HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL IN RETROSPECT.....

Hamilton high school for boys was official open on November 14 1959 by Sir Robert Tredgold. Initially known as Bulawayo south boys high, it had already been pre-opened on Tuesday 27 January 1959 .The name change followed the parents association recommendation for the school to be called Hamilton high school since it happened to be situated along Hamilton road. The road itself had been named after the Scottish burg of Hamilton in Lanarkshire. The first headmaster was the founder himself Scottish man Mr Ian Grant who remarkably headed the to excellence in his seven years of office . on its establishment , the school aim was proposed and agreed upon.

MISSION STATEMENT

To prepare( boys) adequately for adult life in an atmosphere of discipline. We therefore seek to provide as wide a curriculum and activities as possible to prepare boys for certificate examinations, and to live a full life with meaningful contribution in all aspects of communal and national life. We believe in hard work, communication and respect for true values .

SCHOOL VISION 

Hamilton seeks to be recognised as a high school leading in academic, sports and cultural excellence. Hamilton high school was opened with this vision in mind and countless directives were and have been put into motion by the parents and teachers as well as students to attain the pre-set goals.

SCHOOL MOTTO

The motto: POSSUNT QUIA POSSE VIDENTUR – We are able because we are able, was devised by Mr Dereck Kirch who went to the city of Johannesburg

When the school was opened , it had five masters and 72 boys but as soon as 1962 the school had full functioning personnel , that is , teachers , lab assistance , grounds people and other relevant staff. As far as infrastructure is concerned, the chronicles graded Hamilton as one of the 4 schools in the Rhodesian colony to possess the finest hall and laboratories in 1959 . Two of the other schools were in the then Salisbury(Harare)  and the other one in the then Fort victoria (Masvingo) . To date , it is still one of the most spectacular school in the country  infrastructure wise . The sports field which were once a forests of Mopane and foliage’s , are now eligible for use there was a time when stone picking became a regular extra –curricular  activity as remedy to the then un-grassed terrain but the rugby field was one pronounced best in Bulawayo. In overall the schools infrastructure has grown tremendous and has been dilapidated meagrely over the last 50 years.

In terms of sport, Hamilton boys have superbly maintained the culture founded by predecessors. By 1975 , the school offered a wide variety of extra-curricular activities such as cricket, rugby, hockey, baseball, athletes, goal kicking, volleyball, gymnastics, table tennis, soccer, baskets ball, swimming ,squash, water polo, tennis, badminton and shooting the club in existence were Scripture union, Saint John’s ambulance , Cadet division, Lions Public Speaking , Chess , Junior Council, Debating, Printing, School Orchestra and Art club. Over the following years some of the above mentioned sporting activities were nullified mostly due to inadequate funding.

The surviving sports have gained school popularity as the competitors in almost every activity excel remarkably given the negative condition facing them.

Inter house championships were held in athletics and in almost all the other activities. The house originally formed were Argyll , Cameroon, Gordon and Seaforth  all of which were named after famous Scottish regiments. During these competitions, an elect few were chosen to represent the school in the inter schools championship and some even proceeded to represent the country. In the years adding up to 1980 , the country became involved in what was called the bush war and the school witnessed these temporary decline. Clubs such as chess and toastmasters were later on revived as time went on . Amongst all these challenges , the Hamilton sports section has managed to produce fine sports men including:

v       Roy McLoughlin who had the honour of having the cricket bat named after him when he was only 19 in 1968

v       David smith went on to play international rugby for the springboks

v       Bruce Grobbler who is a one time world number 1 goal keeper

v       Frieder Gullham a one time Zimbabwean cricketer

v      Tererai Kujinga who is now a professional soccer player based in the U.S.A

In 1966, Mr Ian Grant moved to Salisbury as the Deputy secretary of education and his place as headmaster taken by Mr E.C.W Silcock, who had been the deputy headmaster of Plumtree School. Nine years later in 1975 Mr Silcock left to take up the appointment of head of Kearsney college in Natal in January 1976. The new head was J.P.B Armstrong who introduced the idea of forming a toastmasters club for sixth former which has been a great success the last years. With the introduction of Mr T.N Dube as headmaster in 1984 to 1998, the school saw a rapid and implausible decline both sports wise and infrastructure wise he was succeeded by N.K.W. Dube who left the school in 30 April in 2004 he retired due to old age. Mr J Fuyana was then introduced as acting headmaster during the same year and his outstanding patriotic character has resuscitated the Hamilton spirit the year 2006 saw the introduction of a articulately uncompromising gentlemen as the new headmaster.

This was the former Njube headmaster Mr O. Chauke. Following his introduction, emphasis on discipline became a way of life at Hamilton as the notorious “crooks and thugs” were promptly brought to justice. The school which had earned an unclean façade change. Sadly Mr Chauke passed away in 2011 and this saw our current  headmaster Mr J Fuyana  take over as headmaster of the school.