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For the Drakenstein Valley
Reference
La Rochelle Girls' School will be 150 years old in 2010, and is one of Paarl's oldest surviving schools. The school started in 1860 as a small private school. In 1890 it became the Huguenot Ladies' Seminary, and in 1912 it was changed to La Rochelle. The following is based on Marlene Goosen's research into the school's history.
Acknowledgements
The photograph of Redlich (right) is from the Drakenstein Heemkring's Gribble Collection.
The "rank"
lIn 1926 one of the school's pupils, Sally van der Merwe, wrote the a poem on the "rank". It was based on Jan Celliers' poem "Ossewa":
Die
La Rochelle Gelid
Die meisies stap aan deur die strate
Die opdraans is ver en is swaar
Onwillig, onlustig en moeg;
Die hitte al bakkend en skroeiend
Is nou erg gewis tog genoeg.
...
Die Perels' rooi stowwe, verstikkend
Deur asfalt en teer nou verja
Hul swaai heen en weer in die strate -
Oneindig wand'ling vandag!
School life a hundred years ago
In
the early 1900s La Rochelle was largely self sufficient, and managed
a smallholding producing vegetables, meat and diary products
on
the school grounds to feed teachers, staff and hostel students. In 1901
the school employed a quiet reclusive
German speaking "master
of all works" called Hermann Redlich (above).
It was his work to care for the school's cows, pigs, ducks and chickens. He also had to oversee the vegetable garden and orchards,and produce hay and lucerne for the livestock. The school grounds were extensive and at the time may have extended as far as the Berg River.
In 1909 the school bought a horse to slough the school's vineyard and garden, and to draw Miss van Blerk's trap cart. Hermann Redlich, known as "Onkel" to all the pupils, retired in 1921 and returned to Germany to live with his nephew.
Irish cross breed pup called Fido Fido arrived in 1909 after the winter recess. He was a brown Irish pup, which the headmistress, Miss Cillie, named Fido. That year Miss S Grobler wrote in the school year book: "His advent has increased the receipts of the drapery store. His tastes are excellent: he prefers lace to embroidery."
And then ... "He is under sentence because of a dreadful crime he committed on Sunday afternoon. He devoured six sweet innocent ducklings ... and was caught red handed with the webbed feet of his last victim still showing between his jaws.
... Fido's manners are really quite shocking in spite of his being connected with a ladies' seminary. When he is free he enters the dining room at meal times ... joins in the singing and bites the poor girl who had to drag him out."
Fido died in 1921 and was buried in the school garden near a hedge opening he used to escape punishment.
The "rank" Every afternoon the hostel residents had to go for a walk through town under the watchful eye of one of the teachers. Wearing a hat and gloves (even on scorching summer days), the girls had to walk in rank, two abreast. The senior girls could chose where there went, and according to headmistress of the day, they went wherever the boys were to be found.
The girls were not to break rank. So when to girls decided to hitch a ride with Mr Koos Retief of the farm Orange (now part of Paarl's central business district), the thrill of trotting past the rank from Mr Retief's cart, was replaced by the humiliation of being caught out by the headmistress Miss Cillie, and sent back to join the rank.