Queen's College Boys' High School

Queen's College, or simply 'QC', is a fee-paying public school for boys situated in the town of Komani. Established in 1858 first as Prospect House Academy,[1] it is the oldest school in the Border region and among the 100 oldest schools in South Africa.[1] The college has a junior side, Queen's College Boys' Primary School, which was established on 15 November 1957 – a year before it celebrated its 100th birthday.

Queen's College
Queen's College crest
Address
16 Berry Street, Toptown

Komani
,
Eastern Cape

South Africa
Coordinates31.8898°S 26.8765°E / -31.8898; 26.8765
Information
Former nameProspect House Academy, Public School for Boys, Queenstown Grammar School
TypeAll-boys public School
MottoEsse Quam Videri
(To be, rather than to seem to be)
Established21 April 1858 (1858)
FounderMr. CE Ham
StatusGovernment subsidised, fee paying public school
Sister schoolQueenstown Girls' High School
School districtChris Hani West District
OversightSchool Governing Body
ChairmanAllister van Schoor (2018 (2018) - present)
HeadmasterJanse van der Ryst (1 January 2018 (2018-01-01) - present)
Senior Deputy HeadmasterMike Boy (1982 (1982) - present)
Grades8–12
GenderMale
Enrollment575 boys
LanguageEnglish (Language of Instruction), Afrikaans & isiXhosa (Optional)
CampusUrban Campus
Houses     Beswick [Boarders]

     Mallet [Day Boys]

     Russell [Day Boys]
Colour(s)     Black
     Old Gold
     White
SongThe College Song & Queen's Forever
SportsAthletics
Basketball
Cricket
Cross country
Football
Golf
Hockey
Rugby
Squash
Swimming
Tennis
Water polo
RivalDale College
Selborne College
AccreditationEastern Cape Department of Education
NewspaperQueen's Quote
YearbookThe Queen's Quire
AffiliationsInternational Boys' School Coalition, Queenstown Education Foundation, Four Schools One Family
HeadboyLwazi Sogiba (2020)
Websitewww.queenscollege.co.za

History

Queen's College started as Prospect House Academy when Mr C.E Ham first opened the doors to his school on 21 April 1858 at 6 Shepstone Street in Queenstown. The school was situated in an outbuilding on the property and consisted of a single room with a mud floor and holes in the wall for ventilation. The enrollment had reached 30 boys by 1859 and was also known as the Queenstown District School.[2] It was in receipt of a government grant of £50, backdated to initial opening of the school.[2] From inception the school offered boarding facilities, in the home of Mr Ham, conveniently situated directly across the road from the schoolhouse.

In 1864, a dispute regarding financial support for the school by the district council, led to the abrupt closure of the school by Mr Ham and he ceased teaching in order to open a general store in the town. Boys returning from their holiday in July 1864 discovered that their school house had been let to another tenant and their schoolmaster had become a haberdasher.[3] Public concern was such that a committee was formed, which decides that St Michael's Grammar School should assume the mantle of Prospect House Academy by accepting the status of a government-aided school. The resulting amalgamated school becomes the Public School for Boys and classes are held in a billiard hall.[4]

It was only in 1910 that the school was renamed Queen's College.

Headmasters
  • Mr. CE Ham (1858–1864)
  • Mr. F Beswick (1867–1899)
  • Mr. B Noaks (1899–1900)
  • Mr. GFH Clark (1901–1904)
  • Mr. H Wilkinson (1904–1929)
  • Mr. A Parry-Davies (1930–1939)
  • Mr. HQ Davies (1940–1964)
  • Mr. TW Higgs (1965–1973)
  • Mr. DH Schroeder (1974–1992)
  • Mr. CP Harker (1993–2010)
  • Mr. DCP Lovatt (2011–2012)
  • Mr. BJ Grant (2013–2017)
  • Mr. J van der Ryst (2018–present)

School Facilities
  • 4 science and biology labs
  • Design and Technology facility
  • Media centre
  • Library
  • Music centre
  • 4 full sized cricket fields
  • 8 turf wickets for practices
  • 3 indoor cricket nets
  • 2 squash courts
  • 7 rugby fields
  • 400m Cinder athletes track
  • 1 floodlit AstroTurf
  • 50m swimming pool
  • Water polo pool
  • 2 basketball courts
  • Gym
  • School Hall
  • Memorial Hall

[5]

Hostels

The school has 2 hostels, Whitson House and Connaught House. Whitson enrolls students in Grades 8–9 and Connaught Grades 10–12. The hostels are referred to as Beswick, their house name. [6]

Sports & Cultural Programmes

Sports

The most important sports fields are the Queen’s College Victoria Recreation Grounds & the Chris Harker Astro.[7]

Cultural
  • Adventure Club
  • Brass Band
  • Marimba Band
  • Blood Peer Promotors
  • Chess Society
  • Choir
  • Computer Club
  • Debating Society & Public Speaking
  • Do It Yourself (DIY)
  • Drama
  • Driver Training
  • Ecowatch
  • First Aid Society
  • Queen's Gym
  • Interact Club
  • Library Society
  • Photographic Society
  • The Queen's Quote
  • Representative Council of Learners (RCL)
  • Students' Christian Association (SCA)

Notable Old Boys

Sport

Rugby Players:

Cricket Players:

Other Sports
  • Glen Dell, Advanced World Aerobatic Champion in 2004 and Red Bull Air Race competitor (1974)

Business

Politics

Military
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References
  1. "This list with 200 of South Africa's oldest schools may surprise you". Parent. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  2. Barry, S. G. (1983). History of Queen's College : 1858–1983. [Queenstown, South Africa]: Mara Communications. pp. 4, 5, 7. ISBN 978-0-620-13397-5. OCLC 22998372.
  3. Veitch, Neil (2008). Queen's College, 1858–2008 : in this, her honour. [Queenstown, South Africa]. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-620-40438-9. OCLC 1011514036.
  4. Queenstown, 1824–1994. Holliday, E. W. Queenstown [South Africa]: Queenstown and Frontier Historical Society. 1995. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-620-18933-0. OCLC 34414151.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. "School Facilities".
  6. "Queen's College : Whitson & Connaught House Gallery".
  7. "QC on Travel Ground".
  8. "Paige to become Springbok No 869. But who were 1-868?". Sport. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  9. "New CEO for SuperSport". Sport. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  10. "KZN September 2017 newsletter - South African Military History Society - Title page". samilitaryhistory.org. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
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