We spoke to people across different schools and generations to understand what keeps educational traditions alive.
In the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, schools shape more than academics; they create shared memories, enduring relationships, and a lasting sense of belonging. For many families, these schools are woven into their history, with generations returning because the schools are part of their identity and family life.
Some can trace three generations through the same classrooms. Others move back to their hometown so their children can experience the same rites of passage they once lived. Whether it is the smell of polish on dining-hall floors, a “war story” told by a parent about life in their day, or the echo of a school song, these are the threads that tie one generation to the next.
Roger Don-Wauchope tells his grandchildren about a boy from his day who used to do handstands on Pinnacles, a rocky outcrop on the Hilton College Estate. Roger never had a head for heights and never climbed it himself. Imagine his delight when, at 87, he received a card from the school: a pencil drawing of boys on Pinnacles, and one of them was his grandson.
These are not stories about buildings or schedules, but about people carrying memories forward and the sense of continuity they create.
Time
It connects the sepia photographs hanging in a common room to the teenagers who lounge there today. For families whose children and grandchildren return to the same schools they once attended, the small continuities mean the most.
Some things, however, have changed. Georgie Makris recalls her father’s tales of boarding school life: “My grandpa only had cold water, no hot showers.” Simple toilets, no luxuries; many boys were involved in constructing school buildings around this time, but those conditions shaped character. The legacy of time is not just nostalgia; it is the recognition that what was built decades ago still has relevance today, preparing young people to meet challenges and to value hard work.
At St John’s DSG, Merryn, Shellaine, and others remember an Afrikaans teacher, Mev Harris, who played cassette tapes during class and let them out five minutes early for lunch because everyone loved her so much. Decades later, their daughters were taught by the same teacher, who now used YouTube to play Afrikaans music in class. One of them saw Mev in a doctor’s office recently, and she immediately recognised them. That small recognition and triggering of a happy memory made both women’s days.
Ongoing family participation and involvement in school life reinforces a sense of collective ownership. It explains why Midlands’ schools remain central to community identity: they are part of the rhythm of family life and the threads of shared memory.
People
If buildings and traditions provide structure, it is people who give legacy its colour. The Midlands has a way of drawing its own back. Teachers who once boarded here return to guide new generations. Alumni become coaches, mentors, and parents, sending their children into familiar uniforms.
Amy Pluke, a teacher who returned to Grace College, explains this sense of continuity: “There’s an odd sense of completing the circle, coming back to my first stint as a matric English teacher in the same classroom where I learned English as a matriculant. I always said that if I ever became a teacher, I’d like to go back to my own school to give back. I’ve never forgotten the teachers who made a positive impact in my life, and now I’ve got the opportunity to help students find a sense of belonging, hopefully representation and confidence in my classroom, as they navigate high school’s pressures and challenges.”
Amy’s story highlights why families and past pupils return: to give back and to see new generations benefit. It shows how legacy is passed not only through bloodlines but also through mentoring and enriching the broader community.
Bruce Peattie says, “The estate on our school campus was a common thread to all three generations of our family and a place where we found solace and peace. Our farm on the valley below Hilton, was visible from the classroom block and lured all three generations to the trek down the valley. The paths to run home on a Sunday may have differed, but the destination was always the same. This time at home was always well received, but I was often a bit stressed on the ten-kilometre run back up the hill to make it on time for chapel.”
School experiences shape resilience and determination. These are qualities that Midlands families often carry into careers, leadership roles, and communities around the world.
Challenge and Change
Legacy is not about clinging rigidly to the past. Across the Midlands, schools evolve while retaining their core values. Sustainability programmes, modern curricula, and environmental initiatives sit alongside old traditions. Carlyle College, Grace College, and other schools are leading the way with these changes, demonstrating that respect for tradition and innovation can coexist. One family remembers returning for a reunion and spotting solar panels on the roof of the old science block – a small symbol of progress that felt both strange and right. Assemblies now include discussions on environmental awareness alongside hymns and sports results, showing that the next generation learns the values of both heritage and adaptation.
Bruce Peattie – past chairman of the Cowan House foundation – reflected on a message on the foundation’s website: “For three generations we, as a family, have passed through the Cowan House gates. In this time, the values and beliefs of Cowan House have not wavered. Since its foundation by David Black in 1948, the school has moved premises, survived a devastating fire and successfully introduced girls, and it continues to adjust today to an ever-changing educational landscape.”
Family
The true legacy of Midlands schooling is not its ivy-covered buildings or history books, but the laughter at the breakfast table on match-day mornings, the nerves before exams, and the same misty drives to school year after year. Some families see their children follow in their footsteps; for others, friendships and shared values endure across decades.
Members of the Don-Wauchope family have a ritual passed down from grandparents to grandchildren: “In our family, we still recite the school grace, especially when my dad is with us. It was recited at the school when his grandchildren attended, and hopefully will still be recited when his great-grandchildren attend.”
Why Legacy Matters?
School legacies give young people a sense of belonging – a sense that they are part of something much bigger, rooted in purpose, community, and shared values (values which define South Africans across the world). I have heard many stories about South Africans in other countries impressing with an offer of help to carry a stranger’s boxes, helping the elderly or standing to welcome someone new to the table.
Schooling in the Midlands goes beyond academics. Young people learn that commitment, responsibility, and care for others are valuable traits. These habits are not imposed to confine, but to provide a foundation for life.
From century-old corridors to modern classrooms, the Midlands’ legacy thrives because families and communities nurture it. Their commitment is not just about preserving the past, but building an enduring foundation for the future.
Words: Accacia Foggin