About Our School

Brief History of Dunvegan Primary School

In September 1967, Miss J.C. Olive was informed that she had been appointed as Principal to open the Dunvegan Primary School in January 1968. On 2nd January 1968, the Transvaal Education Department moved in contractors and furniture into the prefabricated site in Hurlyvale. On 15th January 1968, Miss Olive and ten teachers reported for duty and the following day, 280 pupils arrived. Dunvegan Primary School was up and running. On 4th May 1968, the PTA held its first fundraiser – a braai and games evening – and raised R250.00. 

On 27th May 1968, the School Committee met to judge the School Badge Competition. The design chosen symbolised growth.
In September 1968. the new school site was officially handed over to the contractor, Mr. Rudolph.

When the school reopened in 1969, the enrolment had risen to 485 and a teaching staff of 15. In November 1969, a “roof wetting” ceremony was held at the new school. On the 8th and 9th December 1969, the School Board assisted the school in moving into the new school premises.

On 14th January 1970, the school opened on its present site with an enrolment of 678 pupils and 23 staff members. Building work was only fully completed by July 1970. On the 21st November 1970, the Director of Education in the Transvaal, Dr A.L. Kotzee, officially opened the school. A plaque commemorating this is to found at the entrance to the school’s reception area.

The sports grounds were developed over the next two years. A past parent, Eddie Freeman recalls, “I well remember spending all of one Saturday morning with about 5 other parents trying to mark out the football pitch. The education authorities had put up the goal posts and try as we might we could not got the measurements right. Eventually when it was time to go home we reached the conclusion that the goalposts had not been put in square with each other. I forget how the problem was resolved but resolved it must have been because we had a parents versus pupils match later.”

In January 1981, the school received its second Principal, Mr. Derick Hull. School enrolment was 800 pupils and 33 teaching posts. In June that year, the School Hall was named after the first Principal, Miss Joyce Olive.

In June 1991, Dunvegan Primary School became a “Model B” as voted on by parents (86.9% in favour) at that time. In 1992 the status of the school was changed to that of a “Model C” school.

In July 1991, work began on Phase 1 of the new Media Centre, which would comprise of an auditorium and a Junior Primary Library. This facility was in use by January 1992. In September 1994, work began on Phase 2 which would house a Senior Primary Library, a Media classroom, a Teacher’s Room and a Computer Centre. In June 1995, computers were installed into the Computer Centre. The centre is known as The Betty McCreadie Media Centre, named after a past teacher who instrumental in developing a library at the school in the 1970’s and 80’s.

In 1997, legislation classified Dunvegan Primary School as a State School (no longer a Model C School).

In February 1997, Mr. Colin Johnson became the third Principal of Dunvegan Primary School following Mr. Hull’s retirement.

In May 2000, the school began its own website. In June 2002, the old prefab classrooms were demolished and the building of a new classroom wing commenced. The new wing was completed in December 2002. It comprises of 4 classrooms, change rooms, a Tuckshop and a second computer centre. In the period 2008 to 2011, the original perimeter fencing was replaced with a brick and palisade wall.

In July 2016, Mr. Colin Johnson retired. This vacancy was filled by the current Principal Mr. Richard Laidley.

The School Song

Dunvegan School the pride and joy
Of every girl and boy
Your oak trees point towards the sky
Small acorns may grow high.

Towards our goal we too aspire
To raise Dunvegan’s fame
With sportsmanship and honour too
In everything we do.

We’ll prove ourselves in every test
Dunvegan School is Best!

Photos from the past

The first Standard 5 Class at Dunvegan Primary School (1968):
Back: Wayne Selkirk, Carlo Leusink, Charmaine Arundel, Mrs A.E. Lambert, Cheryl Nicholls, Sabrina Maio, Joan Eyers.
Middle: Edwin Larkman, John Macvie, Garth Steward, Ruth Edwards, Jennifer Canning, Glenda Edwardes.
Front: Peter Jackson, Bernard Rundle, Stephen Nicholas, Heather King, Beverley Montgomery, Edna Purcell.
Absent: Colleen Bosch, Ian Marot.
The first group of boys to have been at Dunvegan Primary from Grade One through to Grade Seven (1974):
Back row: L. Visser, R. v.d. Berg, S. Hunter, D. Foulner, T. Ballantine
Third row: J. Jordaan, K. Gennell, M. Botes, C. Borchards, D. Dawes, J. Bancroft, C. Cammidge
Second row: L. Körner, T. Ormerod, D. Todd, M. Murphy, G. Techow, A. Kelly, S. Adamson, G. Maclean
Front row: S. Odendaal, J. Papa Demetriou, R. Lowe, G. Shearer, S. v.d. Knaap, F. Reynolds, S. Venter, J. Foerg, H. Taylor
The first group of girls to have been at Dunvegan Primary from Grade One through to Grade Seven (1974):
Back row:J. Mortimer, H. Pienaar, G. Waller, J. Enslin, S. Daniell, A. Fullerton, B. Harber, A.van Vuuren, U. Höfer, J. Ferguson
Third row: L. Bamford, A. Hall, M. Burnham, A. Oates, D. Morehen, Y. Adams, T. Sterley, S. Taylor, S. Delport, A. Pechey, D. Grove
Second row: S. Feben, L. Hunter, M. Tissen, L. Cole, K. Coetzee, L. Marais, R. Sidwell, S. Sinnett, L.A. Kneale
Front row: F. Dollery, L. Dedlow, L. Miller, M. Hayter, M. Hunkin, V. Ahrens, H. Atkinson, J. Boyd, Y. Meyer, D. Callaghan

The School has had Four Principals thus far:

Miss Joyce Olive: January 1968 – December 1980.
Mr. Derick Hull: January 1981 – February 1997.
Mr. Colin Johnson March 1997 – July 2016.
Mr. Richard Laidley August 2016 – Present

School Announcements

My Journey Through Dunvegan Drimary

Our Head Girl of 2007, Taonga Zulu, wrote a wonderful poem as her Farewell Address to the School:
My Journey in Dunvegan
It all started here in Dunvegan in 2001,
And that was the time when we had fun.
With Mrs. Ferris ready in her purple gear,
I had a wonderful Grade 1 year.

We learnt to write numbers and the alphabet,
But we hadn’t quite mastered it then yet.
But the teachers were patient and helped us through,
That’s why we were able to go to Grade 2.

This is where things got a bit demanding,
We even had to learn cursive handwriting.
But I also made many new friends,
And with Mrs. James as my teacher, I had a good time in the end.

Grade 3 with Mrs. Smith was next,
And here we had to write in cursive text.
We had busy books, Maths and readers we read.
And we wrote in blue pen, not pencil lead.

Grade 3 to Grade 4 was a huge difference.
Besides the fact that we’d changed in appearance,
We learnt new subjects like I.T. and N.S.
We even changed classes and wrote cycle tests.

This was a new environment for us all,
But in my class you were never to fall.
Because Mrs. van de Meijden, standing tall as the nests,
Always said, “Children, remember to try your best!”

Grade 5 was such an exciting year,
We went to Kidz Kamp, our very first tour.
My teacher, Miss Swart, was very sweet,
And being in her class was such a treat.

Grade 6 was work and projects galore,
We didn’t know that we had so much in store.
But the year was great, especially when we had to go
To our second tour, Die Oog, Serolo.

Serolo was a great camp,
The food was great but we were always damp,
For we hardly ever could resist,
The heated pool with all the mist.

Soon our work and projects were done
And we would all have fun.
But this didn’t last very long,
For our final year was coming along.

The highlight of our Grade 7 year,
Was definitely the Bush Pigs tour.
We learnt so much about nature,
And what we should do to conserve it for the future.

We had so much fun everyday,
And enjoyed ourselves in every way.
Like when we all got soaked in the mudsticle course,
And the teachers had to join in, of course!

I remember the competition for dung spitting,
Those things I dreaded even touching.
But then I thought about what a great person once said,
“Afrika is nie ‘n plek vir sissies nie!” So I spat the dung instead!

After Bushpigs, the prefects were mentioned,
and we were so thrilled to represent Dunvegan.
Some of our tasks were tough but most were great,
And now I think we’re ready for grade 8.

And that’s thanks to all the teachers who’ve helped us through
Our junior grades and senior ones too.
They’ve been our guides in this journey we roam,
They’ve been like parents in a second home.

My final year is near it’s end,
And it’s time to say goodbye to old friends.
And I’ll never forget that at Dunvegan Primary,
I had a special seven year family!
~ Taonga Zulu ~
Head Girl Dunvegan Primary 2007
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