QUEEN’S COLLEGE

Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:27

School profile

We profile Queen's College of Queenstown.

Queenstown, in the midst of dramatic Catberg mountains, was founded by Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart in 1853 as a farming centre, especially for sheep farmers, and laid out in a hexagon for easier defence in the Border Wars. 

School

Mr CE Ham set up a private school for boys, the Prospect House Academy, in 1858 was taken over by the state as the Queenstown District School.  That year is taken as the foundation date for Queen’s College. 

In 1867 Frederick Beswick opened a private school in the town and then the principal of a conglomerate of schools called Queenstown Boys’ Public School, whose headmaster he remained for 32 years.  He really set education on a sound footing in Queenstown.  His son, Alan, became the first Old Queenian to play rugby for South Africa.

In 1910 the school was officially named Queen’s College.  The Queen?  Victoria, of course.

School information

Name: Queen’s College Boys’ High School
Motto: Esse quam videri (To be rather than to seem to be)
Foundation date: 1858
Address: 16 Berry Street, Queenstown

Rugby at Queen’s

Though Alan Beswick played rugby for South Africa, the school’s game was really soccer till the 1920s when there were few schools to play soccer against. The problem of conversion to rugby was the absence of a grassed field.  The principal Herbert Wilkinson promised that the conversion would be made as soon as there was a grassed field. The school acquired one and was a rugby school in 1924. That year Queen’s played its first rugby match against another school – against Gill College of Somerset East who were on tour.

From then on the school was committed to rugby. Half the pupils are boarders, which is always a great fillup to a school's rugby.

Queen’s play without the number 13 jersey (in the first XV only) after the tragic death of Victor Maitland in a motor accident in 1951 who wore the number 13 jersey (first XV that year)

Coaches

Before World War II there was Rosy Rosseinsky and after the War Dummy Taylor. They were the school’s most durable coaches.

Traditional Rivals

Rugby is tough down on the border and the competition which Queen’s has had over the year from Dale, Selborne and, father afield, St Andrew’s and Grey of Port Elizabeth has been great and absorbing.  It has also made the trip over the mountains to take on Grey of Bloemfontein from time to time.

Famous Old Boys

Alan Beswick, Jimmy White, Robbie Kempson, Dick Muir and Kaya Malotana have played for South Africa.