Festival is breaking ground

Over the Easter long weekend I had the pleasure of spending the majority of my time at an event that I thoroughly enjoyed, The St Dunstan’s College Easter Sports Festival.

Three days of competitive school rugby, hockey and netball – what’s not to like?

What stood out for me at the festival was the palpable passion shown by players and supporters alike as well as the admirable sportsmanship showcased throughout the duration of the event.

That is precisely what school sport is about!

I don’t often get to cover many school sporting events due to the sheer number of club events that I report on, so it was terrific to get back on the side-lines and cast my sporty eye over the prodigious young athletes on display, particularly the talent emerging from Benoni schools (fodder for future stories, you see).

Easter sports festivals have become quite abundant these days in South Africa, and (like most things) the East Rand has been a little slow to catch up.

Praise must go out to St Dunstan’s College and the organisers of the festival for making a valiant effort to change the status quo, to raise the bar and to make a significant investment in the development of school sport in our region.

Not just that, but by including teams from less-advantaged Benoni schools the festival was truly an inclusive one.

An interactive smart phone app and live-streaming of all the rugby games (with running commentary) was certainly an interesting and ground-breaking aspect of this event.

Sure, there are numerous things still to do before it becomes as renowned as the KES or St John’s festivals, but it’s a positive step in the right direction and I can only picture it going from strength to strength in the years to come.

Also, the St Dunstan’s Festival has its own uniqueness and character to it and that’s what makes it special.

This is Benoni after all and we do tend to do things a little bit differently in these parts.

Well done to all involved with what I described in my formal BCT report as a “delightful Easter treat”.

It really was.

The 2015 St Dunstan’s College Easter Sports Festival certainly gets this local sports journo’s stamp of approval.

LG

* To view a gallery of random images snapped at the festival click here.