Read the 1964 WBHS School Magazine online
Courtesy of the WBHS Archives in the Oude Wijnberg Museum – the digital copy of the 1964 School Magazine.
Magazine tribute to Headmaster, Mr William ‘Bill’ Bowden, on his retirement :
Surveying Wynberg Boys’ High School in its present form, and mindful of the hundreds of boys who have emerged from its classrooms to serve their generation, our thoughts turn with gratitude to the contribution made by Mr. Bowden to the progress of this school. Indeed, his period of office as Principal forms no inconsiderable chapter in the history of the school.
Mr. Bowden came to Wynberg as its Headmaster in 1948 and retires on pension at the end of this year. In the years that he has guided the school, he has also piloted many far-reaching schemes. We have in mind, among others, the swimming bath, the Memorial Pavilion, Littlewood House, and extensions to the school buildings and playing fields. In addition there has been a steady rise in the enrolment and an expansion of subjects in the curriculum.
Unhesitatingly we say that Mr. Bowden is a born teacher, always aiming to train boys to discover the capacity of their own minds rather than the content of those of others. Unhesitatingly we also say, that we shall miss his vital personality, his clear objective thinking and his forceful public speaking. Indeed, as a public speaker Mr. Bowden always stood out, and his eloquence was a great factor on the numerous occasions in which he spoke in the name of the school.
Behind all his work, and inspiring it, there have been vast and wide experiences gained as a high ranking officer and as a public-spirited citizen. Upon these experiences, in the long run, rather than upon anything else, perhaps, has rested Mr. Bowden’s faith in education.
The imminence of Mr. Bowden’s retirement was clear to many of us when the tragedy of his very serious eye ailment became known. The fortitude with which he bore those many weeks in hospital, and his patience in one operation after another, won the admiration of everybody. God grant that he may retain the sight still left to him!
And so we take leave of Mr. Bowden as our Headmaster, and as a wise counsellor and friend to many. We offer our best wishes for the future to Mr. and Mrs. Bowden and hope that the years to come will see them happy and contented.
