Seeing the love that the learners at their school have for rugby, three newly-appointed teachers at Hankey Primary School rolled up their sleeves and began working hard towards revamping the school’s rugby field, to give the learners hope for a better future.
Joining the staff as teachers less than a year ago, after completing their Bachelor of Education studies, Jewnayne Engelbrecht, Fenando Moos and Ruwayne Koert were enthusiastic about starting their careers and making a difference in the lives of the learners at the school.
Noticing the rugby field was filled with thorns, weeds and hardly any grass, the three teachers decided to take on the task of revamping the field.
“We saw the love that the boys at the school have for rugby and noticed that the field that they were playing on was not up to standard,” said Engelbrecht.
Since the soil was soft on the Monday following a weekend of heavy rain in January this year, the three teachers began removing the thorn plants on the field, working the soil, and digging out the red soil enough for a grass turf to level out with the existing grass.
Moos said that they also bought topsoil to cover the grass and level out the field.
“It was hard labour, since we did not have any power tools. We only used shovels, a rake, and a wheelbarrow,” said Moos.
Before the planting of the grass began, Koert said that they reached out to the Gamtoos Irrigation Board to request help with the plumbing to connect four 5 000l water tanks which were lined up right next to the field.
He said that they also installed a gutter system and a pump, to water the newly-planted grass which covers about 55 percent of the field.
Koert said that they did not use any of the school’s funding for the project, instead requesting sponsorships from local businesses and in some cases using money from their own pockets.
Once the first phase of the revamp was complete, he said that the excitement on the learners’ faces was priceless.
“It’s the best feeling to go to bed at night knowing that you put a smile on someone’s face, and to give hope to children who face difficult circumstances,” said Koert.
Engelbrecht said that many of the young boys are eager to lend a hand to help with the revamp of the field, which has created positive energy among everyone involved.
“When the boys see us driving past with the grass on the bakkie they run after us to the school to help,” said Engelbrecht.
He said that for some people the revamp of the rugby field might seem small and meaningless, but for the children who will use the new field, it means everything.
“We now have a situation where more than 70 boys are on the rugby field after school, instead of sitting on the corner or standing in front of a spaza shop and getting into trouble. For a community such as Hankey this project is a big win,” said Engelbrecht.
“We believe that our children deserve to play on a field filled with grass, and not thorns. This is where hope can be restored, dignity is restored, and a place where they can come to after school. As teachers we want to lift the standards for all that can be done for the children.”
Despite the hard work done, Moos said that they still have a long road ahead of them to further improve the field.
He said that they still need to plant grass in the various open patches, add fertiliser to allow the grass to grow and once all is complete they need to level out the field with a roller truck.
In addition, Engelbrecht said that they need to work on a plan to maintain the field and pay for labour.
To ensure that the field is taken care of he said that they need financial assistance from individuals, organisations or businesses.
“Any assistance will be greatly appreciated and will help us secure the future of rugby in our town and in the country,” said Engelbrecht.
- For more information contact Jewnayne Engelbrecht on 074 422 8108 or email Hankey Primary School on hankeyps@hotmail.com.
