It was wonderful to welcome our grandparents to the school on Saturday ... Grandparents travelled from as far as Australia and Zimbabwe to attend. This is a very special day in our calendar which started with a chapel service, two wonderful tributes to grandparents by Jono Smithers and Douglas Dorward, items from our talented Music Department and then a scrumptious tea on the lawns. It was fantastic to have such a good turnout and our boys appreciated their grandparents joining them for this special occasion ... See hiltoncollege/news/1-general/1446-grandparents-day.html for more photos. Tribute speech by Jono Smithers to our Grandparents ... A very warm welcome to boys, staff, parents, and most importantly, the grandparents that have joined us here today. You will all be glad to hear that I look into the audience today, staring upon young youthful faces, full of spark and ambition… that is until of course I spot my parents… I have a father who turned seventy this year (Not to give away my age), but the school saw it fit that there was no better person to address you today than me, so please bare with me! My father has decided that with age has come an exponential growth in wisdom and attractive features, and that through an education without Google, he has surpassed the norm of the student of my generation. Unfortunately dad, I think that after such comments it is evident that you did not benefit from not having Google at all! This day is a special one. Not only is it special in that we are spending the day with our loved ones, but it is special in that we are celebrating people that we as young men admire beyond words. Having parents that are grandparents, I can see how proud you all are of your grandchildren, and I’m sure that one does not have to search far inside your wallets or purses to find a picture of your beloved grandson! Today I am going to tell you a story about a person that has hugely impacted me. She unfortunately passed away whilst I was still in Grade 8, but nonetheless, she has truly influenced me in becoming the man that I am today. This is my Granny Bea. Many thoughts go through my mind when I think about my gran, and I thought I would share some of those thoughts and memories with you today. My Grandmother was an extremely bold woman, and she had to be, putting up with a family such as mine. I remember whilst visiting her farm a few years back; she called me and said the following in her rather posh English accent: “Jonathan you have to promise me to do three things in your life. You will always stand up straight. You will always have impeccable manners, and you will never be fat like your father!” Very soon after this I had a friend spend the weekend at her farm, which I now call home. When his father came to pick him up she asked him where his house in the Midlands was. He confidently replied Gowrie. She looked at him with a face of utter revulsion only to respond, “You have the most appalling taste!” Like I said, she was an extremely bold woman. She always used to say, “You must always eat string beans with your fingers. They taste so much better”. Now moving on to the topic of food. Most boys are blessed to have grandmothers that are exceptional chefs. This however, was unfortunately not the case for me. She had Ideas of “Jonathan’s favorite’s”, which were served every time I visited on leave or with the family without fault. I once made the mistake of commenting on her Prune pudding, this later on proving to be a tremendous error as it was served every time, with the introduction of “Jonathan’s favorite!” It didn’t take me long to realize that I was of huge importance to my grandmother, and that she loved me. As I mentioned in the beginning of my speech, my Granny Bea has had a tremendous impact on my life. Although she isn’t with me today, I know that is she is extremely proud of what I have achieved in my life, and I can gladly say, that I have done my utmost to abide by her three wishes! So, what did my Grandmother teach me? She taught me that there is no better person to be in this world than yourself. Too many people are too worried about their images and what others think of them, and thus become a person that they aren’t. Successful leaders are successful because they lead as themselves. We are all unique, and have different attributes to offer in this world. We should embrace that. She taught me to put others before myself. She spent her whole life doing that, never asking for anything in return. I find that absolutely incredible, and it is something that I have strived to do throughout this year. It is however important to do things for yourself as well sometimes, but a sign of true humility, is the ability of a person to be empathetic and helpful towards others in need. She taught me to make the most of my life. My grandmother was still playing golf and tackling massive waves at Plettenbergbay at the age of 90. Nothing stopped her from living her life the way she chose to, doing the things that made her happy. That was inspirational to watch whilst growing up, although I did not quite realize it until later on. Finally, she taught me to love. This is especially with regard to family, as there is nothing more important in this world than family along with those who you love. I ask you all to look around this chapel today. Today, we celebrate together as the extended Hilton College family. That is absolutely incredible, and it is not hard to see all the love that has been invested into the boys by their parents, and grandparents. It is also not hard to see the love that exists between the boys at this school. The most important thing that my grandmother taught is the power of love. It has the power to heal, it has the power to unite, and it has the power to make a day such as today possible. To end off, I would just like to say that it as absolute honour to have day at this school, where our grandparents are celebrated. I feel that oftentimes in the society of today, people seldom get recognized for their respective efforts and doings. Today is about thanking you, our grandparents, for everything that you have done for us, for all the love that have invested and are going to invest in the future, and for being heroes in our lives! We love you more than any words or actions can describe. Thank you. Tribute speech by Douglas Dorward ... Good morning grandparents, parents, staff and fellow Hiltonians. I feel very privileged to be a part of the Hilton family, as we show this exceptional school to our grandparents today and welcome them to be a part of this very special family. Thank you to all of you for being here, many of who have travelled a great distance. I am extremely fortunate to have both sets of my grandparents here today, who have come especially from Australia and Zimbabwe. Thank you for this incredible show of your love and support towards me. Like my grandparents from Australia, this might be the first time you have seen Hilton College. For those grandfathers who are old Hiltonians, like one of mine, it will be a trip down memory lane and we will hear a lot of ‘when I was at Hilton’. There will be others of you who are very familiar with the school. I have a friend, whose father is an old boy and whose grandparents, not only one set, but both, attend most of his matches. Today marks a very special occasion in which our grandparents get a glimpse into our school lives, but more importantly it is a day of reflection for all of us and a day of celebration of the role that our grandparents play in our lives. I think grandparents are a mix of love, respect, support, wisdom and fun. My grandparents have shown me the important ethics of hard work and determination, as well as the power of perseverance. They have taught me that anything is possible if I put my mind to it and that with faith, I can overcome all things. They have taught me to bounce off the ropes when things don’t go my way. My one grandfather has taught me to drive. He is incredibly skilled with his hands and never gives up in the face of a challenge. Whilst my parents have gone to great lengths to teach me my table manners, my other grandfather leads by example and encourages me to drink my soup out of the bowl. It does taste a lot better that way! They say that grandparents are footsteps to the future generations, that they link the past to the future. I think a grandparent is someone who has had amazing life experiences, someone who has a world of knowledge and wisdom and will happily share all of this with you. They have patience and lots of time for you. Grandparents are always the first ones to celebrate your successes and the first to support you when things don’t go according to plan. They teach us many lessons and build many of the values we uphold today. They teach us that respect is good. Grandparents are pillars of strength and support, they support our choices and they are there for us even when those choices are not necessarily the right ones. My grandparents are always there for me. I love my grandparents more than anything and the values they have instilled in me are paving my life towards being a respectable member of the next generation. Thank you.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 17:59:29 +0000
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