Greenwood Park Primary celebrates 50 years

IT’S January 19, the year 1966 George Lewis, the principal of Briardene Primary school, is informed by the Durban office for Coloured Affairs that he should take charge of the previously ‘whites only’ Greenwood Park Primary School.
Lewis was told that the Standard 2, 3 and 4 classes would move to the newly-vacated school because of the Group Areas Act.

The act also demarcated western side of North Coast Road as non-white, and the eastern side as white. The white kids and their parents had to relocate to what we know today as Durban North.

Standard 5 pupils from Parkhill High School were also moved to Greenwood Park Primary, while the white pupils, previously at the school, were relocated to the newly-built Northcrest Primary School as well as other whites-only schools in the Durban area.

Furniture, including school desks, cupboards and other stock were moved and the school officially opened it’s doors on 26 January, where a new school committee was formed.

However, the school retained its name of Greenwood Park Primary. In years since the collapse of the apartheid system and the racial segregation acts, the school has transformed from a mainly ‘coloured’ one to a fully integrated-school.

This year marks the school’s 50th jubilee, and the current staff under principal, Ian Africa, are planning a symbolic march to reenact how the school, as the community knows it, came to fruition.

“We want to celebrate the school’s history and acknowledge where it all started. We are very excited about this and we are hoping the community, past pupils and teachers who made the historic journey from Briardene Primary and Parkhill High School to Greenwood Park Primary in 1966 will join us. So many of our pupils are second or third generations at the school and there is a wonderful tradition and history with the school, and we would like to share that with our pupils,” he said.

“There will be a number of activities for our pupils, including food sales, jumping castles, a karate demonstration and photographic displays. If any parents or grandparents were involved in or remember this day, they are welcome to take part in the historic march. We will also have a high tea for our guests.”

He added a special committee, the Jubilee Coordinating Committee, was also collecting old photographs, uniforms, badges videos and other memorabilia from the school.

Africa said the march would herald the start of a busy year for the school in, which a number of events have planned to celebrate the school’s 50th year (jubilee).

• If you would like to get involved with the jubilee celebrations or sponsor the school’s celebrations, contact the school on 031 564 2908. The march takes place on 26 January beginning at Briardene Primary School at 9am.