Old Boy passes away.

 

Tommy and I were in not only the same form but in the same class right through our time at Glenwood HS and in our final two years when he became a boarder, not only class-mates but close friends. After School days our ways parted but we never totally lost touch and I always looked forward to meeting up with him again, especially at Old Boys' reunions.

 

After I moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town six years ago and not having Tommy's phone number or seen or spoken to him for some time, I phoned the school for his contact details. What a nice surprise it was to find out that he was living, figuratively speaking, just down the road from me, only a few kilometres away. In these past few years we've spent many pleasant hours together.

 

There is so much I can say about Tommy. For a start he was one of the very nicest, kindest, most modest persons I have known. I'm sure he never did a nasty thing or spoke a mean word of anyone. In our final year at school he was without doubt the most popular boy in hostel and maybe in the entire school. As a prefect he never flaunted his authority.

 

Tommy was always full of fun. I remember one day when we were both in the fourth form, a bright, sunny day. He pointed through the window and said loud enough for the whole class – including the master – to

hear: “Look, it's raining,” and when everyone looked in puzzlement he added, “sunbeams.”

 

At the foot of the stairs was the matron's food cupboard where all sorts of delicacies for the masters' table were kept, tinned fruit, sauces, condensed milk etc. Way back in the distant past a sixth former had got hold of a key that fitted the cupboard and at the end of each year it was handed down to a successor. The year before it had been entrusted to Charlie Chase, probably Tommy's all-time best friend and so in our matric year he had the key. Generously, he shared it with me and our mutual close friend Dobbin. It was an unspoken rule that you never took too much at a time, not enough to raise the matron's suspicions. But one month we got greedy. We were in fits when we heard her shouting at the cook for stealing and at his rejoinder, saying she was the only other on with the key so she must be the culprit. . . .

 

Tommy from his very young days loved sport and to the end was a keen follower of rugby, cricket, tennis, athletics and soccer. Quite recently when we were talking English soccer he could recall every one of Arsenal's great team of 1938/9, two of whom were Denis and Lesley Compton. He not only loved sport but played it extremely well. At school he was always in the A cricket and rugby teams and in his matric year in the school's first team in both sports.

 

In cricket he was a fine all-rounder and in rugby an outstanding fly-half, being one of only three to be awarded an honours cap that year. Afterwards, when for a time he lived in Pretoria, he played for one of the top teams there, Harlequins, at the same time that Fonnie du Toit, the Springbok scrum-half, was playing. He tells this

anecdote:

 

It was 1949 and he All-Blacks were touring the country. The Springboks were practising on the Harlequins ground, and to provide opposition they had the reservists together with some Harlequins players.

Probably at du Toit's suggestion, Danie Craven called him over. “Here Hall,” he said, put on this jersey and play fly-half. He played for about fifteen minutes. Tommy laughed when he told me the story. “I might not have been good enough for Natal Schools, but at least I've played for the Springboks,” he said.

 

However, it was not in rugby or cricket that Tommy carved himself such an illustrious place in the annals of the school. At the fortieth year re-union of our matric class he was the class representative and in introducing him the MC spoke of his rugby and cricket achievements then said that in athletics he also did not do too badly. “He won the 100 yards.” He paused. “And he won the 200 yards.” Another pause. “And the 440.” Pause. “And also the 880 and broke the school record.” A longer pause. “And finally the mile.” Then came the longest pause of all. “Sorry Tommy, I almost forgot. He also won the five-mile cross-country.” He added by saying it was a great feat that had never been done before and would almost certainly never be done again.

 

That was Tommy, and with absolutely no coaching. Just an amazing natural talent. Had be been born sixty years later, in the age of specialisation, with all the high-tech coaching and aids, he could well have been a world-class middle-distance runner. But he had no regrets. Sport for him was all about enjoying it. He said he liked the cross-country best. All the girls from Girls High were on the pavement, cheering him on.

 

He had a good life with lots of happy memories.