Special reunion at La Provence Estate

By RINA STEYN

A small section of the beautiful and extensive gardens at La Provence Estate

The La Provence Estate was recently the setting for an interesting gathering of academics who once worked for the Paarl Teachers College. Every year for 32 years, the group of retired lecturers are overjoyed to see one another at their annual reunion. But this is also a reminder of the day the SA government, in a sweeping step, unexpectedly announced the closure of the successful college. It is a day they will never forget.

During the 1980s the South African government had maintained that education institutions training students for a single profession were not cost-effective and therefore not financially sustainable. Colleges for teacher training were among the institutions earmarked for closure.

The first step was to amalgamate some and permanently close others. The Paarl Teachers College Paarl (OKP) and the Wellington Teachers College (WOK) were amalgamated on the Wellington Campus and reopened as the Boland Teachers College (OKB) in January 1990. Meanwhile, the Paarl College was revamped as a police training college.

OKP students, ex-students, lecturers and ex-lecturers were devastated about the loss of their college and campus.

Senior staff phoned the rest of us at midnight on 11 October 1987 to prevent us from hearing the shocking news of the planned amalgamation, which was to take place two years later, in the media the next day. The whole downscaling of teacher colleges had such a huge impact, not only on us but throughout the teaching community in South Africa, that there was an outcry in the press for quite a long time.

During 1990, the two last Vice-Rectors, the late Hamlet Prins and Johan van der Colff, created OKP Klub89. The members were all the lecturers still teaching at OKP in 1989, the last year of OKP’s existence. Later, everyone who ever taught or worked as secretaries or librarians, together with their spouses, were included as members.

Every year since 1990, OKP Klub89 have come together in late October or early November for a lunch reunion. We have eaten at many different venues over the years, but for the last five years, Carin and Johan van Rensburg have opened their beautiful estate to the club for a Sunday lunch. They are not normally open for lunch but can accommodate groups for special occasions.

Nearest the camera are Monty Breytenbach, the last appointee at OKP, and his wife Antoinetta.

OKP Klub89 is now 34 years old. I know of no other staff organisation keeping up a friendship for such a long time after their employer closed down. How is that for sustainability?

Staff members who only worked at OKP for a short time, such as relief staff, all say that OKP was the best place that they had ever been employed at. It is therefore extremely apt that our yearly reunion is held at the wonderful, extremely sustainable La Provence Estate. They have a loyal following of regular guests, many from Europe, who often return to Carin's beautiful vineyard cottages that provide a relaxing experience on a working wine farm. It is certainly the perfect place to cherish and enjoy this exceptional reunion.

Former lecturers enjoy the reunion on the lawn of La Provence.

La Provence provides a beautiful setting for the get-together.

Carin, our host (left) with Adri Becker, the OKP Club89 member who organises our reunion lunches.

The competent and very friendly staff members who assisted Carin with preparing and serving our three-course luncheon of butternut soup, leg of lamb and chutney chicken with saffron rice, creamy baked potato, vegetables and salads.