space, securing my future.  I also learnt to be responsible for myself, yet accountable to all of my peers on a daily basis.

The truth is, we were all part of something bigger.  Even as teenagers, we sensed that we were standing on the shoulders of men who loved this place, and that we all looked up to.  Today, it’s our turn.  Our turn to back the next Luke, the next Sandile, the next kid who just needs one chance to become more than his circumstances suggest.