THE HISTORY OF HOËR VOLKSKOOL AND THE HISTORIC CHURCH HOSTELS

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THE CALL FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION AND FOUNDING (1907 - 1915)

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Reverend (Ds.) A.J. Louw played a vital, foundational role in establishing secondary education within Heidelberg. In 1907, the local School Commission formally recognized that the town's expanding student body required a dedicated high school. At the time, older students had limited options; in 1908, Justus D. Kilian became the very first local student to successfully pass the matriculation examination. Projections indicated that by 1913, more than 150 students above Standard 5 would require secondary schooling.

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In December 1908, Mr H. Weakley - the secretary of the Public School Commission and the editor of the Heidelberg News - submitted an official report validating these projections. He argued that the establishment of a dedicated high school was entirely justified and would provide a reliable, continuous stream of matriculated candidates for the local Normal College (teachers' training facility).

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The vision materialized on 26 January 1915 with the official opening of Hoër Volkskool, conducted in the presence of Sir John Adamson, the Director of Education. To accommodate the entire community, authorities resolved that the high school would utilize both Afrikaans and English as mediums of instruction. This dual-medium approach ensured that graduating students from both the independent "Volkskool" and the state-run "Heidelberg Public School" had equal access to local higher education.

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The pioneering foundational staff consisted of Meester A.J. Louw as headmaster, alongside Mr J.J. Langenegger, Mr J.P. Malan, and Mr Willie Viljoen. The first governing body was established under the chairmanship of Reverend A.J. Louw, supported by board members Reverend P. Postma, Reverend H. Muller, Mr L.J. Alberts, Mr R.D. Collins, Mr T.A. Dönges, Mr J.S. Joubert, Mr W. Dyke Poynter, and Mr G.C. Bör.

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THE CAMPUS CAMPAIGN AND ARCHITECTURAL EXPANSION (1919 - 1922)

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For its first seven years of operation, the high school lacked a dedicated campus, forcing staff and students to share scattered premises across town. The school utilized the Van Belkum Hall, the Anglican Church hall, a decommissioned bottle store, and various other leased buildings as makeshift classrooms.

A permanent solution began on 8 September 1919 when the Administrator of the Transvaal, Mr A.C. Robertson, officially laid the cornerstone for a new, dedicated school building. The construction project culminated in early 1922, allowing the school to permanently occupy its new home.

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On Wednesday morning, 1 February 1922, the high school students gathered inside the "Monument Hall" of the junior Volkskool for their final farewell assembly. The formal inauguration of the new campus took place two days later, on 3 February 1922. In an impressive public display, children from both the high school and junior school assembled at the town Market Square and marched in unison to the newly constructed building anchoring "Opvoedingsbult" (Education Hill).

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At 4 o'clock that afternoon, Reverend A.J. Louw presented the official keys to the Administrator, Mr A. Robertson, who unlocked the front entrance. The public toured the interiors while the students marched into the rear quadrangle courtyard, singing the hymn "O goedheid Gods."

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Reverend J.C. Pauw led the gathering in a powerful dedicatory prayer, followed by a welcoming address from Reverend Louw, who read a letter from the Director of Education expressing his regrets for being unable to attend. Louw detailed the early history of the Volkskool, emphasizing that the institution was built upon two unshakeable foundations: Christianity and Nationality.

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Following a choral performance, the Administrator delivered a short speech wishing the parents, staff, and pupils success. Headmaster Meester Louw concluded the formal proceedings, and the assembly closed with the song "Want goedertieren is de Heer." That evening, the school's governing body and teaching staff hosted a celebratory dinner for the honoured guests inside the Transvalia Hostel.

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THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE THREE CHURCH HOSTELS (1912 - 1965)

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To accommodate rural students traveling from distant farms, the local church constructed three dedicated residential hostels. These buildings were owned directly by the church and leased back to the Education Department. Interestingly, the first hostel was operational two years before the high school officially opened. The three historic residences were:

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• Transvalia (Established 1912): In February 1911, the church approached the renowned architect Wynand Louw of Paarl to design a central hostel, securing official blueprint approval by May. Transvalia was officially opened on 13 February 1913. The building was later enlarged to meet growing demand.

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• Concordia (Established 1913): Following the completion of Transvalia, the committee proposed constructing a separate hostel dedicated exclusively to boys. In October 1914, the Transvaal Administrator initially rejected the building request due to the state's fragile financial position following the 1914 Rebellion. The project was approved one year later, and the cornerstone of Concordia was laid on 22 April 1916. Built at a total cost of £7,791-1-0, the facility originally sheltered 83 boys and three resident teachers, and was later expanded.

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• Excelsior (Established 1923): Since 1912, a temporary hostel operating along the Vereeniging Road had been known as Excelsior, managed by hostel father Mr D.J.M. Jordaan. In 1923, the church commissioned a permanent brick structure to replace it. Wynand Louw returned as the project architect, and the construction contract was awarded to the prominent local builder, Mr J.S. Joubert. Completed at a cost of £10,820, the new Excelsior Hostel opened its doors to 90 boys in 1924. (Local historical records note that the historic farmhouse on West Street was built by Jordaan, while Mr J.S. Joubert's home was situated nearby; Joubert is interred in the Heidelberg Kloof Cemetery).

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As the decades passed, the historic hostel infrastructures deteriorated. In 1959, the church board resolved to sell all three properties to the Transvaal Provincial Administration. The original buildings were eventually replaced; in 1965, brand-new, modern hostel complexes were erected on the historic grounds of the old Concordia and Excelsior sites, carrying forward their traditional names. The modern Heidelberg Town Library was constructed on the land previously occupied by the old Transvalia hostel.

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ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION AND CONTEMPORARY CAMPUS FEATURES

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Hoër Volkskool maintains a deeply preserved institutional memory, holding a complete run of yearly school magazines in its archives stretching from 1916 to the present day, with the single historical exception of the 1921 edition.

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The physical campus uniquely reflects its multi-layered history. The Old Hall has been creatively repurposed into a training restaurant utilized by the school's Hotel and Catering classes. The wooden counter characterising the restaurant's bar area was crafted using salvaged timber from the historic school stage, which was disassembled to make way for a modern industrial kitchen. Two separate commemorative busts of founding headmaster Meester Louw remain mounted to the interior walls.

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The exterior masonry documents the school's physical growth; the rear walls display a distinct variation in brick shading where subsequent building extensions were tied into the original 1922 structure. A major modernization project completed in 1990 added a brand-new assembly hall and a centralized administration block. Near the back of the hall, remnants of the historic bicycle stands are still visible - a physical reminder of the era when cycling was the primary mode of student transport.

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The high school also functions as the official custodian of a major local ecclesiastical artifact: the original historic Sandstone Pulpit of the Klipkerk, which was transferred to the school's care when the church modernized its sanctuary with a smaller wooden pulpit.

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Sources: "Pro Deo Et Patria" by Dr A.E. Faul Bosman, the 1922 inaugural edition of "Ons Skoolblad," and the personal historical archives of Tony Burisch.