The school song that Donald Woods wrote

Norman Henshilwood High School in Constantia, during its founder’s week in May, will be celebrating 55 years of existence and a recent discovery that its school song has a close link to a respected anti-apartheid activist.

Donald Woods was a South African journalist who became the editor of the East London Daily Dispatch in the 1960s. When the editorials of the paper became critical of the government, Woods was prosecuted several times for violating apartheid’s publication laws. Woods, in turn, successfully sued the apartheid government for defamation a number of times.

The editor was known for befriending activist and Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) leader Steve Bantu Biko. When Biko died in police custody, Woods denounced the government, leading to him being banned.

He began writing a book, Biko, and on New Year’s Eve in 1977, he escaped to Lesotho and his family followed soon afterwards.

Woods shared a long-time friendship with a well-known pianist, Bruce Gardiner, who was asked to write new music for the high school.

Mr Gardiner shared this news with Woods and other close friends during an evening meal at La Perla restaurant in Sea Point, in March 1973. This is according to Tony Heard, a former Cape Times editor, who was at the dinner party, along with Camps Bay Primary School music teacher Val Heard; Donald’s wife, Wendy Woods, herself a music teacher; and Bruce’s wife, Nell.

“The wine was flowing when Bruce mentioned the new school song. As an accomplished musician, Bruce had no problem composing the music, but with two wordsmiths at the table, Donald and myself, the challenge was immediately taken up to come up with something inspiring and aspirational for the ‘Normies’. Donald began writing the words on the back of a menu from La Perla for what was to become the new official school song for Norman Henshilwood High,” Mr Heard recalls.

As Mr Heard describes it, the assembled party, fuelled by the wine, then gave the diners at La Perla an impromptu rendition of the new song.

Dillion Woods, who learnt about how the school song came to be written decades ago through conversations with his father, says it is a lovely story about how something creative can emerge out of nowhere in the midst of creative people.

He was reminded of the song’s origin in a recent telephone conversation with Mr Heard and decided to do some digging. He emailed the school, did a little reading about Bruce Gardiner, and through his search found a rendition of the school song.

“The part I recall was that my father felt the lyrics could be more inspirational and more positive, compared to what had gone before. It is possible Bruce may only have been asked to write new music only and that the words were an additional input on the spot at that restaurant that was not requested, but I’m not sure,” says Dillion.

Mr Gardiner became head of UWC’s music department in 1976 until he retired in 1992. He was a South African household name as the featured pianist in the Rollo Scott Orchestra on the radio programme Over the Rainbow, which was broadcast after the 6pm news on a Saturday in the 70s.

“His elegant style and delicate touch enchanted listeners all over the country in the more than 600 shows in which he appeared. And for more than 30 years he discarded academic formalities when he entertained guests in the beautifully appointed ‘high tea’ lounge in the stately Mount Nelson Hotel,” says Charles Benningfield, a veteran journalist.

Norman Henshilwood High’s current music teacher, Rodrick Connolly, says he first brushed shoulders with the virtuoso when he studied music at UWC from 1988 to 1991.

“Approximately 10 years later, I ended up teaching music at Norman Henshilwood High School. At Normies, it was traditional for the school song to be sung at every assembly. I would accompany the entire school on the piano while they sang,” he says.

“During this time, I met Mr Gardiner again and told him that I was teaching music at Norman Henshilwood. This is when he told me about the origin of the Norman Henshilwood school song.

“In his very nonchalant ‘by the way’ demeanour, he explained that the song was written in a pub. Given Mr Gardiner’s musical genius, he wrote the school song there and then without the help of an instrument. I still have the original manuscript.

“He also said the words were scribbled on a napkin by Donald Woods. Before the night was over Norman Henshilwood had a school song. In time, I made an arrangement of the school song so that it is always available to be played. But I do not play it on the piano these days.”

Mr Woods died in hospital, near his Surrey home in the UK, in August 2001, and Mr Gardiner died in East London a month short of his 89th birthday on November 9, 2021.

The school will conclude its founder’s week programme on Saturday May 13 with a day-long event that will include entertainment, games and an international food fair.

Past pupils and the school community have been encouraged to attend and contribute towards establishing a formal alumni executive body. For more information, contact Paul Dirksen at pdirksen@nhhs.co.za