Centennial Celebrations in Kuruman

Kuruman Primary School arranged for a Centennial celebration of the operation of the school in March 2008 and decided to invite various ex-Springbok rugby players to their weekend celebrations which included a ‘manneaand’ on Friday, a golf-day with these men on the Saturday, followed by a spit-braai in the evening.

One of their guests was the legendary Mannetjies Roux who was a S.A. Air Force Harvard instructor around the peak of his rugby career, and this is where the Harvard Club came into the Centennial celebrations ‘picture’. The organizing committee decided that Mannetjies Roux should be flown to Kuruman from his home in Victoria West in a Harvard, to arrive in grand style in Kuruman at precisely 1000 on the Friday. On landing he was greeted by many of his Springbok team players, Kuruman Primary School staff members, drum majorettes, the news media which included the Supersport TV camera team and a red carpet! Thus the weekend Centennial celebrations began and went through to the Sunday when Mannetjies was flown back to Victoria West in the Harvard, which was one of the Harvards he had flown in the Air Force at the time. A reunion between two legends, …… Mannetjies Roux and the Harvard!

The Harvard was flown by one of our pilots, Dewald Lourens, from Pretoria (Swartkop Air Force Base) to Bloemfontein for refueling and then onto Victoria West where Dewald spent the night with Mannetjies before departing the next morning (Friday) with Mannetjies on board, for Kuruman.

On the Sunday after the celebrations were over, Mannetjies was flown back to Victoria West in the Harvard, and after Dewald had dropped him off there, Dewald took off for the long flight (for a Harvard, that is) via Bloemfontein for refueling, back to Swartkop AFB.

It was a privilege for the Harvard Club of South Africa to be invited to be involved in the Centennial celebrations of Kuruman Primary School. Pl;ease see the small selection of photos attached.