Rhenish Primary School became the fifth school in Stellenbosch to receive a Heritage Blue Plaque through the Blue Plaque Schools Project of the Centre for Conservation Education and the Stellenbosch Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Blue Plaque was officially unveiled by Stellenbosch mayor Advocate Gesie van Deventer during a ceremony at the school on Thursday 25 January. The local primary school joins Paul Roos Gymnasium, Rhenish Girls’ High School, Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof and Pieter Langeveldt Primary School as official blue plaque schools in the Stellenbosch area.
Principal Alex Hall said the school’s management team, teaching complement, learner body and parents are “immensely” proud to celebrate the plaque’s official unveiling.
“The renovation of our school foyer was a highlight for Rhenish Primary in 2022,” he said.
“The crowning jewel, our Heritage Blue Plaque, bestowed on us in October of last year, not only completes our foyer beautifully but also serves as a powerful symbol of our rich heritage. It is a heritage that spans 164 years and speaks to the legacy of countless boys and girls who have passed through our doors.
“This unveiling is more than a ceremony; it is a testament to our commitment to the Stellenbosch community. It underscores Rhenish Primary’s dedication to the education of generations of Stellenbosch children.”
Mark Tobin, a member of the school governing body, briefly provided insight into the history of Rhenish Primary. “I doubt [the founders of the school] would have conceived Rhenish blooming into the educational institutions we know today,” he pointed out.
“Across two schools and two campuses these schools educate almost 1 500 students daily – a far cry from the eight students who started at Rhenish on 1 May 1860. Nor would they have imagined that their humble school would have survived such world occurrences as the Anglo-Boer War, two world wars, the rise and fall of apartheid, the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, to name a few. Yet here we are, with both schools going from strength to strength and widely recognised as being among the top public schools in South Africa.”
According to Sigi Howes, coordinator of the Blue Plaque Schools Project (and former principal of the Centre for Conservation Education), more than 60 blue plaques have been awarded to schools across the province.
She further encouraged the school and broader community to take pride in the blue plaque, dubbing the award a “wonderful achievement”.
“Blue plaques celebrate heritage and act as a heritage marker, which indicates something important has happened at the place where the plaque is displayed.
“Having a blue plaque is something worth celebrating, especially as it points to the efforts and commitments of those early teachers at Rhenish back in 1860. The plaque is an indicator that their efforts were not in vain.”
