GOUDVELD HOERSKOOL

School Profile

The name says it all. Welkom is built because of gold and Goudveld is in Welkom because the Goldfields grew so rapidly and needed schools.

Gold made Welkom. There was no other reason for a farming area in the northern Orange Free State to become a bustling, thriving town. In 1946 a major gold discovery was made on a farm called Welkom and in 1947 the town came into being, declared a city in 1968 after a period of rapid but planned growth. In fact, with Sir Ernest Oppenheimer and Anglo-American in charge, the town was laid out before a brick was laid, which probably makes it unique amongst the world's towns. A million trees were planted and traffic ordered by circles. It is the second largest town in the Free State

Gold had been discovered in the Free State in the 19th century and mined at Vredefort but it was not till the accidental discovery on the farm that it really became the centre of a gold rush. Drilling for water struck gold, and soon people came flocking from all over the world to the new goldfields with other towns such as Odendaalsrus, Kroonstad, Virginia and Hennemann.

Hoêrskool Goudveld was opened on 3 March 1967, a co-ed, Afrikaans-medium school. It has grown and now has over 940 pupils with a boarding establishment to house 80 boarders.

The school's colours are royal blue, white, gold, and light blue. Its motto is Streef, Werk, Oorwin - Strive, Work, Overcome.

Goudveld has ten rugby teams, keenly followed in the Northern Free State. Its rivals are Hentie Cilliers of Virginia, Wessel Maree of Odendaalsrus, the Rooiskool and the Blouskool of Kroonstad and above all Welkom Gimnasium.