Umntu ngumntu ngabantu
Umntu ngumntu ngabantu. It was in the spirit of this proverb that prefects of King Edward High School commenced leadership training on Saturday.
Upon arrival we were cordially greeted by our handsome guide Charlie and Prefect mentors. They led us to our base for the day, and we were immediately taken aback by the simplistic, yet elegant aesthetics of the stone house. After prayer, our day officially began. Thinking back now this could have been the only thing that kept many of us calm and collected after we observed the state of our shoes after the first activity. If you know of any good, affordable dry cleaners, please do leave their name and number at the school's reception.
With that being said, one could already picture what our first activity entailed - guts, resilience and bravery. The prefect body was split up into different groups who competed against one another for the title of… there was no title actually, we were just competing against each other, because why not.
Yet through this, no one had been prepared to meet the people introduced to throughout the race. Beautiful demonstrations of dedication, patience and continuous encouragement were displayed throughout the entire event, and not a single teammate was left behind or without any reassurance that they were part of a unit. Throughout this race, the prefects were experiencing and demonstrating the importance of community.
After the gruelling race, we cooled down in one of the dams on the lovely establishment and had lunch, which was quite a treat for our ravenous selves, especially for those who managed to consumed six hamburgers!
With lunch well on its way Mrs Semosa introduced the concept of lunch discussions, where honest questions were asked and answered in a respectful manner. Here we got to know what we would not usually have known in a casual setting and we were allowed to air issues and to learn respect for our fellow prefects who had opposing opinions to us.
We then returned to our base where Mr Harrison and Ms Rawlins met us with inspiring and heartfelt messages on leadership, the importance of establishing a firm base and finding one’s purpose. Mr Harrison specifically highlighted the importance of servant styled leadership, and how one can only give without reserve if one’s source of strength and inspiration gives without out ceasing. Therefore, to establish a firm relationship within the Lord will allow one to give as one who has never experienced lack.
The next message was given by Ms. Rawlins who shared her experiences and wisdom on how to navigate not being in complete control over one’s life. She shared the importance of finding one’s identity in Him who remains the same every day, and understanding that the work you do for those around you counts for something, no matter how small the contribution.
As mentioned earlier, one is shaped by community and those around you. Those words have not rung truer than through the actions of our Prefect mentors who showed us the importance of communication, listening and hearing one another.
It was refreshing working with adults who treated you as they expect you to conduct yourself, I speak for the whole prefect body when I say that we respect and greatly appreciate the manner in which you worked and will continue to work with us.
With that being said, the Prefect body of King Edward High School would like to thank the School for providing the resources for our excursion, the Rawlins family for hosting us, Mrs Semosa, Ms Rawlins, Mr Bouwer and Mr Enslin for their leadership and planning and finally a special thanks to Charlie for being the cuteness overload we all needed to continue throughout the day.
From trudging through marshlands, jumping over fences and learning to hold one’s tongue, one could assuredly say our prefects understood what determination, assertiveness, and communication meant. We left knowing, better yet, understanding the importance of community and how it affects us, especially when we understand that one does not bring about greatness for all (and at all) , when one works towards greatness alone.
Therefore, with this new revelation filling our Prefect body’s sail, we hope and know this year will be one of laying ourselves down for those in and around our community.
